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Episodes and Incidents in
HE OLDEST lawmaker in the world
Is beyond doubt David Wark of
Frederlcton. N. B., who U In his
100th year. He will leave tor Ot
tawa next month to take his seat
In the senate of Canada, where he has
served continuously since 1867. Mr. Wark
was 21 years old when he left Ireland for
New Brunswick. He has been a lawmaker
for sixty-three years, first for his province
and then for tho federated dominion.
When Theodore Roosevelt lived in the
west he was a cattleman and he Imbibed a
good deal of the cattleman's dislike for
sheepmen and sheep. This idea Is set
forth In one of his books, the author de
claring' a sheep herder to be of very little
account, the sheep being set down as stupid.
A Montana man was urging a certain fed
eral appointment in his state, but the pres
ident was strongly inclined toward another
candidate. "But the person to whom you
refer is a sheepman," said the westerner.
"Oh, come," replied the chief magistrate
seriously, "It is not quite fair to appeal to
my prejudices in that way."
John B. Stetson, a wealthy manufacturer
of Philadelphia, has cut from his will all
provisions for the university at Deland,
Fla., which bears his name. This step fol
lowed the action of the board of trugtees
Jn exonerating the president of the Institu
tion, Dr. John F. Forbes, whose conduct
had been under investigation. "I certainly
shall not aid the university longer under
Its present management," Mr. Stetson Is
quoted as saying. "I changed my will hur
riedly as soon as the action of the trustees
was taken for fear that I might die before
the clauses providing for the John B. Stet
son university were cut out."
Sir William Van Home, chairman of the
Canadian Pacific, and president of the -Cuba
company, began his business career selling
oranges on the Illinois Central. ' .After that''
he sold books on the 'Alton."' Yet he- to mm
Of the meet iccoBTpMsb -oMhe Wg m
of this continent. "He1 Is a- connoisseur on
art and all things leaf -pertain to it. He
Is himself a painter of-rare ability, and he
has fitted up In Ms house at Montreal a
tudio where he may be "found at work oa
colors when he is not too busy In "tho
world of affairs." He has also the most
complete collection of orchids in the coun
try. Six months ago he heard, through liis
South American agent, of a new variety
that grew In the forests of the La Plata.
He has at present two botanists after that
orchid. When he gets it he will be happy
for a month.
Senator Piatt of Connecticut happened
into a house committee-room and found
Congressman Metcalfe of California read
ing. "A novel?" queried the yankee
gravely. "Yes." "Say, Metcalfe, do you
like detective stories the ones with vil
lains in 'em?" The Californlan showed
him the title page of the book he had been
perusing. It was a regular "Old Sleuth"
affair. "So do I," said Piatt, and then the
two statesmen began to discuss this par
ticular brand of literature.
Pierpont Morgan was besieged by a group
of newspaper men in Washington one day
last week. They wanted to get his opin
ions on some of the problems confronting
Wall street. "Gentlemen," said the multi
millionaire, "your business is to get news .
and print it; mine is to do things if I can.
Now, suppose I gave you the news in ad
vance regarding things I may try to do.
You would be the winners and I the loser,
and you would think me a dunce for letting
you win. Good day, gentlemen."
In revising his southern outrage speech
for the Congressional Record Senator
Spooner made the type emphasize it as he
had emphasized it in delivery. Italics show
where he spoke forte and glaring capitals
indicate the fortissimo passages. Senator
Tillman was commenting upon the fact that
the newspapers paid so little attention to
his recent speech denouncing Attorney
General Knox for not prosecuting the
trusts under existing laws. His son sug
gested: "Next 'time you have anything to
get into the newspapers wait for a running
debate with Spooner. Then they will have
to prlnt-what you fiy."
M. de Blowlti's vanity was so colossal
it ceased to be vanity, says a Paris letter.
He had a childlike" faith in his own powers,
ENSEMBLE OP THE COMPANY IN CO$TUMEv
the Lives of Noted People
which approached the miraculous. It it
could not remove mountains it essayed to
do so. The day after Bismarck's death I
happened to be lunching with M. de
Blowltz at Blgnon's restaurant in Paris
(now abolished). While waiting for lunch
eon to be served In the private room he
had ordered we stepped out on to the bal
cony to chat for a few moments in the
fresh air. As he' looked upon the gay
throng in the street below the great cor
respondent spoko of the death of the man
of blood and iron in the following terms:
"Yesterday," he said, "Europe had two
men now Bismarck is gone." I looked at
him to see if bis remark was raillery.
Nothing of the kind. He referred to him
self. Douglas Jerrold once complained of the
inferior company that was performing one
of his plays at the Haymarket theater, re
lates the Bookman. "Why, there's V ,"
said the manager, protesting, "he was bred
on these boards." "He looks as if he had
been cut out of them," growled the play
wright. Jerrold was always very nervous
on a "first n'.ght." Another dramatist,
popularly supposed to "lift" his plots and
situations from the French, assured him
that he did not know tho meaning of
nervousness on such an occasion. "I can
quite understand that," the wit said pleas
antly; "your pieces have always been tried
before." "Call that a kind man," said an
actor, speaking of an acquaintance who was
abroad; "a roan who is away from bis fam
ily, and never sends them a farthing! Call
that kindness!" "Certainly," said Jerrold,
"unremitting kindness." -
According to George Francis Train's
autobiography, when he was 21 he started
on a Journey west. ' At Syracuse be was
struck by the appearance of "a lovely
girl'' bidding goodby to a half-dozen stu
dents. He turned to his traveling com
panion and said: "Look at that girl with
the curls." "Do you know her?" asked
his companion. Train replied: "I never
saw her before; but she shall be my wife."
He continues: "I snatched up my satchel,
. rushed over to the (rain and the car which
the girl had entered and dropped into a
vacant seat opposite her. An elderly gen
Dress Rehearsal for 41 The Critic"
Photographs by a Staff Artist
tleman was her companion. My chance
came sooner than I. expected. The elderly
gentleman tried to raise the sash of the
window and could not move it; it had,
as usual, stuck fast. I sprang lightly and
very quickly across the aisle and said:
'Permit me to assist you,' and, adding my
youthful strength to his, raised the win
dow. Both he and the young lady thanked
me. The old gentleman went further and
atked me to take the seat directly opposite
him and the young lady on the same side
of the car. I did so, and we entered into
conversation Immediately." Train con
tinued the acquaintanceship and married
the girl.
A scary story got around Washington a
day or two ago that Senator Quay had
nearly poisoned himself by taking some
strychnine tablets, mistaking them for
something else. For a brief time there was
a wild rush of newspaper men and others
In search of the Pounsylvanlan, who was
finally found, looking about as usual. When
he learned what the uproar was about he
said to the newnpaper men: "For once
you boys are far behind the news. Why,
I swallowed those tablets in February of
last year. You're Just a bit late, but I'm
much obliged for your solicitude Just the
same. .
I
That Ahram S. Hewitt retained to the
very last the keen sense of humor which
so often delighted bis friends and no doubt
served at times to lighten burdens which
came to him in bis long and useful life,
was manifest to those who stood at his
bedside until the end came, reports the New
York Times. Those nearest and dearest to
Mr. Hewitt were assembled about bis bed,
a sorrowful company, bowed with the knowl
edge of an impending loss that could not
be averted. The doctors were endeavoring
to prolong the vital spark by the use of
oxygen, but Mr. Hewitt suddenly reached
out his hand, grasped the little tube firmly,
and removed It from his mouth.
"And now," he whlspetcd, "I am officially
dead."
A smile flitted across his face, his eyes
secured to light up for one brief moment,
nd the end bad come.