Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 08.pdf/335

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The Green Bag.


306

fail." '• My woman's tact and experience assure my universal success." "Terms moderate." Accom panied by honeyed words from several lawyers. Miss (or Mrs.) Summers ought to succeed on account of her self-confidence, if from nothing else. If she were a man, it should be called " cheek." One sug gestion is now offered : let her accompany her circu lar by her portrait, and it would probably attract the attention of the careless and "serve as a guarantee of good faith." The chairman has no papers to be served, but is glad to call attention to this novel scheme of this ingenious and probably deserving woman.

"Three Heads."— " The Chicago Legal News" publishes a picture of the Chairman with his two grandchildren, with many words of commendation so kind that we should blush to republish them, and the following verses, which may appeal to others similarly situated : — THREE HEADS. Brown-head and Yellow-head, both fair to see, Cling around Gray-head, and climb on his lap; Mounted securely on grandpapa's knee, Ready for play or for stories or nap. Brown-head insists on a tragical tale Of lions in deserts, who like man-meat; And terrors that turn old travelers pale Don't move him a whit in his chosen seat. Yellow-head prattles of dolly and gown, Explains how the carpet she neatly sweeps; She looks at the " wheels " with a watchful frown, And combs her old Gray-head until he weeps. Brown-head is five years and Yellow-head three, Gray -head they think must be twenty at least; But in one notion they fully agree, That only by loving is love increased. Xot very long till they are all of an age; Wisdom is equal when all's said or sung; Man getting foolish and child growing sage, Young waxing ancient and old turning young. Irving Browne.

"What is Truth? "— It seems to us that the paragrapher who gave the anecdote of Lord Coleridge in connection with this question, in the May Green Bag, was in error in attributing it to his Lordship's delight in professing " ignorance of things supposed to be of common knowledge." It seems more probable that his Lordship was simply echoing Pilate's famous question, or perhaps that of Dickens's Chadband. That would have given the point of wit to the inquiry instead of the bluntness of ignorance.

Ben Franklin's Will. — The great philosopher, economist and statesman was, in a sense, a " Bawston man," and the Boston people have done him an ill turn by setting up a hideous statue in his despite. This, notwithstanding that a hundred years ago he left by will a thousand pounds to officials of the city in trust for the use of the young mechanics, and to be thereto appropriated at the end of a hundred years. He hoped that the fund would then reach a half mil lion dollars, but it amounts only to a little above one hundred thousand. The will was proved in Philadel phia in 1790, and a few weeks ago, on petition of the mayor of Boston, it was admitted to probate in the latter city, for the purpose of dealing out the lega cies. It was fortunate for Ben's purpose that he lived before the days of jealousy of such restraint of aliena tion. The fund in question consisted of land in Bos ton, and it does not speak well for the prosperity of that city that it should have increased but tenfold in a century. It would increase to that extent in ten years in Buffalo, in New York in about ten months, and in Chicago in about ten days!

British Fair Play. — The Chairman, in the secluded life which he has led, has the misfortune never to have heard of Mr. Richard W. Hale, who, in a recent number of the "American Law Review," pronounces a note in this department on "British Fair Play" to be characterized by "unmanly petu lance." Therefore his nationality is unknown to us; but if he is an American he must be unnaturally mag nanimous If he can discover any fair play in the re cent British transactions in the Transvaal. For curi osity's sake we have re-read our offending para graph, and we stick to every word of it, and thereto we put ourselves upon our country.

New Use of Dogs. — A new use has been found for dogs, namely, as detectives of criminals. In State 1/. Hall, a recent trial for larceny, in Ohio, the detective work of a dog was put in evidence. Some of the stolen property was found near the scene of the theft, and was shown to the dog, and then he was shown footprints close to it, and being put on the track he followed it unhesitatingly some two hunddred feet to a gate, then inside the gate up to two front outside doors, of which he chose the left-hand one, then inside to the prisoner's door. It was shown that the dog had been trained to this business, and thoroughly and successfully tested, even where persons on whose tracks he was put had started from twenty to forty hours ahead of him. The evidence was admitted, and is justified by the authority of