ALL SORTS AND PEOPLE

Free Lance, Volume XVII, Issue 916, 1 February 1918, Page 4

ALL SORTS AND PEOPLE

THE Rev. G.H. Eastman, who has been carrying on the work of ; the Missionary Society at the Cook Islands, with headquarters at Raro- . tonga, for .the» last "4J years, was in Wellington last week, and a Free Lancer had an interesting chat with .him. Mr. Eastman is a young Suffolk man full, of enthusiasm for l the mission work in which he is about to break iresh ground. The London Missionary Society has taken over from the American Board the evangelisation the Gilbert Islands together with' <])cean Island and Nauru. Prior to the war Nauru was the headquarters of the German administration over the Caroline Islands, now occupied by Japan. # ■» # * ■ .Mr. Eastman speaks hopefully of the ( Cook Islands. The Rarotongans were a dying race, but since New Zealand took control and instituted medical oversight, and treatment, the decay lias been arrested, and, as hygienic rules are now better observed, the ■chances are that the native population may gradually increase as it is doing in New Zealand. Tuberculosis is the greatest scourge, and Mr. Eastman thinks: one of the contributing causes is the natives' partiality for European foods, clothing, and dwellings. © & o &■. . The steamers passing through the group from 'Frisco to New. Zealand and Sydney frequently recruit their crews with' native labour, and the boys who take on these trips are not exactly agencies for the uplifting of their race -when they return to their villages. It would be a good thing if the New ZeaGovernment stopped this exploitation of native labour. * «■ * . ' •«■.'■ f Mr. W.C Smith, who is just now in Wellington, is leaving soon for Rarotonga to open -,a central public school there, and in this connection Mr'. East-. man thinks it is a pity that instruction is not given in the native tongue, as English is only taught up to the Fourth Standard. But, the Cook Islanders' greatest grievance is that they have no direct representation in -the Parliament which governs them, and seeing that there is a> population •of 10,000 in the Cook Group, and that their Maori brethren elect four members of the New Zealand Parliament, the grievance is well founded. While Parliamentary representation is denied to the Cook Islands, public sentiment in Samoa and Fiji is averse to closer' union with New "Zealand, so far as Mr. .-. Eastman *has 'been able to gauge it. The London Mission, which was found- .* «d in 1795, was the first of the great Missionary Societies, and in 1323 it started its evangelical operations in "the South Pacific under the Rev. John Williams, and John Williams is'the name of the missionary vessel vnich now makes a yearly cruise through the islands.

Sultan Admed Fuad, the youngest brother of the late Sultan Hussein Kamel, and son of the Khedive Ismail Pasha, was horn in Cairo on March 26, 1868. He was educated in Switzerland and Italy, and became an officer in an Italian artillery regiment. By his marriage with Princess Shevikar, he has a daughter, Princess Fukhia. At one time he was a candidate for the throne <>f Albania.

Dr. Morrison, the distinguished Australian now within our gates, is certainly a very complaisant man. He has come to> New Zealand to recruit his health, impaired by five years' close application to his duties as Political Adviser of the Chinese Government, and inside his first two days in, Wellington he has delivered three addresses at local functions. Really, we mustn't kill the poor man with mistaken kindness. •» * * i* - r On Monday morning Mayor Luke arranged a very nice civic reception in the Council room. Some of the City Fathers arrived a bit late to> find their cushioned armchairs at the horse-shoe table occupied by undignified laymen. The Mayor sketched Dr. Morrison's career with a graphic tongue. At 16 the young fellow walked from ■ his native Geelong across country to Adelaide without a compass and without a gun. At 18 he crossed the Australian continent, explored the terra incognita of New Guinea; and described his adventures in a series of articles published in the Melbourne "Age," and re-pub-lished in its weekly, "The Leader." <B 3? © CJ Mr. Tolhurst, who was at the reception, told a. Fbee Lancer that he still remembers the vivid interest with which he, read "these articles when they were /coming out in "The Leader" in 1882, arid he recollects' distinctly Dr. Morrison's amusing description of a bullock-driver whom, he met in the interior— with such a copious flow of profane language that he swore volubly for 19 minutes without once re-peating-himself. . * * * * We apologise to His; Worship for this digression. Mr. Luke told, how the fame of the young explorer reatahed the London "Times," which promptly secured him for "Travels in China." For 17 years he acted as "Times" correspondent in China, and then when China overturned her monarchy and went in for a republic instead, Dr. Morrison was chosen as Political Adviser. That was five years ago and he still acts, but this is his first holiday. Dr. Morrison replied modestly and interestingly. He mentioned with pride that his wife is a New Zealander. He is of straight, rather spare figure with a pleasant intellectual face and close-cut iron grey hair. He selects his phrase's carefully but wholly- with a view to clear and concise expression. Sir Joseph Ward and the Hon. J. Hislop (ex-Mayor) were the other speakers. Mr. Hislop mentioned the interesting fact) that his own father (New "Zealand's first Under-Secretary for Education) many years ago carried on a correspondence with the present Dr. Morrison's father (founder of Geelong College) and twoi of his uncles: one Dr. Morrison, of Melbourne, and the other Dr. Morrison, of Glasgow. •» * * * Tuesday was a still busier time with Dr. -Morrison, for at midday he was entertained by the New Zealand Club,, and at 4 p.m. hei was the guest /of the journalists at the Grand Hotel, Mr. C. E. Wheeler presiding at the luncheon, and Mr. R. A. Loughnan at the journalistic function.' On both occasions the social lion discoursed on China. Amongst his brethren of the pen he invited questions, and a number were put, which elicited much interesting information. Pour points may be briefly mentioned: (1) China's entrance into the war on the side of the Allies defeats Germany's hope of exploiting China . commercially; (2) China is abandoning the immemorial practice of deforming her women's feet; (3) The Standard Oil Trust is

making it easy for every' Chinaman to have a, lamp for his house, and John is no longer obliged to go to bed when the. sun goes down, but is sitting up. at nights and reading his newspaper; (4) Britain has acted up to her best traditions by putting a stop to the opium trade, but the Chinaman still grows the soporific poppy, and, has developed an alarming craving for morphia, which has been largely supplied from Austria, Germany, and —whisper it softly—from Scotland, where elders of the Free Kirk/says Dr. Morrison, have been making muckle bawbee® out of it.

The new Chinese Consul, Mr. Lin Shih-Yuan, is scholarly looking, and, judging by the quiet, unobtrusive way. he arrived last week, quite unannounced, and slipped into the Consulate here in Wellington, he is of a very retiring disposition. Fact is, he comes of distinguished Chinese stock, his great grandfather some sixty years ago was viee-roy at different periods of no less than fourteen Chinese provinces. Dr. Morrison, in his talk to the Wellington journalists at their'reception on Tuesday afternoon, mentioned the interesting fact that this ancestor of the- new Consul, while he was holding a high official position in Canton, took a prominent part in stopping the importation of opium into China, "and," added Dr. Morrison, "there is no family that holds a higher place in the esteem of the Chinese people than his." * . . # * # Mr. Lin Shih-Yuan informs the Fbee Lance that he has come "to promote a better understanding between the Chinese and the people of New Zealand." About 40 years of age, he is a married man, his wife returning to China a couple of months before he left Vancouver (where he has been Chinese Consul) for New Zealand. S.trangely enough, he was years- ago associated with the former Chinese Consul here, Mr. Kwei Chih, at the Legation at Washington. * * . • ■ * ■ ' * The late Charlie Parata, M.P., says the "Observer," used to tell a good story of how he'" dropped out of racing. He had been receiving bad treatment from the horses, was picking wrong ones all the time, and then he

attended a meeting at Wahganui.. His , decision was to back all outsiders,! in a desperate attempt to get even; . : The\ first pop returned something like £20, all of which went on an outsider in the next race, and he duly rolled . home. Having; started so well, "Charlie" decided that he had struck the ''right oil," and he continued the process, with the result that he left the course with/ something like £2000, and never went on to another one. -, "* .'■*■•'■';','.* ' * Those who can't see any prospect of an early termination,of the war in the Hun Chancellor's statement of Germany's peace terms may turn for consolation to Count Von Luokner, the recaptured. German escapee from Motuihi Island. The Count was, as is /well known, removed ,the other day to Ripa Island, where, it is to be hoped," he will not be re-afforded excuse for saying "You left the door open and you cannot blame me for walking out," When asked what he thought of his new home the Count . replied: "i'lt's right enough. It won't be for longprobably a couple of months.- We are making a gigantic effort shortly and we hope to overcome the French." But if your gigantic effort fails, dear Count, what then ? * \ * «• »■."'■' Rumoured that on the trip down from Auckland the military guard had to take particular care of the Countnot for fear so much that he would - escape yet again, which he, of course, would promptly do if given another chance, but for the preservation of his valuable skin. The story is that an armed fireman or somebody was caught redhanded, and the allegation is that he was waiting for the Count to come into view. He reckoned he had. a little personal account to settle with Von liuckner, having lost two brothers on one of the vessels sunk by the. Seeadler. If this story be true ,then the fireman, or whoever it was will have a certain amount of sympathy. And who knows but that Von Luckner can thank his lucky, stars that he. has had yet another escape? \ Mr. and Madame of Christchurch—the parents of Madame Cope-Dowsing, of Wellington— can claim to be New Zealand's very oldest living musicians. Mr. Winter is" now 99 years of age, and yet is wonderfully bright and alert. He reads even small print without the aid of glasses, he takes a keen interest in the development of flying machines and their performances as well as in the progress of the war generally, and two years ago he delighted some friends who, were visiting him by singing two operatic arias, "M'Appari tutt'amor," from "Martha," and "Sulla Tomba " from "Rigoletto." ' ~ «» * » ■ $ In his day he was a very fine tenor singer, having been trained under Randegger, Balfe, Sehira, and Manuel Garcia who was Patti's teacher, and lived .to be upwards of 100 years. Madame Winter, who is now 87 _years of age, graduated, from the Royal Academy of Music as a brilliant pianist under such renowned masters as' Sir Charles Halle, Sterndale Bennett (the composer), Ascher,- and Thalberg. .Mr. aiid Madame Winter, as singer and pianist, resided in Auckland many years ago, and 30 years ago were known throughout New Zealand as artists of the first order. Madame CopeDowsing inherits, the musical gifts of her parents, and. her musical education was carried on .under the best* auspices. ~'-■•■'; T' :