NEWS AND OPINIONS

Evening Star, Issue 22004, 13 April 1935, Page 2

NEWS AND OPINIONS

A WORDSWORTH FIELD. Dora’s Field, the beauty spot at Rydal which Wordsworth gave to His daughter Dorothy, or Dora, .in consideration of his “ natural love and affection ” for her,, has been presented by Mr Gordon Wordsworth, the poet’s grandson, to the National Trust (says the London ‘Observer’). The wooded “ close,” known locally as the Rash, from the rushes that used to grow there, slopes down from Bydal Mount and looks towards Windermere. Wordsworth laid out the field with his own hands, and added to its, great natural beauty the many exquisite touches due to his own love of landscape scenery. The field is famous for its daffodils, and one recalls how the poet, wandering “ lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills,’' saw all at once a host of these golden flowers— Beside the lake, beneath the trees. Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay; Ten* thousand saw I at a glance. Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. Thousands of visitors to the Lake District have gazed with pleasure on the daffodils in. Dora’s Field in the spring, and on the varied beauties of this precious spot at all seasons of the year.The field has been tended in recent years by Mr George Wordsworth, and nothing would be more welcome to the National Trust and to all lovers of natural beauty than that he should contiue to carry on the family tradition there.. THE HEATHER CLUB. The Heather Club, which has just had its annual meeting, is one of the oldest existing organisations with the good of the city at heart and with a natural veneration for what has grown Old and mellow it has lent its support to the movement for the preservation of the old buildings of Edinburgh (says the ‘Weekly Scotspian”). It is rather strange that the club has no definite record of the date of its- origin. There is an idea that it was one of the clubs formed about the time of the '4s’s. It had a period of lapse, and was revived in 1823. Even so, it has a life of 112 years to look back upon. At one time' it was active in sending heather to Scots abroad, but that service is so fully covered hy the ‘ Weekly Scotsman’s ’ heather distribution that the Heather Club has ceased to make it its special function. Its anxiety for the old buildings is commendable. The Old Town might be preserved from ruthless hands if generous wellwishcrs were to provide an ample fund or money, but in the absence of a capacious purse one member has made a suggestion’ worth considering that the Town Council itself shduld appoint a special committee as guardians of the old property. Such a committee might co-operate with other bodies with, a similar object in view. " I WILL CONSIDER.” In Ministerial phraseology, “ I will consider ” means he is going to turn it down; ‘‘l will carefully consider • means it is in the balance; “ I will consider on its merits ” means it is in tho balance also; and lastly “ I will favourably consider has always been accepted as meaning acquiescence.—Lord Ponsonby, in the House of Lords. THE EMIR SUMS UP.

The Emir of Katsina paid a visit to England. ‘VI will tell my people of everything I have - seen,” said the old Emir on leaving, “ but some things will be hard to explain to them. Everybody, wants peace, but is preparing for war. Those who have everything do not seem to be happiest. The streets are dangerous. How noisy everything is! I admire the greatness of the things you can do, but 1 think my people at Katsina are happier without them.” —From' ‘ Ventures and Visions,’ by G. Garro Jones, PHYSICAL ILLITERATES. Anyone who will study a modern crowd at a test match or a race meeting will see that physical illiteracy is a common Condition in our urban population. Physical illiteracy, whether in the child or adult;, is found to react unfavourably both on mental and moral development, 1 count physical illiteracy as one of the most distressing phenomena of our urban civilisation. Just as the mentally illiterate is cut off from the world of knowledge by hi* inability to read or write, so the physically illiterate is cut off from a world of skill by the undisciplined condition of his body. These muddled lives which so many people seem to be living nowadays—muddled mentally arid morally are a reflection of whaf is known a* world chaos. Is it fantastic to suggest that much of this muddle and chaos originates in the muddled condition of the body?—Dr L. P. Jacks, at an Oxford conference. JUDAS ISCARIOT. It was an act of more than Chines# self-abasement for Mr Mark Symons to depict himself in ‘ The Last Supper - as Judas Iscariot, a character who ha* found few friends in literature or art. Yet there was, under the Tsar, a fanatical sect in Siberia based upon th# theory that Judas was the only disciple worthy to be followed, as he “ repented of his sins and hanged himself.” Mor# recently the Soviet Government has gone even further by erecting a statu# to Judas Iscariot at Sviashsk. The opposite . pole is to be found in Mexico, where the Saturday .in .Holy Week is given over to a systematic vilification of the Betrayer.— ‘ Observer.’ RUPERT BROOKE. With regard to the recent report that a sum of £2O has been allocated by the Greek Government for the upkeep of the tomb of Rupert Brooke, the poet, an experience I had when serving m th# Inkonka in 1915 may be of interest, writes Captain Evelyn Vernon (of th# R.N.A.S. and R.N.V.R.), in the London ‘Daily Telegraph.’ He proceeds:— I believe it is incorrect to state that Rupert Brooke died in a hospital at SkjTos. Three or four vessels steamed into the land-docked harbour Of Skyros in early 1916. having come iron* Mudros. They dropped their anchors in water so clear that one was able tfl follow the anchor chain many fathom# deep. As darkness fell a procession of boats was observed passing from one of the anchored snips to the shore, and in each boat could be seen # light shining. Wo watched this strange procession from our ship's rail.- It wa# a most impressive sight, hut it was not until the next morning that we learned that ope of the men of the Royal Naval Division had died, anddhat we had been watching the burial procession. This incident of April or May, 1915, left a very strong impression with the writer, and some years passed before the knowledge came that the funeral was that of the famous poet Robert Brooke.”