I PERSONAL NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2860, 6 January 1909, Page 77

I PERSONAL NOTES

— Who is now the "father" of the English stage? Probably an old gentleman of SO named W. H. Ford, now living in retirement in a suburb of Melbourne. He was born in Bermondsey, his mother being an actress at Astley's Amphitheatre, where he himself began to play juvenile parts in his sixth year. Later on he was a member of the companies at the Surrey and Victoria Theatres. Half a century ago he emigrated to Australia, where he built the first theatre in Brisbune.' He played with Sir William Don, Charles Mathews, Barry Sullivan, Charles Kean, and other famous actors who toured Australia. —As a young man the Kaiser was very fond of practical joking, but on one occasion at least he wished he had let well alone. When he was Crown Prince he sallied forth with a boon companion one night in search of adventure. Catching Bight of a stout old gentleman, the Prince oiole quietly up behind him and let drive at his shiny silk hat with his hand. His companion heard him utter a cry of pain, and saw him stagger back with hie hand severely cut. It turned out that the portljr old gentleman had had experience of practical jokers befoz-e, and wore inside his "topper'" a number of steel prongs, althougn ho little expected that they would ever do damage to the royal hand of his future Emperor. — Cardinal Rampolla, who is about to celebrate his hixth-fifth birthday, and who, since Leo XIII appointed him Papal Secretary of State 25 years ago, never had a holiday, has at the urgent entreaties of hi* doctors decided to journey to Switzerland for the fresh-air cure. He will spend most of the time at the celebrated Benedictine abbey at Einsiedeln. He laments his enforced Swiss holiday because it will compel him to interrupt an important critical biography of Pope Liberius, on which he has been engaged for 18 months. '"They want to bundle me out of Italy," he- remarked smilingly to a friend the other day. "I, who always found the sweetest rest in a change of work ! For over a quarter of a century I have never travelled in a railway carriage nor stirred from Rome, e\en during the midsummer heat." — There should have been a happy little Prince in Norway at Christmas, when Olaf received King Edward's magnificent present of a wonderful model railway, which is eaid to have cost £250. The model is one of the most perfect that lias ever been made, and no details have been omitted to make it as realistic as possible. Probably few royal children have nuch a magnificent collection of toys a& ha.% Prince Olaf, but I the ways ot children are unfathomable, and I his fa\oumc is a by-no-meana expensive or extraordinary rocking-hor.se. The Prince is already the posses-or of a wonderful ! electric model railwa3-, which was presented j to him by President FaLheres. 'Ihe train i* complete, with a dining car and sleeping car, and 'Ei-ere in a realistic model of the Uaie <)u Xord in Paris. Another toy which i-, much \alue<l by Olaf is a wooden caricatme of the King of Spain in shooting costume, which was a gift from Caran D'Ache, the inimitable caruaturist. —An intending event in the London lniisical world -has been thp re-appearanco of Lady Hullo, the ''violin fairj," as "Yon Bulow once called her. During the course of an intcr\k-w Lady Halle lemarked: — "Mv fir-=t musical reminiscences are all im- j bucd with <=' lutagem, for in my giilhocd days violin-playing was not look<~<:l upon as a desirable ac-romph^hrnent for women, and the w.'-'h that Jay 'n near to my heart could only be roah-ed in moments whe-n my In other was a''i cm. and I was able to steal into Ij i-s loom ond play on his instrument unbeknown to him or my parento. One day, however, my father came home unexpectedly, aid hearing, as he thought, his, son playing, remarked, '.My boy certainly

makes good progress.' Judge of hie astonishment when he found it was myself, whom he wished to become a pianist. I was so alarmed that I burst into tears and cried, 'Oh, I won't do it again !' But, as you know, I have done it agiin." — Archbishop Bourne, whose elevation to the Cardinalate is announced as an event of the immediate* future, has known what real poverty means. His father died when the future Archbishop was quite young, leaving his widow practically penniless, with, two sons to feed and educate. She mado the most heroic self-sacrifices that the boys should be thoroughly educated, but tho elder died when he was 17. This noble ladyhad her reward at last when she saw her youngest son a. bishop, and it is only a few years ago that she died at the ripe old age of 78. When. 11-years ago. Dr Bourne, at the age of 65 was made a bishop, he was ihe younge3fc English-speaking bishop in the •world bac one, and at this moment he, ,ag Archbishoo of Westminster, is ono of the youngest amongst the bishops of Ins creed. — The lively happenings in the House of Commons lately must remind Mr Henry David Erskine, tho sergeant-at-arms, of the dear old daj-s when the bhoys were broths of bhoys indade, and his office was not i'll dignity and repose Afr Erskine has occupied his office since 1885, and in private life is one of ihe most charming of men He and his family live in Speaker** Court a.fc the Palace of Westminster, their houxj being one of the most artistic in London. Before he occupied the seat of the sergeants Mr Erskine smelt powder in the Crimea, and got hi? captaincy. His chief recreation is said to consist of the exciting after-dinner pastime of throwing cards into a discarded "topper." Mr Speaker Peel and he used to be rivals at this most fascinating game. — Mrae. Sarah Grand, the famous novelist. m!io ha^ been making the frank confession that she would have her "fling," and then find honest people amongst whom she might divide her wealth, if she "were a millionaire," confesses that she must have a certain number of pet things about hen, when she is writing. "I must have breakfast alone," she says, "if I am to write afterwards, and amongst other things which must he in their places about me is the print of a stork, cut from an old illustrated paper, after a water-colour by Stacy Marks, a cunnirig old bird that has said many good things to me. People say that,' my desk is a- rubbish heap, that my ink, i" bottle is a disgrace to all ink bottles, anrii] my old oak desk in the worst taste o?| trade furniture. But what can I do? II 11I 1 cannot work, without the abominable things.. | Then, again, I must.be tidily dressed. 'Mjj* I grammar would become slovenly- with anl Untidy wra.p about me. Here is anotheij curious fact : I always work while dressed!^ lin black, though I hate black. Such arc/ : the tridks of my trade." i — Professor John Milne, who has recently been awarded a medal of the Royal Society for his eminent services in the modern de-* velopment of scismological science, is that leading earthquake expert of tho day. Thar professor has been a great traveller, but he» now lives quietly in the Isle of Wight; , where- he keeps his seismograph, the wonderful instrument that records an earthquake, no matter at what part of the globe it might occur. Professor Milne i_s also one of the greatest living authorities on? Japan, and was for 20 years engaged bjr the Japanese Government as a geologistf and mining engineer. Like the late Sift Edwin Arnold, the professor married el Japanese lady, and their wedded life ha» been ideallj happy. Had it not been for, chance Professor Milne might never hava seriously taken up the studw of earthquakes at all. He was quite a young man when 1 Field, the famous American cable-layer, sent to the School of Mines for a man to go out to Japan, and it happened that young Milne was selected for the post. ''Can you start on Tuesday?" asked Mr Field. "Well, to-day is Friday; I am afraid I cannot get my things ready in so short a time," was the reply. "Look here; young man," said Field, "it only took six days to make the world, and if a whole world can be made in that time your things can loe got ready in less." So the future" professor went to Japan, and it was while in the land of chrysanthemums that he invented the wonderful apparatus thai? has made his name famous. — Sir C. A. Cripps is one of the beg men of the English Bar, and, in some respects, lias done what no barrister ever did before : that is to say, he ha 3 abandoned one branch of the profession for another, and l has been a.s successful in his second love as in his first. For yeare he. was the chief figure at the Parliamentary Bar. The Parliamentary barrister is, in some respects, the most favoured of professional men. Ha has to work very feverishly and very terribly even, but it is usually for only four months in the year; his fees are gigantic- ;• often when he gets to the top he makes hi« twenty to thirty thousand a year. But ' the position has one drawback: . _ the moment a man enters Parliament he has to drop hie practice as X Parliamentary barrister, and with that hia inconrie, however huge. Tho reason w that as member of Parliament he may be one of the committees before which> the Parliamentary barrister appears, and no man in England can be judge and advocate at the same time. Sir William Harcourt — who lived before the- days of the tremendous fees of Mr Rufus Isaacs and Sir Edward) Carson— stated that he was earning £15,00(1 at the Parliamentary Bar when he entered the House of Commons, and, except during^ the brief period when ho was Solicitor^ general, it is probable he never earned an< other penny at his profession. Lord Roben( Cecil was a prominent Parliamentary .ad\ocate; he is now without a fee in thafa branch of his profession, because he i* member for Marylebone. Sir C. A. Cripp« had to abandon the Parliamentary Bar ia the same way when he entered Parliament, but he was able to take up another branch of his profession — namely, that of arbitral tion,— and he is now making the same gigantic income he was able to get at the Parliamentary Bar.

— The Turkish day begins exactly afc sunset, and afc that tame <th© Turk eet= hi^ olocks and watches cX tho hour of 12. Now is the time to take a holiday, geif out into the country, on the mountains, and 1 \s-sit the seashore, but do not forget to tak.B a boftle of Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera; and DmTThceo. Remedy along with you. lit is almost certain to bo needed, end cani not always be obtained on railroads oy steamships. It is too much of a risk foj( anyone to leave home on a journey without it." For sale everywhere- " ~ '