Life — August 25, 1910 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“iL aREE* IRTHOAYS HERES HOW CHARLES FREDERICK AKED Born August 27, 1864 Before he came to this country, Mr. Aked was minister of Pembroke Chapel, Liverpool. He is an Englishman, born in Nottingham, and at one time he was an auctioneer for a firm in Nottingham, where it is probable that he derived his present forceful eloquence. Can anything be better as a training for clergymen than the trade of an auctioneer, with its “Going, Going, Gone?’ Mr. Aked’s first pastorate was in 1886, at Leicestershire, England, and_there- after he made periodical trips to the United States, where he became known as a preacher. A few years ago he was called to this country as pastor of the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, and is now one of our most prominent ex- ponents of relizion Sir, we acknowledge your position as a shining theological and oratorical light. You are a good talker. You are an earnest. man. You have many years of usefulness before you, and still many millionaires to convert. In this work, and in all other work that you attempt, we wish you the best of luck, amid many happy returns of the day. JAMES HENRY BREASTED Born August 27, 1865 For years now, like some cosmic newsboy, Professor Breasted has been ‘standing on the avenue of the universe calling, “ All the latest news about Egypt!’ And, indeed, what better news is there than news about Egypt? The cheap annals of to-day recorded in our newspapers—of what consequence are they compared with the tartling new chapters in the life of Thut- mose Ill, revealed to us by Professor Breasted? We recall even now with what feverish interest we picked up one day, three or four years ago, his History of Egypt with its superb illustrations, and eagerly scanned it for the latest specials from the Nile tombs. It would be impossible in this brief space to chromcle all of Professor Breasted's achievements. He is a graduate of any number of colleges. he has been an Egyptian explorer for fully twenty years, he has arranged Ezyp! inscriptions under the patronage of the German Emperor, he is the author of an Egyptian grammar and of a number of books on this wonderful country. Professor, we are with you heart and soul. And we trust you may be spared for many years to come to enlighten and startle us by your discoveries. Salute! NATHAN HASKELL DOLE Born August 31, 1852 We know of no literary man who is more purely literary than Nathan Haskell Dole. He was born in Massachusetts (Chelsea), he was graduated from Harvard College, and it would take this entire num- ber of Lire to give a description of all th books he has written or edited. Mr. Dole, we conceive, must have been working night and day all of his life to produce all of these books, or to read those which he has stamped with his approval. He is also a poct of no mean dimensions and an adviser of poets. His activities have omitted, so far as we can judge, no part of literature, from the setting of type to the fireside perusal. He has been publisher, editor, critic, translator, author and modest exponent of his own work. He is, or was, president of the Omar Khayyam Society of the United States and president of the Bibliophile Society; he kno first editions and_ last editions—in short, he knows everything. He is musical, he is rhetorical, he grammatical (we say this with no intention of offending—we have the utmost respect for grammar), he is pedagogical and polyglotical. Russian is to him as easy as pigs’ squeak, and so is Greek. In short, sir, we bow to your universality and we acknowl- edge your intellectual sweep with the greatest deference. And we beg that you will, on your distinguished birthday, accept our congratulations. ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS WARD Bom Beston, August 31, 1844 Mrs. Ward is a truc-born American woman, and among our distinguished women authors she stands in the very first rank, She began writing when she was thirteen years old, and her books would casily fill a five-foot shelf. Among these, perhaps, The Gates Ajar has attracted the most popular atten tion. Born in a literary atmosphere, she has steadily adhered to her ideals, and with a life full of rare achievements she deserves the encomiums of her fellow-laborers. Dear madam, we esteem you greatly; we lay at your fect our homage, and we congratulate you upon your birthday as one of our best and most admired friends. Overheard A XD while I was down there in the slums T saw a woman feeding candy to a baby that, looked as if it were painted The cutest little boy was climbing a tree with overalls “T told John we ought to have oysters for company on the half shell.”” “He gave her the coffee while she was waiting at counter a tin can.” “A big fat man rode by on a skittish horse with a red nose that was scared of the trolley cars.’ “I just love to see the soldiers with their guns in khaki suits, don’t you?” “T don’t know his name, but he was the lawyer who sat next to the lady in black with long sidewhiskers and a white necktie.”” “He is t and a lisp.”* man that sells lace with such big red hands “ Mow DO YOU 'SPOSE ME GITS "ROUND DE WOMEN ue pors?"? “Ty 1 KNOWED DAT I WOULDN'T JEST BE STANDIN’ HERE LOOKING on! '"