Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1877 — The Story of a Nose. [ARTICLE]

The Story of a Nose.

M. Arago, the French statesman, and nephew of the astronomer, is,in spite of his sixty-five years, a very handsome man. He has a* large nose, of which he is somewhat proud. A short time ago he was traveling by train to Versailles, when a child who was in the same carriage, and who had watched Arago for some time with dilated eyes, began to cry. In vain did the- child’s mother, Arago and another Senator endeavor to calm the perturbed. juvenile. The poor mother was in despair, and, as the shrieks grew more and more piercing, Arago felt bound to interfere and see wbat he could do. He said to the child, 44 What ails you, my dear? Are you afraid of me? I don’t look very naughty, do I?” Thus addressed, the child sobbed out, 44 Take off your nose.” Arago looked at the mother, who grew very confused and said: “ Ah, monsieur, excuse me; excuse my son!” 44 But, madame,’’ said Arago, “whatdoes he mean?” The mother then explained that she had during the carnival taken her child to see a number of persons in masks and with false noses, and he had got so excited that he could think of nothing else. “Bv an unfortunate occurrence,” she added, 41 we got into the same carriage with jou, who, for no doubt some good reason, are prolonging the carnival. But you see what a deplorable result has followed. Let me then beg of you to have pity on a poor mother, and take off your nose.” “But, madame,” said Arago, stupefied. 41 A little more and my child will have convulsions,” shrieked the mother; ‘‘take off your false nose ” “ But, madame,” said Arago, in despair, “that is impossible; this is not a false nose, but my own ” “ lip possible! impossible!” cried the agonized lady. “Touch it,” said Arago. The lady gave a pull at the Senator’s nose, but it did not come off in her hand, as she had expected. “A thousand pardons,” she said; “ bat pray, oh! pray, hide it with your hat.” So Arago continued his journey with his nose in his hat, and the child’s screams gradually subsided. Arago himself tells the story with much glee. Foreign Governments pay their diplomatic agents very liberally, but it should be borne in mind that they are carefully trained and educated for the diplomatic service, and have a special value that persons accidentally drifted into it do not possess. Russia spends on her entire diplomatic corps, in rubles, 1,130,500—at Constantinople (twenty-one persons), 115,000; London (eleven persons), 87,500; Vienna (twelve persons), 86,000; Berlin (twelve persons), 84,700; Paris (eleven persons), 84,600; Rome (ten persons), 63,000; Pekin, 57,700; Yeddo, 47.700; Teheran, 47,000; Madrid, 43,000; Washington, 30,500; Athens, 37,500; Stuttgart, 81,800; Stockholm, 31,600; Bern, 31,000, etc. France pays in francs to her Ambassadors at St. Petersburg and London—the one 350,000, the other 300,000; at Vienna, 170,000; Berlin, 140,000; Madrid, 190,600: Constantinople and Rome, 110,000; Ministers Plenipotentiary receive—at Pekin, 85,000; Washington, Brazil and Japan, 80.000; Persia, 72,000; Buenos Ayres, 70,000; Lisbon, Hague and Athens, 00,000; Denmark, Peru and Chili, 50,000 r Dresden, 40,000— Phila ddphia Firm.