WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 11, 7 October 1921, Page 4

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM (By T.D.H.) Man. reaps what ho bows— unless he ia an amateur gardener. Mr. Seddon’s complaint seems to be that Sir John Findlay, having* got a knighthood out of the Liberal Party, has abandoned it now that it is benighted. All good Liberals know that’ after twenty years in office the party is still Peerless—although, it did get a baronetcy before leaving. Colonel House, whose good advice on peace-making finished off poor President Wilson, seems to havo been busy advising the Kaiser in 1913 how to run this planet.—President Wilson's trouble, of course, was that while he carried the House with him he couldn't control the Senate. The chief stumbling block to a safe return to normal conditions ie that everyone is trying to force everything down except his own income. Mr. Triggs in the Legislative Council’, thinks South Africa is attenuating the silken ties of Empire to a dangerous degree.—The thinness of silk ties has been very' noticeable of late, and I hope Mr Triggs, having gono into the matter, wili take up the question of price aa well. Par from our evening contemporary: Mrs. gave a pleasant tea this morning at the Art Gallery, when there was a great number of guests present, including some of the visitors to Wellington. Opportunity was taken by many to look at the exhibition of pictures, which is more than usually interesting and considerable in numbers. ' It is indeed gratifying to learn that come looked at the pictures I Timo is running on, but it is disconcerting to think that it is a quarter of a century since Austin Strong (whose play “Three Wise Fools” is now running ht the Opera House) and I, and va «? us other people, were boys together at Wellington College. Austin Strong waa a step-grandson (if that is an allowable relationship) of Robert Louis Stevenson, who married Austin’s grandmother, Mrs.. Osbourne, and Austin was nine years old when the Stevenson household at \ ailima Samoa, camo into existence in 1890. His mother, Mrs. Isobel Strong, acted as Stevenson’s amanuensis in his later stories. Stevenson himself gave Austin his first history lessons, and in. the “Vailima Letters” describes how Vaihma packed its young adventurer off to school at Monterey, in California, m September, 1892 :-"Haggard (a brother, of Rider Haggard, and an official in Samoa) had a flag in the Commission boat for us. and when at last the steamer turned up, the young adventurer, was carried on board in great style, with, a new watch and chain, and about thre pound ten of tips, and fave big baskets of fruit as free-will offerings to the captain. Captain Morse had us all to lunch; champagne flowed, so did•compliments; and I did the affable celebrity life-sized.” It was after Stevenson s death that Austin Strong came to Wellington College. Later on he went in for landscape gardening until 190.’. and laid out Cornwall Park at Auckland. His first play, “The Exile, wrote m collaboration with his uncle Lloyd Osbourne, and it was produced m London by Martin Harvey, and since then far more plays havo foil owed-a nd with quite a. considerable reputation of his own, "young adventurer" of thirty years ago is still "going strong" m New Fork. This is how the editor of an American paper sought to set it right: We wish to apologise for the manner in which we reflected on the successful wedding last week Through an error of the typesetter we were made to say 'the roses were punk.” What we should have said was "the noses were pink." "One way to see plain is to seaplane?’ My friend the Professor made the remark with a Johnsonian grimace, as he sat himself on his walking-stick seat on the wharf, and calmly contemplated the antics of a rather stout man whilst being hoisted into the fore cockpit of th« Walsh flying -boat yesterday. I°u may remember,” said the professor, “that during the war such craft as these were utilised to spot enemy submarines great use of,, but the if can be called one, has enabled the wrecks Jf several torpedoed vessels to be accurately located and salvaged.. Now, working that knowledge, in J , c ' ) . n] ? with mv own adaptation of that pr foundlv' interesting discovery which enables emotional impulses or t£t' I .!» «” «>» » .Imwveß which will surprise the world. i ( oSo e. went tin in the seaplane earl on Wednesday afternoon and, fl - 7.“* X WEST* Eke heads of men making their, to Bellamy’s. The largest of these specks was focused, and I uas al . foil Mn/enprub there and then nh. • ho owner of the mind I had snappy '.no ownn few minu tes time g ° Again I trained the diorthosisume. k nnoHior head-speck moving record I got was m°s ? <7course why not? ’ Bill’s really '" ln Knt ] can’t verv well shout it wmrthlni: •’ •’ ».«*• ‘ to.™yfH-w,. Professor.' "the experiment showed the political mind. Golf is an ideal diversion but a ruinous disease. TO A LADY TROUBLED WITH INSOMNIA. Let the waves of slumber billow Gentlv, softly o’er thy pillow; I,rt- the darkness wrap thee round Till in plumber thou art drowned, let my tenderest lullabies Guard'the closing of thine eyes; If these fail to make thee weary, Then I cannot help thee, dearie. -Franklin. P. Adams, in New York “Bookman.”