Friends of Fame

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XV, Issue 193, 20 July 1925, Page 5

Friends of Fame

Interesting Personalities A JOURNALIST AMONG GREAT. LECTURE BY MISS NELLIE SCANLON. Lion-baiting has come to be recognised by the public of Hastings as one of tho most entertaining activities of the Hastings Women’s Community Club, but never before his the club’s arena been occupied by* such an imposing array of lions and lionesses, great and small, wild and tame, as it was on Saturday evening when Miss Nellie M. Scanlon lectured on “Interesting Personalities I Have Met.”* This metaphor is used advisedly, for Miss Scanlon, with her wide experience,.Cultivated observation and powers of vivid description, presented her subjects with such clarity and insight that from mere names which one reads every day in connection with various activities throughout the world, they became, for her hearers, livingpeople whom one might have known for years or met but yesterday. To say that a writer speaks as he writes is regarded as somewhat of a left-handed compliment, but of Miss Scanlon one can safely make the distinction of saying that she speaks as well as she writes and that large section of the publiwhich has read her articles in “The Zealand Free Lance, 11 on the staff of which journal she is engaged, will from this be able to form a true estimate of her abilities as a public speaker. A VOICE FOR NEW ZEALAND. On numerous occasions during her travels Miss Scanlon has been calle 1 upon to address public gatherings, or, as she said it is expressed in American I phraseology “bring a message,” on be-1 half of New Zealand, and our Dominion need suffer no apprehensions on the grounds of weak advocacy, for Miss Scanlon combines with her powers of confident speaking a warm and genuine, enthusiasm regarding, and a keen desire j for the progress of her country, her at-J titude in this respect being not the less I convincing for being free from the; blantantly insistent assertiveness of i American “boosting.” THE WASHINGTON CONFERENCE. Miss Scanlon prefaced her address by saying that she would just endeavour to give briefly her impressions of the possessors of some of the noted names of the world whom she had met either by chance or officially. She had arrived at the Limitation of Arms Conference at Washington, and on inquiring for Sir John Salmond, who was representing New Zealand, she was rather surprised to find that he was not known, she being generally referred to the Australian delegation. She eventually found him at the Lafayette Hotel, where all tho British delegates staying. It was worth mentioning in passing that while she was in America she never heard the term •• British ” used except by the Britisher* themselves, everyone else apparently supposing that the word “English” covered the whole of the British Empire. Some idea of the magnitude of the proceedings at that conference might bo gained from the fact that there were in attendance 400 press representatives of various nationalitiiej.

GREAT STATESMEN. The speaker went on to give swift impressions of many of the great statesmen of the tour powers which were represented at the conference. Senators Hughes and Root, Admiral Beatty, Mr bhustri, Prince Tokugawa, M. Jusserand and many others. Mr Baifour, now Earl Balfour, was the type of perfect English gentleman, with his arrest ing but not fiery oratory, every h .tie word chosen with meticulous care. AL. Briand was the most fiery orator or them all. He always spoke in French, but with such a wealth or gesture and depth of feeiing that he carried his audience with him even when they could not follow his words. It was related of William Jennings Bryan. who was at present in the public e ? e in connection with his leading the the prosecution in the case in which the State of Tennessee was proceeding, against a young lecturer for teaching the principles ot evolution, that, although his knowledge of French was meagre, he listened to M. Briand most interestedly, applauding loudly all th* things with which, when the speech was interpreted, he found he disagreed. There was a wonderful interpreter at the conference who could, with very few notes, immediately translate a speech perfectly, reproducing every movement and gesture. It was the custom during the conference for the press representatives to interview the various delgates every day to learn the progress of events. Lord Riddell, a tall, refined looking man with pale blue eyes, which it was his habit to shade with his hand when he was in conversation, and who was principally known for his ownership of a chain of very scurrilous, but very profit:! hie newspapers in England, was the only delegate who seemed capab’e of hgkhnu at bay the army of inqusitive journalists.

THE JAPANESE DELEGATION. Mr Hanihara usually met the press representatives on behalf of the Japanese delegation and one of the most noticeable things about him was that he had a funny l:ttle gurgle in his throat, just like a coffee percolator. The Japanese were all very short and she could still picture them at large official functions in Washington, in a little procession of about five, trickling in and out among the throngs of people by which they were almost hidden from sight.

It was noticeable during the conference that the Japanese, who were rather unpopular at the commencement, came right up the scale of popularity, while the BrencTi usually went clown. She had been invited to attend a luncheon given by the club women of Washington at which 750 women were present. Mrs. Winter, who was the president of the federated women’s clubs of the United States, representing some four million women, was present. Wives of the delegates from various countries and different parts of of the British Empire spoke for their native lands and Miss Scanlon was taken by surprise by being asked to speak for New Zealand. It appeared (Continued on next column.)

that neither Australia nor New Zealan “had a wife” at the conference, • that throughout her stay she had t lie “the wile of the South Pacific.” MANY OTHERS. "One of the best informed peop with regard to New Zealand she ha met in her travels was Mr. Stanie Baldwin, whom she had met when h was in America in connection with th funding of the. British debt to th L nited States. He u as conversant wit the political situation and general coi dition in the Dominion, .and exhibit* a keen desire to obtain the latest ii formation. * Unfortunately the restrictions c space will not permit a full accoun of Aliss Scanlon s interesting descrij tions of many other famous peopi she met in America, such as th amazingly unconventional daughter c the Jute President Roosevelt, th notorious Margot Asquith and he daughter, Princes Bibcsco; Mar Roberts Rinehart, who was supposed t be drawing the largest income of an, woman writer in the world, and he husband, who had been a successft doctor, meeting her when she was nurse, and who was now engaged i making enough noise to keep himaei irom being overlooked; Senator Borah from Montana, pugnacious, squart jawed, western type, whose isolation!! and rather anti-British views on might disagree with, but whose sin cerity one could not help appreciating H. G. Wells, “one of the most dil appointing lions I met,” a short round, tubby man with a squeak, voice, who was making his first at tempt at journalism at the time am was not a great success, being incline* to report what he thought should hav happened rather than what actual!; did; the late President Harding, warm hearted and generous; Presiden Coolidge, another disappointment, ooh uninteresting and unattractive; and i number of others. ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. The speaker took her audience to ai afternoon at Bucklingham Palace, at tended by manv colonials. It was a this afternoon that she first met Queei Mary. When the Queen shook hand with her it was like a little bird flut taring in her hand, and it appears tha despite her regal carriage and outwari calmness the Queen has never succeed cd in overcoming her shy nervousness BEST CLOTHES. All the colonials at this afternooi had by one means or another rgisec top-hots, except a few who hover* round the fringe in “hard-hitters.” / few days latet Mr R amsay Mac Dona ld| as Primo Minister, hold a garden fob at Hampton Court, which was attend* by many of the same people who wen present at tho Buckingham Palace af tornoon. Thev all turned out in theii orthodox clothes as before and th< Prime Minister received them in a baggy tweed suit and a soft hat. whirl apjieared just a little bit too deliberate (Concluded in to-morrow’s issue.)