PEOPLE WE READ ABOUT

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4330, 13 April 1901, Page 5 (Supplement)

PEOPLE WE READ ABOUT

When Jenny Lind, commencing her career, was repulsed in Paris, she drew her rather faded garments to her as she retired, and said, ‘‘Some day you will want me to sing here, but I never shall.” She kept her vow, and in her afterwards famous days could newer be induced to sing in Paris. The great temor, M. Jean de Reszke, who celebrated his fifty-first birthday on January 14, once vowed never again to sing in Gay Paree, but unlike Jenny Lind he has allowed himself to break the pledge. Funds were being collected for a memorial to Bizet, and to that end a performance of tho composer’s ‘‘Carmen/’ with Melba, Jean de Reszke, and others in the cast, was organised. When asked to appear, M. Jean instantly responded ; but instead of receiving thanks for his services the tenor found that he had earned the enmity of the French singers. A venomous article appeared in “Gil Bias,” and the tenor was so disgusted that he made the vow alluded to.

A member of the great Northumberland family of Percy died at RodnetHall, Shropshire, recently, in the person of Mr Algernon Charles Heber Percy. The deceased gentleman, who was in his eighty-ninth year, was the eldest son of the late Bishop of Carlisle, and was married in 1839 to Emily, eldest daughter of Bishop Heber, of Calcutta, the composer of the beautiful hymn, “From Greenland’s Icy Mountains.” Two years ago Mr Heber Percy celebrated his golden wedding, and his wife and several children survive him. The Percy family dates back nearly 1000 years.

Lord Lonsdale, who completed his forty-fourth year recently, is one of the best-known sporting peers of the kingdom. As a whip, boxer, huntsman, yachtsman, and racing man he has gained a great reputation, but it is not generally known that he can also claim to be an Arctic traveller. In 1888 his lordship made*an eleven, months’ arduous journey in the wild territory of NorthWelst Canada, securing many trophies which are now to be seen in Lowther Castle. Lord Lonsdale is the fifth holder of the earldom, which was created in 1807. Sir James Lowther, Bart., the father of the first peelr, was a well-known character of the time. When he visited London ho used to dine incog, at a very obscure eating-house, and was under the impression that he was unknown there. One day some article in the bill was advanced one farthing, whereupon the indignant and thirfty baronet withdrew his custom. • • • • •

Mr John Hay, the American Secretary of State, and formerly United States Ambassador in London, is amongst the homeliest of men, and is never tired of telling how, as a boy, he wore an, apron and washed dishes for his mother. At the Sunday school he attended in Illinois, he was first boy in his class, and the fact that he wore an apron at home tfas too much for his fellc.w-scholars. “One day,” says Mr Hay, “they induced me to come out of the house with my apron on, and set my girl friends to ask me questions on housework. I answered them readily enough, and then, giving a dish a tremendous fling, I drenched the whole crowd, boys, girls, and all. I was never molested after that,” he adds, when telling the story.’

The daughter of the former President of the French Republic, Mdlle. Lucie Feilix Faure, who has just made her entry into the literary world by a critical work on “Newman : His Life and His Works,” is said to be a young woman cf_ great erudition and of considerable originality of thought. She rends the classics in the text, is an excellent Latinist, and a distinguished Greek scholar.. Her book on Cardinal Newman is a psychological analysis from the Roman Catholic viewpoint. Mdlle. Felix Faure, with, her mother, lives velry quietly since they left the Elysee. She is very rich, occupies herself with philanthropic work, and is the President of the Charitable League of the Childrdn of France, of which she was the founder. *****

Mr- B. L. Farjeon, the author of so many delightful novels, is one of the very few writers who have set, up wo»k in type .without the- medium of manuscript. When Mr Farjeon first turned to fiction he was editor and publisher of the “Otago Daily Times,” which was printed' at his ojvn offices at Dunedin, and many of the chapters of his first novel, “Grit,” were transferred direct to type by Mr Farjdon, who was one of the most rapid compositors of his time. Mr Farjeon has long abandoned! his first medium, and is now as expert with the typewriter as at the "case.” He is also much more careful in his method of production than in his early days of “composing.” ,i. 1 • • • • •

Most women, wcnld consider themselves lucky in marrying one British Duke, so the Duchess of Devonshire, who celebrated.bar birthday on January 15, having been married twice to Dukes, occupies a rather enviable position. When quite young she was married, in 1852, to the seventh Duke of Manchester, and in 1892 she became the wife of the present Duke of Devonshire, who is known best to some people as the Marqnis of Hartington, and was looked upon as a confirmed bachelor. The Duchess, who is a German by birth, is thus the mistress of six palatial country houses and an estate that brings in a princely income. One ,of these places is at East-, bourne, most of which land belongs to the Duke. Soon after her marriage the Duchess, staying at the seaside resort, desired to have the local golf club opened and caddies provided for a . certain Sunday. When the club secretary demurred!, her Grace, pointing out that the ground belonged to the Duke, threatened the officials, who eventually compromised by offering the Duchess the use of the grounds, but declined to supply caddies.

Major-General Princei Alfonso of Bar varia, who is 38 years of age, has received his discharge from the German army, which. he applied for in consequence of the severe criticism passed by the commanding Generals on the Prince’s handling of the cavalry at the last autumn manoeuvres. The Prince is a great sportsman, and generally _

Earl Roberts has promised to visit Ireland early in the spring. He will be the guest of the Duke of Connaught in his old quarters, Kilmainham Hospital, in which he was residing as Commander of the Forces in Ireland when, in December, 1899, he was appointed to the chief command in South Africa.

Sir Archibald Geikie, who recently intimated his intention to retire from the. post of Director-General of the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom on March 1, has filled the office for the past twenty years. In 1855, at the age of twenty, Sir A. Geikie became an assistant on the Geological Survey of Scotland, and was made director, for Scotland in 1867. In 1881 he was appointed to succeed Sir Andrew Ramsay as DirectorGeneral at Gcrmyn street. Sir Archibald has seen 46 years’ public service. The best known of'Sir Archibald’s books

His brother. Professor James Geikie, succeeded him. in the Geology chair in Edinburgh University. I * * Lord Minto, who has met with an accident while skating, has had an exciting two years since hcrbecame Governor-Gen-eral of Canada. He figured conspicuously for his personal courage during the great fire at Ottawa, he has narrowly . escaped serious injury by a runaway I sleigh, and now he has dislocated his ■ shoulder. But the Earl is used to such j excitements. Most of his life has been ! lived amid exciting scenes. He was | fighting with the Turkish Army in 1887, he was with Lord Roberts in AfghanisI tan in 1879, and he accompanied “Bobs” j as private secretary to the Cape in 1881. A year later he was taking part in the suppression of Arabi Pasha, and in 1883 ha was military secretary to the Governor in the country in which he now represents Britain. Lord Minto is probably the only peer who has visited Klondike, where he and Lady Minto were compelled to occupy the police barracks. The Duke of the Abruzzi is unique among Royalties. He left the luxury of a palace te.follow in the track of the martyrs by trying to find the North Pole. The Royal explorer fijjled, but he succeeded in planting the Italian flag at a point never reached by a human being before. He corrected the position of Cape Flora, and found that King Oscar Island and Petermann Land, which have both figured on the maps, have no real existence. The Duke left three comrades in the icy land, and one of his own fingers, which had to bo amputated; and ho is sending an expedition to Franz Josefs Land to search for the lost men. it is said that since his return the Duke has been anxious to take, unto himself a wife, but that tho young King of Italy interfered because the lady was not “roya,iL ■ ’ * • # ■ * * Many people may not know that in the ruined transept of St. Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington, lie the remains of Jane Welsh, the wife of Thomas Carlyle. She was born in Haddington, of a family that had been connected with the place for generations, and on her death-beo expressed a wish to he buried there. There are not a few natives of the little town who still recall the visits Carlyle used to pay to her tomb. It was his wont, at intervals, to steal quietly away from Cheyiie Row, Chelsea, and spend a few hours in : Although then world-famous,- few knew of his coming and going; but. some of the old people tell of seeing tho sage after nightfall, standing bareheaded by the! grave. . . • . . • •

The death is announced from Paris of M. Chatin, Professor of Botany, at the age of 78. He botanised to the last week of his life. He used to speak of them as his friends the plants, but was afraid that some of them were as wicked as bipeds and quadrupeds. The-flesh-eat-ing plants were to him objects of the greatest interest. Plants, ho maintained, had certainly antipathies to other plants. A rose seemed to him callable of anger in a still greater degree than the stinging nettle. • • * • •

. Captain Sir Arthur Lawler .is the fourth son of the late Lord Wenlock, and his mother was a daughter of the second Marquis of Westminster. His eldest brother, the third Lord Wenlock, was Governor of Madras from 1891 to 1896, and it will be remembered that it was announced that he would accompany the Duke of York on his visit to Australia. The new Governor pf West; Australia is just over 40 years of age, having been born on November 12,1860. He was formerly a captain of Hussars, and married Annie Allen, daughter of Sir Edward Cunard, in 1885. From 1892 to 1896 he was private secretary to the late Duke of Westminster. In 1896 he was appointed secretary to- Earl Grey, and in .November of the same year he,assumed the office of Deputy Administrator for Matabeleland. In their report, for, r 1897 the directors of the British South Africa Company say “he has discharged the duties of that position with conspicuous tact and ability. His services, in connection with the native Indaba'at wayo in January, 1897, and with the recent railway festivities, have beien especially valuable.” In 1898 he- was appointed to his present position as Administrator of Matabeleland, with a residence at Bulawayo.

Sir Alfred Milner, whose salary as Administrator-GenefaX of the Orange and Transvaal Colonies and High Commissioner of South Africa is to be £II,OOO a year, will be _ better paid than any man in the diplomatic service. He’will have £2OOO a year more than Sir Edmund Monson, £OOOO more than Sir;,Francis Plunkett,, Sir Frank' Lascelles and Sir Nicholas O’Conor. Sir Charles Scott, at St. Petersburg, lias a salary of £7800; Lord Cprne, at Kcme, receives £7OOO, and Lord Paiincefote’, at Washington, £6500. There; seems a discrepancy somewhere in the salaries of The chief men of the Empire.; The Lord Lieutenant- of Ireland, who attends, to the interest of a population much less than that of London,.: receives £20,000 a year, only £SOOO less than ; Lord Ourzon, who governs practically one-fifth of the human race. The Lord Chancellor of Ireland has a salary of £BOOO a. year, £2OOO mors than Lord Cromer,has* been paid for making modern Egypt. Lord Salisbury, the first man in the Empire, re- 1 pelves a paltry £2.000. a year,' only oner fifth of the salary, of-the Lord Chancellor. .

. Mr Abram S. , Hewitt,* a. former Mayor of .' New ' Pork City, has as-' tonished a gathering in the Pfo-Gathe-dral with an eloquent outbreak upoij, the unequal Histribution of wealth. In a remarkable address, the speaker declared that while tha national wealth has increased five times as fast as the population, the rich, have not even begun to do what they ought to do p to ameliorate the condition of the poor. “If these terrible tenements,” he said, “these overcrowded districts, these dark, foul dwelling places and their attendant miseries must be associated with industry, then I would to God every industrial centre could be destroyed. The rich are not giving,, in proportion to their wealth, one-naif of that which was given by their families a generation ago. Have they the right to take all this wealth and ,do nothing to correct the evils, created in its production? If this is the result of our. industrial development, our prosr perity as a nation is purchased at a staggering price.” *- : *

Miss Jessie Bateman is one of the prettiest of the many pretty young actresses in London. She has a quan-' tity of the brightest fair hair; small; delicate features, and a characteristic little droop of the head that would make one call her, in a garden of girls, the snowdrop. Before the popular Message was ‘ pub on' at the Avenue, she was playing with Mr Peulev in. “A Little Ray of Sunshine/’ She is on® of the artistes who can boast of having appeared in the beautiful English Unera House in Shaftesbury avenue, now the Palace Theatre. As Miss Bateman seriously commenced her career after the “Mustard Seed” period, at the age of eight, a great deal of professional experience has been crowded into a

Her husband is Captain AshfordbyTrenohard.

Sir Phil May lias been telling the story of his early life. “At twelve,” he writes,, “I was appointed timekeeper in a large iron foundry, : and was delighted with the office; but the foundry masters were not quite so satisfied. At first they were surprised -,nt tho great punctuality of the entire, staff of workmen, later they simply marvelled at its continuance, and finally, they discovered that I kept .the time Jjook on a system of my own.” * ( * * ... The death is announced of the father of the English Bar, Mr Valentine Woodhohse. He was ninety-four years of age, and was called to the inner Temple in 1829. He was an apostle of the Catholic Apostolic Church, founded by Edward Irving about seventy years ago, and was the sole survivior of the original twelve apostles, The Venerable Thomas Stevens, Archdeacon of Essex, who- has been appointed as Bishop Suffragan of Barking, in the diocese of St. Alban’s, is a wellknown Freemason, and was Grand Chaplain of English Freemasons in 1896-7. He is the son of Mr, Thomas Ogden Stevens, of. Clifton, was born in 1642, was educated ■ at Shrewsbury School and Magdalen ; College, . Cambridge, of which he was a scholar and exhibitioner, and graduated in 1863, but was not ordained, till 1866, proododing M.A. in 1867, He was between 1863 and 1882 an assistant master at Charterhouse School, curate of St. Mary’s, Charterhouse; of Woodford, Northants; of St. Mark’s, Victoria Docks; of St. Botolph’s, Bishopsgate; and-of Holy Trinity, Brompton ; and vicar of St. Mark’s and also of St. Luke’s, Victoria-Docks; and was, from 1882 to 1889, .vicar of Saffron-Walden and chaplain to -the Union, since when lie: has "been vicar of St. Jolm-with-Holy Trinity, Stratford. He Was an honorary canon of St. Alban’s, from 1891 to 1894, was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1889, and has been Archdeacon of Essex since 1894. He married in 1866 a daughter of Mr George Bertram, of St. Helier, Jersey, and sister of Sir George Clement Bertram- la-tei baliff of the island.

Dr Edward J. Hopkins, the wellknown organist and composer, lias just died at his residence in Camden Town. For fifty-six years Dr Hopkins was the organist-of .the Temple Church. He was affectionately known in the musical world as: the father of English organists. He played one evening for the late Prince Consort, after which the Prince desired that “Hopkins be told he was very pleased.” Jenny Lind used to sing from his organ-loft, and as a choir, boy Dr. H.bpkins sang before George IV. ; and at the coronation of William IV. He was singing tenor at Queen Victoria’s. Jubilee, .sixty-six years later.. As a. composer of church music he ranks with Purcell, Croft and Stainer. His chief works were “The Temple Hymn Book”, and “The Organ ; Its History and Construction.”