LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 89, 28 November 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho suffragists in New York hope to make a great success of their winter campaign by adding “the beauty” plank to their platform. Beauty parlours will bo opened at tho headquarters of the Political Equality League, and suffragists who have worn wrinkles in their brows through worrying over the vote are to have “satin skin cream” of suffrage make. There is a special preparation of camphorice to cool fevered brows, and complexion soap for outdoor speakers. Mohammed V., Sultan of Turkey, says the “Daily Sketch,” has had a stranger career than any of his fol-low-mouarchs—in Europe at any rate. By the law of succession in Turkey the Crown is inherited according to seniority by the male descendants of (Hitman ; so that on the accession of Abdul Hamid, his brother, the present Sultan, became Heir Apparent, and tho object of the reigning monarch’s peculiar care. To all intents and purposes he was a prisoner of State during the thirty-three years’ of Abdul’s reign. He was permitted intercourse with a few servants and .dependents only. Abdul knew what treachery and conspiracy were, and did not moan to give his brother any chances. Spies surrounded the house where the Prince lived, and to be seen within a hundred yards of it was dangerous for a Turkish subject.

After fifty-eight years in the service, Admiral Sir Edward Seymour hauled down his Hag last year and retired into private life, and we have recently been reminded of the energy of this" gallant sailor by the publication of Ids reminiscences. Some of his remarks when interviewed on his retirement are particularly interesting at tho moment. “Nations,” ho yuid, “do not go to war to please their enemy; they go to war to smash him. War is now such a desperate, such a costly thing, that a nation is perfectly justified in taking every opportunity to ensure tho destruction of her enemy. 1 think it would have been better if Dreadnoughts had never been built. Ships go out of fashion almost as quickly as ladies’ hats. It is a mistake to belittle tho preDreadnoughts of tho Edward VII. class. If I were offered a ship to tight, I would prefer a Dreadnought ; but if that wore impossible, one of flic other class—and we have plenty.”

Mr Bonnet Burleigh, now easily the doyen of working war correspondents, is at “the front” in Tripoli. Itis not generally known that the famous “special” of the “Daily Telegraph” fought as a youngster on the Confederate side 1 in the American Civil War, and, it may ho added, was twice sentenced to he shot hy the Fcderals in the' course of the campaign. Mr Burleigh has seen more active service prohahly than any man living, not excluding professional soldiers. One of Mr Burleigh’s host “scoops” prohahly was his interview with Jouhert on the eve of the last South African war. The slow troop train hy which he was travelling was overtaken hy a special on which Jouhert and his stall were going to the front. Burleigh waited until it was just moving out of the station, and then bluffed the station master into stopping it by signal, telling him that he had been left behind. ‘ The special stopped,

and Burleigh got on hoard—to he congratulated heartily by Jouhert on his enterprise, and to get irom the Boer generalissimo a capital interview.'

The total number of names on the Patea roll, including all supplemoncaries, is 7859. At last election there were 62-11..

All exhibitors who have received ameers from ihe secretary of the

Stratford A. and P. (Association are requested to bring them with their xtiibits.

Mr George Mcßain, who was recently very ill with.an attack of appendicitis, is now about again and rapidly regaining his health, and has taken a little out-door exercise.

The Stratford A. and P. Association will hold a sale of pedigree stock on behalf of certain exhibitors on the Show grounds by the combined auctioneers on Friday Ist December, at 11 a.m.

\ isitors to town are already pouring in from all parts for the Stratford A. and P. Show, and hotel and board-ing-house accommodation appears likely to bo taxed to its utmost.

At the ceremony at the school yesterday the Stratford Band opened proceedings with a selection, playing “God Save the King” at the end of the function.

Mr Charles Massey, accountant at cue Bank of Australasia at Stratford, who is at present acting as manager .;t Waverley, has been promoted to the managership of the Stratford branch, vice Mr W. Johnston, who has been transferred to the managership of the 'rank’s branch at Masterton.

1 ho Stratford Show Grounds present a gay and festive appearance with a great show of canvas and bunting. I no A. and P. Association have 'found it necessary to erect no less than five largo marquees and. three smaller rents to provide the necessary extra accommodation that will be required on show clays. Any townsmen having Hinting would greatly assist in giving the town a gala appearance by Hying .lags from any vantage point, on both Show days.

The Agricultural Department will be well represented at the A. and P. Show. Messrs. Singleton and Dibble will be accommodated in a marquee on the ground, in which there will he interesting literature for distribution. ISo farmer can afford to miss a visit to the marquee, as the Department’s experts are always willing to discuss any matters with callers.

The death occurod on Thursday last at Tokomaru, Man .uvatu, of Mr George Row, brother of Mr. E. Row of Brooks Road. Deceased, who was 15 years of age was one of the earliest settlers of Tokomaru, and was the third son of the late Mr. John Row, of Heatherlca, Levin. Ho had been a resident of Tokomaru for twentythree years, and had only been ailing for about a week, his death being caused bp pneumonia supervening on a severe cold. He loaves a widow, and his mother also survives him. The late Mr. Row was well known to quite a number of settlers in the Stratford ’ district. Mr. E. Row returned by last night’s mail train, after attending the funeral.

The planet Jupiter, whose volume is 1279 times that of the earth, and superior in dimensions and weight to all the Other planets put together, is just now attracting the attention of astronomers. ,M. Giacobini, of the Paris ! Observatory, who has made a special study of Jupiter, has described a rod spot which has a relative fixity, but within the last year its mobility has increased in great proportion,' and its longitude by about •SO degrees. That (says “Science Siftings”) is all that we can say scientifically. Is it really the formation of a new continent? Can we draw this deduction from this phenomenon so difficult to seize? It is possible, but who can say so with certainty? M. Camille Flammarion, however, expresses himself with far greater confidence in this matter. “We are assisting at the creation of a world. Under our dazzled eyes a new world is being created in the infinity, and in Jupiter avc hail the Avorld of the future.”

Dr. Sun Yat Sen, most persistent of revolutionaries, is remember 1 in England for his kidnapping and imprisonment in tho (Tinese Legation, lie organ’sed a revolt in Canton in 1895. But tno movement was quickly suppressed. Sun Yat Sen escaped to the Portuguese settlement of Ala cao, went thence to Hong Kong, and crossed to the United States, finally arriving in London on October Ist, 1896. Ten days later he was walking to visit some friends in Portland Place when two Chinamen joined him and pressed him to come to their house to talk with them. He refused, but they stayed with him, and as they passed the Chinese Legation suddenly hussled him in through the door, which was quickly barred behind him. Sun Yat Sen was a prisoner for some days until by means of a letter in a coal scuttle he acquainted his friend Dr. Cantlie with his plight. Dr Cantlie brought tho incident to tho notice of Lord Salisbury, who sent for Sir Halliday Macartney, who represented the Chinese Government. Sun Yat Sen was then released. He went to Singapore and afterwards surreptitiously returned to China. His revolutionary campaign, which is now bearing fruit, has been in progress for nearly twenty years. His aim lias always been to overthrow the Manchu supremacy, and a vigorous propoganda lias been secretly conducted in most parts of China. Dr Sun Yat Sen is a Christian.

The death, last month, of Baron do Charctte in Ids eightieth year at the Chateau de la Basse-Motte, in Brittany, recalls a gallant figure who commanded that fine fighting body, the Papal Zouaves. De Charette was a staunch lloyalist, and when the course of events in France made it distasteful for him to inhabit his own country, ho entered The Austrian Army. Then in the troublesome times which overtook Rome he formed a band of volunteers to fight for the cause of the Pope and Cardinal Antonelli. ibis baud included five of De Charette’s brothers. This body was afterwards called the Papal Zouaves, from the costume adopted, and included scions of many of the most noble French families*. At the battle of Castelficlaro lie recognised among the enemy :i Piedmontese captain with whom he had been at the military academy of Turin. A duel was decided upon and fought in the presence of the two armies, De Charette being slightly wounded. Then he went into action and was wounded again. With his Zouaves ho fought gallantly in the defence of Romo, and when The Holy City fell went to Franee, and with the majority of his Zouaves offered his services against the Germans. 'The Zouaves, with De Charette at their head, were the heroes of the day at Loigny, where after long hours rf desperate fighting in the hitter cold they made a last vain attempt to stem the German pursuit and prevent the total rout of the French army. De Charette was shot in the spine, and more than a hundred other Zouaves wore killed. After earning a red

rosette and a general’s commission, De Charette retired to his Breton chateau.

Mr Newton King has received the following cable from his Sydney agents re hides: “Eighth higher.” Pressure on our space compels the holding over of correspondence and other interesting matter. Louis Robertson left this morning for Ohura, being very busy with building contracts. Stoker Penny who, after a strenuous struggle was defeated, remains in town until tomorrow when he loaves tor Wellington to join his ship, H.M.S. Powerful. Owing to the backwardness of the season it has been decided, we understand. to postpone the National Sweet Pea Society’s Show, which was to have oeen ncld at Palmerston North on the sth and 6th December; to December 19th and 20th. Mr E. A. Osmond is secretary to the society. Unless there is something freakish about the growth of the new unnamed variety of wheat just cut at the experimental farm at Brandon, Ma>nitoba, farmers will be undoubtedly much interested in this grain. 'I bis new variety of wheat was sown at tiv' experimental farm on April 28th, and cut on July 31st, so that there are only 94 or 95 days between seeding and cutting. Last year Marquis wheat, which is a very early variety, occupied 117 days between seeding and cutting, and red Fife was 123 clays. ‘lf the new variety of wheat lives up to the record it has this year, farmers may find it a more suitable variety for the country than the other spring wheats. As an evidence of the real sporting spirit of these men, it may. he mentioned that after the match was decided in a .most friendly way they equally divided the gate, and as a mark of their very high aprecia-tion of Mr Phil Skoglund’s many kind services to themselves personally, and his keen interest in the sport of wrestling, Penny and Robertson made him a joint presentation of a handsome silver tea service. Mr Skoglund was exceedingly surprised and gratified at this mark' of tire esteem in which he is held. In a photograph in “Country Life” a Canadian gander is seen in the midst of a flock of sheep. It is explained that he is so devoted to his four-footed friends that he never leaves them, but wherever the sheep go he goes too. In fact he deserted his wife for the flock, and it is believed that she died of a broken heart; at any rate, she was found dead—though quite a young goose—on the pond one day, and a post mortem examination revealed neither disease nor injury. , The gander travels all over the farm, together with the sheep, sleeps when they sleep, feeds when they feed, and sliould anything alarm them he. half runs, half flies, along with the galloping animals. He is very jealous of the young lambs, and tries to drive them away from the ewes, seizing them by their tails and flapping them with his wings, after which lie returns with outstretched | neck and and “honks” at the mother.