The Portland daily press., 1897-08-06
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR,

William G. Rockefeller has been drawn
on the jury and will now be able to pull
in three dollars day during the dull
season.
William G. Whitney pays the largest
tax in Washington Massachusetts,.
A recent letter received by Mrs. Susan
Fessenden from Miss Willard says:
"Lady Henry Somerset will not resign.
had cable from Mrs. Stevens of Maine,
who is with her. She sent her resigna-
toin to the executive committee, but the
great majority, indeed three-fourths,
urged her SO strongly to remain that she
will do so.''
Rudyard Kipling's Jubilee poem, 6 Re-
cessional," is to be introduced to hymn
ology by Sir Arthur Sullivan, and it may
give the poet his longest lease of fame.
Addison S hymn, "The Lord my Pasture
Shall Prepare" is more often in the
mouths and minds of the present genera
ton than any of his other poems. e
Lying on the central table of the re-
ception room of DR.. Chauncey M. De-
pew's summer home at Newport is a
small red plush case. bearing on the cover
the Papal arms in gold. Within is sill
yer medal, the size of dollar, bearing
on one side the likeness of Pope Leo
XIII, and on the other raised coat.of-
arms. The medal was brought from
Rome by Bishop Gabriels of Ogdensburg
as mark of favor from the holy father
to Mr.. Depew.
1t is never too late to clear ones name
and that is why Judge Roger A. Pryor,
now of New York, denies the story, which
found credence in some quarters, that he
deserted from the Confederate army dur
ing the Civil War. A Vermont officer
who had gone to the picket line to swap
some tobacco was taken prisoner by the
Rebels. The Union men vowed revenge
for what they considered the violation OF
tactic truce, and they swore to take the
next Johnny" who came up to sYap. 1t
happened to be Colonel Pryor. That is
what he says, and he is corroborated by
the Vermont officer.
Mr.. Morris K. Jesup, Of New York has
furnished funds to defray expenses of a
systematic exploration of the coasts of
Asia and North America from the Column
bia to the Amoor River. 1t is hoped to
settle the question whether Asiatics came
to America by way of Kamchatka and
the Aleutian Islands. Between the Co
lumbia River and Behring Strait there
are ten fundamentally different Ian
guages, having thirty seven dialects mu.
tually unintelligible; on the side of Asia
seven distinct languages and ten dialects.
The study and investigation are to be
carried on by the American Museum of
Natural History, and will cover period
of six years.
1t is estimated that there are 1000, 0O(
blind people in the world. Latest reports
show %, 900 blind persons in England,
or $40 for each million inhabitants. Blind
infants of less than five years, 106 fol-
each billion; between five and fifteen,
2SS; between twenty and twenty five,
1922; between forty five and sixty, 1926,
and above sixty -fv e years, 1000 for each
million. Russia and Egypt are the coun.
tries where the blind constitute the lar.
gest proportionate number of total popu.
lation.
South American lovers have pretty
custom. 1t is we'll known that when the
petals of the great laurel magnolia are
touched, however lightly, the result is 6
brown spot, which develops In few
hours The fact is taken advantage of BY
the lover, who pulls magnolia flower
and on one of Its pure white petals writes
motto or message with hard, sharr
pointed pencil. Then he sends the fiowe11
the young lady puts it In vase of water
and in three or four hours the message
written on the leaf becomes visible.
A statue of the late Vice President
Schuyler Colfax is to be erected in South
Bend, Ind, his home, and where hi,
family now live. This decision wa,
reached Monday night at a meeting O.
the Commercial Athletic Club, the lead
ing business organization of the city A
committee was appointed to solicit funds
The money will be raised in South Bend
and requests for sums will be sent to Re
bekah lodges throughout the Union. Mr.
Colfax was the founder of Rebekah lodge,
and it is believed lodges all over the coin
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