PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14383, 28 November 1908, Page 12

PERSONAL NOTES.

-Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur Wfleon, who was recently selected'to adjudicate on the tin claims of Lord Charles Bercsjord and Admiral Bridgcman to huve Obtained;tho ultimate victory in the recent naval 'manoeuvres, enjoys the nickname of lug throughout the navy. He gained this somo years.ago by his retort to tho captain of ono;of his cruisers who stated that ho could not leave the anchorage quick; enough to suit the Admiral's desires. "Leave by such and such a time," waa Admiral Wilson's retort, "or I wi[l conie ™ ,jow you out iii front of the whila fleet. Tho captain lift in time. . —Mr Samuel Young, the.lrish Nationalist, member for East Cavan, who recently made tho proud boast' that ho was the oldest man 0 i" the House of Commons, was born in 1822, mid has accordingly entered oh'his cighty-scventh year. He is not, however, the only octogenarian in that Assembly. Sir I< rancis Powell, Bart., tho Unionist member for Wiga.n, was bom. in 1827. and Sir Robert PuUar, tho Liberal member 'for Perth, was born, in 1828, and entered Parliament for tlie first timo last year, at tho ago of 79, thereby, it is believed, breaking the record in parliamentary finals. -Many good stories are told of,'the cases tried before Mr Justico Warrington, whois one of the.most igcnial judges. on tho bench. On one occasion he was listeuuito,a case ir which an: Irishman was called as witness. ■. His ignorance was painfully evident as scon-as he stepped info the box. » • jT ? 'i ' ycr ' '"■ his cro, is-cxamination, tried his.best, to obtain somo information' /?'"■ ° u lness ,vnicl ' m 'S hl 'Prove helpful, but all to no purpose. Then 'he asked mm if he had read anything in- his life xes, sir, was the reply. "Then tell the ;court, what, you have read." "Well, yer Honor, '. replied I Pat's innocently, " I have red hairs on my nock." ■ i — Mr.. Justice Eve, who recently' >id twopence to see a mermaid at'a fair, and' was so angry because the whole thing-was such an obvious "fake"', that: he felt.like smashing the show, is known in Devonshire as Squire Eye." He is. a. farmer in what spare timo the law allows him; and -cults, rates tome 3000 acres of land. His pet pastime is caravanning, and for.the'past HO jeans ho has spent part of the ion's Vacation "on- the • road" in'-a plain, hbmely, gipsy caravan, doing .his-owiv cooking,, cleaning, and driving, in, tha House or Commons they tell rather a good story about Mr Eve. During ap- all-night sitting in the Commons he and 1 , Mr Duke, K.C.; were eating breakfast at 6 a.m. from the same dish of; bacon and eggs; The division boll suddenly rang, and Mr Eve said: "Duke, I'm. hanged if I go to that 'division.'V-"I'll- pair with'you,'' replied Mr Duke. But Mr.Eve did not seem satistied. "I suppose I inust agree," he said, Inif. I thought you would' go, and I should have had the bacon and 'eggs." '■' 7 The election.of the Rev. John Scott-■ Lidgent to the, Presidency of the Wcsleyan Conference makes him, with the exception, of the late Rev. Hugh Price Hughes, the' youngest man to occupy the highest honour in the Methodist Church. Possessed of V strong and vigorous personality, and with considerable power as a speaker,' his year of office, promises to bo an exceptionally busy one. Mr Seott-Lidgett entered, tho. Wcsleyan ministry at 22' years of age, and' the -samo year received an appointment to /a circuit. He; ; was elected in 1897 a mem-, her of the London School Board,: and in, 1904 became,-a/member,of tho Education Committee, of _thc London County. Council, In. the following year ho was elected art alderman of the : council, being. l the first \\esley,an minister, to ;be so. Honoured; About, a year' ago Mr Scotl-Lidgott was appointed editor of the Methodist Times, and has since done much to bring about » better understanding between Labour and the Free Churches.' ; ' , -y , : - — Lord Walsin'gham, who has just celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday, has the reputation of being the finest shot : n Groat-Bri--'tain, Ho holds, the record, amongst manyothers, for the largest individual-'bag-"of" grouse in a single ,day—42l, brace, to hie own ' gun or guns. He'is also an enthusiastiaentomologist as weir as sportsman, and agriculturist. - His collection of moths .and butterflies 'is .'the finest in the-world. . A large part of it is in the Natural History Museum at South Kensington, and it u a'euribuVand little-known fact that ladies'' fashions are directly indebted to Lord Wab 6ingham and-his collection. '■. Dressmakers-' and designers of Court gowns, often go to the-'drawers and cases of butterflies/ahdf moths to study now combinations and,'contrasts in colour. How many people, by tho way, are aware, of the curious fact that Mcrton Hall, Lord Walsingham's place near Thetford, Norfolk, is supposed to have been-tho scene of the immortal'story of "The Babes in the Wood"'?..■'.The.Wbcd" where they laid down and died is—they say—still _haunted, by their ghosts'.'..-: Any; how, it is-a -fact that for many years a. stuffed robin was given to every visitor'to Mcrton in memory of the episode, legend' or tradition. — Long before Mr Louis N. Parker achieved fame as a dramatist and pageantmaker he. was a musician and composer. Nearly 40 years ago he was studying at the .Academy, and in '77 he was made organist and music-master at Sherborne. It was while studying at the Academy that Mr Parker wrote his first play, at-the. suggestion of one of his teachers. After the play was finished he asked the teacher to read it. Days, weeks, and months passed by, and still Mr Parker waited for the verdict on his play. At last ho wrote 'to the teacher. By return came thi6 answer: "The .hall-porter at the Garrick.Club has' your play. Go and fetch it." Mr Parker never fetched tho play, and, so far as. ho knows, the hall-porter still ha6.it. ther© is a little incident, too, connected with the first play by Mr Parker which. was produced. It was called "A Buried- Talent," and was printed by, a. local stationer in Sherborne. . A manager of a fit-up company was the first to put the play on. At the same time he. borrowed a velvet coat and £10, which Mr Parker has never seen' - again to this day. But "A Buried Talout" was recognised as a gem by Mr Ben Greet, who happened to see it one, day, and lie produced it in London" shortly afterwards. It was m this play that Mrs' Patrick Campbell made her first appearance in England's capital. —There is much to admire in the Hon. Rupert Guinness, the new MJP. for..Haggcrston. Not. only is he a notable addition to tho ranks of athletes ot the House—at ono time-being among tho best amateur J oarsman—but he is a young man who has- | not allowed his-'love for sport and the fact that he '8 the son and hoir of one of the richest men in the House,of Lords— Lord Iveagh—to prevent hihi from taking -' up moro serious pursuits. .He, has done good work on the London County Council, has studied the brewing" business, is a director of the London and Nprth-Westcrn Railway, and commands the London Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Like his younger brother, the Hon. Walter Guinness, who represents Bury St. Edmunds in the House, he served in the South African war, both being mentioned in despatches. Among other pairs, of, brothers in; the House might be mentioned Sir David Brynmor Jones and Mr Leif Jones, Captain Craig and Mr.C. C. Craijr,' Mr Herbert Samuel and Mr Stuart Samuc and Colonel Ivor Philipps and Mr Owe* Philippe, whose third M.P. brother was recently raised to tho peerage. Mr T. li. CorboM and Mr Cameron Corbett, Mr Cecil Harmsworth and Mr Leicester Harmsworth, . Mr Arthur Dowor- and Sir John. Dewar, and Sir Edward Tennant,\ and Mr H. J: Tennant complete tho list, to which may bo added two half-brothors, Mr L, Y, Harcourt and Mr Robert Harcourt.