ABOUT PEOPLE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11244, 9 April 1902, Page 8

ABOUT PEOPLE.

A sketch cc Lord Kitchener's character and work as a commander has been given in a lecture et Eton College by Sir Howard Vincent, M.P., w3k> was able to deoj with his subject from tihe standpoint of a recent observer of tho progress of affairs in South Africa. Describing the daily routine of his headquarters staff «* Pretoria, the lecturer said xAia coininandsr-in-ohlef was an "extraordinary man of business," and an even greater master of details than he was generally understood to be. He was up at 5 o'clock every morning, . despatched telegrams to ail parts of the country, saw the heads vi departments, and the "rest of the day from shortly alter breakfast was free for the consideration of the strategical vro blems before him. He insisted t>» having moneys worth for everything in every department, and was getting back £60 000 per month through the field canteens. Vari ous organisations of ladies at Home coutintte sending out tobacco, pipes, chocolate and other "comforts" to the soldiers. All such things, according to Lord Kitchener, can now be cheaply obtained at the canteens and lie suggests that if the good ladies at Home want a really suitable object for their ministrations they should help the Families , Association, which lakes care of the wives and families of reservists. Sir Howard Vincent told the Eton boys that their iamoua college had "contributed" over 1300 officers to the army in South Africa, including Lord Roberts, General Buller, Lord Methuan, General Lyttleton. and 17 other generals, tit the officers. 150 had beau promoted, one had gained the D.5.0., 65 had been kitled inaction. 23 had died of wounds and 22 from fever, and 125 had been wounded. Among other Etonians serving; the Empire in civil capacies were Lord Salisbury, Mr Arthur Balfour, Lord Halsbury, Lord Lansdowne, Sir Michael HicksBeach," and Lord Hopetoun.

Mr H W. Lucy, who is known as "Toby, M.P.,' has come forward hi a new r«ie_ that of practical philanthropist and "piou* founder' r of a charitable fund. In Sthef words, Mr Lucy has generously £1000 to the Committee of the Press GaJ lery of the British Parliament, to be hel in trust in the interest of Parliamentap pressmen who, through no fault of thei own, may need temporary or who* wives and children may be similarly eirrium stanced. At the same time, "1 may per haps add," writes Mr Lucy, "that, actini upon a happy euggestJon from Mrs Lucy, J have bequeathed a further sum of £100f" to our neighlbour, the Westminster Hos pital, to endow a bed that shall bear tlk name of 'The Press Gallery. , This be quest will confer jipon the Committee tl» privilege of nominating from among GW. . lery men or their families patients for tfii.care of the hospital!. I trust that wifl not » be often needed. But I feel sure tie Gft!. lery -will like, to think that, night or. day, as long as the hospital stands, some suf* ferer will be succoured in its name. ,. At & special meeting; of the Gallery Committee resolutions were adopted thanking Mr Lucy for his gift, and appointed a sub-committee to draw up a scheme for the administration of the money, which will* probably prove the nucleus of a substantial fund to be ap< plied to charitable purposes.

There is something of his own experii ence, of his knowledge and intuition based on fact, in every" word.. which. "Mr Tom ! Gallon, the novelist, writes. He commenced Ito earn his own living when he was stiil a ' small boy. Still young, short, thin, and somewhat delicate m appearance, Mr Gallon to-day wears the !look of a man whe lias lived through many hardships; he has the large, pathetic - eyes, and particularly soft, expressive voice, whioh' are so often associated with a quick, reserved, and sympathetic temperament. ' It is only five years ago that Mr Gallon commenced to write. He had just recovered l from a eerious illness, and started for a- ramble into the country —if the pleasant, word "ramble" can be applied to such a journey as his, with only five pounds in his pocket, while he was still weak and feeble. It was during his stay in Sussex that he first sent « manuscript to London, and from that day his work steadily grew. His method of working is, very unusual. He literally never sees his own stories—except 'hi his mind'e ; eye-mntil they are placed in his hand fin' book form. Not being strong, enough to endure the strain! of-bending over a dtek writing, all his work' is dictated as he lies flat on his back; there is rarely a word' to be altered on the proofs, and a novel which has perhaps* given. Mm months of' anxious thought,, is actually taken down by. his secretary in' a few weeks. "The Man Who Knew Better,", Mr Gallon's book which was published last, Christmas, was dictated 'by him in barely eighteen dkys,.

The letterpress in the life of the King, entitled ,! From Cradle to Crown,'. , is the work of Mr J. E. Vincent, of "The Times" ' staff, who! accompanied the Duke And ! Duchess of York around the. world, and has been present 'at . many recent Courtr pageants. He, therefore, writes the King , * life with, authority, and/ if we may cay so, remark/i the "Daily News," with some i audacity. Hβ .severely censures—though 1 with good-humoured tact—the Prinoe Con--1 sort for having iriiposed upon hi* children so arduous a course of early, education. JK/Ven ■when Pr,nce Albert Edward was allowed to dig in a garden a* Osborne a, weekly timesheet of the \rork done had to be for* •warded! to his austere father. But Mr Vincent contradicts the story that German was the language of th# Royal nursery. The account of the King's birth is sufficiently detailed to please the'most inveterate gossip. Curious, if not entirely new, is th* story of the officer in command l of the guard at the Palace, who is entitled to promotion if an heir is born while he is on duty. In this case, the event took place exactly as ■ the guard was (being changed, and history does not relate which, of the two claimants secured the boon. Further, since the 3ate was November 9th, all the Slayers were also changing, and alb Ohester a similar difficulty arose, since iha Mayor of that ancient borough is entitled to a baronetcy if an heir is bora during hit year of office. ,

General Sir Neville Chamberlain, who died lately, having reached an age of more than eighty years, was in comman<l of the Punjaub frontier force when the mutiny broke out. He was ©nlv 37 at the time, the same afije as Edwardes, and two years 01-der than Nicholson. In the days when the fate of Delhi hung in the balance Chamberlain, wounded as lie was, kept waich from the top of Hindu Rao£ •house, and it was due to his advice as muoh. as any man's that General Wilson held oil to Jiis He kept a cool bead i» the midst of overwhelming dangers and difficulties, but he was recklessly daring whtfl the situation calkd for it, and he baa carried the marks d more wounds to this grave than any other' veteran of our time. In 1863, at Umbeyla, he and Roberts, with a small force, held a defensive position for three weeks, during which time almost daily attacks were made by the enemy, who fought njaghiiicejitly. Twice tliiey gained the key of the position, and the second time General Chamberlain led an attack in person, and was wounded so severely that he had to relinquish the command of the force. Sir Neville Chamberlain will b& remembered, not only for his skill in generalship and his warsonal valour, but /or the sound views he"held on the frontier question. Hβ was dead against the advanced policy, and he lived to see his views enforced by a Conservative Viceroy.

According to Mr Hensman, ttis latest biographer, Mr Cecil Rhodes from boyhood was an enormous reader of general literature, but history, biography and classics were his preferences. He was a great admirer of Aristotle, Froude and Carlyle, and knew Gibbon almost by heart. In his library at Orcot Schuur, in South Africa, there is a set of type written translations of classical literature which was specially prepared for him. It is said that when somebody asked his opinion recently on a question" connectfd with the future settlement of South Africa, he replied, " It's very simDle. You will iinrl it all in the laws of Lycurgus." Mr Rhodes is credited with spending "only £600 on himself."