THE CLUB WINDOW.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 1819, 15 June 1912, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE CLUB WINDOW.

The King when Prince of Wales was very fond of : cycling. He proved such an apt pupil that, to quote his instructor's words, "He didn't want any teaching. He jumped on ifche bicycle, wobbled about a flbit, and away he went, riding it—well, not exactly like an old hand, but very well."

.' The Archbishop of Canterbury is a skilful,. and, in some respects, a wonderful, chess player. Once when on a yist to India, he stayed with an official who had the superintendence of the laying of a new railway line, and in, the daytime* he made long tours with his host over the new route. On these occasions the two constantly p.layed chess without either board or men. All the moves.were made verbally; they never forgot .a 'move : or a. point of the game, and each could tell at any moment what was bhe exact position of the imagUi.">jy men on the board. / '.

At Oxford, Dr. Lang, Archbishop of" York, became a brilliant speaker. It is said that once 'in class, when he was behind in his work, he read off to one of his tutors a philosophical :essay from a blank sheet of paper. The ruse would never have been discovered if he had not been asked to repeat a certain sentence, and found* himself unable to do or to show it on the sheet. '

Mr H. E. Duke, K.C., M.P., is one of several men who have gone down from the Press Gallery to the floor of the House "of;' Commons- A West-countryman—he was born in the Dartmoor district-Mr Duke began his public career as a journalist, and it was while representing a Plymouth journal in the House of Commons that he attracted the notice of Sir Edward Clarke. Sir Edward advised him to read for the *Bar, and he did that while continuing his press work. After being "called , - he quickly built up a common law practice. He had and has, a very solid reputation in the Courts, and a great share of the work on the Western Circuit. He first entered the Commons as a legislator in 1900, when he became Unionist member for Plymouth.

In contrast to many German families the Emperor's private household consume a very small quantity of alcoholic drinks. His Majesty ie fond of a glass of beer brewed' by his .friend, the Prince of Furstenburg, a beer which has sometimes been mis,- ■ taken for Pilsener on account of its light colour and its taste, but the Kaiser drinks less and lees even of this light beverage. Another favourite Imperial drink is one invented by the Kaiserin a few years ago, and consists of . orange juice and lemon juice placed in the interior of a.pineapple from which part oi' the fruit has been taken and the juice from it replaced; the pineapple is then placed on ice' and filled up with mineral water, the drink ie transferred to a glass with a ladle. This drink is, however, only taken as a special treat, the more usual beverage being a mixture of the juice of three oranges and two lemons, with a little sugar, filled up with mineral water. The Kaiser finds that since his illness of a year or ago ago alcohol does not suit his constitution, and he may now be considered as very nearly a teetotaller, except' that at public functions he feels called upon to take wine. Few people know that the' blue and white uniform of the British Navy owes its origin to a Duchess of Bedford. George 11. once met the duchess Cut riding, and he was so pleased with her blue and white habit that he ordered those colours to be used for naval uniforms. 'Before this there was no official costume for -naval men of the .lower ratings. The black silk scarf worn under the collar by Bluejackets is, as everyone knows, a token of mourning for

the death, of Nelson, and the threenarrow stripes of white braid round the edges of his collar commemorate the battles of Trafalgar, the Nile,, and St. Vincent. ■ Lord Ormathwaite, who hae just' celebrated another birthday anniver-r ( sary, was born, in 1827, in the days when George the Fourth occupiedthe Throne, and just, prior tc; the death ,of Canning, the then Prime Minister. The barony of Ormathwaite was not created until 1868,. when it was conferred on Lord Ormathwaite's father. Three years prior to this ■ his lordship, then Mr, Arthur Walsh, had entered the House of Commons as representative of Leominster, a position he filled for twoyeare; then he became M.P. for Itadr norshire from 1868 to 1880. For twenty years he was also Lord-Lieu-tenant of the county. He was for a time in the Ist Life Guards, but retired in 1885, and he succeeded to the title in' 1880. The family name was originally Benn, Walsh having been assumed by Sir John Benn,,firstbaronet of Ormathwaite. '-*■■■

During the. Duke of Connaught'eoommand at Aldershot .an amusing incident occurred. Princess Patriciawas allowed to ascend in a-'captive-balloon with an officer of the baloon section. When they had reached thefull elevation the Princess, in high' delight, clasped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh, Captain if it wer©only free!" "All right,". responded"! the ready soldier, and, pulling out a knife, he bent over the side asthough to cut the rope. As he diet so his H eyes met the upturned gazeof the father of the goddess in. the car, looking with unwonted stern.-, ness at this apparent case of abduction. .. -'Come down at once, Captain X." was the order from downr below. '. • ''.••'■