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CELEBRITIES AT PLAY.
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bay Government in the hot season—she captained a team of six ladies and six gentlemen against a similar team captained by another lady. The conditions were that the gentlemen should play left-handed with a broomstick, bowling and fielding also with the left hand, while the ladies should play in the orthodox manner. In the end Lady Harris's team won, scoring 63 runs to their opponents' 58. Fishing has had many enthusiastic devotees. John Bright, the poet Dryden, and the philosopher
"A knight of the rod."
George Herbert, were all enthusiastic fishermen. In our own day Lord Hartington is a devoted knight of the rod; while Mr. Black, the novelist, it was recently reported, has been salmon fishing with great success in Sutherlandshire.

Of the celebrities who have outlived their "play" days, a unique example is to be found in the case of Prince Bismarck. In his early days Prince Bismarck had a passion for duelling. It does not appear whether it carried him to such an extent that—like Crockey Doyle who insulted people right and left in order to have the pleasure of apologising—he made enemies for the pleasure of fighting them, but at least twenty-seven duels are recorded in which he took part. Things then got too warm for him, or opponents grew shy; and, duels running short, he took to shooting, drinking, and playing jokes to such an extent that he became known as "mad Bismarck." What he does now, beyond smoking cigars on the "chain" system, and drinking immense quantities of beer, is not known, though there is some reason to think that, like his illustrious coadjutor Von Moltke, he spends his leisure in devising schemes to harass his opponents. This method of spending their play hours is a common one among men of political eminence. There are few who can, like Mr. Gladstone, work off the petty worries of public life by cutting down trees and poring over musty manuscripts. There is no doubt at all that this accounts for the evergreen freshness of the man, his wonderful energy and vitality. It is not the work but the worry that kills.