All Sorts of People

Free Lance, Volume V, Issue 214, 6 August 1904, Page 3

All Sorts of People

WELLINGTON wa*> visited tin, week by two missionanes Rev J, S. and Mrs Wasson, who had an exciting time m the Amoy district during the Boxei 1 lsmg connected with the recent wai in China Mr Wasson v> a North of Ireland man, and his wife wa» Hampshne-born. Few people have begun then fOlf 01 eign mission work under such circumstances as those which maiked the advent of this Hampshire lady. Educated at Cambridge, she went straight from College to Chiang Cluu, a walled city of neaily 100,000 inhabitants, in the south of China, wheie Mi. Waftson was the sole L.M.S. missionary, with a district comprising 1800 squa 1 c miles, and four million people For cariymg on this woik, he was given an allowance of £100 pei yeai by the L M.S. * * * Almost immediately upon hei settlement in her new spheie, the young Englishwoman had to face all the dangei sof the Boxer i lsmg. "And w e were as near death," she says, "as anyone could well wish to be " Still, she has a kindly feeling for John Chinaman, and a very large sympathy for Mrs John, for, in Mrs. Wesson's opinion, no life us so hopeless as that of the w omen, of China. Miis. Wasson says ome of the hardest sacrifices a Chinaman is called upon to make when he becomes a convert to Christianity is to close his place of business on Sundays. In China there is no knock-off day John works all the year round — there is no Early Closing Act This Enghshw oman tells a story of a Chinese mci chant who became one of the Wasson converts, but who, for a long time, could not make up his mind to Sunday observance. At last, he went home one Saturday night, and informed the family that he did not intend going back to business until Monday. Next morning there came a messengei to the house announcing that a junk, which was pi oceedmg that night to Singapoie, was awaiting John's oaigo. His wrestle with temptation wais vigorous. But, Sunday observance won. That Sunday night a typhoon struck the shipping along the coast, and many junks, including the one that did not carry John's cargo, were destroyed. "It might have been coincidence," concluded Mrs. Wasson • "but that mci chant has closed his shop on Sunday ever since." * * * y Donald Dinnie, the noted athlete, who, in his prime, was unapproachable in many sports, has fallen on hai d times in Australia. A public subscription is being raised to hel" him alone;. The New Zealand Commissioner of Police is a brother of the celebrated athlete * » * f It isn't often that two brothers, separa ted by many thousands of miles, achieve the same distinction simultaneously. Young Lachlati McLean, formerly of Dunedin, from whence he journeyed to Africa 1 as a sergeant-major in the Fifth Contingent, has. since the war, been studying in England He saved the life of a boy who was drowning at Stratford-on-A von, where Shakespeare and a famous bra/nd of beei came from, and was awaided the Royal Humane Society's medal. About the same time, his brother Donald was saving life off Logans Point, in New Zealand, and the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand awarded him a similar distinction to the one his brother won

y/ King Diok was suen, for the fust time m the House tins session, one day lavt week without a frook coat and belltoppei. Hew one an abbieviated and not new "sac," and a hat liybnd between the ordinal y bell-toppei and the utilitarian "hard-hitter." Somehow, Mr. Seddon loses dignity without the saitoiial attributes 1 of Ministeual rank By the way, we suspect tl'e Premier had been out riding. A piopos, he owned that, having ridden eleven miles in an hoaii , with Bishop Nek^an, of Auckland — he should be pio^ccuted foi oiueltv to animals and the Bishop for being an acce&soiy before and after the fact. We admne Mr. Seddon's courage in tiustme himself on the ho>se, but we think the animal is the re.il hero * * *■ V/R'ev. V /R'ev. H. Dewsbuiy is one of the few paisons who is not annoyed that papeis don't cut out local news, and give the space to seimon copy for nothing. Said he, at Christchurch — "Newspapeis we'ie not run on sentimental hues. They were business concerns, a.nd they gave just what they w 7 ere paid for. If people paid foi only an inch of space to announce a ohuiioh meetmsr, what right had they to giumble because a column and a-half was not devoted to lepoitmg it ? " And every paper in the country that has to pay for bread and buttei sav^ "Hooray '" ■f- ¥■ * ' Only a few of the old-timeis, representing widely-spiead local bodies, came to town to attend the County Councils' Conference last week. Fanner Majendie, who is closely related to the lenowned English wamors of that name, and thrice president of previous Conferences, opened the pioceedmprs with a retiospect of his nine years' of office. But he stood down immediately afterwa,i ds giving place to another ex-presi-dent. Councillor F. Yon Reden, of Eketahuna, whose tonerue only ocoasionally struggles with English as she i is spoken, and whoi made an excellent temporary chairman. It was not until its thud day's sitting that the Conference had fixed its collective mind upon the desired piesddent. When delegates, with unanimity and enthusiasm, called Mr. A. E. Jull to take the position, he was piobably the most surprised man in the oiowd The tallest man in the assembly — six-foot-two of goodrlookwig manhood, fa,ir of complexion, and also a fair speakei — the chairman of the Waipawa County 1 Council was a prominent figure, and an active participant in the Conference from the beginning of last week's sesision It was his readiness of speech, amd quickness at seizing the pith of thangs, which commended him for the presidency Mr. Jull is a Canadian by birth but has been a resident of New Zealand for a quattei of a centuiy, and is to-day a man of forty. He has prospered as a merchant with the growth of Waipawa, and has borne his full share of its public life, being on the Hanbour Boaid and Charitable Aid Boaid, and having been on the County Council for some ten years. * * * Another conspicuous figure at the Conference was Mr R D D McLean, who bears a striking lesemblance to the late Robert Louis Stevenson, the great Scot in modern literature. Mr. McLean, who sat in the House for a term as member for Napiei , attended the Confeiemce (always in a velvet coat) as the representative of the Hawke's Bay County Council. Two delegates, who sat immediately on Mr. McLeans neht, were Chairman J PowdreU. of Wairoa (Hawke's Bay), and Councillor (i. V Pearce, of Patea Mr. Powdtell is the uncle of New Zealand's lady champion tennis player, and Mr Pearce is manned to that champion's sisten . These two sisters played tog-ether in the doubles at the last two championship meetings, and became popular in tennis c rcles in Wellington.

v_-'IVIi. R Janett, as ref ei ee at the box'lij, c iainpions>hips contested at the Exchange Hall, on Fuday and Saturday ia^b week, was piobably too fair foi the aveiage putt on who shrieks for blood. Personally, we aie not looking foe the blood of the weighty Jarrett, who appeal s to be in full possession of all his faculties and accessories, barring his right eye, which has a restless quality. Not necessary to go into details of the many matches and exhibitions, but nece^saiy to say that pronounced hoodlumism was absent, and good-temper 1 uled You see, the committee comprises men who want to elevate the sport, although the Shakespearian line on the blood-red pro-gramme "I'll fisht till my bones, my flesh be hacked," ,<= not the most appropnate line one could find. * * * ■> — --The audience comprised the Hon. John Rigg, doctors, lawyers, and peaceful persons generally, although the front lows were peopled with faces that had been thumped very hard in the old times. The Lance was in the front low. There weie two comedy contests on Friday night, although the comedy wasn't intended. One was between Meilkhe and another. The former is an aggressive man, who looks like a onetime sailor. He is tattooed in all visible spots except the face, and his attitude of scon n suggested the unspoken words, "Bear with me kind friends, while I annihilate this unhappy young man who has had the temerity to put 'em up to me " The other simply played on the w^airior as if he were a kettledrum, and his confident air vanished. * * * The other comedy turn was given by one, Sandow, of the West Coast, a Scandinavian gentleman, of nmsoulai pioportions, who dressed a la music-hall strong men, and gave opportunities which would have made him an easy prey to a smart seven-stone youth quick on his 1 pins. His opponent, who was 6ft. 3^in., and weighed over fourteen stone, was Paul Freyberg, of the local Freybergs, and certainly as "game as a pebble," but too slow to catch a cold. The evolutions of Sandow, and the ineffective pats of the huge fellow, delighted everybody. Freyberg had a big gap in the back of his head recently stitched up, and this certainly handicapped him. Most of the wrestlei s who have been meeting the redoubtable Pearce at Fuller's were there, including Scott. If anything, the show erred on the side of gentleness. * * * Mr. Buchanan, M.H.R., is sui prised i>hat any paient should be unable to control his children. "What sort of a cane do they use?" he asked the other day, in speaking on the subject. Mr. Buchanan may, of course, b© able to control chdldrein all right. Still, seeing he is- a bachelor, he probably has to borrow the youngsters to practice on. That delightful old spinster of whom w r e spoke the other day is still suiging round teaching mothers how to reau 1 children. * • * Not a few Welhngtonians knew Mr. William F. Henderson when he hustled around this district generally, and Napier particularly, m the interests of the Yeiex and Jones Company. William, who is a Carlisle (Cumberland) man, is now travelling Melbourne «inrl suburbs for the Markwald firm, and appears to be turning out a popular and successful town traveller. He has had a lively colonial expedience during the eight yea,is he has been in the colonies. After serving the Yerex Company in Napier, he took charge of a native school at Waimamaku, north of Auckland When the Empire had uttered its m.nth call to New Zealand for help m South Africa, the blood of military ancestors bubbled in his veins,, he became a captain, and is now the proud possessor of a budget of belligerent stories, a medal, and two clasps. But, the Markwald billet is worth more than in pie medals.

Miss Vida Goldstein, the Australian political woman, makes her lectures very interesting. She is not thinskinned, and has had lantern slides made of all the canoatuies and comic pictonal happenings relating to herself that have been printed in Australian papers. These she flashes on the screen, and when the audience is in a good humour she launches her thunderbolts. * * * Ashton, the wide-awake touring manager for J. C. Wiliamson, had to rub his eyes a day or two ago when lie opened an epistle from the office of of a well-known lawyer in Auckland. The note, in the ponderously formal style of the law, informed Harold' fhat unless he paid the sum of twenty pounds odd owing by him to a certain Auckland tailor, within so many houis, a summons would issue. Harold does not owe money to any tailor, in Auckland or elsewhere, so he thought he must have opened somebody else's letter. But, no There was the address om the envelope "Harold Ashton, Esq., His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland." So the genial avant couruer made a beerlme for the lawyei 's office, and, finding that luminary out, proceeded to the tailor whose name was mentioned. Snip at once confessed that Harold was not the delinquent, whose front name was nothing like "Harold." He apologised most humbly, and hoped Harold would take no furthei notice of the wi etched! mistake, and Haiold, moved by the tailor's tears, agfeed. But, what a boom for Hai old's show if he had let it go to court ! * * * Padeirewski has all the money he wants, and if cash was his only object he wouldn't be coming to New Zealand. He has been reading New Zealand guide books, and, having been told this is "God's own eountiy," he wants to see if it is a creditable piece of handiwork. * * * Congiatulations to Dr. Pope. Don't remember him? Surely, Harry Pope, the Marton-born compositor, who became sporting writer for the "Evening Post," and ultimately "threw up his case" to go m for gum-digging under the supervision of Dentist Hall, is notforgotten already p A few weeks ago he obtained his diploma of doctor of dental surgery at the Trinity University, Toronto. Mr. H. T. Minogue, another younie man from our Empire City, and a fellow-student of our own Pope, also won the D.D.S. at Trinity. The latter is a nephew of Mr. Martin Kennedy. It is not improbable that Messrs. Pope and Minogue will ultimately screw their brass plates over a Wellington door, and extract yell's and teeth from suffering colonials. • • • i/ & propos of consumption, Dr. Symes, of Christchurch, who believes he .has conducted more post mortem examinations than any other doctor in that city, says he has never yet examined l a deceased person who had not shown traces of tuberculosis. Makes one feel queer, doesn't it ? * * * i^This is a day of competitions, and even honorary positions, such as seats on local bodias, are greatly competed! for by gentlemen who desire to sacriL fice time and oomfort in the interests of the community. No sooner did Councillor David Nathan announce the resignation of his seat on the City Council than there was a rush to fill the vacancy The friend's of Mr. John Hutchesoiii started to pull that gi»n + ,lem'an out of the obscurity he has so much enjoyed since he dropped out of Parliamentary life. "Jack the Rigger" has many admirers in the oity. Aa also have Messrs. Henry Fielder and Failk CoheTi, both of whom are a>s well-kiown as the Town Clock, and have been enthusiastic citizens, and full of zeal for their business and for the Volunteer Fire Police.

y Theie was a npple of anti-Chme*>e /agitation towards the close of the Counties. Conference in town last week. Of course, the stone was thrown into the placid waters by a West Coaster. Councilloi T Bell, of Reefton, who represented the Inangahua Council, moved in the direction of having Chinese disfranchised and he did not take the least kind of trouble to lude his hatred of John Chinaman and all his ways. He told delegates that down his way the Celestals came in bunches, they didn't trouble to learn the English language, their names were put on the county roll by meiested paitie.s, they were diiven to the polls, and voted as they weie told, and without knowing or caring "wha for." * # * In the volubihtv of his speech, the delegates discoveicd that John Chinaman loved T. Bell about as much T. T Bell loved John Chinaman. "Never mind'" said the big West Coaster— how is it that all West Coasters are big fellows o aftei making this admission, "I have successfully won at all mv elections for the last eighteen years, and I think I can beat the Chinkies and thear friends every time'" But the Conference was pro-Chanese. » * * <y The delegate from Stratford (Mr. J. Mackay, one-time head of Wellington College) put in a good word for the yellow man. "The Chinaman is a Grodmade man," cued the man fiom a country that doesn't associate much with John Chinaman. "I admit they're God-made men, and all that," lephed the West Coaster, "but they can't speak English'" "Ah, but they can count our money without a mistake'" cried the Wanganui delegate. "And pay rates promptly'" added an Ashburtonite. "But. they take our money away!" retorted Mr. Bell, "and they don't even leave their bones to manure the earth'" That was the last shot from the West Coaster. His motion was thrown out with considerable emphasis. * * * The delegate fiom the Horowhenua County Council (Mr. F. W. Venn) was not a peisona grata with his confreres at the Confetenoe held last week. The chairman of the Horowhenua Council is not nearly the height of his opinion of himself, and he was not venei ated by the othei fifty and nine delegates Evidently, Mr. Venn, of Shannon, is something of a fetish along the Coast, for he brought to the Conference far moie remits than any other two delegates, and he proudly declai ed them to be "all my work." It was edifying to hear him declaring himself to have been a ti ades unionist for forty-five years — and then proceed to jump with both feet upon "this new-fangled unionism of the present day." But, theie was no joy for Councillor Venn when he bi ought along a bomblike motion asking foi the nationalising of the liquor traffic, and the Conference straightway threw Venn and his bomb outside the danger-zone. The petite representative from Shannon exploded with a loud bang. Without pei nutting its mover to introduce the subject, the Conference threw out the remit with an emphasis that made Mr. Venn's hair stand on end. "I suppose I'm not to be allowed to say why I b"i ought it down P" queried the man from Horowhemua, when he had recovered from the shock. Whereupon, the tall Jull, who had advised Venn to take the matter to the W.C.T.U.. asked, with a suave voice, and a twinkling eye • "Does anyone wish to hear an apology from Mr. Venn ? " The seven c silence that followed made even Shannon's shining light shrink shiverinaly into his seat * * * Federal politician Mr. George Reid, who is close on eighteen and' a-hnlf stone in weight, remarks that he'd he much heavier if it were not for the scarcity of brass in his composition. He is a lawyer, which aocounts for the absence of that metal. * * * Mr. Richard Burke, who played one of the two "stai ' parts in a matrimonial event last week, is that same solid, broad-gauge "Dick" who was a pillar of strength in the forward battalion of the Melrose football team in the days when the Newtownites held the premiership. In his later days, "Dick" has been devoting his spare energies to working out cricket problems, and has proved a useful member of the combination that Manager Howell has been working up in the staff of the Gas Company. We offer congratulations to our very newest Benedict. * * * Mr. James Bean will go down to posterity as the man who whistled several solos at a church service in Southland last Sunday week. He evidently had to "whistle for money," as the collection taken up from a big congregation was a record. Some of these days they will try a Scotch reel.

A propos of the alleged faot that the Canadian Government welcomes immigrants, and makes thorn rich with both hands, Mr. Harold Kinmburgh, wntmg from the Government Experimental Farm, at Brandon, states that there is not one free selection unoccupied in the whole province of Manitoba. Anywhere in western Canada a selector cannot secure free land within sixty miles of the railway lines. The influx of immigrants is enormous, and mci easing, and cities, so called, are springing up in every direction. Brandon itself, though a comparatively new town, has close on 7000 of a population and the buildings are mostly buck 01 stone.

Mr. John Bailhe, who was a oofnspieuO'us figure some years ago in art, amateur diamatic, and hterai-y circles in Wellington, figmed comphmentarily m a telegram from Paris, published in the London "Times," on June 18th. The telegram, which was of liberal length, had to do with a leoord of a reviral of cordial lelatioms between French and English artiste, as evidenced m a spring exhibition of pictmes. The message then went on to say that M. Baillie — fancy the lengthy John beang a "Mussoo" ' — had oiganised a series of exhibitions in his galleiy in London, with the intention of making French painters better known m the great city.