PERSONAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3335, 13 February 1918, Page 53

PERSONAL NOTES.

Major the Earl of Stair (better known, perhaps, as Lord Dalrymple} having been released as a prisoner of war after spending some time in a convalescent camp in ■ Switzerland, was accorded a hearty welcome by the tenantry and Town Council of Stranraer at Lochinch. Eloquent and eulogistic speeches wero delivered by Mf John M'Caig and Provost Dyer. In his reply Lord Stair said that with the First Expeditionary .Force, with which he went ,to France, his corps had to hold for a week a 10-milo front. The men were spread out along a length of. line which at present would bo held by many divisions. His company dug themselves in at tho farthest point of the Ypres salient. Unfortunately that point was left behind when the other tfoops retreated, and his company was captured. Tho British troopi were now nearly at the point where they were captured. 7 The Marquess of Bute, who has been appointed an Area 'Representative fof Labour Supply under Sir Auckland Geddes, dceired to go to the front to tight, especially in view of 'the death of his brother. Lord Ninian Orichton-Stuart, M.P.; bid he has not been passed as medically fit for general service, and consequently ha will have to remain at home. The Marquess is one of the richest men in the kingdom. When he came *into the title he inherited something like six millions sterling —money made chiefly in tho Cardiff docks. Although his immense riches are mainly derived from the Welsh port hia possessions in Scotland axe of vast extents He cares little for society, but is devoted ' to everything Scottish, often \vear3 the kilt, and has his own piper. General Armando Diaz, the new Com-mander-in-chief of the Italian armieev although comparatively unknown outside mditary circles, has had a distinguished \ career. A Neapolitan by birth and 56 years of age, his ancestors fought in the Napoleonic wars. Ho greatly enhanced his reputation during the Libyan war, the plan of campaign of which was largely his own devising. The new Commander-in-chief, who began the war as a junior majorgeneral, was promoted commander of the Twenty-third Army Corps on the Ison2o after brilliant successes achieved in the leadership of a division operating on the Carso hills. To his solid talent as- an organiser is joined great personal pride and volcanic energy. General Diaz abhors' lame excuses, and will not tolciate petty'-per-sonal squabbles, and consequently is not only but also feared by his men. The Archbishop of York is a Scotsman, and his father was famous as minister of the Glasgow, as well a.» Principal or the University of Aberdeen. Dr Lng has -shown himself. to be a true friend of the labouring classes, and he - doubtless became familiar with 'the hardships and sufferings of the poor whilst no was Bishop of Stepney. Dr Lang is not a man of rapid decision. Several times ho has started on one road and then turned back to take another. Ho had,; for example, completed his reading for the Ba?, and was on.'the eve of hie "call" when, moved bv some impulse, he decided to enter the" Church. He left it ro late that ■ ho had to 'fitgraph to the Benchers or tho Inner Temple to remove his name from the list of candidates. -On one occasion the Archbishop was preaching in Wcs'tminstet Abbey, and during his sermon closed hit eyes in order to concentrate his mind an > the subject. Afterwards he met a lady acquaintance, who commented upon the fact thus: "You may think that with your eyes shut you looked like a 6s.in't. but you l-eally looked like a fool." • - —An excellent account of i-c-nine is con.- , tairfed in an article in Asia, the journal of the American Asiatic Association. It i* written by Mr M. J. Olgin,' the author of "The Soul of tho Russian Revolution." Mr Olgin tells us 'that 22 years ago Lenine first appeared in Russian life as an economist and statistician. Four years later ho pur. forth a book called "Development of 'Capitalism,' 1 which became « standard work in Russian economic literature, and wa» highly regarded by the Marxist Socialists. .- Other books and articles followed; among them was a fine translation fioni the English of Sidney and Beatrice Webb's "In-/ dustrial Democracy," a book of groat value and known the, world over to all students ", of industrial conditions. As' Lenine plunged more and more into politics he became more bitter and impatient with tho views of his opponents, and he is now, we are dole! by Mr Olgin, "a man who sees life only from the angle of-his own ideas." His slogans are, in effect:- "The war ought to be stopped at any price; the factories ought" to bo taken over by those/ who toil; 'the bourgeois parties ought to be driven out!" In short, Lenine might be called, says Mr Olgin, the "great Inquisitor of Russian. Social Democracy." His influence with the labour classes in Petrograd. is especially strong.