In the Public Eye

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 47, 25 February 1933, Page 18

In the Public Eye

M. PAUL CLAUDEL. P The French Ambassador to Wastingion, •M. • Paul Claude}, is even better pri known in the world^of letters than in by the domain of .affairs. For the man de who was called into debt consultations crn -with Mr. Franklin D. Eoosevelt, the eig President-elect, this week, is one of ou the most famous of modern French na poets. His writings, not bo long ago, Em drew criticism of an adverse nature bo- fru cause of their originality, provocative o f nature, and revolt against established no canons, but today ho has his.admirers j e c bv the ten thousand. Although he has se s-oent his life in the foreign service he Ja 5? £ia<£y famed for these other activi- pe ties and whether stationed in North or Ja South America, Europe, or • the Par i n East he has always been an influence it in Paris. He has been hailed as just se as great an innovator in poetry as De- su bnssv was in music, his choice/. of th modes his use of tone and materials, Lo have been those of an experimentalist who is saturated with Catholic mysti- th cism but in technique is a determined de opportunist. . ' • ' fa M Claudel's poetic reputation has go both helped and hindered his • diplo- ye matic work. Shortly after the war he was ho to besent as envoy to the Beicb, but the of German Government found that he of woiild not be a welcome figure because pe of his "Three War Poems," the pat- T riotism of which did not appeal to an Teutonic "minds. Yet, appointed to Tokio a in 1921, he found his way quickly to the t hearts of the poetry-loving Japanese, o and made a thorough study of Japan- C ese writings and traditions which en- is abled him to write 'a play of the No t type. M. Claudel has published several w plays of which the first, "Tete d.Or," v a glorification of the Will to Power, H was published in 1889, as well as an M aSnumber';f hevoMme°s f of °?o yem;. aiA SStaTJSS^'SSIS TangTagT^s P dubbed "-tumultuous and rhetorical." * He is now sixty-four years old, and o leceived His education at that school, w Louis-le-Grand, which has been the G nursery of so many French, statesmen. ■Rir lftQO he. ™ n Rtiirip-nt pmiriil and m % $**$£&£? wenftf'N^ w York as a Vice-Consul. In 1894 he went * tO t SHanghai -Con^ d i^eamrFir° s riec^tfr7 o" legation « r Peking, ana after that went to Tien- l ■tain. He had x thus'ample opportunity to - study- the East. When he came back to Europe it was to another succession of posts at Prague, Frankfort, and Hamburg, then to be sent to Brazil in the war years, and finally to come back in: 1919 as Minister to Denmark. Two yaars^ later he went to Tokio, and then, after thirty-five years in the diplomatic service, he was given the important post at Washington... He has been here for the last six veara. Darin? Ss 6 'career has "afcuSted many honours. He married the daughter of , a success,, distinguished by his manner and Ms supple and understanding mind. He knows the Americans, and they aamire his intellect, his fluency, ana his Charm. In Franco-American relations since the war the debt question, has overshadowed everything else. It must be a relief to him to see it coming to a head at last. Captain Malcolm Campbell. " One of the most daring motorists in the world, one of the most successful of sportsmen, and a wealthy man als o> Sir Malcolm CampbeU, who added to I his laurels this week by raising his own speed record to still -greater . height^ has met with success such a* has faUen to no other motorist in the - past. He established his first of three successive records just about two 1 years ago when he raised the late Sir J Henry' Segrave'a speed mark by 14 1 miles aa hour.- Last year he improved >| oa his own performance by about seven mile's an hour ' The southward run on Campbell's - i 1931 effort was timed at 246.575 miles . an hour, and the northward at 244.897 V miles an hour. The astonishing part Jtj of the establishment of, the record was | the intrepidity of the driver in turnI ing round and,dashing.northwards with M only a few minutes betwen the. two ™ runs. Owing to the bad condition of the beach of&cials advised Campbell to attempt to break the,record by as small a margin as possible. They deL clared that any attempt to shatter the fc record by a large margin would be dangerous, and Campbell acknowledged |M the advice. He took a five-and-a-hal '- ] miles flying start, which is a mil -"j longer than any driver had taken pre £J viously. At that time he declared tha ■©i knowing the risks he could not let th zLA car fully out, but pressed his foot o the accelerator as hard as he dared Learning of: the plans.Of Mt. Norma Smith shortly, before his second sue bm cessive record, he declared that h might "give Smith something to shoo at." .. The car used by Campbell was' de | clared to be the most powerful eve built, the engine being.one of th Napier areo engines built for th Schneider Trophy race, and giving 145 hbrse-power at 3600 revolutions. Thpr were twelve cylinders and also a super j charger. The engine's capacity wa 24,000 c.c. The car was a little ove ( 25ft long, and weighed two and a hal tons. The car dated from 1926, when was built with a 450-h.p. Napier e I gine. In it / Campbell established ■ woria Tecord early in 1927, and in 19 I established a fu^her .record at Da tolia Of 206.95 miles an hour. In 19 in South Africa a speed of 216.04 mil an hour was made. The latest Blue Bird was longe heavier, and vastly more powerful th bef ore, had a new stream-lined bod and moved for the first time under t power of her new engines at T>- ■- , tona. The great feature of the np-,-speed monster iB her new engirp, t famous Bolls-Boyce, 12-cylinder Jup m. charged Schneider Trophy aero engi of 36J litres capacity, and ncr Ay 25 brake horse-power. This is 1000 h.p. more th .n the c __ [ has ever had hitherto,

RIJNCE KIMJMULitII SAIUINJL The last of Japan's Genros, the aged nce Kimmochi Saionji, was consulted the Japanese Government during the velopment of the present Far Eastcrisis. Prince Saionji is now over hty years old and when he was serisly ill come yeais ago the whole tion was plunged into anxiety. The peror and Empress sent flowers and it, delicacies, and v constant stream messengers. For Prince Saionji is t only the highest ranking civil subt"of the Emperor, he is the reprentative of a traditional institution of panese Government to which the ople cling. There may be no more panese Genros. They do not appear the Constitution of that country, and -is believed that Brin-e Saionji himlf advised against appointment of any ' ccessor to him. His ruggestion was at in future the equivalent of the-. . rd Privy Seal should hold the office, The Genro, like the Emperor, is above' . , e battle of party politics. -He is inpendent of the Diet,' Cabinets may 11, prime ministers', may come and : , but the Elder Statesman, mature in ars, tested in wisdom, . laden with nours, is removed from the influences fear or favour. His remaining span life is demoted ■to advising his Imrial master,,and serving his country, he.institution of .Genro is purely Japese, and its inauguration is. lost in ntiquity. Twice Prime Minister, oneime president- of.' the ' Seiyukai, chief f the Japanese delegation to the Peace onference of ■ 1919,' Prince Saionji one of the only two Japanese to hold he Grand Order of the Chrysanthemum ith the Necklace. The other is the eteran and adored Admiral Count eiachiro Togo. • r K> i^ton. ** «** ft. appointment U *or three years I «*» July I.next, when the present ccupant of the position, Mr. W. Leitch, _ ill retire. Mr.Leitchhaabeen Agent eneral for four years, having last «»«£**»? extension for twelve onths. The date on which Mr. Linton ilHeave !**&**»» -t yet been «a. »■ P^tably wiU be some time m ff. q MeanwHo on^ e ? ig-tion as a member of the Legis- - ative, Assembly, so that h« large con. statnenoy may not be left without a representative. .' '. „ In announemg^the 'appomtment of . Mr• Lmton, the Premier said that Cab- »<>* 'recognised, the valuable services Mr-' had rendered by -tb*^attentlon. had given to Imperial and Austra lan questions when overseas. His tlon as founder of the Big Brother • Movement had made him well and favourably known throughout the Empire, Mr- Lmton's work in Parliament and Cabinet had been marked, by the keen- ?, st enthusxasm and unbounded energy Kl\ Lmtott now law. » was. a + toftaWtoajyof 19 I?t^ nt w« aton.! *>«th aa^7:. ,? 6 a, n^ tlve °f f^lmerston North New Zealand. For Mld£ ws Bros Ltd., wholesale paper, machmery ana general merchants he °P ejxed and managed Vouches vi Brisbane and Perth, before going to take charge of the Melbourne branch in 1907. Later he acquired a substantial »*^ in the Australian business of &° ™™ P 1 1? 24 to + .dev^t! ll hlSBf? development of the Big Brother Movement, which he founded, and which he inaugurated m London m 1925. In May, 1927, Mr. Lmton was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the then . ?e. w ««* o£ Il ?°r. pondara- i , •If 9 t -he b°"ied the McPherson Administration | s an honorary Mmister. -JVhen S« f. Arple formed his Government in \^T last he selected .i. Lmton as Secretary of the Cabinet. Mr. Linton is chairman of both the unemployed boys' and girls' movements, which are designedto place them m em-. ployment.-.. He was also:founder of the • Empire Flag day, which as designed to ■ l3Bß^* charity. Professor BerriedalO' Keith. I Professor A. Berriedale Keith, who h aa been commenting upon the position in Ireland, is one- of the outstanding jurists in the British Isles, and has had a wonderfully.wide range of experience, He now occupies, the Chair of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology at Edinburgh University, and for six years past has been a lecturer on the Constif tution of the British Empire. After his e education at Edinburgh University and - Balliol College, Oxford, where he won t high distinction as a student, Professor e E; e ith was. admitted to the Bar but n I shortly afterwards he accepted appoint- , ment as lecturer in ancient history at n Edinburgh University and remained - there until his temporary appointment e to an Oxford lectureship was announced, t This came very soon and was a post I calling for tuition in Sanskrit. Short--1 ly before going to Edinburgh, Professor r Keith had had a short but widely varied e experience in administration and intere national, negotiation. He had taken 0 first place in the Civil Service examinae tion and was appointed to the Colonial - Office, where he won special thanks for s his services in the dispute over the r Alaska boundary which went to arbif tTation in 1903. For three years he was Secretary to Crown Agents for the it Colonies and then began his University n- career. He left Oxford, when the proa fessor he was relieving returned from 28 India, and soon after having received y- appointment to represent Britain at the 26 Colonial Navigation Conference of 1907 es he was back at the Colonial Office and was acting as Secretary to the Colonial r, Copyright Conference and the Imperial an Conference. In 1912 he received an apy, pointment as private secretary. to Sir he John Anderson, permanent Under.y- Secretary of State for the Colonies, est I and in the ensuing -years was ashe sociated with a wide range of iner- quiries on visual instruction, tropical ne diseases, and home administration of 00 Indian affairs. In 1914 he went to Edinburgh University and since then ar | has published a wide Tange of works on history, and constitutional law. . |