Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 April 1871 — The Force of Imagination. [ARTICLE]

The Force of Imagination.

An incident, which will be regarded as rather odd and uniifut, may serve as material for some curious speculations, as to the force of imagination, and also the sympathy between our visual and olfactory organs. Colonel Flint, of the Guards, a bully and duelist, described in the dramatis persona as a “ fireater,” was to stand with his back to the red-glowing chimneypiece in “Will’s Coffee House.” The period is that of George 1., when it was fashionable for great bloods of the day to smoke long pipes, designated as a “ yard of clay.” With such a pipe Colonel Flint had duly provided himself for rehearsal; and to make his stage business more perfect, soft-rolling clouds of smoke began to issue; from the bow], and float over the once famous coffee-room. In no time came the manager, speaking quickly, “My dear F ,on no account attempt to smoke I The Queen detests tobacco, and would leave the box immediately.” “ But there is no tobacco in the pipe,” replied the colonel. “ Oh—come—nonsense.” “Look here!”—and the Colonel took out of his waistcoat pocket a handful of dried herbs. “I got them in Covent Garden Market this morning, on the way to rehearsal.” “Well, we smelt tobacco the moment we came within sight of the stage,” said Mr. Dickens; “the pipe must be foul.”

“It is quite a new pipe!” Mark Lemon now came up, and protesting that he also had smelt tobacco, and that the pipe must have been an old one reburnt, to look clean, the offending clay was flung aside. Before the next rehearsal, however, an other pipe, warranted new and pure, was obtained, independent of which it was placed in the fire, and kept there at white heat long enough to purify it ten times over, even had it been one of the unclean. Again the cloud began to unfold its vol times over “Will’s Coflee Room;” and this time Sir Joseph Paxton came running from the seats in front to the stage, declaring that the Queen so detested the smell of tobacco that smoking must really not be attempted. Once again the Colonel protested the innocence of his pipe, in proof of which he produced a handful of dried thyme and rose leaves from his waistcoat pocket In vain. Sir Joseph insisted that he smelt tobacco! “They all smelt it!” So thia second yard of clay was sent to shivers. « But the Colonel had chanced to see a “ Model of the Battla of Waterloo” exhibited some years before in Leicester square, in which the various miniature platoons of infantry, as well as the brigades of artillery, were supposed to be firing vcßleys, the clouds and . wreaths of smoke being

fragile fixture*. These capital imitations of clouds and wreaths of smoke were discovered, on very close examination, to be composed of extremely fine and thinly drawn out yeba of cotton, supported on ring* and long twirl* of almost invisible wire, and attached at one end to the mouths and ifiuzzles of the miniature cannon and musketry. This .model for a triumph in the art of smoking a pipe in the presence of a Queen who abhorred tobacco, was nowadopted by (Joi. Flint, but held in reserve frym the morning rehearsal for the fulldress rehearsal of the same night, when there would be a preliminary audience. He ventured to flatter himself that all these delicate considerations and assiduities would lie much applauded and complimented, both by the accomplished author and the management Far from it. No sooner was the cloud of apparent smoke perceived to issue from the pipe, tlian the manager, stage manager and Sir Joseph Paxton hurried together to the too assiduous guardsman, lagging him on no account to persist in smoking!— the smoke—or this (on examining the smoke) appearance of smoking. ’lt would lie most injudicious. Her Majesty would think she smelt tobacco, and this Would lie as bad as if Her Majesty really smelt it. At the same time they added, collectively, that they themselves had smelt tobacco, no matter from what source or what, cause! Of course, there was an end to the matter, as we were all anxious to be harmonious; and the discomfitted “ fire-eater ’’ of the company did the best he could to bully the company in “Will’s Coffee Room” with his emptybowled and immaculate yard of clay.