JOHN FOSTER FRASER

Evening Star, Issue 14186, 11 October 1909, Page 3

JOHN FOSTER FRASER

‘WOMEN OF MANY LANDS.’ Mr •‘Fraser’s lecture on ‘Women, of Many Lands’ drew a large audience of the sex to the Burns Hall on Saturday afternoon. It was an interesting comparative study of the effects of climate and other natural conditions upon the appearance and type of womanhood. The lecturer talked in his casual, diverting fashion, and illustrated his remarks with pictures of Algerians, Mexicans, Egyptians, Turks, Grecians, Georgians, of every type of beauty—and ugliness—that the globe contains. ‘ROUND THE. WORLD ON A BICYCLE.’ Mr J. Foster Fraser chose for his final lecture the account of a trip which he and a couple of companions made around the world on bicycles. Without any attempts at rhetorical flights, Mr Fraser gave a most interesting account of his experiences. Starting from London, “ which, next to Dunedin, is the centre of all things,” they made their way across Europe, meeting with very few .'difficulties on the way, as they found the roads for the most part in excellent condition. Everywhere they received a hearty welcome from their brethren of the wheel, and while in Brussels they had the honor of being presented to the King of the Belgians. In Russia, where they expected to encounter all manner of adventures, they were hospitably received by the Russian police, whom they found real good fellows. Their greatest difficulty was in wrestling with the Russian language, and Mr Fraser gave some amusing incidents of their troubles in this respect. In Southern Russia the roads w-ere very rough, and they encountered a violent sand storm, which held them up for three days. On their way to Persia they passed over one of the original Gardens of Eden, which they found a bumpy, hillocky region of the earth, and from a cyclist’s point of view a much over-rated place. In Persia they met with their first real difficulties, and the country was far from being the fascinating, captivating, Oriental land that Moore’s ‘Lalla Rookh’ would lead one to believe. They had a most exciting experience while crossing over the mountains known as the “ Shoulder of Death.” Their guide lost the way, and then deserted them. They were then at an altitude of 9,000 ft, and it was raining and snowing. After a most trying experience they were discovered by some tribesmen who had come out to search for their bodies, i. hey had been tweiitv-two hours on the mountains, and twenty-six hours without food. A good dose of ‘‘corpse reviver,” which the tribesmen fortunately had with them, soon put fresh life into their bodies. From Karachi to Lahore—a distance of 800 miles—they rode on the railway sleepers. They visited the great historical cities of India, and then proceeded to Burmah. A description of the elephants working in the teak -ards at Rangoon gave Mr Fraser an opportunity for a sly dig at the Dominion labor laws. Un their way through China they had several exciting experiences at the hands of fanatical.villagers. In China there is a saying that the roads there are good for ten years and bad for 10,000 years after- " t “ We came in the second period,” added Mr Fraser. He recalled with what .pleasure they saw the Union Jack floating over the residence of the first English Consul they met on their long journey across the country. “A man needs to be away from home and in a strange land to really appreciate the fact that the Union Jack is something more than a bit of cloth.” After travelling through Japan they made their way home across America, and finally dismounted from their bicycles at St. Pancras Church, on the very spot where twentyfive months before their long journey of 19,237 miles was begun. The lecturer held the attention of his audience throughout, and they were frequently moved to hearty laughter at the many humorous anecdotes with which the lecture was interspersed. In concluding, Mr Fraser thanked the people of Dunedin for the patronage they had accorded Ills lectures.