TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12975, 30 November 1907, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The cabbage - tree's Yucoa profuse- blooming this and year should foretell a Cabbage-tree, specially warm season. Perhaps the sarao witness is borne by tho yucca, flowering with equal zeal, in a spirit of agreement not always displayed by families. It was rather a charming stroke of poetic planting to bring together on our river borders these rolated, yet long-far-severed growths, tho "palm lily" of Mexico and the Now Zealand Cordyline, described oarly in our scientifio record as a "yucca or palm-liko plant." Historically, of course, tho yucca is by far the elder branch. Cortes would find it adorning those gardons which, before the idea of horticultural reserves had sprung up anywhere in Europe, were the richest pride of Iztapalapan. One etymological theory holds that from this plant came tho old romanceful name of "Yucatan"—a boast our palm lily can hardly rival, oven though it may quote a "Cabbage-Tree Flat." Modern praises, too, havo distinguished tho yucca. Miss Gertrude Jekyll describee it in "Wood and Garden" as "good to look at at all times of the year because of the grand strong foliage, and the glory of the whole garden when in flower." And again in "Wall and Water Gardens," after sketching out heroio groups for the top of a wall, she concludes in rapture, "when the yuccas are in flower, and are seen from below, complete in the splendid dignity of solid leaf and luminous spire of ivory bloom against the often cloudless blue of our summer skies, tho owner will rejoice in possessing a picture of perhaps the highest nobility of plant form that may be seen in an English garden." Miss Jekyll hero is evidently not thinking of tho larger varieties', such as the great Californian yuccas, growing to fifteen or twonty fe.et, and with flower panicles oP a size to match. Our cab-bage-tree, condemned as it sometimes is, to form dividing fences, growing in stiff lines round a suburban backyard, could feel no more out of place than this "splendid dignity" set so uneasily on high! The anachronistic but delightful English garden, by the way, now includes "Cordyline Australia. ■'* at least when eet in Southern counties, and may compare the charms of the two palm lilies; yuoca, more or less familiar in Europe since the days of Cortes, and cabbage-tree, only revealed when Cook's voyage to New Zealand brought this late adventurer to "hills covered with beautiful flowering shrills, intermingled with a great number of tall and stately palms, which fill tho air with a most grateful fragrant perfume."

Letters of more than Interesting usual interest were sold Letters. at Sotheby's a few

weeks ego. There were several now letters "written byThackeray. One, written apparently just before the great euocoas ot "Vanity Fair," refers to his attempts to obtain a post in tho Post Office. His remarks on the prospect seem quaint in these days. "What a place for a man of letters! . I think if Lord Clanirioardo would give- It to mc I would satisfy my employers, and that my profession would be pleased by Leariag of the appointment of one of us." Thackeray took his disappointment very philosophically. "Another man lias got it, and deserves it too. But what matter? Can't I make a pie of my own?" In another letter ho gives liis estimate of Bulwer Lytton. h\ his writings he ridiculed and satirised Lytton, but ihe explains in the letter that he has no sort of personal dislike of him. On tfhe contrary, tho only time ho met him, ho thought him very pleasant, and he knows from his conduct towards "My dear little Blanchard" that ho can be "a most generous and delicate-minded friend. 1, ,; But there aro sentiments in his writings which always anger mc, big words which make mo furious, and a premeditated fine writing against which I can't help rebelling." Tins fastidiousness with regard to style led Thackeray to make certain reservations about Dickens, whom ho sincerely admired. He has, ho writes, been ''the glummest and most melancholy author who ever cracked a joke with a sad heart,," and his works shows his ♦lullness, but a fellow by the name of Dickens has written beautifully. "David Copperfield" has "sweet little inimitable bite." Thackeray thinks that Dickons has been reading "Vanity Fair" with ldivnntage to his style, for ho has kept out the fino words, and is doing his best, "i am glad of it. I hope at will put somebody on his mettle, somebody who hae been careless of everything of late, but I won't go into the dolefuls." Ot tho other letters none ran be more interesting than one from Disraeli in 1837. "I look forward to the coming campaign with unmitigated disgust, and should certainly sell out only one's enemies would say one had failed, tb say nothing of one's friends." "It is curious to reflect how different tho history of the nineteenth century might iwivo been, if Disraeli bad though*

less of the opinions of Ixia enemies and his friends.

Judging by the last annual Central report on the British CenAfrica. tral Africa Protectorate, the progress of -that portion of the British Empire is most satisfactory. The natives are said to be happy and contented, largely because of the accessibility of the district officers. It is part of the Commissioner's policy to be accessible to ©very native, and throughout the year a constant stream of chiefs and headmen visit Zomba, quite at their ease, to pay their respects to that official. 'It is interesting to record how extremely well-behaved these native visitors from remote districts are, even in the midst of surroundings and under circumstances which must be extremely trying to them. Some of the more important chiefs who have visited Zomba recently havo had tho distinction of being invited to tea at Government House, and it is surprising to observe how good their behaviour is and how well they overcome and master the intricacies inseparable from even a simple meal such as five o'clock tea." The craving of the natives for education is said to be remarkable. It is no uncommon eight in the larger European settlements, whore there are mission schools, to sco adult native laboiiTers of all kinds running with their elates and books under their arms to school after their day's work. Many natives spend hours of their spare time repeating their spelling lessons at the top of their voices. The majority of the peoplo are heathen, their chief beliefs being centred) in the worehip of spirits of departed chiefs. They believo in an all-powerful Spirit, and are firmly convinced of the existence of witchcraft. But the missionaries have a rival in a bastard form of Mahometan ism, which has made remarkable progress in this part of Africa during the last few years. The native hae a most cloudy notion of the religion, but "there is no doubt that Mahometanism has found a permanent home in this country, and will in the future compete with Christianity for supremacy amongst the aboriginal population.-" The march of the motor has extended to this corner of the Empire, which boasts a Motor Union. Some remarkable cases or Active active old age are reported Old Age. by the London papers. An Oxfordshire man, who was formerly a shepherd, is now in his 103 rd year. Ho is able to shave himself twice a week, and rarely misses church Hβ boasts that until recently he was never in the hands of a doctor. Miss Marianne Hensley, of Bath, celebrated her 102 nd birthday the other day, by writing fifty-two letters in reply to birthday congratulations. Mr William Callow, an artist of great reputation, now in hie 96th year, recently held an exhibition of his pictures at the Leioester Galleries. The exhibite covered a range of fifty-eight years, but Mr Callow's working career is longer than that. It is difficult to realise that it "was he of whom Thackeray wrote in 1839, "A now painter, somewhat in the style of Harding, is (Mr Callow, and better, I think, than hia master original, whose colours are too gaudy to my taste, and effects too glaringly theatrical." Through more than six decades Mr Callow worked in the tradition of tho old echool, and is now the only link that connects present-day art with those pact days. But most astonishing of all is the record of the Rev. Thoma* Lord, who on October 13th preached his 73rd anniversary sermon in Horn castle Congregational Church. All Lord ie 99, yet he preached for half an hour, and his fine voice is described as ringing with wonderful resonance through the church. He started life as a shoemaker, and made his first notes for a sermon on a piece of leuther, which he took into the pulpit. It in nearly thirty years since he retired from the active formal work of a minister, but sinco then he h>s been no less hard-working, and has brought his total of sermons up to 5000. He walks two miles every day, and his greatest weakness seems to be his eight, whicty does not allow him to read. At the (bottom of the list comes Eliza Burgess, aged 88, who pleaded guilty to stealing a purse at Leicester. Eliza bad been engaged in crime for forty years, and was already engaged to serve the remainder of a sentence, amounting to two years. Under the circumstances the Recorder passed a nominal sentence, and Eliza expressed the wish that he might live long and die happy.