OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 216, 5 June 1908, Page 8

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

EWS AND MOTES ON Tilß WEEK,

THE HONOUR OF PARLIAMENT. A GREAT MUSICIAN. [I'P.OM oun SPECIAL COIUIIiSrONDENT.] Sydney, Mav 30. Parliamentary honour seems a very sensitive thing, from tho trouble which is necessary to protect it. A joint- committee of tho tw,o Houses of tho Federal Parliament, appointed as the result of certain insinuations made outside the House while ithe tariff was going through, has been at work during tho prvst two or three weeks devising some adequate method of preventing people from saying hard things about members. Of course, overyono will agree that tho libeller end the slanderer ought to bo severely punished; but surely the law already in existenco 'is quite sufficient tr. check him. Anyway, tho committee, in a progress report, recommends legislation to provido— 1. That persons printing, publishing, or uttering any false, malicious, or defamatory statements calculated to. luring Iho Senate or House ' of Representatives, or members, or committees into hatred, contempt, or ridicule, or attempting to improperly interfere with, or unduly influence, or ' obstructing or insulting or assaulting or bribing or attempting to bribe ■"members, in discharge of their duties, shall bo deemed guilty of a breach ol privilege and contempt, and bo liable tc be prosecuted, upon complaint instituted by the Commonwealth Attorney-General, before a justico of the High Court, pursuant to a resolution passed by the Housi . affected. ' ... 2. That prosechtions shall be dealt wicl by a justice of tho High Court, in lti original jurisdiction, and in a summary way, upon evidence. 3. That the persons accused shall havi tho right to give evidence. ' 4. That tho only defence available shal be justification or proof of the truth o the statements. 5. That upon tho judge finding com plaints proved, he may impose a fine no exceeding £500, or imprisonment not ox ceading twelve months, and may als order t-bo accused to pay' costs.

; THE VISIT OF' IvTJBELIK. ; A diminutive figure, all'in black, with a . sedate face —the swarthy' face of the Bone- ; mian—sot in a wealth of inky black hair, : worn after tho fashion of.Abbe Liszt, and just as copious as tho great pianist's white locks. This was Kubelik, a simple, .boyish figuro, facing unmoved 3000 people, at his last matineo in Sydney, and filling tho great Town Hall with tho wealth of song from his violin. "Wo have had some raro 1 music conjured by the master from his Guadagnini at the three concerts ho gave hero. Ho didn't bring his Strad, for tho reason that its scams opened on ono of tho voyages to •America, from • the effects of the sea-air, and as ho pertinently asks, what is tho Use even of a Strad if it doesn't give you tho effects you want? So ho is using his other two violins on this tour —and after all, wo did not worry about it, for the player was Kubelik, and ho v>"as everything, You should have heard the Mendelssohn concerto, or tho Paganini concerto of'the concluding concert, or the two items bracketed which showed Kubelik in both bis phases, and wonderful in each —the " Symphonic Melancoliquo" of Tschaikowsky anil tho "l'on<U> des Lutins" of Bazzini. In ono lie revealed that broad, full ringing tone that spoke right from his heart to that of every hearer, and in tho other bo gave ono of his most brilliant displays as a virtuoso, dashing off scales and octavos and harmonics and tho rest of it with the most charging' graeo and ease. Ono featuro of Kubelik's' playing is that: even in "fireworks" pieces ho never loses tho sentiment cf the music, and aitother is tho remarkable economy of tho bow! But there aro many others, and if | I began, to enumerate them 1 would delay you a long timo. His wife/ who was _ tho ■ Countess Csaky-Szcll beforo her marriage with the distinguished violinist, but now prefers to bo called Madamo Kubelik, was present at all the concerts—a girlish, sweetfaced woman, whoso manner lias eharriicd everyone who has mot her. Kubelik played in Melbourne last_ night, and mot with another great reception. At tho Sydney Town Hull, his motor-car was rushed by excitcd crowds as he and his wife left tho hall after/ tho concerts. v ' EMPIRE DAY. Tho annual celebration of Empire Day , is now established in Australia, and this yoar it was as pronounced as over, though in Sydney the day was not observed as a public holiday, oven at tho Government or--1 fices. At all tho schools, the flag was sahited, and patriotic speeches delivered by several prominent irion, including tho State Governor, ' Stato Ministers, and members of Parlia- ' ment.

Speaking at tho Woollalira School, Sir Harry Kawson said ho could not agreo with Cardinal Moran that' Empire Day was only a day for children. Ho considered it was one for every citizen of Greater Britain, who rejoiced as 'brethren of a mighty Empire, having one flag, ono language, one set of law's. In regard to the cable message attributing certain statements to Cardinal Ldguo as to Australia, the Governor said that ho had travelled over tho greater part of New South Wale 3, and had seen everywhere demonstrations of loyalty. He had visited many of the Stato schools, and also Roman Catholic schools, and on every occasion when. cheers wore called for the King they had been given in such a hearty manner as to show that tho statements reported to havo been mado were incorrect. Ho could only hope that tho Cardinal had been misquoted by tho Now York Press. Admiral Pooro, in a speech at the Royal Exchange demonstration, declared that ho had never hoard tho true ring of "God Savo the Kins" as ho had heard it at the service at tho Anglican Cathedral on Sunday. The Admiral continued: —"Thorp aro moro ways of killing a countiy than by fire and sword. You can starve a country to'death. As long as our trado prospers ; as long as wo have a sufficiency of fighting men, all .will go well. But it is necessary to remember .that to got that condition of things there is ono absoluto necessity, and that necessity is to hold the command of the seas. But to havo the command of the seas wo must havo Imperial organisation and Imperial unity. Our Empire, which extends for many thousands of miles, is composed of a good many different units.-. Each has its own opinions. But that is not a bar to Imperial unity. Australians hold, and hold rightly, that Australia is tho finest country in tho world. It i 3 one,of the characteristics of our race that wo always hold the opinion that our own homes, which aro in every corner of tho Empire, are the host in tho wholo. world. And in that thero is a tremendous latent force. We have our Comi nionwealth flag, and tako an intense pride , in it, also-in the fact that in the uttermost j corners of the earth w'o find waving over our heads the old Union Jack."

DEATH OP MR. ALFRED DAMPIER. ' One of tho kindliest and most genial members of tho theatrical profession, Mr. Alfred Dampier, passed away 111 death:late 011 Saturday night, at hia houso in Good Hope Street, Paddington. Ho had been ill for a long time, even before his recent trio to London, undertaken over two years ago for tho benefit of his health, and his death, though it eame rather suddenly 111 tho end, was not unexpected. Ho chatted away in excellent spirits on tho Friday nighti and was amusing himself at play with his little grandson, hut on Saturday morning, at >7 0 clock, he' was attacked by cerebral hemorrhage, and after remaining unconscious all day, died about 11 o'clock at night. There is hardly a part of Australasia in which Alfred Dampier was not known. His chief character was Captain Starlight in "Robbery Under Arms," a part 110 must liavo played thousands of times. After ho returned from his first tour of England, ho produced this play, a dramatisation written by him and Mr. Garnet Walcli, of Melbourne, of Rolf lioldrcwood's well-known novel, and it proved a great success. Mr. Dampier was a great ■Ealieyer in the future of Australian drama.,.

and confidently hoped before t!io end came j to products some other big work typical of this land of romance. But it was not to bo. And with his death there passes away, one of the best-loved men of the colonial stage. Mr. Dnmpier began life in a barrister's office, when ho left the Charterhouse School, London, but before long ho manifested his preference for the stage, and commenced his career in the theatrical profession at Stratford-on-Avon, rus the Playor King in "Hamlet." He was fulfilling an engagement' in Manchester when ho accepted an offer from Mr. 11. R. Ilarwood, at that time one of the managers of the Theatre Royal, in Melbourne, and thus in 1873 he came to Australia, his first appearance in this country being as Mephistophelcs in his own version of Goethe's "Faust." For three years lie played other star parts with the company, notably ill Shakespearian drama, and then went into management on his own account. His wife (Miss Katherine Russell), his daughters, Miss Lily and Miss Rose Dampier, his son, Mr. Fred Dampier, and his son-in-law, Mr. Rolfe (Miss Lily Dampier's husband) aro all in the. theatrical profession.

THE MAORI FOOTBALLERS. The Maori footballers, who aro to play | a number of matches under tho manage- j mont of the New South Wales Rugby League, 1 had a rough passage from Auckland by tho Moana, which arrived yesterday. They made up for this by giving their war-cry when they got to St. James's Hall, whore they were officially welcomed, and those who heard it agree that tho other specimens thoy had previously listened to fell short of tho real thing by several yards. Tho Maoris also sang a woird melody, chanted beforo the Dulco ■ and Duclipss of York in 1901, of which tho "Daily Telegraph" observes that tho intonation might have induced a listener to look i under the stage to discover whore tho chaff-. I cutter was at work. No sense of tho nic- , turbsque in theso Australians! Several of ■ the Maoris wore adorned with the piu-piu, ) and thoy woro hats bearing a silver fern, a representation- of the kiwi, and tho feather i of the liuia. Mr. Giltinan, secretary of the i New South Wales League, called for throe f cheers for tho Maoris, and offered them a hearty welcome.. The captain of the team, 3 Mr. Albert Ashor, in replying, promised the Now South Welshmen that tb~y would have 1 to play hard to defeat the Maoris. "When f wo meet you on tho field," said lie, "we will give you a had time; for we havo como oyer - here to bea,t the kangaroo," an observation t received with loud . cheering and laughter. > One of tho four chiefs, liikurangi, who spoke_ 0 in Maori, delivered a speech, which was in-") terpreted by one of his companions. _ He said"Greetings to you, Australian friends. Here we are, Maoris, who have como from ; New Zealand to Australia under tho one ? King Edward. (Cheers.) And we have como at your invitation. Wo cannot say we will 1 beat 'you in the field, but we will try our best. ' That ,is all I havo to say. Kiaora, f Australian friends." _ The first match is to ■ be played against Nov; South Wales on 't June 8.