Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XXIII.—April, 1852.—Vol. IV.: NoneVarious
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XXIII.—April, 1852.—Vol. IV.: None
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
On the occasion of our second visit to the asylum, we were received by
Mr. Chiswick with great courtesy, and were favored with a long
conversation on a variety of topics. Besides the exercise of his brush
and pencil, his genius manifests itself in other ways, some of them
being rather amusing and eccentric. Among these, is that of making
stockings, and other articles of apparel in a very original manner. His
mind, as we have remarked, is well replenished with anecdotes and
illustrations suitable to whatever topic may happen to be on hand. On
the present occasion, upon offering us a glass of wine, we declined his
hospitality, on the true plea that we had fasted since eight o'clock in
the morning, and it was then nearly five in the afternoon. Upon this, he
produced a piece of sweet bread, saying, "Take that first, and then the
wine will not hurt you. You remember the anecdote of the bride? Soon
after her marriage, her mother inquired,'How does your husband treat
you, my dear?' Oh, he loves me very much, for he gives me two glasses of
white wine every morning before I am up.' 'My dear child,' said the
mother, with an air of alarm, 'he means to kill you. However, do not
refuse the wine, but take a piece of cake to bed with you at night, and
when he is gone for the wine in the morning, do you eat the cake, then
the wine will not hurt you,' The bride obeyed the mother's advice, and
lived to a good old age."
Having sat down by the fire in the ward with a number of the patients,
Mr. Chiswick took out his pocket-book to show us a letter which he had
received from some kind but unknown friend, who had visited the asylum,
and also that he might present to us a piece of poetry, which had just
been printed at the asylum press. In looking for these, he accidentally
dropped a greater part of the contents of his pocket-book on the floor;
and when one of the lunatics hastened to scramble for some of the
papers, Mr. Chiswick, quick as thought, pulled off the officious
patient's hat, and sent it flying to the other end of the ward, bidding
its owner to run after it. We offered to assist in picking up the
scattered papers, but he would not allow us to touch them. "You act," we
remarked, "on the principle of not allowing others to do for you any
thing that you can do yourself." "Exactly so," said he, "and I will tell
you a good anecdote about that. There was once a bishop of Gibraltar,
who hired a valet; but for some time this valet had nothing to do: the
bishop cleaned his own boots, and performed many other menial tasks,
which the servant supposed that he had been engaged to do. At length he
said--'Your lordship, I should be glad to be informed what it is
expected that I should do. You clean your own boots, brush your own
clothes, and do a multitude of other things that I supposed would fall
to my lot.' 'Well,' said the bishop, 'I have been accustomed to do this,
and I can do it very well; therefore, why should you do it? I act upon
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