Show I WAYS OP NOTED MEN Freaks Which iu Some Would Have Seemed Like liisaiiity Augustus Hare one of the cleverest divines in the English Church whenhe had ended a tram of hard thinking would rise from the desk and spin around on his heel a few seconds and then resume his studies Dr Johnstone would never enter a certain lane in Londo without going between two particular posts of which there were four Frederick the Great in his youth was noted for his stubbornness and bashfulness bashful-ness and we are told showed this at his sisters marriage Instead of appearing appear-ing at the ceremony in court attire he came with the servants dressed as one of their nunilier Neanderthe famous church historian was unable to lecture to his students unless he had in his hand a quill pen which he tore to pieces while he talked and it was always necessary to supply him with a second when the first had been entirely wasted Charles II of England was very fond of hunting insects and it is related bl certain Mstcrians that he was hunting a moth in the supperroom at Whitehall when the Dutch fleet sailed up the Thames and burned Sheerness Charles Dickens the famous novelist was a most untiring walker he considered consid-ered it but a trifle to pass over forty or over sixty miles of country Should a friend visit him a walk was his Dickens Dick-ens first proposition Tradition says in the long run he had few friends spending a whole day with him Archbishop Whately was one of the most philanthropic of men and yet when dying he is reported to have said I rejoice to think that never in inylife have I given a copper to a begger with whose antecedents I was a stranger The Earl of Chatham was most peculiar pecu-liar in his habits these no doubtwere engendered by his hypochondriac nature na-ture On one occasion in midsummer he wished to have snow and adopted the following rather curious method of havinghis wish realized The servants were ordered to have large fires in every room the walks outside were covered with salt to make things have a wintry appearance and doors and windows were kept shut to keep out the bitter cold How long this whim lasted the historian does not record William Wilberforce became so absorbed ab-sorbed in conversation in evening companies com-panies as wholly to forget himself He would lift himself from his chair in his earnestness move forward a little and graduallyapproach perilously near the edge It was a tradition in fashionable English circles that he had fallen several times to the floor but in families fami-lies where he was loved it was the custom to station one of the older children behind be-hind his chair to move it forward as he moved and guard him against peril English society retained among the peasantest memories of their childhood the recollection of the services rendered to this brilliant and eloquent converser Rossini thecomposer of The Barber Bar-ber when engaged with anv great composition invariably shaved himself in a most fantastic way to prevent his going out of doors George IV King of England was very feminine in his habits possessed scores of embroidered shirts which were I considered by him to be the best department I depart-ment of his wardrobe and were accordingly accord-ingly displayed with great pomp to any particular friend of his Majesty Napoleon habitually watched a certain cer-tain star which he declared was his for it never abandoned him but was always al-ways iu sight commanding him to go forward giving as a reason for his success suc-cess its own appearance |