V-
8
The Commoner.
Vol. 3, No. 23.
J"?
THE HOME DEPARTMENT.
Eternity.
Boundless Etornlty! tho winged sands
That mark tho sllont lapso of Hitting
timo
Aro not for thoo; tliino awful omplro
stands
From ago to ago, unchangoablo, su
j ' blirao:
I Thy domes aro sproad whoro thought
can novor climb,
In clouds and darkness, -whoro vast
pillars rost.
I may not fathom thoo: 'twould scorn
a crlmo
Thy holng of its mystory to divest,
Or boldly lift thino awful veil with
hands unblost.
Thy wavo hath swept it from us, and
thy dark
Mantlo of years, in dim obscurity
Hath shrouded it around: Time
what is Timo to thoo!
John Greenleaf Whittier.
Tly ruins aro tho wrocks of systems;
suns
h Blao a brief spaco of ages, and aro
not;
(Worlds, crumble and decay, creation
runs
To waste thon porlshos and is for
( sot;
,Yot thou, all changeless, heedest not
tho blot.
Heaven speaks onco more in thunder;
empty spaco
' rromblosaud wakes; new worlds
in other flit,
Teeming with now creative , life, and
. , trace
Their mighty circles, such as others
shall displace.
Thino ago is youth, thy youth Is
hoary ago,
Ever beginning, novor ending, thou
Bearost inscribed upon thy ample page,
Yesterday,, forever, but as now
Thou art, thou hast been, ahaltboj
though
I fool myself immortal, when on theo
I muso, I shrink to nothingness,
and bow
Myself before theo, droad Eternity,
"With God co-oval, co-existing, still to
bo.
I go with thee till Timo shall bo no
more,
j i m t - -.
i stana wim tneo on Time s remotest worn hv Havdn whiln ho wjw wnridn
ton thousand
vorgo,
Ten thousand years
times told o'er;
Still, still with theo my onward
course I urge;
And now no longer hear tho endless
, surge
Ot Time's light billows breaking on
the shore
Of distant oarth; no more tho sol
emn dirge
Requiem 0f worlds., whon such aro
numbered o'er
Steals by: still thou art moving on
forovermoro.
From that dim distance would I turn
to gaze
With fondly searching glanco, upon
tho spot
Of brief existence, where I met the
blaze
Of morning, bursting on my humblo
cot,
'And gladness whispered of my hap
py lot;
And now 'tis dwindled to a point a
speck
And now 'tis nothing, and my eye
may not
Longer distinguish it amid the wreck
Of worlds in ruins, crushed at tho
A 1 !
Aimigmy's dock,,
(Time what is Time to thee? a pass
ing thought
To twice ten thousand ages a faint
spark
To twice ten thousand suns; a fiber
wrought
Into tho web of infinite a cork
Balanced against a world; we hardly
mark
Its being even Its namo hath ceased
'.to bo:
Authors and Their Clothes.
Many writers, 'composers, painters
and sculptors have believed that their
flood of ideas was helped by tho adop
tion of some peculiar stylo of dress.
Dumas, for examplo, used to take off
his coat and vest, unfasten his shirt
collar and turn up his sleoves to tho
elbows boforo beginning to write.
Probably ho would have preferred to
dispense with clothing altogether if
ho could have had his way.
Buffon, on tho other hand, whon
writing his "Natural History," attired
himself in .full court dress, ruffles,
frills and all, fitly to sustain the dig
nity of tho subject.
Borangor used to got himself up
to look like an old concierge, and he
always wore a red rose in his buttoh-
holo in order to draw attention to the
fact of his not being decorated. It is
said of Scribe that ho failed to grasp
his subject unless he were fully dressed
and spick and span.
Lamartine, with curious perversity,
preferred to bo known as a politician,
architect or "financial authority, rather
than as a poet, and he used to dress,
in accordance with these aspirations,
in a tightly buttoned frock coat. Vic
tor Hugo, who 'was always bent oil
calling attention to his genius, startled
the world at one time by talcing as his
model tho figure of tho "Creator'' in
Michael Angelo's frescoes.
A fancy costume of black velvet was
always donned by Wagner when ho
was composing, and a kind of Tarn o'
flbnntAr nriT A nJrrnot Tlnrr rTrcmnf..'w1
to him by Frederick of Prussia was
worn hv T-Tn.vrlii whlln hn wnn wnrVlnw
and Beethoven would wash his hands
dozens of times before beginning his
composition.
Victorion Sardau composed La Tos
ca, as well, as most of his other works,
"clothed in a little gray jacket tight
trousers and a Scotch cap," seated
close beside a blazing fire, being the
most chilly of mortals; fires, summer
as well as winter, were always in evi
dence. Mascagni, while working on
his Japanese opera,, arrayed himself
in a flowing robe of Eastern stylo,
with all his surroundings Oriental in
character, oceans of coffee being con
sumed as necessary to inspiration.
Cimarosa, tho celebrated Italian
composor, turns out his very best
work when ho is surrounded by a bevy
of children, making day hideous by
thoir noiso and clatter. Mondes is
tho most absont-minded of mortals,
and often has three or four cigars
alight at tho same time while com
posing, through excessive absent
mindedness. Some odd tricks aro also
credited to Dr. Conan Doyle, who to
another absent-minded mortal.
Rod was a color detested by "Lewis
Carroll," and a little "girl who came
to visit him was absolutely forbidden
to wear a red frock of bright hue while
out in his company. Pink and gray
were his favorite combinations of
color. In porsonal matters ho had
a great fear of extravagance and
would only wear cotton gloves. Ha
never wore an overcoat, and always
wore a tall hat, whatever might bo
tho olimatic conditions. He was de
voted to the cup which cheers, but not
inebriates, and while writing "Alice
in Wonderland" he consumed tea
enough to float tho English navy.
While composing he used to walk up
and down tho room, swinging tho tea
pot back and forth, while the tea
stooped.
Edward Fitz Gerald, of "Omar
Khayyam" fame, when ho wrote, al
ways sat in a high-backed, low-seated,
red-covored arm chair, often in dress
ing gown and slippers, and invariably
kept his hat on, which, indeed, ho
seemed novor to remove except when
he wanted a 'red handkerchief from
tho Interior. Iri texture his clothes aro
described as "resembling that worn by
pilots; his trousers woroshort, and he
always wore low shoes and gray stock
ings. He generally wore a stand-up
collar, with a black silk scarf care
lessly tied in a bow, and his white
shirt front was unstarched, and did
not. suggest recent acquaintance with
tho ironing board. In cold weather he
wore a largo, gray, plaid shawl around
his neck and shoulders. Ho was a
smoker, but tho same pipe was never
used twice, as he always broke it af
ter the tobacco was consumed.
While writing or dictating his stor
ies, Thackeray used to walk up and
down in his bedroom, pause at one
end, paco back onco more and then
stop at the foot of the bed, whero hb
would stand for some moments, roll
ing his hand over the brass ball on
tho end of the bedstead. Ho usually
dictated his stories his daughter be
ing hisamanuensis, but when he camo
to a critical point, he would send his
secretary away and write for himself,
saying that he could think best with a
pen in his hand. "A pen to the author
is like the wotnd of the necromancer, it
compels the spell."
Washington Irving was equal to the
seven sleepers always being able to
fall asleep on the slightest provocation,
while writing, or even when dining out
in company he usually fell asleep at
the dinner table; this occurrence in
deed was so common with "him that
the guests usually only noticed it with
a smile. After a nap of some ten min
utes he would open his eyes and take
part in tho conversation, apparently
unconscious of having been asleep..
George Eliot always dressed with
great care before sitting down at her
desk. Hannah More was fond of sea
green silk, and most of her tales were
written with the authoress garbed in
a gown of this hue. George Sand,
whon writing, wore "pretty yellow
slippers, smart stockings and red pan
taloons." What Frances Hodgson" Burnett
Townsend illustrates in her heroines
as to clothes and surroundings sho
practices on herself. Few writers, per
haps, have spent more on their gowu3,
and few are more sensitive to their
environments; it is impossible for her
to write at ease, whether at home of
on ship board, unless surrounded by
an atmosphere of refined luxury. A
story is told that Mr. Edmund Russell,
of Desarte memory, was once con
sulted by the author of "That Lass o'
Lowries" regarding a certain gown.
The material chosen was a large fig
ured brocade, which on her short per
son did not promise results that ware
alluring. "Which is the right side of
this fabric?" asked Mr. Russell.
"This," said the novelist, indicating
it to him. "You are mistaken, ma
dam," rejoined Mr. Russell. "That
side is prose, the other is noetrv "
His hint or suggestion, however, was
not heeded, and the dress was made
up with its right side turned outward
to tho world.
Amelie Rives, in tho first days of
her fame, studied her glass, carefully
and spent much thought, time and
money on her gowns, which wore La
Tosca In design or directolre, or em
pire, by turns. She could write most
at her ease when clothed In a certain
pale roso-colored gown with a Persian
sash. India silk peignoirs and Worth
gowns galore were seen in her ward
robe. Her instructions to .her modiste
were usually wound up with the ad
monition "make mo look as slim as
possible." Her gowns were stunning;
they amazed Newport, and wrought
BLINDFOLD
fl
Blindfold a
woman and she
loses all confi
dence in herself.
Her step is slowi
hesitating and
uncertain. Her
hands are raised
to ward the im
aginary blows
which threaten
her. When a
sick woman
seeks the means of health she is often
like a woman blindfold. She has no
confidence. She cannot tell what her
effort will lead to. She turns now to
this side and. then to the other in uncer
tainty and doubt.
The sick woman who nses Dr. Pierce's
Favorite Prescription may do so witlx
absolute confidence. It invites open
eyed investigation. There need be no
hesitation in following the hundreds of
thousands of women who have found a ,
perfect cure for womanly ills in the us
of this medicine.
"Favorite Prescription" cures irregu
larity and dries weakening drains. It.
heals inflammation and ulceration and
cures female weakness.
With a heart full of gratitude to you for send
ing out over the land your wonderful medicine X
send these few lines, hoping that some poor suA
fering women will try Dr. Pierce's medicines,
writes Mrs. Cora I,. Root, of Greenspring Fur
nace, Washington Co., Maryland. I had suA
fered scverly from female weakness and had to
be in bed a great deal of the time., Had head
ache, backache, and pain in left side when lying;
down. I commenced taking Dr. Pierce's Favor
ite Prescription, and had not taken two bottles
when I was able to be around again and do my
work with but little pain. Can now eat any
thing and it ueverhurts me any more. Hava
taken seven bottles.of Dr.Pierce's Favorite Pre
scription, and one of his ' Compound Extract of
Smart-Weed and several vials of his 'Pleasant
Pellets.' Feeling better every day. My' hus
band says I look better every day.'
Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets cure bil
iousness and sick headache.
confusion to the fashion writers whea
Amello Rives was the sensation of the
hour.
Her clothes are also affairs of prima
importance to "Ouda." She always
dresses with elaborate care and usual
ly in rather fantastic fashion, being
able to compose in more glowing stylo
if attired in draperies like unto thoso
with which she clothes her heroines.
Three spitz dogs are her constant com
panions even when she is writing. Tho
presence of animals is a source of in
spiration to other writers Francois
Coppee among the number, also Gan
tier, Scaccini and Baudelaire. Mon
taigne also kept his black cat beside
him when writing, and whenever puz
zled for a word would stroke its fur.
Exchange.
Songs of the People.
Mr. J. A. Edgerton, one of the edi
torial staff of the Rocky Mountain
News, has published through the Reed
Publishing company, of Denver, a
book of poems entitled "Songs of the
People." Mr. Edgerton is a poet whose
genius has largely been employed la
tho advocacy of governmental reforms.
A refreshing spirit of optimism runs
through his writings, and political
truths aro presented with gracefulness
as well as emphasis. While his po
litical poems have been "more widely
quoted, "Tho Penalty," probably be
ing the best fcnown, many odes scarce
ly less meritorious deal with home,
childhood and other subjects of unit
versal interest.
&IOTU?H.ror tho1 CHILDREN WHILE TEETH
rnf "SnlSSSSCT SUCCESS. It .SOOTHES TtD
S' J9SraT W ALLAYS all PAIN;
mAmnfKP cCBa ta tQe BC8t remedy foe
WoVhP T;J2!.d,bjr "pwliU. in ovorr part of tho
SEES. !5wn HJ " Windows Soothliuc
l&ttK itutSTBoiau:""14 eBweu
