Two Foreign Proposals on Vesuvius Astonish Naples
King Victor Emmanuel reviews two schemes for Vesuvius. A German, Herr Lichtenberg, seeks to drown the volcano with subterranean canals to render land safe. An anonymous American proposes a global cremation fleet with “funeral ships” delivering ashes to Naples and dead to be housed at the crater mouth.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Victor Emmanuel
Naples
Vesuvius
Herr Lichtenberg
Bay of
Abyss
The Gming Passion of Louis XV and Card Table Tales
A compendium of historic gambling tales from monarchs and dignitaries. Louis XV ignores a dying opponent to claim spades are trumps. Clergymen gamble on deathbeds as a parson plays for funeral fees. Mazarin, Granville, Payne, and Prussia’s king feature in dramatic gaming episodes. A London business figure loses £10,000 at a key night, and a later card duel seals a £120 stake for a mine share later worth millions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louis XV
M. de Chauvelin
Ma Barber
Somersetshire
Asset
Lord Granville
France
Paris
Graham
George Payne
Limmer’s Hotel
Albert Denison
Lord Londesborough
Albert
St. George’s
Hanover Square
Lord Albert
Thiselton- Dyer
Prussia
George McCulloch
Broken Hill
McCulloch
Cox
London
Beginning of Excellence Is Free From Error
A concise reflection cites Quintilian on the first step toward mastery: freedom from error as the seed of true excellence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Quintilian
Bowery House Hunt Ends With Fourth Avenue Sign Change
In 1840s New York a Brooklyn civil engineer renamed his Bowery residence to please his wife. After a stormy dispute the aldermen moved street signs from Union Square to Fourth Street from Bowery to Fourth Avenue, sparing Mrs. Smith a Bowery address.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brooklyn
Bowery
Smith
Board of Aldermen
Union Square
Fourth Street
Fourth Avenue
A Curious Spanish Custom in Ellen Slayden’s Memoir
In Century, Ellen Maury Slayden recalls a Spanish household ritual of guests watching hosts eat. She notes the awkward scene as smoke filled the room while diners declined meals, except for a lively youth who theatrically nibbled ham amid humorous self consciousness.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ellen Maury
Slow Tidal Braking Extends Day by One Second
Theoretical tides slow Earth's rotation. Using assumptions and MacMillan's calculations, the day lengthens by one second every 460,000 years.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
W. D. MacMillan
Waiting to eat as self-serve vs table-service noted
A brief quip from the St. Louis Post Dispatch contrasts self-service eateries with traditional waiter service in a light exchange about where to lunch.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Louis Post- Dispatch
Guesser urged to bet on the turf by Plantagenet
Aubrey asks for a five pound loan and is told a man with your guessing skill should win a fortune on the turf. The exchange is reported by the London Telegraph.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Aubrey
Plantagenet
London Telegraph
Expert Criticism in Sharp Quip by Crook and Burglar
A Baltimore American quip uses wit from a smooth crook praising a judge’s firm sentences. A Boston burglar adds that though the judge’s rhetoric is uneven his brief sentences appeal. The exchange frames style versus substance in judicial speech.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston
Baltimore American
Proverbial Advice on Timing of Actions
A terse maxim contrasts plans for harm and good, urging immediate noble deeds while warning that mean acts should wait until tomorrow. The saying frames moral timing as a test of character and resolve.
A Queer Test in the Grocery Trade
A grocer tests a job applicant by weighing sugar to expose a practice of adding to please customers. The applicant demonstrates the trick of adding until the beam tips, then explains how subtraction would make customers feel cheated and suspect theft.
The Pup's Picnic Ends With Dog's Ice Cream Feast
A Boston bulldog owned by George H. Clapp chased a woodchuck into a den and followed it inside. He stayed overnight in the hole, held the quarry, and was helped out by his owner in the morning. The exhausted dog revived after two quarts of unguarded ice cream and then fell into a bucket of lemonade.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston
George H. Clapp
Worcester Telegram
Following Doctor's Orders and the Patient's Struggle
A dialogue shows a doctor noting weakness and urging adherence to his orders. The patient admits trying to eat animal food but finds it hard, joking that hay and clover tops went down, yet thistles stuck in his throat. The exchange ends with the judge reporting the scene.
A Good Deal to Carry
A brief humorous note references a traveler named on his baggage prompting a charge for excess baggage. The item suggests a joke about identification and baggage fees in a travel setting.
Walt Whitman Confronts Verger at Trinity Church
The narrative recalls Walt Whitman a lifelong Quaker who kept his hat in church. In New York Trinity Church a verger asked him to remove his hat. Whitman hesitated then the verger knocked the hat off. He picked it up and struck the verger twice with the hat before leaving.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Whitman
Trinity Church
New York
Walt
Verger
Sexton
Mozart Skull Sparks Salzburg Museum Controversy
A Hamburg paper argues that displaying Mozart's skull at the Salzburg museum shocks visitors. It notes the skull's provenance is disputed whether genuine or a prop, but protests to city authorities over reverence concerns persist.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hamlet
Hamburg
Salzburg
Mozart
Criticism's Loud Noise in Talleyrand Quote
A historical remark notes that ugly criticism may drum up more attention than a well written book. The saying attributes the idea to Talleyrand and contrasts harsh comment with literary merit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Talleyrand
Examining Wedding Gifts
A Washington Post observation notes how women viewing wedding gifts discuss them with phrases that could seem unfriendly to the bride or givers. It cites a bachelor who dislikes weddings yet attends when invited and suggests social expectations shape these reactions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington Post
World War II era bath innovation by Japanese soldiers
A bystander recounts a humorous anecdote about Japanese soldiers lacking portable baths on active service. Facing hardship, they devised a standing bath in a large jar with a stove and water, boiling a bath and inspiring imitators to follow the improvised method.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Fuchow
G'Ming
Lord Denison
New York’s Bowery
Walt Whitman
People’s State Bank
J. M. Hodgkin
J. L. Brown
L. B. Cockrell
Mr. Kipling
Diha
Johnston Brown
Hampton
F. Curtis
Lark County National Bank
Main Street
Winchester
Kentucky
News
Clark County
the News
Rau
the Winches
TER News
THE
Winchester News
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