PERSONAL PARS.

NZ Truth, Issue 79, 22 December 1906, Page 1

PERSONAL PARS.

Sara Bernhardt is 6-2 years of age, Adelina Patti is 63, and Genevieve Ward (Madame Guerabella) is seventy. And they are all m the publicmashing biz. still ! * • • It seems to be impossible to associate the -poet, A- 0. Swinburne, with anything but lusty youth and bubbling passion, with love songs and laughing Spring. Yet he will be' TO years of age if he lives until April next. * * m Cicely Staunton, the Auckland contralto, she of the Junoesque features and figure, who has been singing m grand opera for some years m Europe is coming back to Australasia early next year. The regal beauty should receive a great welcome from ' her own city, at any rate. ■ •'■'*' • In connection with the cricket match played m Adelaide the other , day between Victoria and South Australia, a correspondent says :— The veteran, George Giffen, howled at the nets to the Victorians for <pite a long time, and they reckon him "still the best bowler m Adelaide." The, splendid hitter of byrone years. J. Lyons, was at the match. He is well, but not so stout as of yore. *. ■ ■ a.. * Sydney Leno, the' 16-y ear-old son of the late Dan Leno, 'is about to make bis professional debut m England m a six-act version of "Cinderella," written by himself. The cast will include two of his sisters, his two brothers, and himself, and he will appear as one of Cinderella's ugly sisters. After this performance young Leno intends to devote himself to music hall work, on the* lines which made his ' father famous. \ , ' • ■>„-..(.,. - M . . . .„ „ . „».-- ,-:, Long, live ; *!£*ng^ Of judkins has been crowned at Melbourne with a wreath of ti-tree scrub, dipped m Poseidon— no, I mean Solution— to render it an ever-rlastins emblem of the best joke of the century ! And the wags went joyfully homeward, crying out . "We have crowned Judkins '. Hurrah !" Next week we will" publish Mr John Norton's open letter to this same blasphemous, self-conscious, conceited bounder, Judkins. The amount raised by the Sydney swimmers to commemorate the deeds of the late Barney Kieran, champion all round swimmer of the world, and the fastest and gamest that ever took water, was sufficient to pay his debts (the debts of a Sobraon hoy of 19 !•) bury Mm. erect a handsome monument over his remains and Tirovide three swimming prizes annually for ten years, onen to' all State schools and the hoys of the training ship Sobraon. Which is as it should he, for a greater natatorial athlete or p. more modest champion never lived; • « ■ » Victorien Sardou has said he owed his first success on the stage to his excellent handwriting. He had sent m an often-rejected nlav to the Odeon management, for consideration, and the manuscript was ' thrown, with some fifty others, on the table. One I day at rehearsal -the cha.tming actress. Mile. Beren<*.ere, was attracted by the handwritinft. and 'took, un the manuscript, crying, "What an Rxcellent h_t.nd !" Thi." caused her to read the nla- *md her strong recdrnmendation to ,the directors J frt *n Its reading find acceptance by them. Sardou is now very wealthy. * * *, * Lady Agnes de Trafford -who, with her daughter, is accompanying the English cricketers on tour through Maoriland, is one of the few titled ladies who have married "commoners." Not that Charlie de Trafford is exactly among the submerged tenth, the only thing he lacks being a handle at the front end of his moniker. He does his best to make up for this deficiency. though, by being a J.P., D.L., and a few other things. Furthermore, he is High Sheriff of Leicestershire, Lord of Hothorpe Manor, and, as captain of his county team, the idol of Leicester cricket lovers. Lady Agnes divides her enthusiasm 'between cricket and the camera, being devoted to the snapping art. • « • Miss May Beatty has been interviewed by a representative of the "British- Australasian" (London). In the course of an interesting chat the young lady says : "My first taste of 'foireign travel' produced a quaint experience, which was rather shocking. I went out early one morning m Colombo m just a kimono, and no hat. The result was a mild sunstroke. The hotel people- recommended a dark I room and immediate bed. 1 retired !. obediently, and there entered an at- | tendant with ice and wet towels. She istarted to undress -me, and. m fact, the disrobing process was proceeding with rapidity, when I dircovered ihar. it was a he. I was subsequently informed that it was tlie custom of the country, but it was altofrethsr toe; i violent a novoltv for mv fancy I

A lad of 24- named O'Loghlen wai pitted agjainst John Forrest m m W.A. Federal constituency. That constituency preferred June to No* vember. . « .*»,'■ m Constable Jeremiah O'Brien, the alleged highwayman, has been dismissed the "foorce." Evidently the police heads had little doubt regarding Jerry's, innocence or otherwise. *.. * « A City Councillor was espied otf « tram, the other afternoon, having ai freeread of the "Evening Post" over? the shoulder of the purchaser. There are various ways of being mean; butt the free read, particularly m a Coun?* cillor, takes the pastry. t • '• a Ted Donnelly, late mine host of the Masonic Hotel, went to Christchurch last Saturday evening, where he remains a few weeks to enjoy a' wellearned rest, Ted got quite a send-ofl! ,at the wharf. In fact the farewellingj m one or two instances was somewhat pathetic. ' *'. * * N.Z. .is to be "honored" with :ai visit from the Hon. William Kidston, the "Labor rat" Premier of Queensland. Kidston is known m his State, as "the kidder." In his early ;poli-. tical life he was mixed up' m a mining swindle and though he used Labot as a stepping stone to place and power, it has taken Labor many years to discover how it has been hoaxed by "the kidder." Kidston comes over ostensibly to pick up political points. ••■ * • Mr Tom Rapley , well and favorably, known and thundering well liked, nearly all over New Zealand; who has been stationed at Stratford; has,-af-ter a sojourn m Wellington .and a recent return to the, northern : diatrict,. nctar, . j^Bv^hi^^ ton where he intends, to ma&e ms home,, having been apppinted to a position -in the head office for trie . colony .of the National Mutual. Life Insurance Company. '.•'..•' V The sympathy of the whole of. the Government service goes out to Mr W. C. Kensington m the terrible pereayement that has befallen him ,by, the killing of his wife m the street by the motor-fire-engine, and the serious injury of his daughter. There is not a more able, courteous or popular official than the under-secretary for. Lands, and m his unspeakable calamity he has the heartfelt sympathy of. all classes of the community, as well as all grades of the public service. Colonel Collins annointment as Secretary to the Treasury and to the position of finance member of the Council of Defence, is very popular, ■ for m volunteer and other circles the gentleman • is very much liked.;. His new positions wiU give him further opportunities to gratify his amusingly inordinate love for setting photo-, graphed 'in every possible group on. every possible occasion.. The '.'bigger" the group the more anxious is the gallant Colonel to be included m it, and he should b 6 able/ to enjoy f many such chances now. ' ''.•■' •-.■'•_■' • R. G. Knight, the seventh day ad** ventist crank, who plasters his business premises all over with weird! meaningless slabs from the more obscure portions of the. Bible and. rigid-, lv closes said premises on .what he. calls the Sabbath, i.e. 'Saturday,, avers, m a letter that the "Times" editor vaguely headed. "Peculation,": that his employees used to prig, pinch, and- plunder .before he did so, but that; now he keeps the fourth commandment they keep the eighth. Crank; Knight is so Vague, omitting to mention that he is a seventh day tentist (conceitedly imagining, no doubt, that all the world is aware of his tenets —if 'not of his tents) that . readers might well be led to understand that; benighted Knight had been m the habit, previously, of .working all; hands on -Sundays. • • . . • ■ Mr H. L. James, of Khandallah, appears to be a gentleman of strong views and not afraid to express them. That this is .__ reasonable opinion wilt not be disputed by anyone who read' his letter m Tuesday's "Times" on "The Murderous Motor," tlie republi-' cation of which needs no apology. It read :— "Sir,— Referring to to-day's, terrible distressing accident m Boveenstreet. is it not time that those abominable curses, motor vehicles, were banished from our streets altogether and their users shot on sight, as one would shoot mad dogs ? Or if .hese better remedies are, m this ridiculous ape of jumbled utilitarianism arid mawki-s.i sentiment, unfortunately im- ; practicable, cannot an automatic stopwir l.c fitted to every motor vehicle. I which, as soon as any attempt i 8 made fo drive the .ibomimtion .1$ ! more than .!. walking nan;, .shall },viwr | the machin'.- to _; violent, halt nnd j overturn it on t /if* cn'minnls it eon- ;'* tains? I commend ibis idea fo UV j Iloroui.ii Councils of this conitrv _vtd I tbeir -neinecrs. May it trrid to fesI K^n Hie number oi u.Jmaj; «i> m-d. triors I"