New-York tribune., 1914-03-29

TANT. the German mctaphysician, stands
N at the head Of the class Of truly great &c
centres. De Quincy, the Engishman OF
letters, took great delight in making close
study of this queer philosopher. One ol
Kants hobbies in the art Of taking care oi
himself was 10 avoid garters lie permitted
no ligaturc 10 bc placed on any part OF his
body, fearing 10 hinder in the slightest de-
gree the circulation Of the blood.
He found il necessary at the same time TO
keep up his stockings. Accordingly, he had
loops attached 10 them, and outside each
hip ne wore a Contrvance that may be
called a box windlass. These affairs some
what rcscmblcd an angler reel with spring,
which secured the line at any given point:
The idea Of this grotesquc fancy 80 tickled
DE Quincy that nc often fingered on the odd
sight it must have been 10 observe the mas
ter "paying out the cable" or hauling IN
the slack" by this curious machinery.
DAGANINI had his share Of eccentricity.
L He feared no one, and when he was
disposed TO fly off in a tangent neither
audience nor King could keep him in the
regular orbit I'm the reign Of Louis Philippe
nc agreed 10 play at a court concert an
nounccd at the Tuilcrics. Just before the
concert he looked at the room. The cur
tains were hung 50 as TO interfere with the
sound, and ne asked the superintendent TO
have them properly arranged. The ofhcial
paid no heed to the request, but 50 offended
Paganini by his manners that the vlolinist
determined not to play. The hour OF the
concert came; but no Paganini. AT last
messenger was sent TO his hotel. The violin
st was there; but he had gone to bed.
Paganini's cccentricity once caused him to
be mObbcd at Fcrrara. In those days the
common people Of the suburbs Of that little
town looked upon the dwellers in the town
itself rs "a set Of asses" Hence any yokel
of the suburbs, if asked where he came from,
never replied Prom Fcrrara," but put up
his head and began braying like an ass.
Paganini could initiate with his violin the
braying Of an ass as well as do other won
dcrfu things. In the course Of a concert at
Fcrrara someone in the pit had Kissed. 1t
was an outrage that must be avenged; but
no one suspected anything when, at the close
Of the program Paganini proposed TO lm-
tate the voices of various animals.
After having reproduced the notes Of dit
fcrcnt birds, the mcWing Of a cat, the bark
ing Of a dog and 50 on, he advanced to the
footlights and, calling out, This is for those
who hissedl' initiated in an unmistakable
manner the braying Of donkey.
The effect was magical; but not at all
what the player had probably expected.
The audience, taking the significant hee-
haw' as an allusion to themselves, rose al
most to a man, rushed through the orches-
ira, climbed the stage and undoubtedly
would have done damage to the daring nd
dlcr if he had not taken to flight.
MO genius ever evinced more varied forms
~ Of eccentricity than did Dante Gabriel
Rossett Among the most amusing OF these
may be mentioned his passion for all man
ncr Of "bcastics,' whereof he kept large
number at his London home in Cheyne
Walk. His brother, in his Memoirs says
that Dante Gabriel had no liking for an ami
NAL on account of its beauty, but that he
preferred rather the quaint, odd, or gro
tesQuc.
His pets were strangely various. There
were dogs, owls, rabbits, dormice, hedge
hogs wombats, armadillos, kangarooS, wal
labies, deer, white mouse with her brood,
a racoon, squirrels, mole, a raven, jack
J.u, lauobino iackaccpS a DarrOt q pea