The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-30
ABOUT PEOPLE AND THINGS.


BY wiping perspiration from his face with
the back of his hand while counting coin F..
j. Eighmey of Waterloo, Ia, poisoned his
eyes badly apparently with dust from the
foreign accretions on the metal.
Canon Basil Wilberforce can claim to be
one of the most ardent temperance reform
ers in the British isles. When moving for
the first time into his canonry he had all
the wine in the cellar poured out into the
street, and he converted the cellar into a
dining room by opening out TWO windows
on to Deans yard.
The Princess of Wales receives probably
more anonymous letters than any person in
the world. They come to her all sorts
of subjects, often, however, inclosing pres
entS. Recently she received a small box
with holes punctured in the sides, and when
she opened it tiny white dog jumped out.
She has kept the dog and is very fond of it..
Poor pussy has been retired from the Ger
man army. Hitherto the domestic cat has
always been carried on the roster of a Ger
man regiment, the custom probably origi~
mating with the necessary annihi1ation of
the mouse. But now that these destructive
creatures can be destroyed by scientific
process pussy is no longer needed. The pay
of the cat was exactly $4 year, besides a
few additional expenses in connection with
the purchase of medicine and military
badges.
The only thing that the King of Siam and
his suite find disagreeable in their travels
through Europe is the necessity of early
rising, which is imposed by the programmes
arranged for their entertainment. Getting
up early is not Siamese custom. At the
court in Bangkok especially, life is almost
nocturnal Even in their European Journey
ings the King and the princes, except after
some specially fatiguing day of sightseeing,
work, talk, smoke and drink tea till an
early hour in the morning. Generally they
do not go to bed till o'clock. Their dis
like to getting up at is therefore ex-
plicable.
A statue of Charles Darwin was unveiled
on Aug. 10 at Shrewsbury, his native place.
1t was erected by the Shropshire Horti-
cultural Society. The Bishop of Shrews-
bury made an address, in the course of which
he said, amid applause, that times had
changed in clerical circles since Bishop Will
berforce denounced Darwln's theories and
that the new attitude was shown ut a re-
cent church congress, where the Bishop of
Hereford had called Darwin zone of the
doorkeeperS of the vast temple of the uni
verse, who pointed out to us new vistas,
every one of them leading up to the throne
of God.
Dean Farrar gives the following remnis-
cence of Thackeray in the Independent:
Dining with him at the house of DR. But
Ter. l remember that he spoke of many
things, but the only remark that specially
recall was one about himself. He said that
he had recently sat at a dinner next to an
eminent tragedienne, now dead, and that
she had overpoN cred him with ecstatic COM
pliments. A few days afterward he had sat
next Jenny Lind, and the great singer with
a frankness which delighted him, said that
she had not read line of one of his writ
ings and knew nothing about them. OF the
two ladies he greatly preferred Jenny Lind
and enjoyed her frank indifference much
more than the fulsome adulation"
The blessed Poster Girl leaned out
From a pink-purple heaven.
One eye was red and one was green;
Her bang was cut uneven;
She had three fingers on her hand
And the hairs on her head were seven.
Her robe ungirt from clasp to hem,
No sunf1owers did adorn:
But heavy Turkish portiere
Was very neatly worn;
And the hat that lay along her back
Was yellow like canned corn.
IT was a kind of wabbly wave
That she was standing on,
And high aloft she flung scarf
That must have weighed ton;
And she vas rather tall--at least
She reached up to the sun.
Tho Century