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GENIUS AND ABSENT
MINDEDNESS.
Lapse of memory is a disease that
has fastened on many men famouis for
learning. It is related of Benjamin
Franklin that he was driving along
Pennsylvania-avenue in the days when
Washington was a village and the
avenue was no more than a country
road, when a sapling was caught be
tween the wheel and the body of the
waggon. Dr. Franklin sat there for
some time, apparently in deep thought.
A friend passing asked him what was
the matter.
"I was wondering," said the doctor,
"how I could get my waggon away
from here without cutting down the
tree."
The absent-mindedness of Edison is
well known. Among the numerous
anecdotes told of the famous inventor
is the following:-One day, after he
had spent many hours in his labora
tory on an experiment, he sat down
to dinner, which was served in an ad
joining room. One of his assistants
was dining with him, for the great
"wizard" objects to eating alone. After
he had helped himself liberally, Edi
son, lost in thought, finally dropped
off into a doze without having touched
anything. While he was sleeping his
assistant removed his full plate and
substituted an empty one. Presently
Edison awoke, and, on seeing his plate
empty, exclaimed: "I'm hanged if I
haven't eaten my dinner and forgotten
all about it."
Sir Isaac Newton, it is said, used
the finger of his niece to jam down
the hot tobacco in his pipe. The story
of how he cut a large hole through
his study door to permit the passage
of his favorite cat, and added a small
one when she brought to him a litter
of kittens, so that they should not be
excluded, is almost too well known to
bear repetition.
Henry Ward Beecher was so absent
minded that if he did not have his own
personal hymn-book at prayer-meeting
he was lost. One of his deacons saw
him looking anxiously about one even
ing in the prayer-meeting room. He
asked him what he was looking for.
"Mly hymn-book," said the preacher.
"Never mind," said the deacon, "take
mine." "No, I want my own," said
Mr. Beecher. "I have the names of
all the deacons written in the cover,
and if I don't find it, I won't know
whom to call on for a prayer." One
evening the soup served at dinner
did not suit his taste, and he complain
ed to Mrs. Beecher about it. The next
evening they were dining out and the
same kind of soup was served. Mr.
Beecher absent-mindedly turned to his
wife and remarked: "My dear, I am
sorry to say that the soup is again a
failure."
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