"Pars" about PEOPLE

Observer, Volume XV, Issue 864, 20 July 1895, Page 5

"Pars" about PEOPLE

Albert Hough, an ex-Anckland solicitor, 18 thinking of returning from Western Australia.

Captain McArthur, late of the Northern Company's Gairloch, is now master of the steamer Stella. We wish him a run of luck.

Amongst the Auckland boys in Wellington, one of the latest arrivals is Phil Gibbes, some time of the Union Bank and wellknown to all Gordon players. He recently tramped, from New Plymouth to Wellington, and is as hearty and jolly as ever.

Mr Kekwick, of the South British Insurance Company, and who has recently been appointed to the Queensland agency, was amongst the Tarawera's passengers to Sydney last week. He had come across to Auckland on a short holiday for the purpose of marrying Miss Buddie, the marriage ceremony being quietly carried out. Quite a large number of friends were down the wharf to wish the young couple hon voyage.

Michael Davitt's devotion to the Irish cause robbed him of a fortune. He married a Californian lady, whose parents were enormously rich. The mother offered £200,000 if he would give up travelling and lecturing, and settle down in California. He declined to sacrifice his mission, and the old Irish lady straightway gave her fortune to the • Roman Catholic Church. There is no mercenary spirit about Michael.

Sydney Hoben, of Napier, gets a word or two of well-deserved praise from the Christchnrch Sun. Thus : — ' His ' Aye Maria ' has been accepted as a worthy work by the musical world, and he has composed a beautiful song, ' Galway Bay ' which became the rage in Wellington the moment it was sung there by Mr Gee.'

Constable S. Stacey, who has been appointed to the Warkworth police district, has seen service in the Royal Irish Constabulary, Her Majesty's 2nd Life Guards, and the Sydney and Queensland police, added to which is a long and meritorious association with the New Zealand police. He was stationed for four years at Wanganui, and much regret was expressed when he was leaving that place.

Rev. Mr Borrie recently gave it as his opinion from the pulpit of a Dunedin Presbyterian Church that the second coming of our Lord is very much nearer than a great many suppose. 'In fact,' he said, ' it is my belief that it is not at all improbable that even some who are here to-night may live to see it.' This is narrowing it down pretty closely. But when our Lord does come, and looks round at the vast number of sects into which the religious world is divided, he will find it difficult to pick out His own people. It is too much to expect that the hundred and one rival ' churches ' will cease to differ.

Minister Reeves is in his element at after-dinner speeches, and was in one of his happiest veins at the Ward banquet. First his fellow Ministers came in for chaff as to their bulk. He described himself as the unworthy colleague of a Premier who measured 45 inches round the chest, of a Minister of Lands who had the broadest back of any man in the Colony, and of a Colonial Treasurer and Colonial Secretary whose combined weights were three times greater than his own. In this reason he thought it only fair that the light-weights — his own weight is some ten stone — should be represented in the Cabinet. Then he got at the blue-ribbon principles of his neighbour. Mayor Luke. That worthy, who had charge of the toast of the Ministry, told the banquetters that he had had many scruples as to appearing there and proposing a toast on account of the views which he himself held as to the drinking of toasts. This gave Mr Reeves an opening, and he gravely assured the guests, as one who had closely watched His Worship's behaviour that evening, that, though in imminent peril, he had remained true to his principles and bad drunk all the toasts in ginger-ale, which they had the assurance of the Colonial analyst contained only 12* % of alcohol! This sally brought down the house, and, with other flashes of wit, went a long way to relieve the solemnity of the gathering.

Pat Hackett, the well-known athlete, is in town on a holiday trip from Pahiatua.

Mias Lmily Faithful, who died the other day, was the aunt of- Walter Bentley. No wonder she died.

' Mad Duff ' Boyd is what a Wellington printer made the name of the principal violinist of the city. Mac hasn't been so mad for a long time as this made him.

Gee Gee Stead, grain merchant, of Christchurch, says that 4s 6d a day is more than a man in need has any right to look for. We are sure Stead himself would be content with 4s 6d a day, but he wouldn't run many Bluefires or Bloodshots on it.

Oscar Wilde, when confined in Holloway Prison, was entirely broken down and neglected his toilet and his clothes. He was compelled to clean his cell and obey the regulations like an ordinary prisoner. For the first fortnight his friends were very attentive, calling upon and sending him books, fruit, flowers, and dainties, but now they'have all deserted him.

Miss Olive Schreiner that was, since her marriage calls herseif Mrs Olive Schreiner. Her husband, in this instance, has gone through the necessary changing of the name by taking his wife's family name as his surname, so that his visiting cards now read, Mr 'Conwright Schreiner.' It probably makes little difference to Mr Conwright Schreiner, as he would in any event be known as 'Miss Schreiner'a husband.'

J. C. Williamson says he means to encourage Australian theatrical talent, and he is certainly doing so just now. The chief difficulty is that Australian audiences are prone to turn up their noses at the local article. We suppose this is another way of saying that Williamson is going in for severe economy.

Tennyson Dickens, a son of the novelist, has been sued at Hawthorne, near Melbourne, by a Chinese laundryman for £i for washing and ironing. The world has failed to discover any of the father's wonderful genius in the son. Hence, perhaps, that unpaid laundry bill.

' Riccarton ' Russell, M.H.R., began his \ career as a printer's devil in the Wellington \ Post office. In debating the Journalists' i Institute Bill he took special pains to ! advertise the fact, and to constrast the i then and the now. Pointing up to the i Press Gallery, he announced — ' Over 30 ' years ago I was a newspaper devil carrying j messages from that gallery. Now, from \ the smallest boy in a printing office I have i risen to be here.' ' Hear, hear, 1 echoed a ' few admirers, and unappreciative and dis , respectful Tom of Clutha finished the sentence with — ' The biggest man in the House.' This was so obviously what Riccarton himself meant that everybody j roared. '

Lord Roaebery has been invested with the Order of the Thistle. 'This,' says Quiz, ' iathe Queen's polite way of intimating that he was an ass to resign the Premiership.'

The Bishop of Salisbury has given a donation of £100 towards procuring a Bite for a cathedral in Wellington. He says the great need of the church there is a noble cathedral, which should be a free church — with no pew rents — in the most populous quarter of the town, where the highest and most solemn type of worship, and the. best preaching, should be accessible to working men.

George Dean, of Sydney, who was recently liberated from, prison, whither he had been consigned on a charge of wifepoisoning, is back once more in his old position as captain of one of the North Shore ferry steamers. His restoration to freedom has opened up a wide field of speculation concerning his responsibility to his wife. Usually a death sentence is looked upon as a divorce decree, but in this case Dean's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, which in turn gave place to an unconditional pardon. The question now arises whether Dean will be compelled by law to support a woman who has accused him falsely of attempting her life. The same subject has often been discussed when speculating on the probable release of Hall, the Timaru wife-poisoner, but the two cases are not analogous, inasmuch as Dean's character is legally cleared, and his discharge from prison has been followed by the complete restoration of civil rights.

Malcolm Niccol deserves most of the credit for shelving the Freeman's Bay recreation ground scheme so far. And yet he hopes to go into Parliament with the aid of the people. Bide-awee !

'Jimmy' Scott, late of the Masonic Hotel, Gisborne, and more recently of Auckland, died at the Nelson Hospital last week, after a long illness. Mr Scott, it will be remembered, was manager of the Maori Football Team which visited England in ISS9, and his death will be regretted by a large circle of friends. He leaves a widow and four children in Wellington.

Prohibitionist Taylor recently stated a the Bible Christian Church, at Addington, that Mr W. W. Collins, the junior member for Christchurch, owed his election to the votes of larrikins, prostitutes and publicans. And now the Christchurch public are very angry at Taylor But why ? Does his intemperate and foul accusation not carry contradiction on the face of it. The ballot is secret, and Mr Taylor could not possibly know who voted for Mr Collins. Consequently, such an assertion must of necessity be a lie. But are these really the tactics that are now used in what -was once considered to be the ' noble cause of Temperance reform.'

I Mr W. Brophy, an erstwhile Aucklander, is now on tne literary staff of a Natal paper. ... ■ Or. Parrell dropped down on Bishop Luck pretty severely at the. Harbour Bpard on Tuesday. 'It is all very well for the Bishop to write against the proposed recreation ground in Freeman's Bay,' said Mr Farrell, ' but then the Bishop has beautiful grounds to walk and enjoy himself in, while his poor parishioners had to so much further afield to find a place where they could foregather for outdoor recreation. But Bishop Luck doesn't care. He is one oi the few men in the Roman Catholic clergy who is not very strong in his sympathy with the masses of the people.' The death of .Richard Arthur, auctioneer, was a loss to the whole community. Mr Arthur was a good man, an upright citizen, and a consistent Christian, and his record in Auckland was a bright and stainless one. Some time ago Mr Arthur suffered severe financial reverses, which were due to no fault of his own, but he did not rest until he had re-established himself in business, and even then he laboured assiduously and with a great heart to retrieve his position. Of every £10 profit he made, he devoted a portion to paying off his old liabilities, and it was his boast recently that ere long he would be able to say he had cleared off the whole of the old debt — much of which was not really his — and owe no man anything. But, alas, it was not to be. The probability, is Mr Arthur worked too hard for the accomplish ment of this latter laudable ambition of his life. He died only two days after his return from Sydney, whither be had gone for. the benefit of his health.