PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2862, 20 January 1909, Page 89

PERSONAL NOTES.

— Prince Ferdinand, who now styles himself Czar of Bulgaria, rules over a turbulent and not easi'y-governcd people, and it is not, without a certain fear that he gee» about among his subjects. Continual watchfulness has made him extremely nervous, and even when he is not in his own ■domjnions. it does not take much to upeet him. Home time ago he was out driving in Carlsbad, and appeared to be deeply buried in thought. As hie carriage was turning a corner a street boy picked up a paper ha^r that was lying on the road, inflated it. and exploded it with a loud report, after the manner of boys all the ivor'd o\pt. In an instant the Prince started *o his feet, gav<> a terrified glftJice abound, sprang from the carriage, and made off rapidly in tho direction of his hotel. — Captain David Beatty, who has been appointed aide-de-camp to the King, is a t^enior officer of the navy, and will shortly be due for promotion. He will then be the youngest rear-admiral the fleet has had for many years, for he will not cplebrato his thirty -eighth birthday until January 17th ilex,.. His rapid advance has been due to iwrticuiarlv <di&tin£>uished. war service. Jt was in Kgvpt 12 year* ago that he was suddenly called I'pcs to take com- I mand of the gunl^iat flotilla, and showed groa! f-fcsll and courago.apr.iinst the enemy, winning Imp 1) S.O, I>ir:nj» the Boxer! troubles h<- commanded the Barfleur, and l<xl a spnnd.'d attack with a couple of hundred blu">ack?'s against two Chinese gun« which v.fi-f cau->ing: a groat deal of noub' 1 It v.is ;i fi iut!««s. bi.« daring effort, during \i i»i<-li he was twice > ounded. He was made v captain when only 29 years of age. — The Car's, uncle, the Grand Diike Aloxis, who died recently, was one of th« few men who have ever broken the b*nk at Monte Carlo. Playing reulete ono afternoon the Duke bad an extraordinary run of luck, winning about £10,000 in half an hour. On that occasion the excitement was intense. Play stopped at the other tAplee, and everyone- crowded round to watob the Imperial gamble-r. When finally '

he ' broke the bank there -was a tear of applause and cheering. Like most Russian Grand Dukes he knew what it was to have his life attempted. The conspirators pulled up a section of the permanent way jiear Cette, in Erance, otec which it was> "Enovvn "that lhe";l>sltes tr^ill woultLpass.~_ But they wetejtoe JJieihatttfe-ill their ptetts,— and a luggage train. which,"-pr eceded the -*:*as^n-Sc*S;sil«d; over ensbank-2jßi6irt,":kiHjng'Gne-of the seaspjrajfcorsj who wftfc Off the watch. : N6 one else~ 3fraV hurt. Not bnly.'-is King (jJTj^fcav, -or Sw&den, the only, monarch wJßKgfcKbitually .'wears glasses,- btrt-he^is'-oiM^eif^-flie -few rulers in the world \rha is? a total abstainer. During his 'Crown" Princely dayat-ieSfcdkkcnmch by the- fotbe^-of this; example fi» farther -t&e cause- of temperances '.J&& <*n.e occasion, during some .manceuvresr^lle i&rited a hffge number of youiig officers to 'his tent to Luncheon, and placed poaiiril^A- weak apple and hot beef tea. before, Hrem. It is said that the young fellows sniggered ft lot when -liis bvck t?as _ turned, but they dtank of tbe fluids ift quantity, e3*& e*Ai*fely to their own and their host's- satisfaction. A characteristic sfory is fold" <Jf— the King 1 * way of meeting awkward questions. He was onoo asked what his opinion wfts- of the Socialists and the democratic movement generally. "Well," he answered) "in othet ~ countries I a-m quite inclinea to Socialism and democratic ideas, but you can hardly blame me for feeling a little royalist, in Sweden." The motto which he assumed! when ho ascended the throne was "With my people for the Fatherland." — What people cannot understand about Mr Charles Frohman, the world's greatest theatrical manager, who has been paying his annual visit to London, .is Ik>w he manages to get through his work. He has geaerally as many aa 3000 actors and actresses on his salary list, reads something like 30 plays in a week, and controls theatres as far apart as San Francisco, New York, and London. He never seems to be in a hurry, is always genial, while his personal appearance is that of a man who is living a very comfortable life on an Independent income. Nevertheless Mr Frohman has been "hustling" since "he left school at 14- years of age. when he went, to work in an office during the day in New York, and at night crossed the river to a theatre in Brooklyr, where he held a minor appointment. Sucli good use, however, did young IVohman make of his opportunities that three years later he was able to take oharge of a. Chicago comedy company, which enabled him, befoTe he w«s 20, to amass a nice little fortune of £10,000. — "Hard work and coolness the secret of success" — so says Mr Charles E. Husrhess who has risen from a lawyer's office to trie Governorship of New York State. And he practices what he preaches. New Yorfc'» Governor is at his office shortly after 9 o'clock, and frequently remains until 7. Ni«ht after night he worWs in his library, and during the gas investigation which he conducted so master'.y some time ago he rarely retired until midnight. Mr Hughes believes in hard work, and one of his expressions is, "I believe in Work, hard work, and long hours of work. Men do not break down from overwork, but from worry and dissipation. T notice,- too, that moat; successful men are thdfce -whose minds arfe always cool — who, no matter how swift the mov-eiaen-ts. of their bodies, are able to deliberate coolly and to pronounce calm, sober judgment even under disturbing circumstances. It is not the man who reaches the corner first who wins, but the men who knows exactly what he is goinic to do when he reaches the corner." Such, are the words of wisdoni from one who ha<* proved their value. — A crood story is told of the tact of SiH*rry Rawson, -who Vetired from the royal navy the other day on reaching the a»e limit. When Sir Harry was Commander-in-chief of the Cape station in tKe nineties it ha-ppened 1 that a number of the officers of the squadron failed \o <\all at tho Admiralty House and write -their names in the visitors' book, as etiquette required. Most men would have stood on their die:nity and made a stitDid fus^, but Sir Harry, who remembered the glorious days when he himself was a middy, took a. different line. He invited the delinquents to dinner, told them all his best stories, anil «<»nt them home in a mcod of repentance such as no amount of official wi<ro:ing would have reduced them to. Sir Harry loaves a brilliant record behind him. Ho - has seen active service in China, "Rgypf. Zanzibar. and Benin, being scvorelv wounded in China. It was four years afte^ lie entered the navy in 1857, by the way. that he was thanked on the quarter-deeSc for jumping overboard at night and saving 1 the life of a man in the Shanghai Kivor. — Probably few people are awaro that the theatrical godfather of that famous actor, Mr William Gillette, who has jxwfc returned to the stage after a long absence through illness, was Mark Twain, who was a fellow-townsman and friend of his I father's. Mark "Twain, in referring to the matter, has said that when lie used) his influence k> get young Gillette on tho stage he thought he was playing a great' joke on Ihe management, for he did not think Gillette had the slightest aptitude for acting. But it turned out to be no joke aftei al?. "I don't know," f.iid Mark Twain, "which I like be*?, — having I Gillette make a tremendous success or serins one of mv jokes go wron<r." Mr Gillette, by tho way, tells an amusing itory of an old sai'or acquaintance of his. Coming across the old fellow, whom ho had not seeen for some time, Mr Gillette said, "Well, and how have you been getting on since I last 6aw you?" "Pretty fair," repjjed the sailor — "pretty fair; but mv left ear hai= gone quite deaf, sit." "Come, come, never mind," said the actor, cheerily. "You are getting on in years now, and you must expect " "That may be," interrupted the old salt, testily, "but my ags has got nothing to do with it, eir, for me right ear's as old as me left one, an' I can hear foine in that!" — "Cyclists stored here," and "Duckes and ohickings killed to order," are notice* displayed in the windows of Braintree tradesmen. — It is. told of the famous Isaac jßarrdir that meeting the Duke of Rochester frea^ the chamber of king Charles II the Djib bowed low, eaying t "I am youre, dootojcy to the knee-strings." Barrow (bowing iow)tl "I am yours, my lord, ic> the shoe-tie.» Rochester j "Yours, doctor, dowii its tW ground." Barrow: "Yours, my lord 1 , to the centre of the earth. Rochester (qofc to be outdone); "Yours, doctor, to the lowest pit of hell.'* Barriwi "There, my lord, I must leave you."