GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5229, 19 March 1904, Page 9

GENERAL NEWS.

■■••« c» l U cial,A “ s ' ■ Mi m® 1 * 15 -ffsus B iH&f. \jiierica. , taX Col- * skylight P r ‘ B :. T ' s bedroom on the. tf the Sn<-* r; “ .his tax co|dux h*> ni , ii„ut in his K : after” oidiiiaht fitted his pockets. I MOHTAL JiNEMIESwere in ■ ajs*.,.]' “® o alivayr gemg tor ■JS.’*' 1 !!?, lt fcrocit". K™ry R^fecr it! h g J. ‘The Razor” bo ■iViph bo "r ..The yvovuMi,” and ■ learn "ho" - it. stung /eertain pliilanhu-opist * - Rlicll Viuhnico. fcO lit* ■>; <1 to dine in the Hd ( > llU ' L ‘i fare h.- could make inm. At till appealcH s *‘ , V ~ meiauchoh - man l>re- ‘ »iwi was ushered in. H ‘ u . :n ( ‘’ I ’.'',i‘';us BO otner guest ani r “S£r ; »<! <» K>. manI A WOIISIOhhKMMA. I ■ nwssrsscu a horse which, alaiiiimd, find °uo gloat ■f r,«!d never go past a vvmd.vim'wilh were numerous, m V : ' vMr'irlionil, fins '-is very m- ■ “ft, mil me larmer useu evoiy fc'fi.is |.mm- lu get tile uorso ■ lif-oini’v (Ind nuniig once ■&4II& he would have no fur■'t; l tllo ' vhl,) an ‘f Ri he riNiirb’d lo coaxing,ami ■iy'Vbiit iviinoiit success, until at I! kite all P'd lence, lie tied cue t,S W» :MKI “ ra «« cu lfc *| m ■. rieniv iriudiiuii- 'I lie next day, B'L to usi the success of His rem- ■ |,rare to rule the horse along H mid past the " indiuili. Nor was ■f-iiinamti’d, for ihe horse pa?s»->d it. ■ l”, [citation. Hut his u-iumpn ■ ”(,j short duration, lor he soon dwK w l'thaf , although the horse ivoum Kh mv ivin'iliiiill. I rum t hat day forth ■iwiM wver oasi a waggon.

■llETlimi ABOUT THE NAYY. :®a»ac»i»lli» February “Review of ■aiv, f,;r Australasia,’' Air Stead ■''■pi-'-lt is (m-ioiis how history repeats inlSSUlie nation was alincst iu 1 al»:it ihr cor.ditimi of the navy. 'HE. ; jesr Mr Arnold Forster, not as a Si-cri'tary of Slate, but only a prison, not even a private; muriS:;f Parliament, induced me to' under- ■ ite injury ■into the deficiency of .jHr tavy. wiiich icd to the publication Truth About the Navy,’ and its jtaticii.s iu the columns of tlio Mill Gazette.’’ The reconstrucNavy dates from that Kit it lias never hitherto been known that the two men who of ■ others were most helpful in the comcf that memorable exposition Sour raw! (Ivlicieticies were no other the men who are now named of tho Commission for tho rcH:.'. ot tlio War Office. Without the of Captain Fisher, cl the “Ex- ■ ami of the lion. Reginald w State for Mar, ’The Truth Navy’ could never have been But so well was the .secret of Hb(Monition preserved that it was until the other day that Admiral discovered, quite accidentally, ■s: in the great struggle of 1384 he had ■w most ellieieiit ally in the Whir Oflb man who is now chief of tho BwtiUsion charger! with tho root-and-Mniicii reform of tho administration of In 1884, as in 1903, Air ArHy. set the thing in motion, ■•im ITO, as in 1884, it fell to the like same journalist to condense in ■tpur lorm the evidenco as to the ■f® shortmining of the services. In H"* ■\' n>e alow iiintaiu Goes to- T\ r ax J as a sc( F ,e l to ‘Tho About the Navy.’ ” I THE MONETARY VALUE OF ■ UADI [LAI. ■5-F f F ; K T 1,1 th ° February ■ab ° t Re "Review of Reviews for wys in his article on Radin regard to the value of radi- » nun ut eiilomle cf th o activity of ■C” , . <>rabout ;tti au enmee. Tho iS,f‘? s .“-’}l % ‘he author itt tho ‘ U , Mustium of If! ! S '°f , 127 ln i • ■ igranrs— equal B. ’■ o,lfH ’ l shth of a gram, or l-249th | 5 ed a Villue of £35 - ■A -to.OOO per ounce irov. Bn rt l r''" 1S 0f tho nc t’vity of 300,■Wn ff 1 at the re|rT!.”fr" A<li,n,s - °I -New York ■ S l , 1 t 0 carry on the in-■>irC-Y) “C-Ai ri,t , :m ni an activity of at £U2 for 100 miHiVf : lu> „ ratc of £ ‘S3.OOO per Bits -1 M ” a 1 used repreBfs ten of r^ at r ot " mor;> Than kit ,!„)* , cnhl( : n(1l ’ : the 1,800,000 ! fiv 7 ,! - v ; the concentration of Be,-;;;... c ; yet the entire 1° p;,r 1,1 thp end of a Ipses r o n- f °£ eUpy one-tonrth of tho fc»t. rjlaiv,"*’ between that and the |k:v P f m"" 1 compounds with an ac-iF'-ionsfiv! t,, i Ol - 11 -’’ ' y hcu it lias boon I* tt Wcoif- "“' re;l -' or! i“ its activity I s *' B «nh cX i p. c°stv.v—-Uke steel. fMi many Hni v + , lw P°nnd ; but factum' iff" vn , lue cf S°ld when u ‘ llUc> watdi-springi !" JAP ‘ saii *ORS' friend. ?‘tie ' , Ali4 ! \v ’ 'Sht'y bo described * st J. She";,- v St ; >U ’ i tlle> Japanese N® taotoncl‘,f, ® ‘ Cn - seoll in the a crowd ‘rt t 01 tho -inetropolis :f, ■« lier^iff ap ?. n 9 sp hluejackets. hnri-ir n etaei,?l 't Japanese in Jap-i.T Ilf, a -\ a niitisionary for tfnek h f y cf ' :in tiri,ng ,icr i. ; ] .A V lO ‘as ostablisbeci w ka(w “ i« the Japat,! “ East F-n r llt T°’ ln Coalfin road, ' ot Eomlcn. near the fl^rSis 3 At Pa AfL War v rcssel 2c ■fa” .14; to conduct ls* »or'.d. c)’!;, of the greatest city f**** with Cn fPPhes the blaeU'boa of t i, li ? rs bags.” after the sailois wilfn Aliss Weston. tU C s ’ Jc b as spt con tain useful fcl’ «e.. needles, slHl5 IHI t' U ad atlori of Hhis- ? da P a 'ics 3 Testaments M am " t i l cr among the a PP re mated is evi' ii‘e notice / letters she receives t! “. appe nr in the Japa-

nese papers. Recently she received a letter from a Japanese bluejacket who had heard from a companion that she lied been slightly indisposed. The letter ran ; ‘I hopc_you are quite strong again. For, if vou are not strong. I shall feel much distressed’ and if you. become ill all our seamen must become ill.’' CZAR’S FINANCE MINISTER. Serge Yulevitch de Witte, who has gained so -much favour with the Czar that ho is 'practically Chancellor of the Russian Empire, is famous as a financier, statesman, and diplomatist. To hta may be credited the building of the great Trans-Siberian Railway, and in economic measures that he has promoted he has displayed the skill of a master, fie was born in the Caucasus in 1840: first studied at Tiflis, aiyl then entered tiio University of Odessa. Later he became a journalist, which proved to be his ladder to public life. His .first impellant office was Minister of Ways ar cl Communications,' to which he was appointed in 1892. In January. 1893. he became Finance Minister. His tariff war with Germany showed his ability to handle issues of national finance in a surprising manner.

A NOTED SCULPTOR. • M. Rodin, the noted French sculptor, who has been elected president of the International Society of Sculptors Painters, and Gravers, has shared the fate of all men of genius. Ho has been derided and. persecuted, but his struggles have left no trace of bitterness, and ho. who has only used his art as a weapon and lias never taken part ai the polemics waged around him, proclaims his grateful delight at having outlived hostile opinion and at being able .to reap In-, reward. With all his mode my. ho has the pritte of the consciousness of his worth. ■ : >

A few years ago the great soalptoi’s name was all but unknown in England, and tlio only example of hi.s work in,a British public 00/.lection >s the stalfue of St. John at (ho Awetoria and Albert Museum in London. It is now proposed to present a, plaster of bis famous “Grand Pcnseur,” now in the , centnl hall of the New'Gallery, to the nation.; 'M: Rodin’s personality is one not easily 'to bo forgotten by those who have been fortunate enough to poet the artist. His short. and vigorous frame is crowned by a. powerful head with abundant grey hair and a long, grey 'bear'd —a head that reminds one”in” turn of a Greek Jupiter, and of a faun, and again.of the master's own work. Ho is modest, retiring, nhucst shv, reluctant to speak cf his art to ihoso with whom ho is not well acquainted, hut full of fire and subdued (•ufcansias.m when the ice is broken and .when' his iiftefest has been aroused. Then ho speaks of his love for his work, his ardour admiration of nature, and of that iutonsa conmuni’ou that ho feels to exist between man and nature. THE JAPANESE MINISTER. Viscount Hayashi the Japanese Minister at the Court of St. James’s, has been very,much to the {rout of late, though few know anything of his personality. Of medium height, and dressed in faultless English stylo, one- would hardly take him for a Japanese. If yc»n met him in the street and inquired youir way, that would hardly assist you,' for the Japanese Minister's English is perfect. No ambassador is more amiable, though if you expected him to talk on the controversy in the Far East you weald probably, find him .exceedingly reticent. Nevertheless, he is a ■very popular figure in society, and much sought after. Ho is decidedly a man of the world. Ho has travelled; extensively, having twice visited the United States, before he took up his abode in Louden he hold the important post of Japanese Minister at St. Petersburg.. Ho las travelled all over that great Empire, and probably knows more about Huff-’a and her ways than any. man In London. Ho has a very high, regard for the Cvwr. whom he has met several times. BRITAIN’S NELSON.. Admiral Sir John Fisher may rightly bo described as Britain’s Nolspn. Ask any man in tho British Navy who wifi be England’s next Nelson should she ever ho involved in a naval, war, and lie will lunhesitatingly-reply, “Why, Jaoky Fisher, of course.’’ He is the strongest and ablest man in tho-.service-;.

His rise in tho navy has been phenomenal. Forty-nine years ago he stopped on hoaud Nelson’s old flagship, the Victory, as a lad of twelve. To-day he holds tiro position of Admiral Command-ing-iii-Chief at Portsmouth Dockyard. Ho has. served his country mr almost every naval station, and has seen much active service. He served in the Crimean War, the China.-War of 1859-60; and at the bombardment of Alexandria. Some idea of .his iron nerves and strong will 'may he gathered from the following incident. Some years ago he was at Lisbon with a squadron. At this particular timo the relations between Germany md Britain were very strained. Just before the English ships loft, a German fleet, of twice the. strength entered the harbour with the idea of impressing the Portuguese, and drew up in double line off the town. Fisher exchanged salutes and then led his vessels out of the harbour at full speed between the two Gorman lines, with only twenty or thirty yards clear on cither side. It was a manoeuvre that might have wrecked a dozen ships, and only a man of iron nerve could have carried it out successfully. Hut he had trained his squadron well. Not a single vessel swbrved a yard from the wake of his flagship. Amazed at his daring, the Germans cheered as he passed by their ships. No man in the navy works harder than Admiral Fisher. .He toils from five o'clock in the morning until nine at night, and expects everybody else to dcT the same. In this connection ho is fond of telling the following story cf an old boatswain who served under him in several ships. The boatswain eventually retired on a pension, and Fisher paid him a visit at his country cottage in Devonshire. He noticed a man serving about tho place, who seemed to have nothing to do, and turning to his host, said. “What on earth do you want him fCr?” , V :■■■:

“Well, sir,” said the boatswain, “he. has to call mo every morning at five o’clock and say, '‘Admiral wants to se© you, sir-’ I roll over on the .other side of the bad, and reply. Tell the Admiral to go to Jericho.’ Then I go to sleep again, foeling good. This happen© ■ half a dozen times a day, -and If eel better every time. I’ve been- waiting twentyfive, years to say that.”