PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 87

PERSONAL NOTES.

— Lord Kitchener, -who is 59 years of age, will b© the youngest Field-marshal in , the aa-my. He is also the least decorated-. I Owing to tho fact that his war services have been confined to Egypt- and South Africa ( he has fewer ma dais than manygenerals of not half his fame. Though ba is a 'member of the Order \>f Merit, he has no Indiar decoration except the Grand Cross of ihe Star of India. I — Tire latest of King Leopold of Beifiium't ' 1 whims, practsoally completed, is a prKat< railway leading from the Brussels suburbs 1 station of Lack-en to the palace, about t mile away. This railway, which Js hidden fro-m-sig-iit, is lujrariciK-Iy appointed j from it his Majesty steps into a lift which con- s i veys him' direct to his apartments. TJw i " railway, tunnej, etc., cost in aIL somi : " 6,000,000fr (£240,6001. — The" Hon. Alfred Lyttelton tells an amusing story which amply illustrates th« love of sport which is ingrained in the ! members of his family. On one ccoasioD, whon the future X.C. ' was figuring in a cricket maiteh, ono of the younger members of the household rushed into- the drawing room, and in aa agony of shame and grief> told of the downfall of Alfred. •'] never should hare thought he could hay« done ,it," he groaned. "Why, what haj .h« done? Tell me quickly!" dem&ndeo" -the, anxious anaiher. . ., '^o.ne?- Why,~he -r*a- ' out to a lieastly slow, and 'got stumped !" I - — Sari -Nelson^ tfhd is a' gi'and,-nepheT» [of the rl hea-o of . Trafalgar, .celebrated ,hi« r dijlity-sixth ljir^jaay recently. The earldoltt was coufei«r€d - in v honour of Trafalgar on Viscount Nebon's only surviving brother, the Rev. "William, Nelson, on whom also' devolved the Dukeckmi of Bronte and 'tha Barbny of Nelson of the "Nile. The present Lord Nelson, who to tha ' title in 1835, is in point of age the Father of tbe- House of Lords, an<l he dso enjoys the distinction cf bavrog held has titC« in three reigns. Lord: Nelson, who is still vijry energetic, is a warm supporter of the I Navy League, and takes a genuine interest in religious and philanthropic enterprises. —Dr "Vf 7 . H. Cumn-..:ngrs, who celebrated his. seventy-eighth, birthday on August 22, and whose ' scholars at the GuiWiall School ■ oi Music presented him with his portrait, has been befoue .the public as a sinj^f o? performer for 70 years. - He was barely ssven whon he became a chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, and in his. 'tenth year ho w€iii to the Tenaple Church. In those dare the Tsmple choTistors werp in great deniard «,t gleo ilu'bs and musical parties, and: 1 young Cunnings often earned £5 or 56* per week. Dr Cumming-s's hob.bj is that lof coll-eeti:!^ aiusi«il antfquitks, and his ! relics- of • great comjiosers of the- r^aj* aye I practically unrivalled. i —Sir William Soulsby, who lies d^lirrd J a tcsJimcnial "which it wes projio??d lo pi--e-£-ent to him in recognition of hk long service as private secretary to 30 Lord 1 Mayois of Lon-Jon, has r<:cei\e>d rnor3 foreign potontate; porlsaps than 4nf ctho-v mar not royal or c slat-es.naii. Fictn t':e I Germ2.ll Errvperor and the Czar down to th& 1 Shah of Persia they hava come to tho metropolis, and Sir William, has received' 1 them with the concentrated courtosy of ovei30 years of ciry life Furlbanr.ore, it ;<^ estimatc'd' two- or three hv.nd.vd' paopls eall_at t.h3 Maiiisicn Boufta every <lay ' to - c /&3 Ilw Lord Mayor, and Sir Williari skk!s tli2m all away — ?atisfiod. Iji arld'tion, lie replies to 53\on or eigrht hundred loiters a<ldix:ss-3d lo the Lord Mayor eve'y day. Trul\ r his post is i:O si-.iceure. — R> : r Philip .vlagr7us, 11. P., who has ho?ii vi^i^ic^ Leipsig as the repi asontativo of t-*"? University of Lor.to->, ;>; > c vi 3 of England* most famous authorities on education, and he has heid many pj'olie rt ci; - cn; s c^ lin " portar.ee. He has written a grcd clsai en vaiious toelißi'cal Msojocrs, aril h :< > firs.; book. "lie-sons in Elemsr.tary Meclmnic*." was an im.w'iate succ^s?. Sin Philip is a man ro whom worfc is an the breath of life, and in spirs of hit 60 edd years hi* enoiyy i^ wondeiful. When he can man-ajre to snatch a little leisure his favourite i-sc-reaiion is the uneon.non one of trs* Iphmting, arxl in t'\z fine E'i'cunds of ni* hou%e in Surrey he has ample opportunities of indulging in -his hobby. — Here is the latest Kii^lmg story A 'hm-i, t.inie a.co a bronzed gentleman, with drooping blac'-c moustaches, walke<l into the out oSca of the American publishers of Mr Kipling's books. "That's Rudyard* f Kipling," one mail whispered to another-. The rumour went all over the building that Rudyard Kipling was downstairs. Several people went in to have a look at him, but there was one man who knew, and he said,' "Kipling the dickens ! That is >lr — —'9 tailor." The next time the tailor cima in the same wise employee said to him, "You created quite a sensation here the other day. A number of people took yoiii for Kipling." The man's face wds a blank. "Kipling, Kipling— who's Kipling'" he asked. — The master-mind of the Barcelona Anarchists, Anselmo Lorenzo, is a compositor by trade, but for many yeans past has devoted himself entirely to the propagation of his doctrines. A French journalist who visited Lorenzo last year describes him as "a handsome old man about 65 years of age, with a patriarchal beard and a dreamy expression ;n; n his eyee. He lives near the University of Barcelona, in a bare little room, the moet conspicuous adornment of which is a faded photograph of a group taken at the Congress of .London in 187 L elfafwing* Itorehxo standing tide ofc> Karl Marx." He told tbe- interviewer, that with the fmilafe of i|te- general *trik« inrga-

B*Uer*t, Vie., writes: "H»t« rired C^ain- ' 4 b«^ain?s Coug*^a«o»«dyr|«M^<o«r ymxi~ *a& f ; beKefidtl. €kiL't*Qomm*64 it : Ito jjtcyqae:'- }■ cas^"- F&r" «Je '«rer*wiiex«. '

' , ] f *~i . «" fc. t, nisetl i:' Barcsldno seven years ago 5He had £bai)doned-all liopes accornßliahjnent »f tbe social revolution _. =/■<*•"< = —'fSI. ilqgr^r Somrr.er, -s,-ho beat Wilbtrr '"Wi-xs-fit's Vccord^'ljy "romSuiing"in '-th©

f air for two hours 27 minutes, is quite a '■ young man, and until quite recently was practically unknown. He is very well off, and has thus been able to devote both time' and money to the study of aviation. A pupil of M. Henri Farman, he has been described by his teacher as a born flyer, and he has done so well -that he lias enabled if. Farman to win the prize offered by the National Aerial League to the aviator who trained the most efficient pupil. M. Sommor has been keenly interested in outdoor sport for many years, but; it is only a year ago since tie took up the study of aeroplanes. His success is th© more remarkable on that account, and the world is anxiously waiting for his further triumphs. —The Earl of Caledon. the fifth of his line to hold the title, ito which he succeeded in 1898, has attained the age of 24. At the Coronation Lord Caledon was one of the King's pages. He greatly distinguished himself at th* fatal fire a.t "Eton, saving the lives of several of his schoolfellows. Lord Caledon js an Alexandar, the family going back to the Rev.' Andrew Alexander, who was an alderman of the , city of Londonderry, had a son James, who represented the City of Derry-, and also filled several important offices in India. In 1790 James Alexander was created a baron, ea-.-<!*i years later a. Tiscount, a«4 finally iii' 1201 the Earldom of Caledon was conferred upon him. .The second Earl was the first Governor of the Cape of Good Hope when it was ceded to Great Britain, and a district in the Orange River- Colony is named after liim. —In retiring, from the army ths Duke of C'onnaught has taken the advice that was unwittingly given him a few years ago. It was when his Royal Highness was °in India, and he had been for a walk one morning. On his way back to his quarters he came face to faca with a veteran wear-, irrg the ribbons of the Mutiny. He paused and spoke to the man. 'Presently the veteran said : "Are you in jthe army yourself, sir?" The Dudce admitted that he was. /'Getting on all right?" was the next question. His Royal Highness replied . that he seemed to be- doing fairly well, but perhaps^ not quite so well as he could wish. "Xo, and_ you never will, my boy," was the unexpected retort of the veteran. "There are' too many swells in the army nowadays, and you want a powerful lot of influence to get on at all; you taks my advice and 'chuck it' as soon as you can." — Whatever views one may hold in regard to tariff reform, one cannot help admiring the spirit in which Mr Austen ChamiberJain is carrying on the campaign instituted by his lather. They spe-ak of him in the Midlands as a "rare "chip of the old block," and the veteran statesman, whom illness has compelled to retire from the political arena, must indeed feel proud of the son who has followed so creditably in his footsteps. * Mr. Austen Chamberlain was once asked what qualities he considered contributed most to the success of a politician. "The powers of diplomacy and flattery," he is said to have replied. Apparently he' studied the latter in his early days. The story goes that on one occasion, when his father had had a largs number of trees planted in the grounds at Highbury, he gav>e a luncheon in honour of the occasion. Mr Austen was late, and he knew that if there is one unpardonable sin in. his father's eyes it is 'that of tinpunctuality. He came in with an apology, and when he added that he had lost hiio way in "this new forest", he was speedily forgiven. — The retirement of Dr Bellamy, so long president of St. John's, Oxford, will recall pleasant memories to many generations of Oxford men, especially those having any association with the beautiful' college, over which Dr Bella-my rule<l with such success. The late president hacLbeen a member of St.- John's for no fewer than 73 years, and he succeeded Dr Wynter in 1871. Few figures in university life have been so' well known or so universally popular. Naturally Dr Bellamy was the hero of countless anecdotes, to which h:s strongly-marked personality, and, above all, his peculiar lisp"ng intonation, lent point. In perhaps the cleverest of the 6tories connecfed with the late president Dr Bellamy himself plays but an objective part. Up to some years ago it was his custom to take horse exercise in the afternoon upon a spirited animal, which, despite his advanced years, he managed with perfect mastery. The story goes that on one occasion a member of the college was showing a friend round Oxford, when they observed Dr Bellamy setting out for his customary ride. "And who," said the stranger, ''is that?" The answer is at least good enough to encourage a hope n its truth. "That," replied h:s friend instantly, "is ths Head of St. John the Baptist on a charger !" —Of all the foreigner, who have taiken. up their residence in England Mr William Waldorf Astor is ons of the few to endeavour to become an Englishman heart and soul. He became naturalised the moment the law of residence would let* him, and h-e has become the own^r of two landed estates of many thousands of acres, as well as a vast .amount of Lor. don town property. Beyond a ■ slight American accent, which no one from th-d- other side can ever bo quite divested of. there is nothing but wha.l is absolutely English about Mr Aslor. Every tiling ha c'ocs is in tho English way. He b^s. brought r.o Amsr:canisms with him. While- princely in the:.magnificence his enLei'fcainmftiTs ars never ma.V.-d by, osfo-tiTatio-ia '"display. Ir short, the-Vei fa inothinif of ' the-' blnian. milHan.airfe—roitKsr American m\ English— about h'iri}> * Another thing: By r.aiur-e ho possesses the cold and- -rlist:i,UT oxtrrior that the' English are provesbuilly said to exhibit to stM ngcTrs. - Mr. Star's two -sons 1-.-3 ifas brought i i|p -a-nd: sefSubs^rd.. in strict accord withy.^hpl, eafetejijs,!; tfoKoroed -. h'y '■ Y.n^i\^n uarer.fs. As sco^.-^-sj |J}qy. wers old enough he "sent' them to Et,on.' There, the elder. William, took un boa Ling, with- keen interest, and soon became a ftar among th-> ''wet bobs,"" rowinor 'seven in 'the college boat at Henley., and there ,for two helping his-seKbobtoAvih t-'*r BadiW^Plat* Hej-wa^ ?; < T?apSsie;?\j?-*,f.Tfo l-JBdals'", , cj <khfg ypar^^and^wa^ sew& in Ihie.^spQKiifig.v li-f c <ajf E+<jrr, .--From tjierfe hje |^erit up -to - GaWbridge*, f anid . thoiiglj rcpvpr gfetpn^J^^-Blue-an^bci'-Yarsity btfatj r«j)o]i' a prominent part jn tha aquatics of hr| cpl!Eg©.s.*-»Thp"= voiifv^tff." '{-h>h, *Jo'n n~Jaoab, wift-*prifsv crigk-striaiji jf£r *woj: year^; in jLVrg , •niton--' 4%4vs<rt, * Snaking *bi j? : sooVe3 igas^isi-^c*-h.'H»rijCM%.eistl < 'V&iß.sJ>Gct^r4 A&&i leaving Eton he went,, into, the Ist Life Guards. * w " ;