Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-03-19
AS YOU LIKE IT.
Some Stray Leaves From a Reporters
 Note Book.

A friend of the As You Like It man IS the proud father of a precocious lit tie child. The little girl is about 4 years old and is unusually bright for her age. She has taken part in sev- eral entertainments and has won much applause by the manner i'll which she delivers reclLations. One night recent ly her mother was about to put .-.e child to bed.A The child was tired and her mother, therefore, told her she might omit her prayers. But the child insisted on saying her prayers. She knelt down and had repeated few Of them when she astonished her mother by saying: Mamma, I am tired. I guess will have to make the recita- ton some other time"
 One of the chief benefits of conver- sation is that each can learn that which his companion knows and he does not; but this benefit can come only to the modest, receptive mind. Most of the argument held by persons of opposite views is quite futile for want Of this mental condition. The object is not to find out the truth about the mooted subject, but to shine and to conquer. Neither party becomes wiser, neither is convinced. The tri- umph of one and the humiliation of the other are alike fruitless, and more or less unpleasant feeling is left be- hind. A thorough defeat taken in the right spirit Is more really valuable to the truth seeker than twenty vic- tories that only feed vanity.
 
 A young teacher who had taken pains to implant a knowledge of United States history, who could but feel that much good seed had fallen on stony ground when at the final examination the question, What char acter do you like best, and whyi" brought forth the following astonfsh- ing replies: Andrew Jackson, be- cause he whipped the British with an old hickory" Grant, who was elected president twice and aroun0 the world once;" q like Monroe for doctrfn' the people, and Jackson, standing as a stone wall and fell dead;;" Lincoln, who was shot and killed standing in booth, and died saying, Jefferson survives, am conttnted::' "De Soto s who waded in the Mississippi up to his elbows and there found his \ grave;" "Old General Putnam, who left his OK and ass in the. field and went and beat the Brftish;" ''The re- doubtful John Paul Jones, because he said, We'll beat them British or bust and then did it."
 Attorney Richmond received a visit yesterday from a person with rather peculiar proposition. The disciple of Blackstone was enjoying a little rest in his office yesterday morning after several hours of hard work when the door of the office was opened and in walked son of sunny Italy. He sat down and immediately began to talk about marriage. He loved a girl and wanted to marry her and he wanted the attorney to fix matters. The at torney was about to make a trip to the town clerks office to secure a license for the Italian and his pro- posed bride, but the prospective groom interrupted and said that the purpose of his visit was not to secure mar riage license but to have the lawyer draw up an agreement which would give the groom permission to leave his proposed wife if after living with her three years he did not like her. In other words he was willing to take his wife on trial. The attorney ex- pressed his regret that he could not pen such a document and the groom to be left the office, keen disappoint- nent written on his face.