The Enid Weekly Wave. (Enid, Okla. Terr.), Vol. 2, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 14, 1895 Page: 2 of 8
eight pages : ill. ; page 20 x 13 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
vVvif^Kv
% r /
Ti-- "
'V.rifarr.r
iWMVS
Mntry$
vr.
STORY ABOUT LINCOLN
/HE OLD AVI1ITE
House did not wit-
ness many brilliant
festivities du ring1
the war, after that
fatuous party which
was piven by the
President and Mrs.
Lincoln early in the
first year of the
Lincoln adminis-
tration. Hut Mrs.
Lincoln's afternoon receptions and the
President's public levees were held
• Jegularly during the winter, Nothing
1 could be more democratic than these
gatherings of the people at the white
house. They wore usually held twice
a week during* the winter, those on
Tuesday evenings being so called dress
receptions, and the Saturday levees
being1 less formal in character. A ma-
jority of the visitors went in full dress;
the ladies in laecs, feathers, silks, and
satins, without bonnets; and the gen-
tlemen in evening dress. Hut sprinkled
through the gaily attired crowds were
hundreds of officers and private
soldiers, the light blue army overcoat
of the period being a conspicuous feat-
ure of the moving panorama. Here
and there a day laborer, looking as
though he had Just left his work bench,
or a hard working clerk with ink
stained linen, added to the popular
character of the assembly.
Usually the President stood in the
famous blue room, or at the head of
the east room; and those who wished to
shake hands made their entrance, one
by one, and were introduced by the
functionary detailed for that occasion.
So vast were the crowds, and so affec-
tionate were their greetings, that Mr.
Lincoln's right hand was often swollen
So that he would be unable to use it
readily for hours afterward; and the
white kid glove of his right hand,
when the operation of handshaking
was over, always looked as if it had
been dragged through a dust bin.
Much of the time. 1 think, the Presi-
dent never heard with his inner ear
the names of persons presented to him
bv Secretary Nicolay, Commissioner
French, or United States Marshal
Latnon. His thoughts were apt to be
far from the crowd of strangers that
passed before him.
At a luncheon given by tien. Sickles
at his headquarters, among the ladies
present was the Princess Salm-Salin,
whose husband was a staff officer in
the army. This lady attracted much
admiration by her graceful and dash-
wager with one of tlie officers that she
would kiss the President. Her audaci-
ous sally won her a box of gloves.
During the war the proportion of
civilians to those who wore the trap-
pings of the army and navy was so
small that men felt it almost a distinc-
tion to wear the ordinary evening
dress. An order from the war depart-
ment forbidding military officers to
come to Washington without leave did
not by any means abate what was felt
to be a great nuisance. Too many of-
ficers haunted the lobbies of the capi-
tol in search of political aid to secure
them the promotion* that they de-
sired, or the passage of bills in which
military or naval officers had special
interest. I saw a curious example of
military absenteeism one night at
Ford's theater, where I had accompa-
nied the President to see Booth in
"The Merchant of Venice."
The President had scut word late in
the afternoon that he would like to
have a box for himself and a friend;
but when he arrived at the theater,
going in by the stage entrance, we
were met by the manager, who saitl
that the boxes bad all been taken be-
fore the President's message had been
received, but he would use his efforts
with a party of officers, as soon as they
arrived, to induce them to give up the
box which they had engaged. While
he was speaking, an usher came be-
hind the scenes, and said the officers
had very willingly relinquished their
box for the pleasure of the President.
Between the acts the manager came to
pay his respects to the President, and
ti) inquire for his comfort, and
Lincoln asked the names of
the military gentlemen who had
so kindly given up their even-
ing's entertainment in his behalf.
The manager replied that he did not
know, but afterward quietly told me
that he knew that one half of the num-
ber were officers absent from the army
without leave, and that they consid-
ered it a good joke that they could es-
cape the President's observation at the
cost of relinquishing their box at the
theater. The manager shrewdly I
guessed that the President had asked !
for their names in order to discover if j
tliev wore in Washington on leave; but !
that was not Lincoln's way.
President Lincoln's theater going j
was usually confined to occasions when !
Shakespeare's plays were enacted: for, ,
although he enjoyed a hearty laugh, I
he was better pleased with the stately
dignity, deep philosophy, and exalted
There is, too, a beautiful cadence in
his prose. Lincoln failed as a lectur-
er. An exception, however, exists in
the Cooper union address. His powers
requires a .suitable subject. His educa-
tion was not broad enough to deal
with uninteresting subjects, but he ex-
celled in those which required the
weight of his character, for we hare
in Lincoln an absolute grasp of truth.
He never said an untrue thing.
The man of great powers was miser-
ably born in a place which is now un-
known. His father was shiftless and
ti is mother died when he was 9 years
old. He had one year's schooling and
when he was 10 years old earned only
a month. Hut where did ho get his
literary style? What books did he
have? The Hible, yEsop's Fables,
Kobiuson Crusoe, Franklin's Life,
the History of the United States,
Shakespeare and Burns. This was
Lincoln's college.
And what manner of man out of all
this? His first, document was written
when he was LM Hut it is in talking
and letter writing that we get the be-
ginning o^style. His letters have a
peculiar tenderness and always ex-
press his thoughts. The letters to a
shiftless friend of his are admirable.
His poetry is awkward, but shows a
comct ear. lie always knew what he
wanted to say and often sent anony-
mous letters to the newspapers.
It was not until he was 45 vears old
that he developed that in him which
made him the man of our people and
the man of humanity. In 1.858 he rose
to the solemnity <>'f Utterance. His
literary force verily brought about
the war.
LINCOLN'S EARLY LIFE.
Old Story Retold for the Little Ones of
a New Generation.
Abraham Lincoln was born in Ken-
tucky, Feb. 1'.', 1 ()',). His father re-
moved to Indiana when he was a little
boy, and while that country was ex-
ceedingly wild and rough. The family
ived in a half faced camp—that is, a
cabin with one side left out and the
tire built out of doors, in front of the
open side. Abraham endured many
privations, and struggled hard to get
un education. The schools were few
and the teachers ignorant, but Lincoln
trained his own mind by carefully
thinking out every subject that puzzled
him. and he spent his spare time in
reading. He worked on a farm, went
to New Orleans on a llat boat, was
clerk in a country store, learned and
practiced surveying, and then studied
law. lie served several terms in the
legislature of Illinois, and was a mem-
ber of congress. He became a leading
lawyer and politician in his state, and
gained a national fame by a series of
debates, in which he was engaged
with Senator Douglas in 1858. His in-
tegrity. his moderation, and his strong
speeches brought him the nomination
for President, and the rest of his his-
tory is that of the country. His death
took place on the 15th of April, 1805.
This is a picture of Lincoln from a
tintype taken after the battle of
Gettysburg It was recently discov-
MR. BEEiitiOIiLl TREE.
NEW.ENGLISH ACTOR WHO HAS
JUST COME OVER.
Said by a Competent Critic to Be the
Cleverest at His Art Some of the
Plays In Which Ills Talents Are Heat
Displayed.
AM (.LAD TO BE
able to review the
work of this cele-
brated actor on his
arrival in this
country. It seems
like a species of
thanks to be be-
forehand in advis-
ing Americans of
the treat they are
about to ea joy.
Why Mr. Tree lias never before come
to the United States has been a cause
for question. The little Haymarket
theater, even when tilled to the ceiling
as lie fills it, has always seemed a
poor affair when compared with the
magnificent playhouses and princely
profits which surely awaited him in
America.
One often wonders as to the mental
attitude in which other people visit a
play; and perhaps those who seek
pleasure with a kind of artful artless-
ness avoid the predetermined inten-
tion to criticise, which seems to dam-
age so much enjoyment in thoso who
are paid to be critics. When taking
one's seat in Mr. Tree's theater it is
always a pleasure to feel that one may
safely leave one's self in his hands—
that all we have to do is to banish pre-
conceived ideas and leave the mind a
receptive blank, an expectant vacuity
it is a bunch of disinfectants. Mr.
Grundy strikes at the frailties of the
highest and the lowest with unerring
precision; and at his hands the un-
workable and unspeakable London
loafers, who mouth out the rights of
the "sons of toil" when selling their
votes, fare no better than the suave,
accomplished knave, Sir Philip Marcli-
mont.
For those who dislike some forms of
patient human study, this play will be
an agreeable change. The new woman
with her acrobatic surprises, is absent.
The lady with the unquestionable past,
the precarious present, and the highly
problematic future has not been in-
vited. In one view the play may be
called clean. In reality it is only a
different choice of unpleasantness.
But then, it deals with human nature.
And as no play makes a hit save that
which contains the compelling force
of nature's lower grades, perhaps a
nice choice in unpleasantness hs all we
can as yet hope for in the playwright.
What a saving in vulgarity if Dame
Nature had always been the Empress
Mrs. Grundy!
I can not but regret that "The Pom-
padour," played in '88 or '89, does not
appear on the list. To state that Mr.
Tree is sometimes more satisfactory
than Mr. Iriving is perhaps to claim
too much for youth and equally valu-
able differences. The grandeur of
Becket and the sweetness of the old
vicar can not be displaced; yet for act-
ing and pathos the half demented hus-
band of "The Pompadour" in his heart-
broken search for his erring wife has
seemed to rank first. After all our
praise is too much like the forgotten
English grammar to be taken seriously.
The adjectival substantive fits in with
our own personal pronoun and agrees
with our moods and tenses—and that
is all we can say.
TO IIA^DLE A
Some Good Points Given to Womei
by an Expert lti Pistol Prnctice.
Ability to handle a revolver fearlessly
yet safely is possessed by very few
men. Women are almost entirely ig-
norant, and for their benefit the Nest
York Press recently obtained from a
noted pistol shot some hints which will
enable a woman to defend herself un-
derstand i ugly should occasion aris.4.
According to this authority the body
must be balanced equally on each foot
(even if your burglar escapes mean-
while) slightly facing the target and
the arm hold perfectly straight out.
The arm should never be bent. The
hand grasps the revolver high on the
butt, with the thumb well around to
the Inside and straight, and the trigger
finger entirely free. This throws the
work of holding the revolver wholly on
the outer fingers. The object of this
position of the hand is to got the barrel
in exact line with the arm when ex-
tended, thus bringing the target, the
sights and the eye in one line. I hi*
position also diminishes the effect of
trembling and wabbling of the &rn}.
The weapon being properly aimed, it
should be held there, and the trigger
very gently and steadily pressed, lne
mind should forget the possibility of
an explosion, and the whole attention
devoted to holding the sights of the re-
volver in exactly the proper position
fflmm
wmty.
FROM AN OLD TINTYPE OF LINCOLN.
ered among the war archives in the
war ottlcc at Washington. It is one
of the most priceless treasures in the
ofllec of the secretary of war
Lincoln's Wonderful Memory.
One of my cousins, .John Holmes
! (ioodenow of Alfred, blaine, writes
j Noah llrooks in the Century, was ap-
pointed minister to Turkey early in the
| Lincoln administration, and was taken
j to the white house before his depart-
I ure for his post to be presented to the
I President. When Lincoln learned that
I his visitor was a grandson of John
\ Holmes, one of the first senators from
' Maine, and a man of note in his day
poetry of Shakespeare than anything' j and generation, he immediately be-
that was to be foiinci in more modern !
dramatic writings. But 1 remember a I
delightful evening that we once spent
at the old Washington theater, where
we saw Mrs. John Wood in John
Hrougliani's travesty of "Pocahontas."
The delicious absurdity and crackling
puns of the piece gave the President
food for mirth for many days there-
after. At another time we saw Ed-
ward Forrest in "King l.enr," and tho
President appeared to be more im-
pressed by the acting of John McCul-
lough in the role of Edgar than the
great tragedian's appearance as the
mad king. He asked that Mcl'ullough
might come to the box between the
acts; and when the young actor was
brought to the door, clad in his fantas-
tic garb if rags and straw, Mr. Lincoln
warmly, and yet with di Hide nee,
praised the performance of the scano
in which lie had just appeared.
Noah is rooks.
I gan the recitation of a poetical quota
tion which must have been more than
I a hundred lilies in length. Mr. Holmes,
! never having met the President, was
j naturally astonished at this outburst;
and as the President went on and on
with this long recitation, the suspicion
crossed his mind that Lincoln had sud-
! denly taken leave of his wits. Hut
when the lines had been finished the
President said: "There! that poem
was quoted by your grandfather
Holmes in a speech w hich lie made ill
the United States senate ill "and
lie named the date and specified the
occasion.
ISEERBOHM TREE AS HAMLET.
itusr.t) the rnt:iu>FM'.
(ng rlii.ig in the cavalcade that at-
tended U.o reviews. Hefore her mar-
riage sue was a Miss Lecierk of Phila-
delphia. It was this remarkable woman
who astonished the President, on his
entering (Jen. Sickles' headquarters
by flying at him. and Imprinting a
bouncing kiss on his surprised and not
altogether attractive face. As soon as
he could pull himself togct ier and re-
cover from his astonishment, the Presi-
dent thanked the lady, but with evi-
dent discomposure; whereupon some
of the party made haste to explain that
the P.'iucess Sa,lui-Salm had laid a
(irnvt* of l.lneoln* !>loth« r.
The grave of Nancy Hanks Lincoln
stands amid a clump of old elm trees
; rt ' ■::> >,
JP... ^
IfjUf
A) .7 ;>
mrn&i-
■ASM*
WllKUK Till'. BONKS OK LINCOLN'S MOTHKH
RF.HT,
near the old Indiana home of the Lin-
inent. lioth began their careers as ; coins. For years it was neglected, and
agitators. Both wrote a good deal of even at this late date only a common
nonsense at first. Napoleon made j )ron./enV<! tfnn,t s * 10 . 1,1 1 n',uJ,u
, . , iij j , ncath which rests the bones of the
speeches and wrote much and in a slid- , Resident's mother. The
den movement leaped into a literary Wlls orPcted In- the country peo-
style—and o did Lincoln. pie thereabout It .nay here be said
Lincoln's style was marked by no ' that it has been against the traditions
wealth of scholarly adornments but ! of the Lincoln family to rack tVe rest-
by ^reat simplicity and directness j ing place of their dead In auy way.
Lincoln'* Literary Force.
Richard Watson (lilder, in an ad-
dress on "Lincoln's Literary Growth,"
says that the two greatest statesmen
of the nineteenth century are Napo-
leon Itonnpurte and Abraham Lincoln.
Each hud a literary faculty which
was a part of his power of govern-
MIUIV
that like a maiden waits delightedly
for what the gods hold in store. It is
so simple. You give the lamp of the
genius a seven shilling rub—and Mr.
Tree does tlic rest.
When a man has been delighted with
a performance and yet is afraid to say
so, 1 have my opinion of him, writes
Stinson Jurvis in Leslie's Weekly.
Apparently the popular critical fac-
ulty lies in finding out what other
people think. Then am I no true
critic, and may I go without a groat if
I ever wait for what other people
think. Mr. Tree has given me even-
ings regarding which memory recalls
neither flaw nor rasp. There seemed
to be nothing to alter or improve.
And when we think of the many other
occasions when we have been forced
to squirm and twist ill our seats, when
we have longed to assault different
actors with a barrel stave, then it is a
relief to remember one man as a sort
of oasis in a wild and weary desert.
The first two plays on his program
are "The Red Lamp" anil "The Ital-
lad-mongcr," and while these may
satisfactorily exhibit the width and
diversity of this actor's powers, it may
be questioned whether they will pro-
vide as entertaining an evening as
"A Unuch of Violets." To say that
this London favorite play is by Sidney
Grundy is to also state its undeniable
cleverness. The part taken by Mr.
Tree is that of the titled trustee in
whose control "The Widow's Mite" and
other charity funds are deposited.
This voluble and brainy hypocrite
speculates with the myneys and em-
bezzles them all. His manners are
perfect—also his address and the part
is a fine one for an actor's triumph,be-
cause when creating detestation in
the spectator it can not rely on those
sympathies in which heart-warmth so
often banishes criticism.
The play hits at institutions which
delight to parade great names as
figureheads for internal rottenness;
and it is in another way of real value
in making a reductio ad absurilam of
the anarchists. This problem of squar-
ing the shapeless was beyond Euclid.
In England, anarchism, like other un-
required peculiarities, is caused to dio
from an overwhelming sense of its
own absurdity. And in America this
bunch of violets will lose nothing of
their healthful perfume. Practically
Correct Position for Shooting.
on the target Above all things should
the shooter keep up a steady pressure
with the trigger linger,, and 011 110 ac-
count yield to the temptation to add
just a little more force suddenly. The
technical terms expressing these quali-
fications are "good holder" and "good
trigger pull." There are individuals
who cannot put three bricks in a line
on a table. Such can never learn to
shoot. Further, the sight of a pistol
may send the cold shivers down your
back. In this case, also, you will have
something to overcome before you. can
become an expert shot.
FATHER OP LITHOGRAPHY.
A Monument to SenefcWtcr* Honor
LIUely to He lHnced In Central
I'urlt.
Leopold Stcidel's design of a monu-
ment to be erected to the memory of
Aloys Senefelder. 1 he inventor of lith-
ography, lias been unanimously accept-
ed by the National Convention of Ll-
TROTTINC TRACK FOR A PONY
TI10 Unusual Conceit of a Wealthy IMati
In Brooklyn.
A wealthy lirooktyn man recently
built a handsome residence in a dense-
ly populated part of the city. Ilis ac-
tion created considerable surprise
among- his friends, as the strueture he
erected would have been an ornament
to the most fashionable neighborhood
in the city. It adjoined a coal yard,
while directly opposite it are a num-
ber of ramshackle frame buildings,
each one of which provides homes for
half a dozen families. The man's
next move was to purchase and then
tear down one of these houses and
erect a tine red brick stable in its
place- His last action, however, has
stamped him as a really eccentric
character. He purchased the coal
yard behind his house, tore down the
fences, and then had the place leveled
off. Then he had a small trotting1
track laid out. The remainder of the
ground he had sodded with the finest
grass obtainable, then an iron fence
was erected, through which the whole
of the interior is visible. The trotting
track is a most diminutive affair, but
amply large for the purpose for which
it was laid out, which is the amuse-
ment of the man's 0-year old son.
This lad owns a pretty little Shet-
land pony, which he rides like an ex-
pert, and any fine afternoon he may
be seen tearing around the track at a
great rate. The other children in the
neighborhood gather around the fence
and watch him enviously.
Occasionally he invites one of them
in and gives him a ride around the
track on his pony. He is a manly little
fellow and makes a pretty figure with
his brown leather leggins as he urges
011 his pony. It is a strange sight in
what is recognized as one of the poorer
sections of tlie city, and sometimes as
many as 200 people may be seen watch-
ing him through the fence.
Baron de Laroulliece, a well-known
llgurc in the French racing world, has
been "warned off" for life from every
course under the jurisdiction of the So-
ciety for the Encouragement of French
Sport in consequence of having falsely
registered his mare, Ma Souveraine, a
half breed, which gave him a great ad-
vantage of weight in handicapping.
At the same time the society barred
the mare from running in any race
and ordered the baron to refund all the
money she has won for him.
.imruiMi
LHniOGItfr.V j
' 1
Design for n Monument to Senefel-
der.
thographers, in Philadelphia. Tho
monument will probpbly bn located in
Central Park, although Philadelphia
is making efforts to at"ure it. Mr.
Steidel has been for many years Presi-
dent of the New York Lithographers*
Association.
The monument is to ,%e constructed
of white and black marble and bromve.
Prince Kdivard of Vork'a lluby Cnr-
rlau-e.
Prince Ed ward of York, will chortly
have his llist Lr.;;lish made carries*.
It consists of a pern^bLixtor of tho
highest, class workmanship of the
"Princess I rem* ' barouche patter.i
is fitted with a non-vibrating leather
hung ceo springs, and silent cycle
wheels, with hollow rnober tires. Tho
vehicle is upholstered in tl.e finest
dark uroon corocco leather, softly pad-
ded with horse-hair, cushions, so con-
structed that the infant occupant can
Tlie Prince** Perutiilmlnfor.
recline or ride with face or back trv
the nurse. The visage is protected
from rain by a cowhide 'hood, easily
adjusted to any position and in sun-
shine can be removed and the Prlneo
shaded from heat by an awning of
tussore silk lined to match the car-
riage, and trimmed with delicate and
beautiful lace. La by cars of a some-
what similar pattern have been built
for the children of the Duchess of Fife
tad Princess Henry of Prussia.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Isenberg, J. L. The Enid Weekly Wave. (Enid, Okla. Terr.), Vol. 2, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 14, 1895, newspaper, February 14, 1895; Enid, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc111585/m1/2/: accessed May 6, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.