The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-13
Journan

NSltuIIIUCI . JOuEHdiJ
If it be true, as John Stuart Mill
maintained that eccentricity has al
way aboundcd when and where
strength Of character has abounded,
and that the amount of ecccntricity
in II society has generally been pro-
portiOnal 10 the noun of genius,
NiCor and moral courage it contain
cd. then there must have been an cX-
trH~ordinary amount OF genius, vigor
and moral courage among the inhabi-
tantS of England during the ~unjustly
disparhScd eighteenth century, for of
n certainty the country then swarmcd
with "cranks." This reflection has
more than once occurred TO me in the
course of the researches which |
have had to make into certain bio
graphical backwaters of the Georgian
era.
In 1929 there died at Romford in
ESSEX, Il we'll known butcher of that
town named Wilson. Mr.. Wilson, 1t
appears, was notable for his integ-
ritN in business and for the gentle
ness of his manners-two qualities
which. perhaps, would scarcely have
entitled him to the notice of posteri-
tN had he not also exhibited a remark
able addiction TO psalmody. cxtraor-
49, III pSuIil1llSIllp anu
n highly peculiar manner of eating
his dinner.
Such butchers bills as he sent to his
customers had never been seer before
and have never been seen since. They
We're all cNquisitely written by his
own hand; but the top line would be.
perhaps in German text. the second in
Roman letters. Stimulating the finest
print: beef would he in one STYLE of
writing, mutton i'll another. lamb in a.
third, while each of these kinds Of
meat would be still further distin-
suishcd by Il different color of ink.
He was a great friend to the church,
observing all its ordinances-and a tri-
ie more. Every Sunday he entertain
ed the congregation with a solo. sing
ing the psalms by himself until the
minister came into the desk. And on
every last fast day. while all the rest
of the congregation went home to their
re1reshment and rest. between morn
and evening services. he never quilted
the church. but went about from pew
to pew repeating the Lords PRAYER
and singing appropriate psalms, until
he had performed these favorite de-
Noiions i'm every pew in the church.
He had Il large appetite and SEEM
ell determined that all Romford
should know it; for instead of sitting
down quietly TO dinner in his back
parlor, he would usually sally forth
into h street with Il leg or Shout
der of lamb in one hand. a large knife
in the other, a. small loaf of bread
i'm his pocket and Il handful of salt in
the ben of his arm which carried the
Joint: and. thus equipped, would per-
the town, eating as he went.
until he had consumed the whole of
this Very substantial meal.
William Lewis. Esq, of Liandisruan.
who died on December 30, 1898 in the
act of drinking a lumber maur" that
is. a cup of Welsh ale containing about
a vine quart--had made it Il rule in
his life to read Il certain number of
chapters in the bible every morning
and by way of assisting in the digcs-
tlon of so much spiritual food. to drink
no less than eight gallons of ale every
morning.
1t was calculated by some mathe-
NAUTICAL genius of the time that in tine
course of his life Mr.. Lewis must have
drunk enough ale TO float Il seventy
four gun ship. Ills size was extraor-
binary. If we may believe the Gentle
mans magazine. he weighed $50
pounds and the diameter of his body
was no less than six feet. F'ortu-
nately says the writer of his obit-
nary notice. he died in his parlor, for
il wonld have been Impossible to bring
him down stairs in a coffin. Even as
1t WAS, the undertakers had to use a
cram" I" lift the coffin into a car