NEWS, VIEWS, AND OPINIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 292, 8 December 1900, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEWS, VIEWS, AND OPINIONS.

We have had numerous inflictions thrust upon us in this Nineteenth Century of ours in tlie shape of musical penny-in-tke-slot machines. Some were more "musical" than the others, hut all had tlie one object—that> of drawing from the pocket of an indulgent public the despised copper. Tlie worst of these torments, however, seems to have been kept for the last, as a sort of crowning feat- of the century. Before the latest German invention in this line all other inventions for capturing the humble copper J_ave to find pastures new. The advantage the new "musical machine" has over its predecessors is that the penny is not required to set it off, but to get it to stop. Fancy the horror of such a machine grinding on in certain places —perhaps at the .same old tune. The inventor has certainly scored tlrs time, and if his machines are taken up by the Automatic Companies, now all over the world, big* dividends may he looked for. What is a penny to choke such instruments? We know some friends who would give more than a penny to put an end to a "musical instrument" in their neighbourhood. The latest sea-serpent story comes from South Africa, and is of a sufficiently circumstantial character not to be dismissed as a traveller's yarn without further investigation. The monster is said to have made it's appearance in the Kowie River about 25 j miles from Grahamstown, and according to an account from a corres- I pondent holding a responsible i.ost in I that town, it is from 30 to 40 yards ! long and as big round as a barrel. The | part of the river where the creature ; lay appears to be very difficult, of j access and surrounded by thick bush, but the correspondent; states that an { effort was going to be made to blow . ■ the monster up with dynamite. A person who is described as a "genuine naturalist" visited the place, and ■ gives it as his opinion that the animal is a gigantic octopus, or perhaps two, with enormous tentacles. However this may be, the story as related sounds plausible enough to arouse interest in any further particulars iwliich may be forthcoming. [ The petition of the Countess Russell for a divorce from the Earl appears in the list of undefended cases this term, writes our London correspondent. ■ The matrimonial squabbles of the Earl and Countess must have brought a considerable amount of grist to the legal mill. In 1890 theCountess presented a petition for judicial separation on the ground of cruelty. That petition was dismissed. In 1594 she changed her plan of campaign, and sought restitution of conjugal rights, which means a pecuniary solace for the loss of her husband's j society. The Earl responded with a petition for judicial separation on the | ground-of cruelty. He succeeded, and then ensued appeals. The Court of Appeal dismissed the'petitions of both husband and wife, the former on the I' ground that there was no evidence1 of "legal cruelty." The House of , Lords affirmed this decision. Earl j Russell then proceeded to America, I procured an American divorce and married an interesting widow. The Countess, having meanwhile taken to the stage, is now going to have a walk pver in the divorce court. Love unhinges most easily the greatest of minds—the minds capable Of the deepest feeling. Perhaps no man ever suffered more from the . "noble frailty" than Dante, when "there appeared to his eyes the glori- ( ous lady of my mind, Beatrice. At that moment the chamber of my heart began to tremble so violently that the ; least pulses of my body shook there- ; ■with." Dante only saw Beatrice once ( Or twice, and she was scarcely aware W his existence; and yet the very thought of her reduced him to the . verge of insanity, aud he became an object of pity to his friends. Mark P Antony's abject adoration of Cleo- |^ patra "finally sent him to a suicide's j' grave. Nearly nineteen centuries later i General Boulanger re-enacted An- {. tonys folly and tragedy. At the crisis ] of his career, when a simple journey . l to Paris would have.placed a nation, |' and possibly a crown, at his feet, he j _ could not tear himself from the arms ' j of his enslaver in Jersey; and when - he had lost her, and all for her, he ' committed suicide on her grave. The nineteenth century merchant * may well be excused a little nervous- j ness (even when carefully coached be- J fbrehand) as to the correctness of his > demeanour when undergoing the s mediaeval ceremonies 'of receiving the 1 aecolaile and being dubbed a knight. But the confusion with which one j worthy man was covered when without 3 Warning he was suddenly ushered into . the-Royal presence and" beheld his 2 Sovereign sword in hand nearly led to -j a contretemps. ' The incident was . •amusingly related by Mr Ritchie, the s President of the Board of Trade, at a j Polytechnic prize distribution the t other evening. He dwelt upon the ad- _ vantages of such institutions and de- _ scribed how the People's Palace at Mile f / End sprang from the Beaumont In- j stitute, of which Mr Ritchie was a _ trustee. When the Queen opened the .. People's Palace Mr Ritchie ventured t to suggest to her that it would give , great pleasure to the assembled people if she would in their presence confer • the honour of knighthood upon the . Master of the Drapers' Company, which had given such a liberal con- * tribution to the institution. The fl Queen replied, "Certainly, if you wish it, but take care you bring up to me the right man." The Master of the £ Drapers was in entire ignorance of his fete, and Mr Ritchie would never for- . get his countenance when he was told 1; what the Queen was going to do. He _ turned white-and his knees seemed to give: way under Wm. He knelt . down with as much trepidation as if ■**■ he were to be beheaded on the spot. - When tlie Queen had touched him ° with the rapier on one shoulder he a tried to rise without waiting for the - ceremony to be completed by being m touched on the other, and was nearly il transfixed by the Queen's sword. So t anxious was the recipient of the hon- « our to get it over as soon as possible . that the President of the .Board of o Trade had _o hold him. down while the h Queen completed the ceremony. Verily, the Master ~of the Drapers very - Hearly had greatness thrust upon him. is

i Tho richest man in the world -.aid bis younger brother—himself several ■ times a millionaire—are engaged in a j furious quarrel, and the grave has jbeen made iise of as one, |)f the weap- '_ ons iv the fight. John J). Rockefeller, conceded to be the richest man in the United States, and believed to be wealthier than any other man in the world, and his brother Frank have fallen out, and as usual when men of millions quarrel it is money which is the cause of their disagreement. Some years ago Frank Rockefeller was engaged in a mining deal, and he asserts that he lost by the sharp practices of his immensely richer brother. From time to time this breach has widened. The same church "was not large enough to hold the two men, and Frank left it. Not long ago John P. erected an ornate monument over the graves of his mother and his nephew and niece, the children of his brother. Now, to the amazement of the people of Cleveland, in which city the tombs are, Frank has had the bodies of his two children disinterred and buried in another part of the cemetery. ! The queerest will on record has just been admitted to probate. It is that of a lady who died last year. She had a rare disease, which, according to competent medical testimony, "prevented her from coining her thoughts into words." .She could think clearly and shrewdly. She could speak, but could not make her sentences fit her : meaning. She had considerable prop- ! erty. How could she make a will? Thus was the difficulty solved: Her lawyer, to ascertain her wishes, had printed on cards the names of her various relatives and of her family servants, and on another set of cards the names of her properties. Besides these were certain cards containing arbitrary sums, such as "£50." Then Miss Moore shuffled the cards and re--1 arranged them to suit her own ideas. I First she laid a, card containing the I name of her principal heir by itself, j and from the card-list of property sei leeted those that she wished to go to ■him. "That," she began, but, as beI fore, proved unable to frame a senI fence, rresumably she wished to say, j "that is right." At any rate, she nodded acquiescence, and the drawing of I the will was done. The cards were presented in Probate Court, says "The Judge," with a memorandum by the lawyer certifying that their position ias arranged I'by their testator had been accurately preserved. The King of the Belgians narrowly escaped being hauled up before "the beak" the other day. He was, towards the end of October, on a visit to the great show, and one day, by way of 'diversion, v\*ent for a scorch in his newly acquired automobile. He was bowling along at the rate of over 30 miles an hour--a speed not permitted by the Paris police regulation—when a' guard called on the party' to stop. The zealous officer was solemnly going to work on his notebook with a view to an eventual summons, when the driver whispered in his ear that he had stopped the King of the Belgians! The notebook instantly disappeared, and as King Leopold drove off the guard stood at attention and gave him , a magnificent parting salute. Tn view of the approaching visit of the Duke of York tlie following story, culled by M.A.P. from tlie yarns ot Captain Worcester, of tlie P. & 0., should prove interesting. Some years ago Captain Worcester's ship was lying in Malta Harbour waiting for.the Duke of York—then Prince George— to come on board. Captain Worcester said to his young chief officer: "As soon as you see tlie Duke coming off, man the" yards at once and send fOr me to my'cabin." A few minutes afterwards the captain heard a boat alongside, and immediately after the young officer saying in a .querulous, high-pitched tone to the passenger who was stepping on board:, "I say, when's that Prince coming? I wish he'd look sharp; I'm tired of waiting." "Awfully sorry," said a jolly voice, "but I came off purposely as quietly as I could, as I thought you'd want to man the yards or something of that sort. As I am a sailor myself I know what a bore that is when you are busy coaling." I- was the Duke of York. An anti-breakfast society has arisen in America, and claims to be gaining recruits everywhere. The theory on which these two-meals-a-day folks base their conduct is that, no work being, done after the later and hearty -linner, and little tissue waste following during the hours of sleep, the oody has sufficient energy stored from the evening meal to meet the demands of the next forenoon's work. To take a hearty breakfast, they claim, is .imply to provide a surplus of supply, line, by that much overtaxing the system. The elimination, therefore, of D.ie-third of meals a year means conserving of energy, as well as saving the pocket! Many years ago there was .1 similar practice advocated, but, it ■ ■vas to go without the third meal in•tead of the first, one. There are still .eople who omit this third meal. Juvenile smoking has exercised many authorities of late, and on .Thursday, says "Lloyds" of October 1 !8, the Leeds School Board announced that at their instigation a leading uedical man was about to take the subject into consideration, and to re- ] oort on it with a view to taking ac- , ion against the evil. It is interesting o note in this connection that Majorgeneral Baden-Powell has been elected i' >atron of the "League of Health and'< Man-mess," a juvenile anti-smoking i ( .ocietj* at Weston-by-d-uncorn. In 'eply to the request of the society bat the hero of Mafeking, as a, non- , smoker, should become its patron, ieneral Baden-Powell sent a. letter,j' just received, from Rustenburg. In * t he says that he gladly accepts the -osition, and that he has three rea.ions for special interest in the club, is- follow:— ! First,—Because I was myself for five * rears a choirboy in the Charterhouse ■hoir. Secondly—Because I am not a ■ s-mokerl Thirdly—Because I wjas 1 .artly educated as a boy at North- - rick, and used often to go over to < ..uncorn. So you see I feel qualified « o take a more than outside interest 1 n your doings. I quite agree with i •our principals, that it is at your time '. >f life that your habits and character ire formed, and remain yours during '. /our manhood. A feeble youth who : imokes because he thinks it manly is ' ust as liable to drink or to swear j leca.use he has known grown-up men ; lo it/—not becanse it is any pleasure < o him —then he gets into the habit i >f it, and the fault becomes part of J dm for the rest of his life. This message from the gallant sol-- j tier is one every boy who can think '. s likely to take to heart. x

The final scene of a romance which i Animal worship is rife among the had its ending in the most sordid! natives of Sarawak. The Kenyans tragedy was enacted the other day.! hold the common white-headed hawie The Princess Ludmilla GoUeseszloW,. in special reverence. It brings mesonce a famous Russian beauty, was sages of warning and advice from the buried at Budapest as a pauper. She; Supreme Being, and it is consulted was the daughter of Prince Feodore' before every undertaking of lmportGorcseszlow, one of the heroes of the ance. A wooden image of the ha w.c Crimean War, and some of the weal-1 stands before every house, and the thiest and noblest men in Russia were : domestic fowl i.s killed as a sacrifice among the suitors for her hand. The jto it, and the blood is sprinkled on the Princess, however, eloped with a j altar posts of the gods and on the handsome Hungarian adv_ritu_t_r ,'b_ ' persons taking part in various eere--1878, and travelled through Europe* monies, especially peace-making cerefor three years with him as his mis- j monies. The domestic pig is sacritress. He maltreated and finally de- i ficed in much the same way. The sert.d her, a.nd ;the Princess then i spirit of a pig is always charged with sank further into rice. At the age j some prayer to be carried to the of thirty her beauty had gone, and Supreme Being, and, the answer is she had become a street beggar in read from the markings of its liver. Budapest. She lived thus for the last The crocodiles are regarded as a ten years, and died the other day, friendly and allied tribe, and may be aged 40, from hunger, cold, a.nd neg-j killed in retaliation only. No Kenyah lect. No one followed the pauper's will kill a dog, and its dead body is recoffin to the grave, -garded with fear.

Here is an excellent story in which two of our present day writers were the dramatis 'pjersonae:!—-Mr| 'Barriiei was one day at Waterloo.Station in a, hurry to catch a train. He was hastening from the bookstall laden with papers, "a good many sixpenny ones ajmong themi," ha dolefully relates, when, in rushing round a corner, he fell into the arms of Rudyard Kipling, equally.in a tearing* hurry. They turned, on each other with scowling faces, then smiled in recog-nition, and asked each other whither he went. Then Kipling, exclaiming, "Lucky beggar, you've got papers!" seized the bundle from Barrie, flung him some money, and made off. "But you did not stoop to pick up his dirty halfpence, did you?" queried one of Mr Barr-ie's hearers, amusedly. "Didn't I, though!" returned Barrie; and added ruefully, "but he hadn't flung ana half enough." ,