PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2914, 19 January 1910, Page 85

PERSONAL NOTES.

Mr Hall Caine enjoys great popularity j in America, as is shown by the story of ' one American publisher’s peculiar offer, j He wrote and asked Hall Caine if he I would write a novel for him, and in the) letter he enclosed blank cheque duly j signed, and told the author to fill • in the I sum he wanted". The offer was a tempt- t ing one, and Mr Caine admits that be 1 carried the cheque in his pocket for several weeks before he declined the offer. He was too busy. The Rev. Samuel S krone, vicar of Laneham, Nottinghamshire;, has seven eons, , and the Treasury states that they are all j priests of the Church. One is viCai of Walton, Lancashire, famous for its great church long before the adjacent village of Liverpool overshadowed it in importance, j Another is vicar of St. Stephen’s, Sunderland.,,. One is in Darfield, Yorkshire, and ' another in Beccles, Suffolk. Oxshott claims a fifth. Another is in Suffolk, while the seventh is in Lincolnshire. It is said by those who know the brothers most intimately that they represent different phases of Church thought. The Rev. Dr Donald Macleod, who is giving up his charge of the Park Parish Church, Glasgow, after forty years’ ministry, ‘is almost as famous in the religious life of Scotland as was .his brother, Dr Norman Macleod. The -father also held high and honoured Church posts in, hie day, being, among other things, Dean of the Chapel Royal. Hus son Norman filled this position after the death of his father. Dr Donald Macleod succeeded his brother in the editorship of Good Words, and, in addition to being a preacher, of wide reputation has -been known throughout his long and busy -career as an author of some distinction. He was Moderator of the Assembly : of the Church of Scotland in, 1895. Lord- Alverstone, the Lord Chief Justice of England, has a host of stories which ) he, ?s fond of telling. One of the best i of these concerns a little loan which, lag once made to a needy friend. -He lent, the latter a sovereign, and then bet another friend that lie would one day get his money back. Some time afterwards Lord; Alve-r----stone met the friend, who- inquired,* “Well, have you received the money from poor R— — v°t?” “No,” replied his-lordship ; “and i shall not press him, for I have received a letter from him which - is worth the money.” The letter read* as follows: I “As the date has -arrived when the £1 has to he* repaid, please find a postal order for that amount, for I’m hanged if I can.” The death is announced of Mr P. G. Edwards, editor of the Musical Times. Mr Edwards, who was a member of a; wellknown Essex family, was born in 1853, and was associated all his life with music. He. gave particular attention to antiquarian subjects, and was an enthusiastic-" admirer of Mendelssohn. On, the death .of Mr Edgar Jacques -some 12 years ago, Mr Edwards was appointed by Messrs. Novello as editor of the Musical Times. He contributed largely to- that .paper under the- penname- of “Dotted Crochet.” Mr Edwards was fatally attacked by pneumonia. ; Mr Joseph Arch, who has just reached his _ eighty-third year, is the man ’ who achieved the marvellous feat of fully organising the agricultural labourers of England. He began his career by frightening birds off the crops at 4d a day. At that time teg, was 7s a pound l and sugar was too dear to sweeten it with. The average ■wage amongst the labourers was 12s a week; they asked for 16s, and Arch got it for them. In a few months the members of National Agricultural .Labourers’ Union numbered 50,000, and) ultimately Arch was returned to Parliament as one of the pioneer Labour members. It will be remembered that Mr Arch paid a visit to New Zealand many years ago. • Mr Pierpont, Morgan is anxious to 'buy, the Regcia, or Corte Reale, Palace at Man,* tua, ana he has offered a. fabulous sum for it to till King of Italy, who, however,, re-

fused to sell i*. It is believed in Italy that the famous millionaire wishes to have this palace for his unmarried daughter, who is a great admirer of the wonderful building. The Roggia contains no ■. foe than 6UO rooms, many of which are decorated with frescoes worth a fortune''each. In days gone by. it was the recno of the utmost splendour, and most of the greatest and richest nobles of Italy stayed in the Roggia at some time or other. A veritable Dick Whittington is M> Thomas Ward, who was elected sheriff oi Nottingham. He was born in the Nottingham glume 51 years ago, and was sen; to the workhouse school. When 12 the guardians sent him to a Southampton training ship. Afterwards he became a pony driver in a local colliery, and when 19 lie determined to try his luck on the Australian goldfields, and obtained a Government free passage. Returning to Nottingham after 13 months he secured a situation as porter in a large yeast factory, and was later promoted to salesman. He gained the firm’s confidence, and was subsequently admitted as partner, while now he is solo proprietor. Sir Edward Carson, who has been telling Brixton why he changed) from Liberal to Conservative, has had a marvellous career at the bar, and shares with Mr Rufus Isaacs the- distinction of being the most highly-paid lawyer. But there was a time when Sir Edward found it difficult to -earn half a guinea,-. On a certain occasion when he was going into court in Ireland a man came up to him and, catching hold of his gown, said: “Look here, counsel, you have a bit of a case for Mick O’Dwyer, haven’t you?” “I have. What about it?’’ “Well,” said the man, with the air of one who is making a v-gry grand offer, “I am Mick O’Dwyer, and if you win that case I will give you five shillings for yourself.” Counsel won his case, but, needless to say, he did not claim the five shillings. Captain Sinclair, who was recently raised to a peerage, tells a gcod story of the occasion when he contested the Ayr Burghs. A lady friend had volunteered to do what she could to '"cure votes for him. Her reception at • first call was extremely gratifying. “Come in, my dear,” said the buxom, hearty old lady 'who answered the door; “you must bo hot and tired, and ready for a cup of tea. _ Jim 11 be here in a minute, and “If yon don’t mind ” faltered the canvasser. B-ub it was hopeless to try to stem the tide- of the old lady’s loquacious hospitality. Sho rattled on incessantly until she had to pause to take breath. This was the canvasser’s opportunity, and- she explained the purpose of her call. “Vote for Captain Sinclair!” exclaimed the elder lady <lisappointedly. “Why, I thought you worn Jim’s noo young woman.” The Bishop of London, who stated the other day that his life is a very happy one, is one of the most genial of the spiritual peers. “A sense of humour is essential to success,” he once said. “If a young man has no sense of humour, I would keep him at college until he got one.” Dr Ingram’s own sense of humour is. very marked. Some time ago he -gave a .cabman his legal fare for driving him, from St. Paul’s Churchyard to Fulham, and, after the manner of most jehus who do not receive a “tip,” the man demurred, “Do you think that if St. Paul were alive now, he would bo living in that palace?” he asked. “ Certainly not,” replied l the Bishop blandly; “he would be at Lambeth Palace, and it would only be a shilling fare.” The venerable Earl of Leicester, who was 87 in December, is “Father of the. Bouse of Lords,” having sat longer than any other peer. Ir the second year of Queen Victoria’s reign-, his lordship was a lad of 15, and was born when his father was 69. Always very outspoken, he invariably makes it a practice to stand behind the gunners on the occasion of a “beat” on his estate, and indulge in chilling criticisms. Rude fare, in the shape of _ bread and cheese,, raw onions, and beer, is provided, and no ceremonies are observed. Very frequently, in fact, the noble earl regales himself with humble prp l -‘ecder of this kind, and whilst sitting ka Country hedges using a labourer’s knife to cut up his meal, he has keen taken for a farm. hand. A standing dish at Holkham Hall is his favourite- Norfolk dumplings.