PERSONAL NOTES,

Otago Witness, Issue 2288, 6 January 1898, Page 52

PERSONAL NOTES,

• . • A story is told of the lato B Hirscb that conveys a valuable lesson. After writing a message announcing the gift of a fortune to a school, the great millionaire went over the telegram carefully a second time, condensing it so as to save a franc.

• . • "I would rather be imposed upon than refuse to give to a beggar," said Madame Pdtti on one occasion to a frisnd who had remonstrated with her on the subject of indiscriminate charity. Sha added thoughtfully, " The hundredth beggar might really be starving, you know."

• . ■ The handsome large-type edition of the Waverley Novels known as the " Border Edition," published originally by Mr Juhn 0. Nivr.mo in 48 six-shiilisg volumes, is now reissuing ia 24 three-and-sixpenny vo3ucne3. The 250 illustrations, by various eminent artists, are included in this cheaper edition.

■ . • Hsrr yon Balow, who has been appointed German Secretary of Ssate fox Foreign Affairs, is a man of the world, and a diplomatist par excellence. H^ is extremely amiable, and an admirable " cansear," whose brilliant conversation, however, always reminds one of Talleyrand's aphcrism about the purpose of language. Oae never forgets for a moment that one is Fpaaking to a very " 'cote " man. People who pretend to know him say that he was no great dialectician or parliamentary speaker.

- . • Though Mr A. J. B-dfour does not ordinarily see much of the various members of his party, as Mr W. H. Smith used to, he is always most accessible ia the voting lobbies of the House of Commons. " Aloofness" has been regarded by some notable parliamentary leadeis as essential to their position. Mr Parnell and Mr Gladstone W6re anything but accessible to tbe rank and file, but Sir William Harcourb and Mr Dillon have never believed in this parliamentary method.

• . • The King of Greece, when conversing with the members of his family, never employs any but the English language. He seldom epeaks French, and only uses Greek when compelled to do bo. Hi 3 Hellenic Majesty draws his own. cheques, and a person who once had an opportunity of seeing one wag surprised to find that the* Kirg signs himaelf " Georgios OhristianoD," or " Gecrge, son of Christian." The royal banking account is in tha hands of the Greek National B.mk, but bis money is in English funds.

• . • Mr Yerkes, whose great telescope waa inaugurated at Chicago recently, war. ruined during the paaic that followed the Chicago firp, but with a friend's aid he started out again, a man of 30, to make a new fortune. He took up street railways. For 10 years he was at his cfß.ce every day, Sundays included, at 6 in the morniog, and he declares that during all that time ha worked 110 hours a week on an average without suff 2ring in health. He now controls 500 mile 3of tramways in American cities, but chiefly in Chicago. When fortune begin to smile on Mr Yerkss all of his old creditors were invited to dinner, and each one received a cheque for his original claim, with compound interest at (5 p3r cant.

'.• The Dake of Northumberland, who is one of the most dignified and impressive figures in the peerage, combines with the seriousness characteristic of the Percys a love of retirement natural to his great sge as well as to bis temperament-. He Bat in Parliament as member for the tiny Devonian borough of Beeralscon at a time when our present Prime Minister was sdll in bis cradle ; and is one of ths few living links with the daya of an unreformed Parliament. His Grace is spending his declining dnjs in his favourite home, Alnwick Castle, with its marvellous treasures oi art, and i 3 deservedly proud of his able grandson, Lord Warkwottb, who gives promise of continuing the best traditions of a great family. The Duke is lord of nearly 200,000 acres and six palatial homes.

• . • The Earl of! Banforly, the Govc-raor of New Zaaland, is, says a Home paper, a curious compound of courtier and Bohemian. Two years ago he laid aside his spade and boa in Australia to take up the offics of Lorl-in-Waiting in the Qaeea's palaces. He waa one of the earliest and most enthusiastic pioneers of fruit-farming at Mildura, Victoria, where, with the help of his partner, he cnltivated the largest farm in tha colony. For years he toiled at planting and pruning, as hard as any " new chum," and had the satisfaction of seeing his trees the most productive in Victoria. His zsal and eloquence haye made him one of the foremost cham-

pions of Unionism, and his tact and charm of manner have won the hearts of tha Primrose dames. Lord Ranfarly is still young, and his abilities mark him for high preferment in our country's service.

• . • We (Literary World) regret- to record the death at Westonsuper-Mare, in the first week of October, of Professor Francis William Newman, the younger brother of tha late Cardinal Newman, in his ninety-second year. Professor Newman, who was educated at Eton and Oxford, after a period devoted to travel, held the post of classical lecturer at Bristol College in 1833. Seven years later he was offered and accspted a similar position at Manchester New College, and in 1846 ha becime connected with the London University College as Latin Professor. It was during this period that he published some of hia most noteworthy works, beginaiDg with " The Soul : Its Sorrows and its Aspirations," and including " Phases of Faith," five volumes of " Miscellanies'," " A History of the Hebrew Monarchy," "ADictionary of Modern Arabic," " Relations of Professional to Liberal Knowledge," " Hiawatha in Latin," " Europe of the Near Fature," " A Christian Coiimonwealth," " Essays on Diet," and " Rsmimscenc's of Two Exiles and T<wo Wars."

• . • General Wevler — or, to give him his full title, Ssnor Don Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau — is of G-crman descent, only of Spanish extraction on his mofhet'cs side, aad was born in September 1839 ia Palma de M^llorca. He went out to Cuba aa a boy soMier ia the late fifties, and mads himself the most noted junior officer in the island. He did so well that he was transferred thence to San Domingo, on which island he performed deeds of great valour in tha revolution of that tiir.e. He made one famous maich with 130 men and six horses that has gone down in tha annals of Spanish rue in the West Indies. Even afc that early date he soon got to be known a3 one of the very best officera in the Spanish possessions ; and when, a few years liter, the Cubans attempted (o establish a republic and orders came out from Spain, supplemented by transports filled with troop 3, to put down the insurgents, Count Vdlmaseda, the general in command, appointed Weyler general of one of the flying col amns of his battalions, assigning him to the eastern part of the Province of Santiago — a district that needed a cool head and a hard hand. His policy has always been consistently severe.

• . • The fact that she herself was so unobtrusive, and yet so snecessfal, gives additional importance to tha advice once tendered to an ambitious young writer, who has since made her name in literary pursuits, by the late Miss Jsan Ingelow. She wrote: — "To a young lady who ia accustomed to refined society, bsa books at command, and plenty of time, I might say, look to literature as an occupation, and choose some one o£ its many paths to explore and then to write upon. If you do not succeed, you will, at least, have enriched your own mind. To one who has not much time at command, and rather hopes to improve her position, or may at some future time expect to use her talents aa a means of maintenance, I think a prudent person could hardly advise exclusive attention to literature, partly bacause its profits are always precarionp, partly because writing gives neither a position nor a home. Those, therefore, I would say, who have money or a home may safely indulge ia the luxuries of knoweldge, study poetry, investigate curious points of history, and follow the bent of their own geniu3 ; but those who wish to make mosey and a home should try to possess good outlines of subjects rather than rich colouring or delic ita detail, should attend to the structure of language itself, aad not exclusively to the literature it contains," • . • In the daya when tha late Bishop o? "VW.kefteld was the Bishop of Bedford, I uad the pleasure of meeting him frequently and hearing from his own lipg many a quaint anecdote of his ad ventures" in the East End. I have been jonrneyingf through Sluraland with the lale Fred Bernard in search of material for "How the Poor L've," and Dr How, hearing of our investigations, at once personally interested himself in our work. Hs sent for me to his house at Clapton and gave me advice and information which were of the greatest service to me later on when I undertook the seriea of articles, '• Horrible London," for my good friend B r John R. Robinson, of the Daily News. I have seen both " How the Poor Live " and " Horrible London " described of late years as " melodramatic " and " sensational." The Bishop of Bedford, who knew the facts, and was in direct communication with the workers in the poorest districts of Londoa, did not take that view. Oa the contrary, it was he who brought the articles under the notice of the members ©f the B. yal Commission on the Housing of the Poor, and when, nervous and distrustful, I had to appear before the commission and give evidence, the bishop was the first to make me feel at ease. On mora tban one ccca^ion he came to my rescue when I wa? being hard pressed on certain statements by saying that they were within his personal knowledge in no way exaggerated. — G-. R. Sims, in the Rrferee.