NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9977, 14 November 1895, Page 5

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Is an interesting article on professional iecrecy, the Spectator says ib is nob unknown to see a doctor or a lawyer in afterdinner talk dancing on the edge of the precipice of professional secrecy. For a man of strong nerves the spectacle is interesting and diverting. One knows that tie dancer is perfectly safe, and that in spite of his nearness to the abyss thore is not the slightest fear of his .toppling over, Ha seems to be telling a great deal, to b» perfectly open and frank about the itrange experiences which he has come across in his practice and the odd people who have consulted him, but in reality he is telling you nothing whatever. It is all a triumph of that sleight of tongue which Lord Palmerst9n is said to have practised to perfection. He would talk to a man for an hour on high politics, and appear to be letting oub Cabinet secrets by the bagful, and the listener felt half-flattered, half-horrified, at hearing so many things which ought never to have been told outside the big drawing-room in Dotrning-street. When, however, the talk was over, and the recipient of the Ministerial confidences tried in cold blood to remember the secrets confided, he found to bis astonishment that he had heard nothing which was not to bo found in that morning's Times. The confidences were all a matter of manner— effects, and nothing more. But though the experienced man of the world may realise tbab his professional dancing on the edge of the precipice is merely a game, and in general a perfectly safe one, the ordinary person is apt to be made extremely nervous by the display. " He'll be over as sure as fate" is his thought, and he reflects with horror tbab if these things were said about bis case or the curious clauses in his will, he could be identified by any one. And in one case in a thousand accidental identification may take place. Every one remembers the venerable " chestnut" of the Cardinal who told an admiring circle of ladies that the first confession he ever heard was one of murder, and how his remark was interrupted by the entry of a Prince who ab once proceeded to remind his old friend the Cardinal—'' was your first penitent." As a matter of fact confessions are very seldom accidentally betrayed in that manner; but people imagine they are, and that is enough to make general professional talk give a sense of insecurity.

The Spectator thinks that lawyers and doctors gain rather than lose in social consequence by maintaining the strictest reticence. Omne ignolum pro magnifico is the truest of proverbs. Members of the learned professions who never give any inkling of what they know about the affairs of their fellows, become invested with a sort of halo of mystery which is extremely attractive. "What extraordinary things Dr. Jones could tell us if he only would," thinks little Tom Eaves, with a sigh; and he regards the doctor with a pleasing awe, as a man in whose breast are locked all sorts of strange, truetalesandthrillingexperiences. In reality of course, the doctor's frankest confessions would seem very commonplace if told plainly and simply; for though incidents in private practice, when hinted at, sound most thrilling, they are as a rule extremely dull. Dr. Cinchona's secrets are far moro attractive when untold and unhinted at than when exposed to the light of day. The process of simple narration acts like the air on an entombed body, and makes the strange tale turn into a handful of dull fast. If Dr. Lushington had told the true story of the Byron separation, it would probably have been the simplest and most squalid string of facts imaginable. He, however, refused to tell what he knew, and Mb a thrilling mystery. His conduct in this matter was indeed a perfect example of professional honour. He was urged to tell what he knew, in the interests of Lady Byron, of literature, and of who knows what else—it could do no harm to anyone living if he were to clear up a great literary problem. Nay, to let in the light was represented as a positive duty. Fortunately, he was a man of specially nice honour. He refused to be led away by these sophistries, and determined to let the secret, such as ib was, die with him. He argued, it is said, that it was far more important to show the world that a professional secret, even if quite unimportant) or grown quite harmless by age, would be kept inviolate, than to clear up any problem in the life of a poet. His was a great example, and should be remembered by all lawyers and doctors when thoy arc urged, for this or that excellent reason, to divulge facts known to them in their professional capacity.

Dr. Nordan is thus described by an English journalist, who formed one of a select party of writers and pressmen who were asked to meet the distinguished author when in London lately :— " A short, square gentleman, very wide in the shoulders, with hair and beard almost white, is the doctor. When he stands up you see he is below the middle height ; sitting down, the masnive body and great face and head make him a rather imposing figure. He is, I believe, about six or seven-and-forty ; but his white hair makes him look oldor. Yet there is no sign of advancing years in his /demeanour.. His fine grey eyfl is as bright and sparkling as a girl's; his large, expressive 'face bubbles over with intelligence Sad vivacity ; his voice is mellow and reeonaiit, and his talk id a gushing stream

o{ anecdote, argument,, persiflage, illustration, epigram. His information is marvellous. He knows every thing. You cannot start a subject on which the Doctor will nob tell you something you did nob know before. Science, politics, history, literature—he has them all ab the tip of that fluenb tongue. He will talk bo you of the latesb " Keynote" novelette as readily as he will discuss Shakespere or Cervantes; unpublished anecdotes about Mr. Chamberlain or Mr. Parnell are ab his call as easily as new stories aboub the Court of Napoleon or the Courb of Louis XIV. His English is quito perfect, and it is only one of some dozen languages he talks equally well. The lasb fact you learn from him with difficulty; for the doctor, with all his unbounded confidence in his own opinions, is personally a modest and courteous gentleman, and does nob readily talk aboub himself. Decidedly an interesting personality. No one can be in his company for two minutes without discovering that ho is a man of abounding mental energy, with an unfailing interest in every side of human activity and character."

Herroslioff, the builder and designer of tho Defender, the yacht whose winning of tho America Cup is still causing so much controversy, as will be seen by our cables to-day, is & remarkable example of success in f.pite of a deficiency which depresses the lives of a majority of similar victims. He has bean blind since his 15th year, but he carries perfect pictures of the vessels in his memory, and it is upon this gallery that he draws in devising the plans which have made his name a familiar one in all parts of the world. When a description of machinery is read to him he can ab once point out its merits and defects, and so fine and true is his sense of feeling bbab by merely running his fingers over the lines of a design he can gain as accurate an idea of ib as though he saw it. Mr. Herreshoffs fathor was a shipbuilder before him, and the son early displayed a bent for the same calling. He has bean in business on his own account for something over twenty years, and during that time, with the aid of his younger brother Nathaniel, has designed and constructed many of the swiftest torpedo boats and steam and sailing yachts now afloat. Ib is only within the last ten years that the Herreshoffs have Come to the fore in the yachting world. In the seventies and early eighties they did very little in the way of designing sailing yachts., though they had considerable success with fast steam yachts. It was thaGloriana, a 46-tooter, thab gave Mr. Herroshoff his start. She was a wide departure from the usual type of sailing yacht then known, having the round full waterlines and long overhangs thab characterised the other Herroshoff boats, which have retained the America Cup. She won eighb races out of eight starts, and established the Herreshoff yard as the chief one in the States. Mr. Herreshoff possesses not only mechanical genius, but executive ability of the highest order. He looks carefully after the financial affairs of his firm, and personally superintends the soveral departments of a plant omploying hundreds of men. A visitor, ignorant of his misfortune, seeing Mr. Herreshoff seated in bis office dictating letters or receiving reports, or strolling unguided aboub his yards, giving directions to his foremen, would never suspect that he was blind.

As we surmised in our comments yesterday, the Sultan has now become fully alive to the gravity of the situation. It is announced to-day that he has issued instructions to the governors of the various provinces in which outrages and disorder have been rife that peace must be secured regardless of creed. The phrase is perhaps somewhat ambiguous, bub we regard the general tenour of the cable message, which will be found in another column, as indicating a determination on the part of the Sultan to put an end to the state of things which has made his country a by-word among the nations, and seriously imperilled its very existence. The Armenians at Zeitun, a town about 25 miles from Marash in the highlands of the Aleppo province, with a population of some 20,000 inhabitants, mainly Armenian Christians, who for centuries have maintained themselves against Turkish oppression, broke oub in revolt, and for a time were successful. They defeated the regular troops and obtained possession of their barracks, bub in the end had to yield. Ik is reported that the Druses are in revolt and have destroyed a number of villages. The Druses are a remarkable people who inhabit a district in the north of Syria, comprising the whole of the southern range of Mount Lebanon and the western elope of Anti-Lebanon. In consequence of their lawlessness in 1860 the five Powers, which had guaranteed theindependence of Turkey, held a Conference in Paris, and decided to send a force of 20,000 men, one-half of which were French, to Syria to chastise the Druses. The troops, however, could nob get at them as the Druses had retired into the Desert of the Hauran. The financial panic which seized the Continental Bourses,and in & lesser degree affected the London Stock Exchange, owing to the critical condition of affairs in the East, is now subsiding. The King of Ashantee remains obdurate, and a British military force is beinj? organised to proceed against him. The annexation of Bechuanaland has been formally proclaimed, Mr. Chamberlain, the Colonial Secretary, is in favour of the Pacific cable, and is also considering the expediency of the colonies contributing to the cost of maintaining the British navy.