Idiosyncrasies Of Men Of Genius

Most geniuses and men of great talent have been known f or some peculiar habit or striking idiosyncrasy. Napolean would tremble for fear at the sight of a cat. General Elliott, of Gibraltar faine, was always accompanied by a number of them. Johnson liked to imbibe floods of tea or wine, and yet be none the worse for it. Porson drank everything that came in his way. Visiting once a friend's house, when evening came they desired to f eed the lamp, but the bottle was empty. Porson had drank the spirits on the sly, not knowing it was intended for the lamp. Douglass Jerrold could not bear the smell of apples. Cavendish hated women. If he met one of his ownfemale servants by accident in any part of the house, she was instantly dismissed. Garrick was vain alroost to the degree of insanity. Rosseau was vain, and could nat write except when dressed as a fop. Bulwer Lytton, it is said, cotüd write best when dressed in a court suit. Marlborough was a iniser, mended his own stockings to save paying for it, and would walk home ever so late at night rather than pay for a "chair." Napoleon did his "thinking" and formed his plans for conquest while pacing in a garden, shrugging his shoulders now aud then, as if to help and "compress" thought. When Thieis was engaged in his long and his oratorical displays he always had beside him a supply of rum and coffee. The coffee he got direct irom Mecca. uioson aictated while walking in his room, like Scott and many others. Moliere wrote with his knees near the fire, and Bacon liked to study in a small room, which, lie said, helped him to condense his thoughts. George Stephenson used to lie in bed for two or three days, the better to "think out" his plan. It would be better if many people do this who have much thinking to do, as rest favors abstraction and thought, and thobe who have not a vigorous circulation ünd the supply of blood to the brain assisted by a recumbent position. - London World. ♦ It was in the smoking-room of a Cunard steamer that a warthy Teutón was recently talkingabout weather predictlons. "Look here," said he, "I tell you vot it is. You petter don't dake no shtock in dem weader bredictions. Dose beoble don't know noding. Dey can't tell no petter as I can." 'But, my dear sir," said a person present, "they foretold the storm which we have just encountered." "Veil, dat ish zo," replied the Germán, contemplatively; "but I dell you vat it is - dat shtorm would have come yust desame if it had not been bredicted."