The herald., 1898-11-21
STORIES OF THE DAY
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Blanche Roosevelt had no great ability as
an artist, but she uossessed q genius for

Blanche Roosevelt had no great ability as
an artist, but she possessed genius for
| utilizing opportuni-
Sherman's ties to further her
Criticism professional ambi-
| tom. General Sher-
mans kind heart and helpful nature led him
to stretch out the hand of encouragement
to many a struggling aspirant for dramatic
and musical honor. But his proteges some
times were not selected with a due regard
for their artistic capabilities. Amongst
others he bestowed friendly interest upon
Miss Roosevelt, who, fifteen years or more
ago, went to New York to sing in light
opera. She instituted weekly musical at
her hotel, preceding her appearance. One
Of these General Sherman was expected to
attend as the guest of highest honor The
hours went by and the hostess was in de-
spair, for the general did not arrive. Leth-
orgy fell upon the assemblage, which the
playing and singing Of mediocre people could
not dissipate.
About midnight the grim old warrior,
wrapped in long military cape, appeared
on the scene and joy beamed on Miss Roose.
velt's lovely face. "Oh, general" she said,
impulsivey, 1--WE refused to sing until you
came What would you like?"
Nothing" he answered, laconically. The
lady's face fell.
you see," he continued, 1--WE been
down at the Academy this evening listening
to Patti as Marguerite and l don't want
the memories disturbed before 60 to my
dreams"
1t was rather hard, but Miss Roosevelt.
took it good-humoredly, for she knew that
the old general had no thought of being un-
gallant when he said just what he meant in
his own delightfully."- blunt fashion.
A fierce passage at arms between the
veteran Sarcey and Yvette Gulbert has
amused Paris heart
Yvette's lily. The chanteuse
Invective answered the critics
charge that her sue
cess was due to puffery-otherwise the re
clame-by a countercharge of the same
character. Yvette's invective reached its
climax in the following paragraph of her
published reply to Sarcey, the sting of which
translation weakens somewhat: Not salts
fed with all this tralalala-which none Of
your confreres employs-for weeks past
Paris, the provinces and foreign lands have
had the privilege of adiniring you in the
shop windows, pictured completely nude
seated in cabbage, playing with your toes
your critical eye fastened upon your incred
ible stomach! Of course that isn't reclame
Go to!" Even the redoubtable Sarcey might
well hesitate to renew hostilities with such
controversial terror as Yvette.
Here is an advertisement which is now
appearing in the Tribune of Rome:
| "a French marquis
| A Prince closely related to sew.
for Sale eral reigning royal
families of Europe
would adopt a lady or gentleman disposed
to treat him kindly in his old age"
As there are plenty of people in this curl
ous world who would like to be enabled to
call king uncle" or to kiss princess of
the blood with the words, my dear cousin, -
the old marquis with the desirable relations
will probably find the kindly treatment in
his old age, which he so urgently desires.
suppose the treatment" will have to con-
sist largely Of cash down.
| Here is a perfectly true and new story
about Lord Kitchener, the sirdar of Egypt,
which illustrates in
Kitchener's a remarkable manner
Ingenuity his faculty of organiz-
alton. More than a
year ago, it seems, he was rather insufficient
ly supplied with the appliances and rolling
stock necessary for his undertakings, the
srdar was anxious to get telegraph wire
from a certain post to another ten miles
farther up the river without delay. He
gave his orders and went his way. Coming
back he found the work at standstill and
his electrician and engineer complained that
although they had all the necessary wires
they had no means or appliances for rolling
them along the ten miles to the next post.
The matter was very pressing. The sirdar
knitted his brow and said: "There are these
donkeys. I can give you donkeys." But
that was no good. How was the wire to be
unrolled without trolley, truck or drum
Again the sirdar stood baffled, deep i'll
thought. Suddenly he picked up a piece
of loose canvas mating and wrapped it
round a donkey's neck; then he seized the
roll of wire and passed it over the donkey's
head. He gave the animal kick and off it
cantered, unwinding the wire as it went,
for the other end was duly secured to the
ground. The sirdar laughed. "You must
use the donkeys," said he. And in this way
the donkey was kicked and goaded along
the ten miles, unwinding the telegraph wire,
the purpose was achieved and the necessary
communication between two important
posts was connected. 1t does not signify
in schemes of such magnitude that the dom
keys neck was cut to ribbons! 1t had to
be killed; other donkeys took its place
What mattered few donkeys' lives? The
sirdar is man of determination; a thing
that has to be done, must be done. But still
it was hard on the poor little "mokes."
O O o
Of all the tales about remarkable prayers
surely the following is one of the best. 1t
is told of a Northamp-
A Prayerful tonshire minister of
Expedient Noncomformist
flock. The reverend
gentleman's "long" prayer of the morning
the prayer that covered every want, possible
and mpossible-always occupied exactly a
quarter of an hour, never a minute longer
and never minute less. So long had the
aged preacher followed this rule that it had
become a settled matter of orthodoxy. No
minister from the neighboring town was
ever acceptable, for not one could spin out
his prayer like their own pastor. One morn