In the Public Eye

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 118, 14 November 1925, Page 24

In the Public Eye

NOTABLE PERSONALITIES IN THE NEWS

Mr. Arthur Meighen.

Seventeen years ago, Mr. Arthur Meighen, leader of - the Conservative Party, which recently gained a signal victory in the Canadian elections, was a. new star in the political firmament. He has an analytical mind that allows him to pull a subject to pieces, often to the detriment of his opponents, and he is in addition a diligent student. He was raised on a farm "out back,", and early in life was a school teacher, though not for long. Entering Toronto University in 1894 he graduated with honours in mathematics two years later, showing some of that brilliance which has stood him in such good stead during his leadership of the Conservative Party. He wandered from business to teaching, and back to business for a year or two, and then started to study law, being called to the Bar in 1903. He started practice in Portage la Prairie, and five years later entcreH the Canadian House of Commons for his home town. He faced defeat in 1921, when Mr. Mackenzie King-and his Liberals captured the country, but the following year was returned for Grenville (Ontario), taking up the leadership of the party, which then in opposition. In 1913 he was'Solici-tor-General, in 1917 Secretary of State, Minister of Mines, and Minister- of the Interior, and in 1918 a member of the Imperial War Cabinet. Mr. Meighen was closely associated during his political career with; Sir Robert Borden, who he succeeded in the Premiership. Politically. he is a: moderate Protectionist and .a staunch Imperialist, and was one of the outstanding figures at the- Imperial Conference of 1921. ■...:•",• •

Rlm Khan.

' The new ruler of Persia, Biza Khan, better knowi as the Sardar Sipah, has for. a-number of years been a prominent figure in Persian politics, but', was Strongly opposed by the Modarres Party, who were against any alteration of tue old regime, except for their proposal to substitute .Prince Mohamed Hassan for his brother the Shah, who had been re- -j sident for some years' in Europe.' Hiisu -| Khan was Prime Minister early in the year, as well as being in command of the. Central Army and Minister of War. In March last he resigned all his offices, except the Premiership, devoting'all his attention to his proposal to change the ruling house,. whifih had shamefully neglected the country. Early in the year an attempt was made at Teheran to .turn Persia into a Bepublic, but the revolt failed, and Biza Khan's power and influence became greatly increased thereby. Th.c lawful ruler of the country, the young Sultan Ahmed'Shah, continued to enjoy himself in France; and the reins of power gradually slipped from him to be firmly grasped by, the man who has now become the actual ruler. Biza' Khan worked hard to secure local support, and though there were many demonstration* against him they did not really represent the true feelings of the people that, the Mejliss (Parliament) i has granted * him this power ho has sought is hardly surprising in view of the useful work he performed during the reactionary period when he was successful in completely pacifying the country in those unusually troublous times.., Furthermore, in his successful attempts 'to consolidate the Government and grasp: power for himself he has consistently maintained 'an atti-/ tude of uncompromising hostility to those who have worked in favour of the introduction of Bolshevist methods and ideas. Through all this opposition he has, much to his credit,; contrived to remain on passable terms with the Soviet authoriies,/avoiding anything that might "bring about a state of war between the two countries. : ' '' : ' ° . ....

Mr. Walter Leaf.

Throughout a long career; Mr. Walter Leaf, president of : the International Chamber of Commerce, which last week j received a deputation from Germany in a desireto bring about the economic, settlement of Europe, • has found time to combine with his business life in London an intense love: of classical literature. Mr. Leaf is. chairman t>f the West-j minster Sank, and is a very keen business man. His scholastic career has, however, been secondary to his business. When he left Harrow in 1869 he spent •some years in study at Cambridge, where, he won the Foundation Scholarship and. three years later, won the Craven, the chief university'scholarship. A year later,he passed out Senior in the Classical Tripos, and took his:M.A., degree in' 1877, eleven" years later securing his Lift. D. degree. In 1904 Oxford conferred, on him the; honour of Doctor of Literature. A close; studqnt of literature, Mr. Leaf completed a school edition.of the Iliad of Homer for.Macmil- i lan and Co., and most of his literary pro- | ductions Bince have been connected with the classics. He has written the "Story of Achilles," "A Modern .Priestess of Isis" (translated , from the Russian), "Homer and History," and as recently as 1922,, he produced■'. a work entitled "Little Poems of the Greek." ■• His business career began in 1877 in the law firm of Leaf and; Co., Ltd., .of' which he was a 'junior. pSu-tner. In 1939 Mr. Leaf became deputy-chairman of'the Westminster Bank,'and nine years, later he succeeded the late Viscount Goschen. in the chairmanship. As an-indication of-the many-sided activities of his life it is' only necessary to say that he was one of the,founders of the London .Chamber of Commerce, becoming its chairman in 1387, and at one time had a seat on the London. County Council for East Marylebone, was president of the Classical Association, and a governor of Marlborough College and Harrow School. .In 1923 he •was elected chairman of the British National Committee of .the International Chamber of Commerce. It will be seen,, therefore, that Mr. Leaf, who is now in his 73rd year, has had a very busy career, with activities extending over a wide and varied area.

Lleut.-Colenel Walter Gulnneu,

The new' Minister of Agriculture in the British House of Commons, who succeeds the Hon. E. F. L. Wood, the latter becoming Viceroy of India,, is Lieut.-Golonel Walter Guinness, D.5.0., Conservative member for Bury St. Edmunds (London)' since 1907. He is the third son of, the Earl of Iveagb, and served during the South African War, being wounded and mentioned in dispatches. During the Great War he served as a Brigade-Major, seeing service right through, and being thrice mentioned in dispatches. In 1922 he occupied the office 'of Under-Secretary of State for War and' in 1923 he was Financial Secretary ,to the Treasury; Colonel Guinness has also a fine athletic record, especially- in rowing, having rowed for three years in the Eton eight and also being captain of the boats. Local government has claimed a fair share of his time* and for some years from. I^o7 he "occupied a seat on the London County Council as well as on committees and hoards of minor importance. Colonel Guinness was born in, Dublin in 1880. ' -