Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-21

Have you ever heard how Thomas
Day selected his wife? It constitutes q
record unique In literary annals.
Day was q London gentleman Of the
old school who wrote q book called
sanford and Merton" which is no
longer read, even in London.
We had never heard of Day until we
discovered a delightful book called "Fa-
nous Houses and Literary Shrines of
London" by A. st. John Adcock, pub
lished by e. p. Dutton & Co., New
York
1t is a small volume, first published
IN 1912, revised last year, distinguished
by large type and SO pen and ink draw
ings by the authors brother, Frederick
Adcock.
The illustrations are worth an article
all by themselves. which we think we
will devote to them later, but our pres
ent purpose is to retail at second hand
(probably third hand), for Mr. st. John
pronounced Sin-Jin) Adcock got 1t
some place, the diverting history OF
Thomas Day and his lady friends.
Advocating simplicity of dress and
living, Day was determined to ind a
wife who shared these tastes. A wife,
according to his theory, should be;
l. Fond of literature and moral
philosophy.
dress, diet and manners.
8. Fearless and intrepid as the Spar
tan wives and Roman herotnes.
Such ideas of mountain girls and
Spartan and Roman women could have
been gotten only by large reading IN
the classics.
The world no longer selects its bath
ing beauties" by such standards. Per-
haps Mr., Day had an eagle eye out Tor
other charms, but in the manner OF
past centuries did not talk about them.
n 4 X X
"The difficulty of discovering his
ideal wife led to his making an ODD
experiment." our author tells us. He
adopted two young girls, one from the
Founding Hospital, the other from the
Shrewsbury Orphanage, and In defer
ence to the proprieties formally bound
them apprentice to his friend Edge
worth, and gave guarantees to the
authorities that within one year he
would make a decision between the two
and pay a premium of 100 pounds 10
apprentice one to suitable trade, and
send the other to be properly educated
with the ultimate object of marrying
her. The girls were about IL years old. "
So you see. folks, that the present
age has no monopoly on the triangle"
Here is as pretty situation as novel;
list would look for, and one, 1t must be
confessed, which it is doubtful any
gentleman could get himself involved in
nowadays. what with the law and one
thing and another.
Mr.. Adcock continues: 'In order that
they should not be influenced with
wrong ideas by the people about them
he took them into France. where. as
they only understood English. they
could talk with nobody but himself; and
there he proceeded to teach them read
ing and writing, and by ridicule, ex-
PLANTATION. and reasoning sought TO
Undue them with a deep hatred for
dress, for luxury. for fine people. for
fashion and titles. all of which inspired
his own mind with such an unconquer-
able horror"
In letter which the redoubtable Mr..
Day wrote home he said that the girls
never gave him moments trouble
land think nothing so agreeable as
waiting upon me-" which, he adds with
a certain amount of good humor, is mo
moderate convenience for a lazy man."
Mr.. Adcock continues: Nevertheless.
in France. the girls proved verv quarrel
some; he had to nurse them through a
severe attack of smallpox. and once
when thev were out boating they both
fell into the Rhone, and he risked his
life to save them.
within the year, he brought them
back to England and had made his
choice. He apprenticed one. who waS
invincibly stupid,' to milliner: and
the other, Sabrina Sidney. he carried
with him to house he had taken near
Lichf1eld and there resumed his prep
arations for implanting in her young
mind the characteristic virtues of
ARIA. Portia and Cornelia.'"
Here was one of the worlds solemn
prize fools, it would appear.
X +
One can never be too sure of who
Is fool, however and who Is not.