The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-15
OF THE FAMOUS.
BATCH OF SHORT STORIES
ABOUT WELL-KNOWN MEN.

,b., Crab-One of Lord MacauIay's
PET Diversions.
From the St Louis Globe-Democrat
Absent-mindedness seems to be COM
man calling among great men. An anus
IN, story is told of the late Louis Pasteur.
,.oo so distinguished himself by his dis
o,,.etics in regard to bacteria. While din
IN. AZ his son-in-law's one evening it
-,- noticed that he dipped his cherries in
his glass of water and then carefully
,i,.d them before eating them. AS this
,,rs.d some amusement, he held forth a
-e.qtb on the dangers of the microbes with
rHa.h the cherries were covered. Then
he .aned back in his chair, wiped his
forehead, and. unconsciously picking up
t.s glass, drank off the contents, microbes
and ALL
g., friend calling upon Peter Burrowes,
D celebrated Irish barrister, one morning
~ his dressing room, found him shaving
himself with has face to the wall, and ask
81 3im why he chose so strange an ath-
nJa The answer was: ITO look in the
os-s" why, there is no glass there
Slid the friend "Bless mel! exclaimed
Errrowes. Il did not notice that before"
Then. ringing the bell, he called the ser
want ard questioned him respecting the
IN king glass which had been hanging on
me wall "Oh, sir" said the servant, 1T
,,.s broken six weeks ago" certain
1arned professor at Cambridge is a very
-ts,nt-n1inded man. A friend of his mao
bean seriously i'll. When he was conva.es-
,eat the professor used to send him Jellies
and other delicacies. One day he took him
81 fine bunch of dollhouse grapes The Cd
friends were very pleased 10 see each
other. and were soon deep in discussion
Tho professor, .tecomins interested, began
a1sent-mindedly picking the grapes, TAX
ira one at a time till they were all gone
on going out Of the door he called back
IN his friend Now, mind YOU cat those
cranes: they viii do you all the good IN
the world a well-known archbishop was
also noted for his absent mindedness
Dining at home one evening" he found
FAM with the flavor of the soup. Next
evening he dned out at large dinner par
~ Forgettlng for the moment that he
Vas not in his own house, but a guest, he
observed across the table to his wife:
"T1is soup is by dear, again a failure.
Nearly ali great scientific discoveries
have been combated and misunderstood
even by great men. Admiral Sir Charles
Napier dercely opposed the Introduction OF
steam power into the royal navy and on
dav excla med in the House of Commons
"NIr Speaker, when we enter her males
tvs naval service and face the chances IF
war we go prepared to be hacked in pieces
by cutlasses. to be riddled with bullets OF
be- blown to bits by shot and shell; but
Mr.. Speaker, we do not go prepared to be
boiled allve!" The last words he brough \
out with tremendous emphasis. Stea IN
mower in men-of-war with boilers which
at any moment might be shattered by an
enemys shot-this was prospect the gal
liant sailor could not face. Yet in a few
Years Sir Chares Napier found himself
in command of the largest steam navy
that the world had ever seen. Lord Stan
ley subsequently, the create Lord Derby
presided over select committee of the
House of Commons to examine into the
state of steam navigation. George Ste
pheuson, the eminent engineer. who wa
examined spoke of the probability of
steamships crossing the Atlantic. Coco
heavensl what do you say?" exclaimed
Lord Stanley, rising from his seat, If
steamships cross the Atlantic l will eat
the boiler of the first boat" That pledge
was never redeemed.
In more recent years a lord chancellor
even after he had seen a theater illum.
mated without candle or OIL poured ridi-
Guile on a scheme for supplying every
house in London with gas in the same
manner as they are now supplied with
water by the New River Company.
Again. so eminent a chemist and gas spe.
cialist as Sir Humphrey Davy himself IS
alleged to have sa q on one occasion that
il was as rea sonable to talk of ventilauns
London with windmills as if lighting it
with gas. 1t is a historical fact that when
the houses of Parliament we're first light
Cd ny gas more than one famous legisla-
Tor was seen Closely to scrutinze an eX-
posed portion of the gas piping and then
TO touch it apprehensively with the no.
ton, evidently. that it might be hos
enough to burn his fingers and endanger
the neighborine woodwork
The story Of the comment of Culver. the
cel'brated French naturalist, on the defn-
luon of the word crab" adopted by the
committee of the French Academy en-
p'yed in the preparation of the Acadesny
dictionary. is well known. but is always
tl"sh and amusing The definition was;
crab. small red fish, which wa ks
backwards" your definition would be
perfect gentemen,' said Cuvier, only
Tor three exceptions. The crab is not a
Hsn. it is not red, and ii does not walk
oackward." The Royal Society is the Eng
Vsn analogue of the French Academy
Many years ago a sailor who had broker
rs leg was advised to send 10 the ROya
society an account of the remarkable man
Ief IN which he had healed The fracture
nc did So His story, was that, having
If3etured the limb by falling from the Tor
ot mast, he had dressed it with nothing
guy TAR and oakum, which had proved *
wonderfully efficacious that in three day
was able to walk just as we'll as be
Iore The accident. This remarkable story
naturally caused some excitement amons
ue members Of the society. No one hat
previously suspected tar and oakum O.
P's1essing such miraculous healing pow
'f Several letters accordingly passed be
Weeh the Royal Society and the humble
s'del. who continued TO assert mos
mniy that his broken leg had beer
aled with tar and oakum, and viii
'.s~o two applications only. The society
Ii-"t have remained puzzled for an in
''n te period had not the man remarked
i- d poscript to his last letter: 81 forgo
telaIorm your honors, by the way, rhat tn,