NEWS AND NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18275, 16 December 1922, Page 6 (Supplement)

NEWS AND NOTES.

Arthur Porritt, in his new 1)001:, "The! 1 Best I Remember," tells the following ] story of Drt Parker, of the City Temple :— ' "An old lady once went into tho vestry 5 to thank him for the i inspiration he gave r her. 'You do throw such wonderful fight on the Bible, Doctor.' she said. To you know that until this morning I had always thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were man and wife.' " r The wife of the hanker historian George yr Grote must have been an extraordinary s woman. She. rode withtr* a saddle; she f was not afraid to put off in a boat withr out a man ; and sue was plucky enough a to marry her lover without permission and return home without saying a word about it; Sydney Smith describes thie ' lady and her lord "in his happy fashion: — , "I do not like them both so much, for i he is ladylike and she is a perfect genble- > man." r October 22 was the centenary of the 1 birth of Thomas Hughes, author of the world-famous book, " Tom Brown's School Days." Hughes was born in 1822 at " Uffington, and died at Brighton on March r 22, 1896, being buried in Brighton Ceme- ' tery. He went to Rugby when he was ; > 11," and was iinder the great Arnold. The 1 Rugby of that time is described in " Tom a Brown's School Days," but the hero is not a personal portrait. 7 M. Paderewski has left his beautiful 9 home at Morges, near Lausanne, accom- *' panied by his life, his secretary, and his I grand piano. The famous pianist is ful- ' filling an engagement to give a series of 0 concerts in the principal American cities. The tour will be a. protracted one, and -i M Paderewski will receive a fee. of 1,000,000 dollars (£220,000)— a sum that he refused to accept from an American syndicate in 1920 in order to give his services to Poland. It is stated that M. o Paderewski recently declined a highly i remunerative offer for a concert tour in England. t, Much has been written of George Sand, 0 the famous French woman novelist, and 0 many aspects of her wonderful talent and „ versatility, with here and there a glimpse of her stormy life, have been brought into view. One of her characteristics, however, s is still little known to the average 5 reader. Artist, musician, writer, George .- Sand was not above smoking a pipe, and i- a clay pipe. Balzac, writing of his visit a to her house at Nohant, describes how one day he found her after dinner sit- ; ng alone in the chimney corner of a long room, attired in dressing gown, red trousers, grev stockings, and yellow elipicrs, and smoking a cigar. V " Madame Sarah Grand, the famous novel- ** ist, is to be Mayoress of Bath during the ensuing year. Alderman Frederick drivers, who h;is been elected Mayor, is » a widower. Out of a wish to pay honour 9 to a distinguished resident of the city, 3 Mr. Chivers approached Madame Grand i. and asked her if she would consent to act t, af, Mayoress during his term of office. The novelist agreed. This arrangement is believed to be unique in municipal records - A resident of Bath during the past two d years. Madame Grand is a sociologist as , well as a writer of romances. During the s time she lived at Tunbridge Wells, she took a keen interest in public questions. As a novelist. Madame Grand made peril hups- her greatest success with " The f Heavenly Twins," published in 1893. Her t. most recent book is " The Winged Vic n toiy," which appeared in 1916. A widow. - Madame, Grand lost, her husband. Lieut. - e Colonel McFall, whom she married at the '• age of 16, in 1898. She has co« son.