PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1974, 19 September 1889, Page 34

PERSONAL NOTES.

Dr Sophia Kowalewski, professor in the University of Stockholm, was induced to pursue her mathematical studies of her husband, a famous Russian naturalist, who perceived her remarkable aptitude for that branch of learning.

A Frenchman has written a bitter thing about the German Chancellor : "If a veritable mark of genius is a power to create," then assuredly is M. de Bismarck a genius past all doubt, for he has created hates such as had never hitherto been known in the civilised world."

M. Boulanger is tolerated by his supporters and feared by his adversaries only because he is the only known alternative to a political system. If a better man could be found, Boulanger would promptly be sent about his business. But at present he remains not a great man, but the only important man, in French politics. — St. James' Gazette.

Lady Colin Campbell is favourably known as a journalist. She is the art critic of the Saturday Review, and has received much praise for her articles. She does besides a great deal of journalistic work, even contributing to the New York papers. She intends soon to publish a novel, the title of which has not yet been divulged.

Professor Hubert Herkomer is a sort or Admirable Crichton, He is a painter in oils and,' in water colours; an engraver in etching, in dry-point, and mezzotint ; a draughtsman on wood and on paper ; a woodcarver and an ironsmith; a university fino arts lecturer, and the founder and director of a great art school ; a civil engineer, an architect and a decorator and furnisher ; a magazine contributor, a play writer, a musical composer and performer, a singer, an actor, a scene painter and a stage manager. And in all these capacities he has won greafc success.

I have seen a clergyman with gloves on in the pulpit (wrtfte a London correspondent) ; but the Rev. Charles Berry, of Queen street Chapel, Wolverhampton — the man who was elected to succeed Ward Beecher at Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, and refused the appointment — is, I should think, the only minister in England who wears a flower in his coafc while he is preaching I Mr Berry is described as a " squarely-built figure, rather under the middle height, with hair and beard somewhat closely cut ; no pulpit robe of any kind, and with a flower in his button-hole ; as one first sees him in the pulpit, one would take him to be an everyday full-of -business layman who had got there by chance." In his teaching Mr Berry belongs to the advanced school of Congregationalists ; he seems, to careless hearers, perfectly orthodox ; but it would not be difficult for any one with a keen scent to pick holes in his teaching. But he has an immense crowd of followers and admirers in Wolverhampton, where he is doirgworkas great as is done by Spurgeon in his special field in London. Up to the close of the first half of the present century Wagner was all but uuknown in England ; Berlioz was known chiefly by one of his works which had been produced at the Royal Italian Opera without success; while Liszt was very well known indeed, but only as a pianist and an arranger of operatic airs in fantasia form.