PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14245, 20 June 1908, Page 5

PERSONAL NOTES.

«» — Just over half a million—cf which' £450,000 is not. porsonaity—has been left by the late Air Harris Lobus, of South liampsteod. 3lr Lebus, who wi« a cabinetliniker and a dircotor of various limited companies, began business life in his father's little cabinet-making ghop at Wellclose square, ; n tho Fnd. Hero he was awustomed to lake out his father's work in a. little barrow. At the time of his death Air Lebus was the largest wholesale furiui.ure-iiialv.oi' in tlio "United Kingdom, his Tottenham works employing more than 3000 hands. There, are also large showrooms and offices i'u Tabernacle stifcet. Air Lebus vnas mainly respunsiblo for thu vogue w-liiich "furntd oak", obtained some, years ago. He was born in Hull, and was fond of saying that iie was "proud to bo an English Jew." Ho was 55 years of age. — Thero was a momentous interview between Sir H. Campbell-Eanneamait and Mr Asqu-ith while the former was on his deathbed. Mr Asquith was called to tho bedside of tho Prime Minister. C.-B. repeated to Jiim some of the things wliidh the Archbishop of Guiterbury had been saying to him about the Licensing Bill. The ArdiIbisbop had said that jt must bo a great satisfaction to C.-B. that his name was associated with _suoh a measure of social ■hopo and reform as tho Licensing Bill. "But," .«iid C.-8., "As'quitli, it is your bill, after all, not mine"; a saying of characteristic modesty and generosity. And then (writes Air T. P. O'Comjor) caime, I liave been told, a fta.sh of tho old wit. "All the same," said the incorrigible C.-8., "ono must ta&o what credit ono can for these things": and them ho gave oni& of hJ3 well-known smiles. But it was one of the smiles that provoked tears. And it was ;it that interview that C.-B. announced that Jin wae going to resign. Was it not a noble, touching, and characteristic vale- ' diotory, with its generous self-abnegation, its profound religious feeling, and its dare-, ful concealmiant, and all this underneath tho habitual joko? — The late Sir liowani Vincent, who wan known in tlio House of Commons as "Yaw, Yaw," on account of bis haibifc of jerking out these two words in deep staccato tones, instead of the usual "Hear, hoar," was ono of tho best linguists ait St! Stephen's. Ho was master of French German, Italian, and Turkish, ajidacquiteii Russian, in six weeks. This is, how he did it. On his arrival in Russia' ho advertised for » Russian family where ho could bo received and allowed to study Russian to his ihcaru's content. He employed lour 'tutors, each with a diifcreM ' system, Tfith wham ho studied 11 houre a day. No teacher, Sk Howard maintained, couid profitably instant a pupil for moro than two hours at a 6tre£oh without flagging. Change of system aad-cbaajge of teacher were thorofore indispensable' if the whole day was to be taken up with. ' the language. In six weeks he was able ,to in. Russian with toleraible nuancy; and fair accutracy. Ono of 4fhe most admir- .■ able traits in Sir Hov>aird'B chaKiotor waa the Jove he boro his old school. Ho was I proud of being an "Old Westminster," and [ nothing for the benefit of the Btibool ewr, appealed to him in. vaiji. --Dr Frederio Cmm, wiiiom tho musical . world hitherto negarded us a canfiamed Wiielor, but who, in his fifty-abrtb. yeax,surprised everyone by deciding to enter. Hymen's realms, wrote the muse of "TBhe Better Land" when ho was 25, This simple ballad of wide-world renown was written in an hour or two at too suggesiioin, o£ the late Mine. Antoinette Stealing. Ifc - Cowen was calling one day upcta the popular vocalist, when she ' read Mrs Hemansls poem te him, saying that ahe thought it wonld mate a beautiful song. • AVhen the scare was-sesitto her nsst nioniing, Mme. Steeling Mtcd it so inaob. Hat uho offered l to buy the copyright from the '. composer-ail unusnai couise for a singer to take; but to this, fortunately for bds pocket, Br Coweii would not agree. So precooiows was tie naamfastatapn of hjs taleat, by the way, that vdnen Dr Coweii was only four years of age i± was decidotl that music was to be ins catteac He. made bis first pobtio Sppearafflioß as a composer af, of 13,' but in the famiy oircle he had played bis own mnsio since he wes sir. ' —Mj .fohn JEfcitobard Jones, a partner ■ in the firm of Messrs Diolams and Jones, ■'■ wfliose profit lor 1907-8 asnouated to £67,100, 'began life as «a appmantios in a Email drapery sihop in (iinarTQn, alnd. uvtent. to'.' ! London when be was 17. He tos engaged by Mr Ddckrae as a bujer., aod hia ability was such tftiast six; years later be twaa made ; a.partner. Tie 'business tihen ccaisistßd: of two sliopa, but alter Mr Joiies becamo a, partner it prospered -to ench. an .extent. . that in 190Q it was converted into, a -Enrited ■■' liability company, with a 'capital 'of £600,000, tho firm mow employing nearly 1000 hands, with a wage yea.r. A man of dharming siianaers,syDipa--' *'■ thetio to a degree, .aid. of easy access..to"• all liis employees, Mr Jones is exceedingly ipopular. He superantends tho Whole/business of-iihe firm, and. his, plan -when' engaging buyers is to.impress upon them, that; they should treat custopmera as they would,. be treated thcmselTes. In fact, "Do unto" others as you would have others do unto'- >'■ you," has been the prinoiple on which the great business has been built up. Mr Joinsa an enthusiastic inotor.ist and go'lfer, be- '. sides takinj am interest in yachting and Vanons other sports. —Specimens of glass found in Egyptian : tombs have proved to be more than 4000 years old, and glass bottles are represented) on tombs ait least 1500 years eaaiKer. Ini ! •Afesopotamia tSie art of maki-ng glass has been traced for at least 2000 years b.cv But all the glass of antiquity was of. in- . ferior qua/lity, and 1 "was almost useless forV purposes where the rays of light -were to bo transmitted nnoroken and -with imdiminished energj-. Alirrors were also made . i« Egypt thousands of years before the Christian era. They gave a \cty imperfect image, and were not much esteemed. "I '