Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-03-20
ERRoRs or m sToRF.
friction. That for Centuries Have Posed

current with many people.
Probably one Of the most affecting
scenes connected with the making of
literature is that described In the oft
repeated story Of the blind poet Milton
debating Paradise Lost" to his daugh-
tiers. Dr. Johnson, however, has been
quoted rs denying it. He said, further
more that Milton never even permitted
his daughters to learn to read and
write.
A favorite 'piece" with western and
southern schoolboys on recitation and
exhibition days was set of verses tell.
ing Of the heroic stand of Leonidas and
his brave 200" Mt Thermopylm. The
Able Bartheiemy, who asserted that
he had inquired infinitely into the sub
iect. wrote that. according to Diodorus,
Lconidas had 1000 men under him aud
that pausanias gave the number OF Lee
ondas' army as 10000.
Did Caesar say 10 the pilot:
why do you fear? You have Caesar
on board"
Many trustworthy historians declare
that Cesar never used the words
quoted. ..-
The inside of cigar box covers are
sometimes ornamented with a picture
Of the Colossus of Rhodes, with ships
in full sail passing between the out
stretched legs OF the gigantic statue,
These pictures reflect the popular and
what for centuries was the historical
idea of the Colossus, which was &C.
counted oue Of the seven wonders OF
the world. 1t may be interesting to
know that all drawings of the statue
are purely imaginary and, what is
more, are modern, not ancient, efforts.
| The Colossus Was erected In 305 Il. 9.
| The most trustworthy of ancient &C
counts CT 1t is contained in n manu-
script doying about 100 Il. c., in which
| the height of the gtatne is given as lo1
| feet. The entrance to the harbor OF
| Rhodes is $50 feet across, SO that ii
was manifestly impossible that the legs
of the Colossus should span the en-,
trance to the port or that ships should
sail beneath it.
| AS matter Of fact the Colossus was
not built across the harbor, but on al
open space of ground near it; but, fol
all that, it was wonderful statue.
People whose sympathies are easily
aroused lave wnpt over the wrong;
Of pcI!sSgius. the conqueror of thu
Nanda!s, wha, many were taught
.'begged his bread at the city gates
after having ra&mapdcd victorious
armies and been 81 auch service tt
the state. The atni old general wa
unquestionably an unfortunate an'
much abused man, but there Is NJ
proof that he begged his living at tn
city gates or elsewhere. Yet Van Dyk
engraved him and David, the grea
Franchman, painted him, and TRACE
dies and romances were writtel
around him in the belief that he did 81
at the city gates forlorn and discon
ISOLATE object with palm outstretche
for aims.
The facts are. conspiracy agains
the Emperor Justinian being discover
ed, two of Belisarius' officers confesse
under torture that the old general wa
in the plot. He was condemned with
out further hearing, his property sc
questrated, and he suffered imprisoI
ment for six months. His innocenc
being established Belisarius was rt
leased, and he died about year late,
But that he ever was reduced TO tn
extremity of begging is declared to
, absolutely untrue.
The schoolbooll tale of William TIE
l shooting an apple from his sons hea
!, is also without foundation in fac
: Tells name doesn't even appear in til
: chronicles of Zurich, and the most al
cient writing in which the story
, mentioned bears date some 200 veal
i, after the event it pretends TO describ
The story is variation of an old Scar
t dinavian saga. A similar bit of hi
+ tory" is related of William of Cloud
ley in England in the twelfth century
1t is denied also that Empert
Charles " Of Spain on his abdicatio
adopted the habit of monk and occ,
II pied himself in the manufacture /
@ clocks 1t Is declared that lie new
t ceased to be emperor de facto, and
o never surrendered control of affairs
:. state.
y Coming down to later times, the pc
=, :, pie of three different countries elaine
!. three different men as inventors of Il
|, steam engine. In America there is
t., popular belief TO this day that Robe
J. Fulton built the first successful eneil
and steamboat. In England the Ma
quis OF Worcester, who published /
account of steam engine in 1868, hi
received credit for the invention.
n. France Solomon de Caus Q615) was I
garded as the genius who had given
the world a new motive power. Ea'
ri Of them may have conceived and wor
ed out the idea of a steam engine wit
tn out the slightest knowledge of VIII
=, had been done In that direction befo
their day, but none of them mig
rightly lay claim 10 being the first
the field.
-, On April II. 1913. Don Blasco
Garay launched boat of 200 tons BIT
den at Barcelona in the presence of t
III Emperor Charles V. The boat was pl
n. PEELED by steam and made ten miles
hour. She was called La Sanctissir
Trinidada. The emperor gave to D.
~ Blasco handsome present, but did Il
regard the invention as PRACTICAL
and nothing came of 1t. From this
would seem that Fulton was centurI
MS behind the times.-New York Mail a
Express.
To Ma snkeap for washing blankets.
&c, Shave fine two pounds Of VIII
; soap and put into SAUCE tcr th (
Quarts of boiling water. Gg Il
. fire until the soan is dissolved irri