"Pars" about People

Dr Alice Woodward's appointment as medical officer in charge of the so-called Plague Hospital ha. stirred the bile of some valorous male individual, who, under the cover of a mom de plume, rushed into print to demand why a female medico shonld be chosen for a position of such extreme importance. The answer is simple. While the public were still scared with the intelligence that the case of the boy from See field View who had been bitten by a rat waa one of plague, Dr Alice Woodward, although bnt a mere woman, volunteered to take charge of the case and lun all the risks of isolation with it. There does not appear to have been any competition for the billet ; it wasn't the sort of thing to tempt male practitioners. ADd so she got it. More than that, she proved to be fully competent, for Dr D. Lloyd-Smith, who, on Saturday last, reported to the Hospital Board that the case nas not one of plague, pointedly said in his letter : ' I have based my diagnosis on the very concise clinical history afforded me by Dr Woodward, and the microscopical specimens Bhewn to me.'

In thiß connection, we understand there was a really amusing situation up at the Hospital grounds one day last week. So strikingly humorous was it, that it is a thousand pities somebody didn't happen along with his little kodak to take n pot-shot. The pictures would have gone off like hot cakes. It seems there was a fall muster of the Hospital's honorary medical staff to investigate that case of plague and probe it to the bottom. Doctors Hope Lewis, de Clive Lowe, Pabst, Erson — in fact, all of them were there, but they dare not invade the sacred precincts of the little smallpox hospital which was doing temporary duty as a plague hospital. And so they grouped themselves in statuesque attitudes on the sward outside, while Dr Alice Woodward came ont on the little upper balcony of the building and from that perch held converse with the medicos beneath. Suddeniv, the humour of the situation struck Dr Erson, and he whispered to a brother practitioner, * By Jove, it's the balcony scene from ''Romeo and Juliet " over again.' But he didn't mention who was the Romeo.

We have received the following letter from Mr William Gulliver : — ' In this week's Obsebveb you draw attention to several letters you have received eulogising me and speaking in a detrimental sense as regards my successor. Allow me to state that, while deeply thankful for the good opinion of those who have written in tho strain they have, I dieclaim any knowledge of the same, and am not personally aware of their individuality, nor have I had any part or act in the same May I ask you to insert this, and oblige, yonre, etc , "Wm. Gu_.LIV.HR.'

The yarn about the Premier's trip to Botorua for the sake of bis health is not holding water with the local paper, which says he ' was about the healthiest looking individual who has arrived here for some time.' But it doesn't do to trust to outward appearances ; Dick doesn't squeal even when he's hurt.

Mr J. M. Lennox informs ua tbat up at Malvern Terrace (off Grey-street) he has pulled down ten houses at a coat of £1000, and spent £300 in the draining of the whole property. He Bays he haß not built npon the space that was formerly occupied by the demolished tenements, but haß set it apart as a breathing _pace for the tenants of the six houses which remain and as a play-ground for the children. Here is an example for other landlords to imitate. Let them go and do likewise.

The Queen, aa everyone predicted, has given a great boom to chocolate, all through Her Gracious Goodness's gift of a oake a-piece of it to the Tommies at the war. At latest advices every function in England is distinctly of the chocolate hue. It is everywhere and in everything, until the gueats are Bicb at the Bight of it. and the infection is spreading to the colonies. Even at Cambridge the other dayit was the day of the Chrysanthemum Show — a prominent citizen gave a chunk of it to each of the orchestra, and as many others who held up their hands for it. There are hints that if the craze goea on the vendors of coffee and tea will begin to kick, and that a petition will ensue to the Queen to go slow on Cadbury.

Mr J. E. Taylor has a word or two to say in reply to the suggestion that his wail about so many inspectorships might probably be rewarded by the offer of one. He wishes to remark : ' There is just one inepectorehip, and one only, that I am prepared to accept horn this Government, and that is to be chief inspector of inspectors, with full power to discharge all inspectors that I consider unnecessary, and pay those that are retained just what I consider they are worth ont of the Golonial Exchequer.' More than that, he is willing to accept such a position without salary, and to pay his own expenses, and he is prepared to guarantee a bigger surplus for the colony than ever King Dick has built up. Now that is a particularly big order, and we pass it on to Richard for his consideration. Finally, Mr Taylor wants to have our straight-out opinion whether we think he is to be bought with an inspectorship. No, we do not. He isn't built on those lines But his own letter shows tbat he might be persuaded to sacrifice himself on the altar of duty. Aud the biggest sacrifice of all would be amoDg the army of inspectors when J. E. Taylor got on the war-path.

Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H.E. for MaEterton, has just made confession that official red tape and _ealing wax are altogether too tough for him. Speaking at Eketahuna the other dey he Baid : ' The Government Departments are strong and stubborn. During the nine or ten year.' I have been in the House, I have found it impossible to move tbe Departments.' If a Liberal member can't move them, what earthly chance does a Conservative one stand ?

Dr Hosking doesn't seem to be whacking the temperance drum to much purpose since he climbed down from the Prohibition Btump. The Christian Worker states that he advertised a lecture ono Sunday night in the Cook-street Hall on the State control of tbe liquor traffic, under tho presidency of Mr Frank Lawry, and that there was only an audience of five persons. Even Frank didn't turn up.

Among the host of New Zealanders who have been throwing up excellent billets and offering their services for the front is ' Archie ' Stocker, a son of Archdeacon Stocker, of Invercargill. ' Archie,' who has been in the service of the Union Company from boyhood, was recently promoted to a good position in Tasmania. A few weeks ago an appeal was made by the ' Tassy ' Government for a bushmen's corps of 100, Ta.manians preferred, Archie, although a rank outsider, applied for enlistment, and in the final selection was accepted as one of the team, notwithstanding that he wasn't a Tasmanian at all, and that there were 800 applicants. This shows that a New Zealand boy can more than bold his own with the pick of the ' other aiders. ' Archie must have heard of young Seddon's excuse for getting away, for in a letter to the old man he gets home on him by saying that he (the Archdeacon) had always taught him that * duty was the first thing,' and that in going to the war he felt he waß carrying out the precept.

It must be an awfully seveie shock to King Dick, after ali he has done to make his name a household word from palace to cottage in dear old Hingland, but the fact remains all the same that in some influential quarters they have forgotten him already. For instance, the London Times actually, in alluding to the death of Sergeant Gourley, out at the front, describes him as the son of the Hon. Hugh Gourley, Premier of New Zealand, Dunedin.

Editor Mackenzie's appeal to the Bay of Islanders who bave been taking in the Luminary and forgetting to part up has panned ont with gladsome and unexpected results. In his last issue Francis expresses gratitude for a real cheque and four lines of verse. Here is the verse : — When war is raging, and danger is nigh, God and the Lumin'ry's all the cry ! When the Quarter's ended, and the bill comes in, To forget to pay ia a too-common sin. How much the cheque iB good for our contemporary doesn't Bay, but if it is anything above a pound there is a chance of Francis coming to town and having a bazaar on the strength of it. But we do hope the office of our bright little contemporary will be & veritable Mafeking for a month or two to come, with cheque* throwers as besiegers. We'll take the verses.

Mr S. Hague Smith was once upon a time — a rather long time ago— one of the leading merchants of Auckland. In the days when copper tokena were current coin of the realm, those bearing the effigies of Mr Samuel Hague Smith made his personality almost as familiar in Auckland aB that of the Queen herself. He is now resident manager at Sydney of the Colonial Limited Fire Insurance Company, and appears to be highly popular therj. He completed his 70fch year on April _tt.at last, and the leading mercantile and insurance men of the place celebrated the event by entertaining Mr Hague Smith at luncheon at the Cafe de Paris.

Charleß Craig, a Waikato volunteer, seems to have had a striking experience with a Boer sympathiser in the train the other day. He appeared as complainant at the Cambridge Court in a case of assault against an individual named William Smith. According to Craig, his uniform had an inflammatory effect upon William, who said it annoyed him, aud announced himself to be a pro-Boer. Words ensued, and William, becoming violent, struck the Soldier of the Queen with hia open hand. In court Mr Smith climbed down. He was no longer a swaggering Boer, but a poor married man with a wife and -large family. The piteous tale impressed the magnanimous heart of Trooper Craig, and at his instance the case was. withdrawn. But the police were not so soft-hearted. They proceeded against Wm. Smith for being drunk and disorderly in a railway carriage, and the Bench imposed a nominal fine of 10s, with 16s coats Perhaps he won't be so re.tive next time he Bees the Queen's uniform.

Here is a morsel of news for Miss Seddon, showing what a warlike reputation somebody is building up for her on the other Bide. It is from the ' Girls' Gossip ' in an Adelaide paper: 'I suppose you have noticed that the Premier of New Zealand is despatching a son to the front, and that Miss Seddon haa joined the Girls' Rifle Corps in Auckland.' About time that Girls' Rifle Corps in Auckland stepped to the front and let the public bave a look at them

The case has been rather long in reporting itself, but it has come to hand at last. We mean the case of the soldier whose life is saved by carrying his Bible about with him. His name is James Williamson, and he belongs to the Black Watch. At Magersfontein he was struck by no leas than six bulletß, so he Bays, and one of them hit a Testament which was in his breast pocket right over his heart. It glanced off the Testament and passed through his left arm, breaking the bone. It's a pity this story didn't get into circulation* in advance of that other one which reports how the life of a Tommy Atkins was saved by the pack of cards tba. he carried in his breast pocket.

Mr Ell, M.H.R for Christchurch, is on the war-path. He is a Prohibitionist, of course, but he means to give a new application to prohibition. What he wants to prohibit just now is trading stamps. He haß announced that if the Government themselves won't move in the matter he intends introducing a bill to put down thia American notion. His measure will be framed on the lines of the Victorian Act.

It turns out that at the beginning of the plague in Sydney it was confined to working men and women, and was lightly talked about until it seized upon the son of a toney. and well-to-do merchant. The youth, who was employed as a clerk in his father's office, had frequently to pass through the infected area, and although he was strongly advised to have himself inoculated, he laughed the idea to scorn, and refused. But he quickly found out that the plague was no respecter of persona. Hia case was a bad one, and the message that he was stricken down had barely time to reach his parents when be was dead. He had the day before been a gueat at a fashionable wedding, and when the news of his death was announced there was a great rush by the rest of the guests for inoculation. Then the rush became general, and has been going on ever since.

King Richard had a look in at the Spout Bath while np at Whakarewarewa the other day, and, thinking he would like one, sat down upon the bath seat, and was proceeding to ' take 'em off,' when the seat gave a creak and a groan, and then went Bmashoh. A moment afterwards the scene was one of splinters, knotted Premier, Argosy braoes and other entanglements. The name has since been changed to the Sitz Bath.

Mr 'Nat' Douglas, the veteran actor whose death in the Dunedin hospital we recently recorded, seemed to have a strong aversion to dying in hospital garments. When the eight was closing round him he was called upon by Walter Rivera, and asked if there was anything he fancied. To which the dying actor whispered, ' Yes — a clean shirt. This one has the D.H. brand on it.' Rivera rushed off, and quickly returned with a new ahirt, but Nat was gone.

The man who had the mo3t to say, and who made the strongest protest in a recent deputation to the Mayor of Wellington against the proposed site for the plague hospital, was a ratepayer who said he would rather see an attack on the city by 10,000 Boers than to have the hospital where it was proposed to put it. The startling assertion made a great impression on Hia Worship and the rest of the deputation, and he was rattling ahead with other arguments of an equally startling tinge when it leaked out that he was the owner of a lot of properties not far from the .proposed site, and that there was a chance of come of his tenants giving notice to quit them 1

Lord Banfurly'a zeal in sanitation, and his activity as a voluntary nuisance inspector, do not appear to proceed altogether from plague scare. He seems to have a particular bent that way, and if he hadn't been born a lord he would probably bave developed into a munioipal inspector, and might even have been a bacteriologist Some inquiring pressman has just found out that when he was in England His Excellency made a Btudy of the methods of dealing with city refuse in order to benefit the district in which he resided in Ireland. Now we understand how he came to have the whole subject at his fingers' ends.

Another Kitchener story is juat out. It is to the effect that when he was a young subaltern he Baid to a brother officer who was under orders to join General Bobs, 'Tell Roberts I want a billet nnder him. and if he haß no thine else for me I will black his boots.' Years passed on and Kitchener became the hero of Soudan. The same officer now met him and jocularly aaid, ' What about your former message to Bobs now ?' The hero replied, ' Take the message as before.'

Member 'Dan* O'Connor, the latest acquisition to the Assembly of New South Wales, is an Irishman ' wid a bit ay a tongue,' and it is said that when he gets it going it is about ' aa easy to atop as an avalanche. It is told of him that at a banquet in his honour a waitress asked hira in an undertone if he would have some Welsh rarebit. Dan did not catch the question , properly, but promptly replied, 'No, thanks. I never eat meat on Friday '

1 William Ewart Gladstone ' is the name of an Invercargill patentee for a new hind of hair-pin. It is perhaps aB well that the Grand Old Man has gone to hia rest. Tbe risk of being mistaken for a hair pin inventor might have wrecked his peace of mind.

The poor old bank note is in trouble again. It is strongly in evidence in connection with the plague, and, after reading the scare letters that are appearing in the Southern papers, it would really seem as if it meant death to touch it with a fortyfoot pole. And yet it is a pound to a farthing that there isn't a writer among them who would not go a great distance to grab as many of the dirty things as be could lay hands on, and chance the grease and contagion.

The married men who volunteered for the laßt Victorian Contingent, and who were rejected because they were married, are not taking kindly to the rejection. One in particular made himself a thorn in tbe official side by demanding expenses and apologies, and what not. ' Look here,' said one weary officer, taking him in hand, ' you married men want to get away with this Contingent to shirk your responsibilities. The Government won't allow you to leave your poor wives uncared for and alone.' ' Pat lot the Government knows about it,' responded the Benedict. ' Well, you have a wife, I snppoae,' Baid the officer. * Yes.' ' Why, then, do you wish to deprive her of your society and support ?' ' Why,' growled the would-be hero, ' because she said she'd break my bloomin' back if I didn't get accepted! That's why.'