Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1877 — PERSONAL AND LITERARY. [ARTICLE]

PERSONAL AND LITERARY.

—The German newspapers speak not of Gen. Grant and his wife, but of ‘‘ Gen. Grunt and his consort,” deeming the latter address more civil. —Hint to young journalists from the Philadelphia* Ledger: “ Style in writing is a medium for imparting knowledge, for expressing thought and opinion, for communicating information; but of what use is style to the writer who has no knowledge to impart, no information to communicate, and, of consequence, no foundation on wjjch to base suggestive thought or authoritative opinion? His style is mere sound, signifying nothing.” —ls politicians would confine themselves to the calm, dispassionate and courteous language used by Gen. Hawley in his Hartford paper to Samuel Bowles, it would greatly improve the literature of our country. The General gives the following advice to Samuel: “Now don’t be a monstrous, egregious, redundant, gigantic and superabundant, wholly superfluous ass. Be an ass within the reach of the average imagination.” —Detroit Free Pres*. —William H. Newell, of Gilmanton, N. H., and his wife, are a remarkable pair. Mr. Newell is ninety-one years old and his wife eighty-four. During the last winter he has made a large secretary and bookcase of excellent workmanship. This season, beside attending to a large garden, he has planted and hoea 400 hills of pole beans. The old couple drive long distances to visit friends, and are as vigorous and enthusiastic as young married folks. They have twelve children, including one lawyer, one doctor, two farmers, one carpenter, one merchant, one artist, one manufacturer and four married daughters. They have twenty-live grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren, and not one of the whole number drinks spirituous liquors, uses tobacco or swears. —Secretary Sherman is thus described by a person who saw him during his recent trip to New England: “His personal appearance is striking, if not imposing. Over six feet tall, lean and lank, he is the type of a true Westerner. Carelessly dressed, wearing a sack-coat of dark material anything but broadcloth, with a dark, high-crowned straw hat, not recently purchased, his feet incased in brogans, with cotton socks which might have been covered had his trousers been an inch or two longer, he reminds one of a careless, well-to-do stock-buyer or a patent rights peddler, rather than the chief financial agent of this great nation. In conversation he is affable, and when not being ' interviewed’ by a newspaper correspondent, which, by the way, is his especial aversion, he is free and somewhat careless in his remarks.” —Here are three veracious anecdotes of Dr. .J. G. Holland, of Scribner's, whom the Sun irreverently dubs “Tupper Holland ” Last year some one asked him if he had read “’Daniel Deronda." “No-o,” he replied; “ the fact is I intend myself to Create this fall, and so 1 don’t care to read anyone else’s book. I wish to he Original.” Some one once said in his hearing that Prof. Fowler and his phrenological examinations were humbugs. “No, no,” hurriedly interrupted Timothy Titcomb; “no humbug In it, of at least in him, for he is a man of singular penetration. He had no sooner laid his hands on my head than he said: ‘Sir, you are a man of excessive modesty.’ Wonderful thing, phrenology.” Once, after an interview with a reporter cruelly given to quizzing, the delighted doctor broke forth to a friend: “ Curious how a man connected with the press learns to read character, isn't it? Now, I had never seen that young man before, and he had read very few of my works; hut he said to me frankly, ‘ Doctor, there is only weak point in your character; you are too modest; you don’t assert yourself enough; j r ou have not a sufficient consciousness and conviction of your talent.’ He is a young man of great acumen and Culture.”— Chicago Tribune. h *