LONDON NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18753, 5 January 1923, Page 7

LONDON NOTES

AN UNTOUCHED EDEN. iFsom Odb Own CoKnESFONDEWT.J LONDON, November 10. The famous Kitchener film, which has for so long been banned, was shown in public for the first time this week at the Leicester Square Kinema. Mr Arthur Freeman has decided to defy the authorities, and intends to exhibit the film five times daily. “I am prepared to face Hie consequences of my action, ' ho said. “If necessary, the matter will be fought out through every court in England, aa I think that the public are entitled to know the facts which the film reveals.” “WHERE ARE WE?” An ingenious invention is the automatic road guide which has been installed for the first time on some of the Metropolitan Company’s trams. It indicates by means of a pointer upon a moving route map tho exact position of tho tram in the course of its journey from one terminus to another. Streets and squares, well-known stopping places, and landmarks are automatically pointed out upon the unrolling route screen, so that the passenger in an unknown district is rendered completely independent or the information ho has so often to seek from conductor or follow-passenger as to his whereabouts. Even the passenger farm 15J enough with a long-travelled route will liiid this mechanical mentor and geographist of service and comfort on dark or foggy iugs. It never makes a mistake, and it makes no noise. When the tram stops the indicator stops. When the tram, moves again the indicator goes on. Strictly speaking., or course, it is the map that moves. All important stopping places are logged. Compulsory or optional stopping-plaoca are indicated. Tho exact distance of every faro , a tag® shown. By night the sign is illuminated. A moving map of the route traversed is run on a couple of spools, which wind from ope to Ihe other after tho manner of the okx showman’s panorama on a small scale, xm spools are operated through a flexible geared to the tram wheels, and similar .) that used in the drive of a motor car speedometer. The dial of the instrument meaemes about ?ft by Ift, and a red arrow shows tho precise topographical position as me tram moves along. THE “BOSSY” BRITON. The Bishop of St. Albans, Dr Fwse in an address at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, spoke about what he spirit of the British. He declared that Use snirit of domination is at the root of a many U not all, of the troubles with which we are* faced fo-day.” It produced a attitude “between man and woman, class and class, and nation apd na “\w>' have,” he said, “grown uP the idea that women are an infer** r because, they are not so P h J. Blc as men. This is a very barbaric idea. Man proclaims two standards of morals, one for h mself and one for women H© mands things from women that he would not dare to demand from mmself. ihe Britisher looks upon everybody who does not talk the English language or who „ J* with an accent slightly different from has own, as a rather inferior Person V* getting out of it, but people dislike us. At first, until they know us, foreigners hate the Britisher.” “DEATH PACT ” NO MURDER. “It is a serious question whether a mem agreement to commit suicide really constitutes murder. The essence of P«" ciplo of constructive murdet-is that the survivor shall have encouraged the other to commit suicide.” , , ~ T . The above statement waa made by Mr Jm tice Lush at Notts Assizes when George Leverton, 56. engineer’s labourer, was charged with murdering his sister barah, aged 58. The man, who had been unemployed s neo January, was found standing in Chesterfield Canal, only hw head and should being above water.. His 9 ’® t « r ' J ,ll . c " recovered, 'vas dead. It was admitted by Leverton that they decided to commit suicide, and in the witness-box he told a P The tl without retiring returned a verdict of uot guilty, with which the judge expressed agreement, and aided that ttier ought to b> a careful revision of tho lav.. NEW MASEFIELD PLAY. Mr Masefield’s new play. “Melloney Uoltepur.” deals with tho supernatural in that, in the country house where the action takes place tho present generation of lovers are influenced by the ghosts of the lovers of a former generation, appearing to them and trying to carry on their own loves and hates through their descendants. How much of this will be effective on the stage is difficult to tell from a mere reading, but the scenes between them, it is said, in particular tho lov© scene between the artist and the girl in the country house are beautifully written, arid contain some of tne most delicate touches Mr Masefield has ever attempted. There is no definite link with modern spiritualism in the play, but it should be interesting to n large circle of rcadeis. AN AFRICAN EDEN. Six Charles Ross, of Balnagowan, the inventor of the Ross rifle, is reported to have purchased outright the giant crater of Ngoro Ngoro, tho largest volcano that ever existed on this planet. According to a story published by the Daily Express the crater provides a. refuse for thousands of animals, many of them extinct in every other part of the world. Nobody knows what discoveries a thorough exploration of the crater mav bring. Pre-historic animals, believed to perished from the earth thousands of years ago, may inhabit its caves. Scientists hope to find alive strange creatures of which only the skeletons have been found in other parts of the world Sir Charles Rose went to Tanganyika in January, 1921, 011 a shooting expedition, accompanied by the explorer-photographer, Mr T. A. Barnes, and Mrs Frederick Dalziel, of Now York. They had good sport, and they discovered the crater. Sir Charles Hoss stalked and shot five lions within the basin, and the wonders he saw there made him resolve that no more shooting parties should bo allowed. There will be no need for "No shooting” signs. The crater is 100 miles from a railway in the midst of wild country. Lions and tigers are the watchdogs of the forests that surround it. The number of animals in the crater is estimated at 75,000. Tho crater is, in fact, a city of animals, who have lived there for centuries safe from attack. Its steep sides made it a citadel of the forest, and while in all other parts of the world the work of extermination went on. no hunter dared to penetrate this fastness. Thus it is highly probable that animals which have perished elsewhere have survived at Ngoro Ngoro. BISHOP’S FINANCIAL TROBULES. Dr J. A. Kempthorno (Bishop of Lichfield) has contributed by invitation an article to The Weekly Dispatch concerning the in come and expenses of a bishop. “Obvjouely,” he says, “the only excuse for a bishop living in a very largo house is the opportunity of exorcising hospitality. In one of my earlier years at Lichfield wo had in the course of 12 months nearly 400 staying guests, the vast majority of whom came on some diocesan business. But it soon became obvious that tho income could not stand the strain. About throe years ago I was faced with the following budget problem: The nominal income of the see- is £4200. When rates and taxes were paid the actual income was £2600. Expenses (etaff, travelling, postages, etc.) amounted to £800; subscriptions (mainly diocesan) to another £6OO. The result was that £I2OO was left for the maintenance of the palace, which, with the large domestic staff which it required, could not be run for lean than £I6OO. 1 was fortunate in being able to find a tenant for the palace. The Lichfield Theological College occupied a smaller house next door. By a simple process of exchange I was able to take this house and put the college into the palace. , . , “No doubt the critic of 'opulent bishops will say, ‘But. after all, bishops live luxu riouslv' they travel first class, and go about in motor cars, etc.’ I can only reply thrr ; J ftlwavs travel third clas«, and that I only use mV thirteen-year-old car to do work which could not otherwise be done During the present year 1 have paid oyer 300 separate visits to places outside Lichfield. This could not have been done without a car. A bishop sees very little'of his own home, and, if he were stupid enough to desire sumptuous living, his income, when official expenses have been paid, gives him little chance of having it. No doubt bishops have their faults. But soft living is not one of them. Tho pompous ami luxunous prelate, u fie ever existed, is as dead at tho REVIVAL OF THE WHITE CITY. Mr Eustace Gray, press agent of the Palladium and tho Holborn Empire, bought the Whit - * City this week for £500,000. The auction took place in one of the exhibition halls, and lasted about one minute. ine first hid was £300,000. . Mr Gray intends to revive the old glories of the famous exhibition. “1 propose,” he said, “to make tho White C.ty a great playground once more, much on pre-war lines, but with new attractions. There will be the old Flip Flip, and-a new dunce hall capable of accommodating 'WO dancers. Whist drives on a large scale are also part of the scheme. Work on the buildings will be started immediately, and the g ato! ' r J vlll , b ® opened to tho public next spring. The first year’s exhibition will be in the nature of an 'entente cordials,’ in which I hope to have France well represented.” Mr Gray will shortly leave England for a tour in America, in search of exhibition, novelties. As an exhibition centre the White City enjoyed universal popularity before the war, and from its inception ■ in 1908, when the

Franco-British Exhibition »ii held, it .W an immediate success. This was followed, by many other successful enterprises, and on the outbreak .of the war steps were immediately taken to clear the buildings, the whole estate being taken over fay" "the Government for the training and accommodation of troops, and it was later used for the manufacture of war materials and ths storage of supplies. JOHN SUNTANS TOMB. ■ Bunhill Fields, in the City E/oad, baa been aptly described as the “Campo Santo, of Dissenters. Its greatest occupant is John,i Bunyan. though many another among -rite.:; band of English immortals hes in tha* i:; crowded and desolate cemetery on the fringe-., of the City, and notable in their rank* Daniel Defoe, to whom half a century ago a monument was erected. For some year® past Banyan's tomb has stood in a stale of neglect which was not creditable, the of the recumbent figure crumbled away, a hand "being also missing, presenting general appearance of decay through want of attention. Thanks for the care of the Free Churches, it has recently undergone,., thorough repair and renovation, and, wuA,. afternoon, with a simple religious warvut,;, the tomb was re-dedicated and the restored monument unveiled. , ~ It was not destined that Bunyan should rest -a a tomb prepared for him. He died in London on August 31, 1658, during a visit he paid from Bedford. Riding through heavy rain to the capital, he contracted • ' chill, and lay ill at the bouse of his fnend, John Strudwick, who kept a grocer 6 and chandler’s shop at Holborn Bridge, over the Fleet River. Fever ensued, from which ■ he expired on the ovo of his GOth birthday* Strudwick had a vault in Bunhill Fields,;* ground, and therein the great of vigorous English prose and one of the:.| greatest religious forces of our race was lard. , For upwards of half a century his name did .) not appear in the vault, though as years . passed many made it their desire to w t*!' -j terred as near as possibla to the spot wnet® < his remains are deposited. ■ , The grave was restored by public scription in 1862, which fact is noted in the-ti inscription the monument now bears, but subsequent GO years’ weathering wrought- * 4 good deal of destruction. Opposite, in the, _q City Road, is Wesioy’s old chapel, where, Ihe first part of the dedication service Held' to-day, and afterwards the congregar j lion proceeded to th© cemetery. At tho. xpr \ dedication of the tomb Dr Masaio, chairman I of the Protestant Dissenting Deputies, presided. Dr Horton, representing the Oongre- ’ national Union, offered prayer; Mrs John. Brown, widow of the late Dr Brown, unveiled the monument; the Rev. J. C. Carlile,. D.D., lepresenting the Baptist Union, gave the address; and the Rev. J, M. BlackwelL , attending for the Presbyterians, the benediction. - ’.lg-