Pars about Notabilities.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 16, 16 July 1910, Page 13

Pars about Notabilities.

There are a good many old Harrovians in New Zealand, who will be interested to hear that the headmaster of Harrow School, vacant through the resignation of the Rev. Dr. Wood, which was announced some weeks ago, has been offered to and accepted by the Rev. Lionel George Bridges Justice Ford, headmaster of Repton School.

Mr. Ford is equally distinguished as a scholar, a preacher, and a cricketer. Born in 1865, he was the most brilliant of a family of cricketers, all of whom were educated at Repton School. In ISB4 he obtained an open scholarship at King's College, Cambridge. His academic career was most distinguishoc, as he gained x first-class in Classical Tripos and the Chancellor's Medal.

He played for his university eleven at cricket for the four years from 1887 to l?, 90. He was a clever bowler and a mighty bat. Indeed, in IS9O he headed the Cambridge batting averages and made the best score of any batsman on either side in the match with Oxford. On leaving Cambridge he played for Middlesex from time to time.

In ISBS he was appointed an assistant master at Eton, but left Eton in 1901, when he was offered the headmastership of Kepton, for which he had not even applied. He married in 1004 Mary Catherine Talbot, daughter of the Bishop of Southwark.

He has been Select Preacher at Cambridge University, and is examining chaplain to the Bishop of Southwark. Ho is an ideal headmaster—tall, handsome, and dignified in presence, and has the art of making himself liked and obeyed.

A remarkable feature about the physique of reigning European monarchs is that they are nearly all shorter than their Consorts. King George V. Ie several inches shorter than Queen Mary. The German Empress is a trifle taller than the Kaiser, who always insists on the Empress sitting down when they are photographed together.

Czar Nicholas 11. looks quite email by the side of the Czarina. Alfonso of Spain is a head shorter than Queen Victoria Eugenic, anU the King of Italy hardly reaches to the shoulder of Queen Helena. The Queen of Denmark, too, is a good deal taller than her husband.

Exceptions to the rule are the King of Norway and the new King of the Belgians. The latter is six feet two inches in height, and the tallest King in Europe.

There are few men In the religious world who have more quickly come into prominence than the Rev. Silvester Home, the new chairman of the Congregational Union in England. Mr. Home boasts of a long line of Puritan ancestry. His father was for many years a Congregational minister, until a breakdown in health forced Mm to adopt journalism as a profession. Mr. Home's thoughts were early directed towards tile ministry, in which direction he was helped by the late Dr. Dale, and Dr. E. Paton, the well-known educationalist of Nottingham. "Don't be content to drive a donkey cart," said the latter when giving young Home advice respecting his future vocation; "drive a coach and four." After a brilliant University [ career at Glasgow, the Rev. Silvester , | Home spent three years at Mansfield i College under Principal Fairbaim, and it speaks much for his abilities when it. is said that the Allen Street Congregation at Kensington, his first charge, were willing to wait two years during the completion of his studies before settling him permanently as tlieir pastor. Some six years ago Mr. Home took up his -work at WhiteSeld's Tabernacle, andj only those who know their social London can give any estimate of the wonders he has accomplished in that short time. As a preacher, he shares with the Rev. E_ J. Campbell the distinction of being- the biggest "draw" in the Metropolis. But Mr. Home's duties by no manner of means end in the pulpit. The social activities of WhitefieldVs are enormous. The club attached to the chapel is to all intents and purposes as luxurious as anything that can be found in the West End, and already has a j membership of several hundreds of young | men and women drawn principally from the shops scattered in and around central London. Mr. Home is a politician, too, possessing no inconsiderable influence. Apropos of this, an amusing] etory is told in connection with the last j general election, when Mr. Home was j returned to Parliament —the only active [ Congregational minister, by the way, en- j joying a seat in the present House. One' of Mr. Home's canvassers happened upon an artisan busy reading the addresses' and studying the faces of the two can- ■ didates. '"Well, what do you think of ] them?" asked the canvasser. The! voter shrugged his shoulders, and said; nothing. "Which candidate would you like to vote for?" persisted the other. "Don't know nothing about none of s em," replied the British elector, "but by what I can see of 'em, I thank 'eaven ..as only. m af ,, sßs.«sai- J ge4-uii"

Perhaps the rarest Tecord imaginable I that can be claimed in respect to the late King Edward is that of having struck him; yet two living persons whose loyalty cannot be doubted enjoy this distinction. One ie Lord Wemysa, who, whilst delivering a strong speech in the House of 1/ords, before King Edward ; ascended the throne, brought his clenched fist down on the letter's silk hat (with the Prince under it, unfortunately), and did it with considerable force, to emphasise a special point. The fact of the Prince, as ever, saved the situation. He merely removed his mangled headgear, and, turning, smiled encouragement at the noble lord, whose vigour was thereafter somewhat chastened. The other incident occurred at Chobuain Camp, in Surrey, whilst the Prince was quite a lad. Halting a tour in private, he stumbled over some ea-cred and newlycleaned accoutrements, despite a shouted warning from the horrified owner. The latter smartly "clipped" him under the car. "Do you know what you've done?" a fellow-soldier asked. "Ye 3,'' was the reply, "taught a young gent manners!" ''Good heavens! it'e the Prince of Wales!" The -aggressor ia now ex-Ser-geant John Paton, V.C, a Mutiny veteran, who for forty-five years has been warder in the Penal Department of New South Wales.

Queen Alexandra possesses in the highest degree all the qualities which arc most to be desired —but alas? are not always found—in those who minister to the sick. She has a sympathetic nature, great self-control, a gentleness of spirit UiiLfc expresses itself in a voice that charms and soothes the tired sufferer like sweet music, and a praotic.T.l experience gained in many vigils by the bedside of the ?ick. Among the immediate members of her own family the QueenMother has had much experience as a nurse. The late King Edward, King George, and the Princess Victoria have been her patients in long and trying illnesses, but her ministrations to the sick have been by no means confined to her own family. In many a humble home the Queen-Mother has helped in the work that, perhaps of all others, most appeals to her, of restoring the sick and afflicted to health and strength. It is an objectlesson in tending to the sick to watch her Majesty in a sick-room. Her manner of arranging the pjllows is so deft, yet rapid, disturbing ine patient not at all, her voice is so gentle, her movements are so silent, and her smile —how full of Bweetness it is, how inexpressibly kind and tender. When the Queen enters a sick room she will give one swift, penetrating, comprehensive glance round the apartment, and in that instant she will take in everything that has been done for the welfare of the patient, and note anything that has been loft undone. She will know if the temperature of the room is correct, if the pillows arc properly arranged, if the light is too strong, or, on the other hand, insufficient, and with a kind and gracious glance she will reward " Nurse " when all is as it should be.

Ford Madox Hueffer, in his interesting "Pre-Raphaelite Reminiscences" in "Hafper's," tells some stories of a painter ■whom lie calls "P." This painter's indigence was remarkable, but his talents are now considerably recognised. He had a chance of a commission to make illustrations for a guide-book dealing with Wales, 'but, being without the necessary means of paying for his travels, applied to jVladox Brown for a loan. Madox Browft, produced the money, and then decided to accompany his friend. They arrived upon a given morning, to ward 2 o'clock, in some Welsh -wateringplace, having walked the day and a greater part of the night, with their knapsacks on their backs. They were unable to rouse anybody at the inn; there was not a soul in the streets; there was nothing but- a long esplanade, with houses whose windows rzave on to the ground. '•"Well, I'm goins to have a sleep," "P." said. "But that is impossible." Madox Brown answered. "Not at all." "P." rejoined, with a happy confidence, and. pulling his knapsack round his body, he produced his palette knife. With this in his hand, to the horror of ■Madox Brown, he approached the draw-ing-room window of one of the lodginghouses. He slipped the knife through the crack, pushed back the catch, opened the window, and got in, followed eventually by 3iis more timid companion. Having locked the door from the inside to prevent intrusion, they lay down upon a sofa and on chairs, and proceeded to sleep till a reasonable hour, when they got out of the window once more, closed it, :.and went an. their iwayi.

Mr. James A. Patten, the "cotton king" and "wheat king," on the eve of -iis retirement from active business, confosses to a loss of £100,000 on the tumultuous wheat market. Experts estimate the amount lost by the famous

"bull" operator ' and his Ibrother at £300,000, but this Mr. Patten says is exaggerated. According to one account given in the "Evening Post," >lr. Patten and his brother are 8,000,000 bushels

"long" in September wheat, which they bought in March at an average price of 4/3 A. He and the other "bulls," to employ the jargon of the tradeTs, have been "'whipped by Mother Nature." Loading up with wheat early in the season, when the prospects seemed most dubious for an adequate world crop, their speculation has been destroyed by almost perfect weather. The "bears" who reap the profits lost by Mr. Patten have been under the leadership of the Armour Company, who have thus paid off old scores against the famous "bull" operator. In his oflice at Chicago, Mr. Patten was discovered by the interviewers "cleaning up the odds and ends."' "1 shall be square with the world," he said, "on July 1. By that time all my cotton and grain deals will be closed. Then I shalf" shut down this desk, and have my name erased from the door, and tJie wheat pit and the cotton market will never see mc again." Mr. Patton closed the interview by arguing that every man when he is fifty ought to have made enough money to retire. Then should begin the period of his second courtship of his wife, and he should devote the remainder of hie life to his family, to travel, and to self-cul-ture. "That is what I intend to do."

There are few more enthusiastic racing men in the Pe-eTage than Lord Derby, who is to take over the King's racehorses until the end of the present year. liis father tiefore him was also extremely fond of the turf, but at the same time he was a strong denouncer of gambling in all its forms. The present peer has had a very varied career. He has been a keen politician—having occupied the high position of Postmaster-General—has done a fair share of soldiering, and ia a very popular Society man. Lord Derby was not born heir to the peerage, for he was a younger son, and succeeded his plder brother in 1893. Knowsley Hall, his lordsliip's palace in Lancashire, is one of the finest mansions in England, and it wa9 a favourite visiting place of the late King Edward. Lord Derby's sporting tastea have been well-known for many years. When he first put up for Parliament he was addressing a crowded meeting, and invited questions from tho electors. Suddenly a voice from the back of the meeting called out, "Can you give us a tip for to-morrow's race?" The candidate was somewhat taken aiback. "Yes," he said, "I am backing So-and-so!" and he gave the name. The horse romped home an easy winner, and Lord Stanley, as he was then, was returned to the House.

Mr. Charles Napier Hemy is by far the ■best-known of the three painters who have recently been honoured by the Royal Academy. Hi 3 pictures are popular everywhere, and there is scarcely an art gallery in Britain or the colonies that is not enriched with an example o£ his breezy seascapes. His father, the late M. Henri Hemy, was a musician at Ne-wcastle-on-Tyne, and the early years of the future R.A.- were spent in that city. On his mother's side he traces descent from the "Black" Macdonald, of historical memory, and Sir Charles Napier, of Baltic fame, after whom he ia named. His early education was re- 1 ] ceived at Newcastle and Durham, tut his \ studies were interrupted by the emigration of his family to Australia. For a j time the sea claimed him, and ho made i three voyages, during which he undoubt-1 edly developed the love for the marine j that is so characteristic of him. Then the spiritual got the upper hand. At nineteen he entered a Dominican Monastery at Lyons, ana m the sanctuary of ; its walls begun to practice at the art j which, three years afterwards, brought him once more into the world to try his fortune as a painter. He studied art in Antwerp under Baron Leys, and had Alma-Tadema as a fellow student. His first paintings, strange to say, were not seascapes, but ambitious figure pictures dealing with phases of mediaeval life, 'but, by degrees, the sea claimed him, and it is as a marine painter -that.he! "will j(Q 4own to .gosteritjr. 1

GERMAN €HOWN PRINCE. MADMAN'S ATTACK. AN EXCITING INCIDENT. As previously announced by cable, the Kaiser did not come to Berlin to hold in person the annual spring parade of the troops forming the Berlin garrison. He was represented by the Crown Prince, who performed all the military duties appropriate to the occasion, but did not deliver the "'criticism" with which the Emperor usually closes the review. However, be imitated his Imperial father's annual custom of riding at the head of the troops through the streets of Berlin to the Royal Palace. The King of the Belgians, who, together with the Queen, had bean present at the parade, accompanied iim, riding on his left hand.

An incident which, for a time gave rise to the most alarming rumours, occurred as the Crown Prince was approaching the palace. As he was close to the palace entrance a tin, such as is ordinarily used for canned foods, was hurled in Ms direction, and fell at the feet of a policeman close by. The thrower was at once seized by the crowd and banded to the police, who took Mm to the station. Here it turned out that lie was a Russian shopkeeper named Abraham Eierweiss, who has been known by the police for a long time past as half-witted.

'On examination the tin was found to contain nothing more explosive than a quantity of French beans. The Crown Prince, ■who at this point found it impossible, owing to the density of the crowd, to penetrate to the entrance to the palace with his horse, dismounted and entered, on foot amid the cheers of the crowd. A few minutes later lie appeared with the Crown Princess on the balcony of the Royal apartments, bowing and waving liis thanks to the people. This act drew forth, renewed bursts of cheering.

The great popularity of the Crown Prince was strikingly dr-monstrated by the enthusiastic ovations with which he was welcomed on his return from the parade on the conclusion of the brilliant military pageant, from which the Emperor vras absent for the first time since his accession. The Crown Prince, with Prince Eitel Fritz and General yon Loweirfeld riding on either hand, placed himself at the head of the colour company,. bearujs the colours and emblems of the infantry ro.shnents, with the standard sqnadrcra, bearing the cavalry ensigns, following, and rode through the decorated streets to the Schloss.

The Schlossplatz and thp Lustgarten -were thronged with cheering thousands. It -was here that the man Eierweiss threw the tin at the Crown Prince. Eienveiss was promptly seized by indignant witnesses of the act, and was handed over to the police.

detachments, the standards were placed in the Zeughau!-., and the parade was over, but the crowds were uirwilllnj: to disperse. The police cordons being withdrawn the people filled the Schlossplarz and TJnter den Linden.

About 1.30 the Crown Prince ami Prince August TVilhelm left the Schloss to motor to the neighbouring , palace of Ills Imperial Highness in TJnter den Linden. The crowd was so dense that the car was only able' to cra-wl along, but the Crown Prince goodnaturedly signalled to tlie police not to Interfere. The car progressed slowly through the cheering throng till within a short distance of the palate, -when fnrtheT advance was impossible. The prin-ees jumped out with friendly words to the people and made their way afoot through the crowd to the palace. Popular delight reached its maximum a little Inter, when the Crown Prince, his brothers', and the princesses appeared on the balcony of the palace, and, with evident pleasure, acknowledged the greetings of the crowd.

THE KISSINETTE. SCIENCE'S TUITZMPH. At last, the antiseptic kiss? Kissing has long been condemned on health, grounds by nil the foremost medical authorities as one of the most common means of germ Infections. "With a strange blindness to Its own true interests, humanity ias hitherto persevered In the bad custom and taken the risk. But now comes Professor Harry •Bntler, student of bacteriology and experimenter In germicides, and proclaims that he has found a means whereby in future levers and others who feel impelled to do co may kiss without danger. His new Invention, which Is lo accomplish this. Is called "the Kissinette." Needless to say both inventor and invention hail from the great land of freedom west of th-e broad Atlantic. PASTEURISED AFFECTION. T!he kissinette appears to be merely a piece of fine white silk sauze stretched over a hoop o< white silk wire. It Is about four inches in diameter. The ends of the wire are fastened into a wooden handle about three inches in length. And kissers who would bestow the germless kiss are expected to osculate through ■the gauze. Think of lovers sifting their kisses through a network ol threads! Pyxamus and Thisbe, it is true, might have welcomed the kissinette in place of their cold stone wall, but modern captives of Cnpid, may object to being pastenrised. But listen! In this shimmering gauze lies the secret that Professor Butler believes will revolutionise the art of kissing and cause the naughty germs to vanish. To begin with, the gauze is perfumed with, an elusive, evanescent perfume. This perfume is merely the effect of tihe gernidestroying antiseptic in wJiich the gauze was steeped before being attached to the hoop. The preparation of this antiseptic— guaranteed to render harmless even the germs generated by the fervid kisses of soul mates —is Professor Boiler's secret. For three years he has experimented to find the right combination of chemicals, but not until recently did success crown his efforts, mc declares. Only one fact with relation to his remarkable formula will he tell. Ho affirms that it contains "positively no acetanilid." This means that there is nothing in it to depress heart action. This should be welcome news to all who may desire to indulge in the sanitary kiss. Professor Butler is a serious minded young man—the conventional student in fact—and is pained when one smiles at his invention. He is convinced that it is going to make kissing more common. "When you men and •women realise," he said, "that osculation can become perfectly harmless, it will be more generally practised. TQiere is a certain modesty about the kiss given through the kissinette that does uot pertain to' ordinary kissing, and the most prudish girl will feel that she can show herself to | be kissed with, the hygienic kiss." A NEW THRILL. "But will not the charm be lost when lips no longer meet?" Mr Butler was asked.

"On the contrary," was the softly spoken reply. "I am a bachelor, and possibly my judgment may not be regarded as decisive, but I am convinced that there will be an added charm when the new device is used. The threads of the prauze -create a vibration which will add to the -thrill ot the kiss, and will, I am sure, be something intense between true lovers. In farewells this vibration, will express sympathy, sometimes pathoe, since the net responds to the osculations. THere -ia one tfbec advantage.

The vibrations cause a musical note in the kiss waves Tvhlch fill the room -when two persons kiss each other."

Professor Butler has given the entire rights to hie invention to the Pharmaceutical Society. He says that a smaller sized kissinette is soon to be made, "which a man may hang from his buttonhole, after the manner of an eyeglass. At present, he says, the invention is mainly sought after by funmakers and hilaidously inclined persons, but he adds: "I am satisfied it 'will one day be hailed as reverently by the serious-minded as it appears to have been hilariously by the ligiet-hearted."