Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-12-24
FAMOUS SLOvENs
They Had a Fine Contempt For
Personal Appearance.
GENIUS IN UNCOUTH ATTIRE.

Old Time Cab Driver-Dr. johnson
Was Grotesque, and ''OId Fitz' Out
ragged All the Sartorial Conventions.
1t is surprising how outrageously
careless of their personal appearance
many famous men have been. Genius
may or may not be allied to madness.
but 1t has certainly very often been
linked with an utter disregard for
clothes and cleanly habits.
1t is said of Turner, the great land.
scape painter. that his hands were 1.-The
smallest and dirtiest hands on record"
Perhaps that Is an exaggeratiOn. but
he was certainly very slovenly in his
dress He wore black swallowtail
dress coat, very much in need of
clothesbrush vigorously used, and In
the. warmest as well as in the coolest
weather he wore round his throat a
sort of wrap or muller, which he
would unloose, letting the ends dangle
down in front and dip into the colors
Of his palette He always worked
either with his old hat on his head or
with this same large muffler over his
head His appearance was more like
that Of an old time coachman than Of
famous Royal AcademIcian, for he
was short and stout, with red and
blotchy face
DR.. Johnson's slovenliness has al
most passed into proverb. There are
many contemporary accounts of his
turning out of his house in Bolt court
with his wig back to front and his
stockings down. When Boswell visited
him at Inner Temple lane he records;
His brown suit of clothes looked very
rusty; he had on little, old shriveled,
unpowdered wig. which was too small
for his head; his shirt neck and the
knees Of his breeches were loose. his
black worsted stockings Ill drawn up,
and by way Of slippers he had on a
pair of unbuckled Shoes" When 1t 10
added that this great man was con-
stantly twitching, grunting, shaking
his head, putting his cheeks and blink.
Ing his eyes, 1t must be admitted that
his appearance was not only uncouth
but grotesque
Thomas Carlyle, coming Of peasant
race, never conformed to'society garb.
He was always the inspired peasant
He would sometimes so out in his
old dressing gown, over which he but
toned big coat, gray with age When
he was left alone In the house he de-
lighted In swllling his fagstones with
pals of water and many a distin.
guished friend found him thus en-.
gagged with a kind OF smoek on and
his bushy hair all tousled. he went
about all the summer among the high
est arlstocracy in frieze jacket which
was part Of an old dressing gown. All
the cabmen and bus drivers Chelsea
way knew him, One. said, HE may
wear queer at, but what would yer
give for the 'eadpiece inside Of itH''
1t would not be seemly to describe
Tennyson as slovenly in any rea
sense He was singularly noble
looking man, but he did not care Jot
what he wore. His old souch hat had
seen unnumbered years and tapped
about at all angles, and the Inverness
cape which he invariably wore was
about as old as bis hat People who
met him without knowing his immense
distinction would have regarded hin
as rather quaint character, and 0
tailor's cutter would not have assessed
him at half dollar. all told
This is description Of the daily ap
pearance Of Edward Fitzgerald, the
immortal translator Of "'rhe Rubalyat'
Of Omar Khayyam: Struggling gray
hair and slovenly in dress, wearing al
ancient. battered. black banded, shiny
edged tall hat. round which he would
in wlntry weather tie handkerchief
to keep 1t In place; his clothes Of
buggy blue cloth, as though he were
senfnrer; his trousers short and bis
shoes low, exhibiting a length Of white
or gray stockings. With un unstArch
ID shirt front, high, crumpled, standuT
collar, u big black silk tie in a careless
how; In cold weather trailing greer
and black and gray plaid shawl, In ho
weather even walking barefoot will
his boots slung to u stick" Surely
"Old Fitz" M reDnyson called him
took the cake for soyeullness OF al
the immortnlsl.- learsons Weekly.