PERSONAL PARS.

NZ Truth, Issue 81, 5 January 1907, Page 1

PERSONAL PARS.

Personal item from the Auckland "Star" :— "Rev. George Morse, handicapper to the Auckland Racing Clulb, arrived , by the Rarawa yesterday. ' '

Bert Royle, Dick Stewart, Harold Ashton, Mick Joseph and wife, Alex Verne, the Macmahon Management, and Mr Wm. CoKey (Press Association) send pretty cards of festive season greeting. Thanks !• "Truth" re♦turns the kindly greetings.

Mr Smith, the Keneperu Sounds centenarian, will celebrate his lO4th birthday m February. He says he feels fit for a good many years yet, and attributes a small snuff, of sulphur, which he has constantly taken for as many years as he can' conveniently remember, as one of the main causes of his sustained health and vigor. He was m Pict'on .last week looking hale and hoarty.

Miss McGavin, school teacher at Riwaka, is a lucky young lady. Two years ago when stationed at Collingwood she was presented with a gold watcji by the residents there and she has prized it ever since. Judge her dismay when travelling by the Penguin en Christmas Day, to Nelson, sho lost her present, and for a couple of hours had the whole crew and many passenrcers hunting high and low -for it, and eventually a gentleman found it under the ■ steering chain. The lady was very profuse m her thanks and order was once again restored.

Miss Clara Clifton, the plenteous and gorgeous "Caroline Volcins," of the Orchid, makes the hit of her life m this character. Her song "In ray Time^' was undoubtedly, on every production, the ' hit of the evening, and she got half-a-dozen encores, and even then the huge audi&nces wanted more. Her perfect enunciation enabled the stately lady to score every point m the clever verses, while her acting and singing all through were charming to see and hear, albeit she is somewhat too refined and ladylike m tone for the part of a hungry husband-hunter.

J. F. Arnold, Dunedin's dour member of the House, has been lying a bit low of late. This be-whiskered gent., whose incitement to the Labor Party to break away from Seddonism entirely. caused a small sensation a few months back, is, m a modest way, quite one of the "sights" of Parliament. He rarely speaks, but when he does the experience is something to remember, for he has a double-distilled basso profundo voice which seems to come from down under 1 ; the benches and makes the chamber vibrate. Arnold puts* m his spare time practising, elocution m Southern pulpits, but his style isn't likely to create a great spiritual "revival."

Miss Jean Drummond, of Williamson's chorus, is lovely m face and person ; bi*t has another claim to admiration m that she possesses one of the, finest contralto voices it would; be possible to discover, haying a • range that is simply amazing. The voice is as pure as a bird's note and. as strong m forte asa bugle-call, while m piano passages it seems .to stir the very heartstrings by . its tender cadences. That such a voice should be buried m chorus when it ought to be trained for oratorio and concert stage, is nothing; short of shameful. All this charming girl wants is a patron who would he able to afford her opportunity. She, with her sweet, modest personality and heaven-given voice would do the rest.

Mesdames 8.-. Goldwater and C. Zachariah gave a most enjoyable musical "at home" at the Hotel Albemarle on Sunday evening, inviting several Wellington vocalists and friends meet 'members of the "Williamson, Opera Co., including six ladies who are residing aft the. hotel. Naturally the music and singing werjß of a high standard, the two fair young hostesses (who proved simply charming m the part) contributing no small portion thereto. "The Albemarle quartet," MissesBirdie Gross, Jean Drummond, Rene Connolly, and Grace Bergin, of the Opera Co., gave such items as "Sweet and Low" '"Send down dem Angels," with exquisite taste and perfect harmony. Mr Jack Ralston, Mr Twitchen, Mr Bush, Mr Parkes (a fine local baritone who should be Iteard. of anon). Mr Zachariah, Mr Carr and others sang choice items to the 'general gratification. Mr Ralston *s sweet little love idyll, "Rosalie," being a rare treat such as is seldom enjoyed m private. Miss Drummond's "Two Eyes of Grey." a tender, ail-too short song, was a rapture. The other ladies named also contributed solos. One of the best items of the whole was the dear old duet "Maying," wherein the fine voices of Mrs Goldwater and Mr 'Parkes Mended supsrbly. A merry 'supper m iho large dining-room brought a delightful evening to n. happy ending, and Ihe ?*ue.';i::-'. {irpanfd "sincerely thanking their l<n>'l hostesses.

German Gardener Girebner is again referred to elsewhere' m this issue^ The local gentleman who has talceni the forged-testimonial artist to his bosom, should be, proud of his pro* tege ! • • . • -•' •

, Says the "Free Lance" of lasfc week : "This week Sir Robert Stout* C.J.. has been, thirty-nine years study-* ing law. Lots of bad eggs wish hei didn't know so. much about it." Yes* and many .others wish he knew more.

The platitudes of the parsons. On Sxinday evening last the* Rev. R. M., Ryburn, prussbyterian 1 meenister 6* Watoganui, told his sheep that prayen would return them more money thai* anything else. Hoot mon ! Professional praying returns Ryburn £I<S a week and a free hoose for bye, ye ken ; so he -speaks wi •» authority on the money value of prayer. It "is a great trade, is pumping people full of fairy-tales on a subject of which no man really knows anything whatever, and under the circumstances Ryburn naturally thinks it is ribuck.

Reading the accounts of the WebbStanbury sculling race on Boxing Day, conviction arises that Stanbury underrated his opponent and was not anything like well inside; as his vomiting after he cracked like a furzepod plainly r»ro"ved. Of course his years were also against him m a ding-dong -race with such a bull-dog opponent, but still he cannot have "done his dasli" or he'd never have led that same doughty foe for 2£ miles, at such a tremendous batNo, it certainly looks like a case v ot fat on- lungs and paunch. But whats sort of a game J un must Webb be to keen chasing such a mighty knighii of the sculls, m what looked. like a boneless pursuit that would have disheartr. ened nine men out of every ten.?

Mr Max Krcissig, whose feats u.s an amateur fisherman were recorded m these columns some weeks aau, was the means or saving the iile p£ an adventurous natatist :at Seacouii on New Year's Day. Strolling en the beach he noticed a swimmer who iio considered was Unwisely far out, aad, watching- him, 'he saw that he seemed to be making no progress m any direction. Mr Kreissig called the attention of another man on the. beach but he was owe of the don't-care-a-dam-cock-sure brigade, and poohpoohed the idea of danger. Max \vas nob satisfied, however, and hastening along the beach he called to two boys m a boat to go to the man's assistance. This they promptly did, and none too soon, for they just reached him as he was -going under the waives, and with great difficulty! drew idle three-parts drowned man into the boat. It transpired that he had got entangled m a patch of kelpi and could not extricate himself and; He would most oertainly have been drowned but for the shrewd common sense of Mr Kreissic and the prompt* ness of the two boys, whose namesunfortunately, we are unable to give.. • »■ ■■■ • ' ■

No woman who ever lived did as much for her fellow creatures as did! the Baroness . Burdett-Coutts, whq died m London on December 31, , ati the advanced age of ninety-two.. Born; to wealth., she inherited mucbi more and as a partner m the greatf Coutts bank continually added to. bed store/ But fast as money came iff she succeeded faii|ly well m prevent-* ins too enormous jln accumulation byi her open-handed cltarities. The sumsi she spent on ameliorating ' the condition of the poor iiji s.qualid quarters,, m building and endowing churches and m reief for people all over the world) and of all nationalities m times oB famine ran into many millions., Naturally Miss Burdett-Coutts waa| Besieged with offers of marriage, buti it is to lie feared that she looked upon all her suitors as fortune-hunter* —or else the story that she had a revolting and incurable skin disease* was true— for she steadfastly refused tm wed until, m 1881, when over sixtyseven years of age, she astounded the world by marrying her private secretary, a young fellow of thirty, named Ashmead-Bartlett. Queen Victoria, who had been her lifelong friend, was much displeased at the old maM'S freak, though why she should nojt indul<*e herself with a man if she felt} that way is not apparent. Douboless Ashmead-Pavtlett-Burdett-Coutts (as he became)' figured it out that his patroness and wiffi would soonpedally assault the pail and he'd V.c left a! millionaire interesting your,*: widower i and could then afford to marry foe love. But the old bride was touch oC fibre and lived to bless him twentyfive lone; years, years that- saPPt'd We I youth and left him a prematurely old ! r ; ?n of Pfty-flv?. To do him justice, jlp.*prov«d a " model husband, os far as? tfie rmbJic ever knew, though no tlnubtJ lie harf liis little consolations m pri- ' vale • and did cmlit to his old wife j iv' ihn Par!ia»r : oTilarv career she oni aWort Inn *n f'ntrr 'icon. A . trnl? j noMe. i-rro?\ iJeyotM woman. tv!v»«* j v.-'-oV? .'''■■* ?"■??.* i:i .•loifi-T cncO <o ! "Thcr- i'- is fv'rcPiPlv tk:Ubr!ul . f^\il ! "•■■> f;]"i'3 "vcr !r>ok upGn hsv yAn. ' Peace to her a^ies !