WHEN CELEBRITY RUNS IN THE FAMILY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2373, 24 August 1899, Page 55

WHEN CELEBRITY RUNS IN THE FAMILY.

BROTHERS WHO HAVE WON THEIR SPURS. That a celebrated m«n is often the father of a celebrated son is an admitted fact which those who contend that success in life is to some extent hereditary are never tired of insisting upon. One rarely, however, finds two members of the same family Who are famous. There are just a few notable exceptions, and at a time when everybody is discussing the secret of success the following brief account of the careers of brothers who have earned distinction may not be without interest. The Right Hon. Arthur James Balfour is older than his brother by- five years, and entered Parliament when he was 26. It is curious that so gifted and eminent a man should be universally credited with being one of Nature's lethargic kind. When Mr Balfour first burst into prominence as & politician it was reported of Kirn that he spent half his days in bed, to which ' rumour can probably be traced the caricaturist's fondness for depicting the leader of the House of Commons as a lady of indolent habits. Be this as it may, he became private secretary to his. uncle, Lord Salisbury, when he. was 30, and he has done his fair share of work ever since. Mr Balfour is said to enjoy an income of £40,000 a year. Amongst his many literary efforts may be mentioned the Badminton volume on golf, and numerous articles on musical subjects. Foiir years ago Mt Gerald W. Balfour -was almost a stranger to the public. He first stood for Parliament in 1885, when he acted as. secretary to his brother. Ten years later Lord Salisbury, always a good judge of ability, even when it is of the untried order, selected him as Chief Secretary for Ireland. Mr Gerald Balfour devotes his leisure principally to golf and cycling. Of soldier brothers the first place must "be accorded to Viscount Wolseley, Com-mander-in-Chief of the Army, and General Sir George B. Wolseley. The Wolseley family hails from Ireland. The Viscount was bom in 1833, and his rapid rise to eminence constitutes almost a record. The son of an officer, his opportunity came early, however, for in his nineteenth year lie served in the Burmese war and acquitted himself so admirably that a medal ■was the result. At 27 he served as major in the China war; while at 40 lie was appointed Governor and Commander of the Forces on the Gold Coast during the Ashanti campaign, in connection with which office his wonderful success brought him a giant of £25,000 from Parliament, promotion to the rank of major-general, and the freedom, of the city of London, together with a sword of honour. His subsequent achievements are, of course, well known. Sir George B. Wolseley, who is six years younger than his brother, donned the soldier's uniform when he was 18, and has received numerous medals. He was in the Indian Mutiny and did fine work at Tel-el-Kebir, in recognition of which he was appointed aide-de-camp to the Queen. Sir George is an ardent tennis player. In Generals Sir Hugh and Sir Charles Gough Ireland can boast of two more distinguished brothers, both of whom have ■won the Victoria Cross. Sir Hugh, who is the better known of the two, is a year younger than his brother. If narrow shaves count for anything, he ought to live to a wonderful age. His V.C. was given to him for a series of deeds that are unsurpassed in the annals of the British Army. He distinguished himself first at Delhi, where, charging across a swamp, he was instrumental in the capture of a couple of guns, on which occasion he fought three sepoys and had his turban cut through in several places. At Jellalabad he engaged ia a series of perfectly astounding singlehanded combats. He charged two sepoys with fixed bayonets, received a ball in the leg, and experienced the sensations of having a shot fired through his helmet and another through his scabbard. General Sir Charles Gough fought in the Punjaub campaign when he was only 16. As was the case with Sir Hugh, the V.C was conferred on him for a variety of plucky acts. In the first place he one Say saved his brother's life and finished up by killing two of the enemy ; secondly, ■when leading his troop, he cut down two men, with one of whom he had a hand-to-hand combat : while, thirdly, at Shiimshabad, he killed one of the enemy's chiefs. In this last little business he lost his sword and had to defend himself with his revolver. Fourthly, he rescued Major Anson from what was regarded as certain death. In addition to the Goughs, there are two other brothers — Major-General R. W. Sartorius and Major-General Eustott H. Sartorius — who have, gained the Victoria Cross. Tlie former received the distinction at the hands of the Queen for bravery in Ashanti. A man of many medals, MajorGeneral Euston Sartorius won the V.C. for gallantry in the Afghan war. He also ■wears the Royal Humane Society's medal, which was awarded to him in recognition of his having jumped from the pier at Broadstairs and rescued three girls who were in immediate danger of drowning. The brothers Beresford, who are also Irish, have long been heroes in the eyes of the public. Lord Charles, who is 53, was educated at private, schools, and entered the Britannia as a cadet when he was 13. He has had three medals for saving life, and has again and agaiD been reported to headquarters for brave acts. Lord' Charles confesses to a fondness for carpentering and cycling. Lord William Beresford, who is married to the widow of the late Duke of Marlboijough, was educated at Eton. A braver soldier never carried a sword. In the Zulu war, during the retirement of the recon- . aoitrku; party across the White Umvolosi

River j he turned back to' assist a* sergeant whose horse had fallen under him. Lord William placed the sergeant on his own horse, and despite the fire of the oncoming Zulus, who were in great force, succeeded in conveying him to a place of safety. The exploit, which won for the gallant officer the Victoria Cross, was rendered doubly difficult, as the sergeant, being exceedingly anxious that Lord William should not expose himself to the tender mercies of the blacks, for some time absolutely refused to be rescued. There are two well-known legal brothers — Sir Matthew White Ridley, the Home Secretary, and Mr Justice Ridley. Both were educated at Harrow. The judge, like many other ornaments of the bench, is a keen cyclist. Jean and Edouard de Reszke, who are now delighting audiences at Covent Garden Opera House, are probably in receipt of higher salaries than any of their masculine rivals. Jean de Reszke's voice — T/hich, although now tenor, was once baritone — is .supposed to bring him in £20,000 a year. On more than one occasion he has refused a fee of £500 to sing three songs at a private " at home." Amongst other famous brothers are William Hamo Thornycroft, the sculptor and Royal Academician, and John Isaac Thornycroft, the torpedo king and builder of the new racing yacht which is to compete for the America Gup in the autumn ;- the brothers Haggard — Henry Rider, the novelist, and , Colonel Andrew, who, besides being a distinguished officer, also writes books; the brothers Fremanlle — Admii;al Sir Edmund and the Very Rev. William Henry, Dean of Ripon ; and finally, Mr B. W. Leader, R.A. , who dropped the name of "Williams" many years ago, and his elder brother, Sir Edward Leader Williams, the chief engineer of the Manchester Ship Canal.