CURRENT TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6457, 11 April 1899, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

■ ♦ ■ ] The Premier of New me s'jsid .South Wales is a man who, tiuiougii to a certain, extent, has had enulish greatness thrust upon. him. spectacles. His abilities are undeniable, but he would not ;h,old a, position of such peculiar importance to-day were it not for the fact that the federation movement lias com© to n head during his term of office. Mr Reid is, in a sense, the arbiter of Australian, union. In that capaoity he is an object of interest to people outside of Ms own colony, and, indeed, outsido of Australia, A writer in the London "World" has done something to satisfy the curiosity of the British public witfi regard to the personality of Mr Reid. Those people who hare an eye for pe~sonal details may be interested to learn that in the rustic quiet of the pretty suburb of Burwood, about four miles out of Sydney oh the line to Melbourne, Mr Reid lives in what he terms his " little villa." Here he enjoys a "rus in urbe" life — the English journalist likes 'his Latin quotation, by the way — .and ifc is one fehafc " suits his simpte tastes and natural temperament. He lives in a typical villa of the most modern Australian style, surrounded by one of those gay gardens which bloom almost perennially in the genial climate." The picture of the man himself is nob unlike. "An unusuallj genial example of the John Bull type is the lawyer Premier of New South Wales. Brimful of energy, vivacity and sunshine, he seems impervious to the storms and rebuffs of a militant world. His laugh, like himself, is tuned in the major key, and is thoroughly spontaneous. A born orator, he fascinates you by his musical eloquence, while any temptation to extravagance is checked by his solid, practical commonsense and thoroughly broad and wellbalanced judgment. Although politics are evidently his dominant passion, he is keenly interested in almost every subject that can be brought within the scope of liuman interest." This is appreciative, but not too much so. Mr Reid has not only a quality j of " musical eloquence " and " broad and well-balanced judgment," but he has also a saving sense of humour and a marvellous intuitive perception of what is likely to be tigreeable to the people whom he represents. With regard to the question of federation, Mr Reid has not always been as firm and emphatic as he seems to be at the present time. Should lie succeed in his battle with the Council, he will probably be described by the next English visitor as a gentleman, not only of eloquence and common-sense, but also of much determination and patriotic purpose. Residents in New Zealand airxicrrAi, boroughs, haunted by everabcadias. recurring " rates," may well . envy the lot of the good people of several . municipalities in the Old World, where, owing to ample provision of what are known lin colonial parlance as ■" reserves," the rate collector, and his unwelccme visits are unknown. In a recent issue of an English . journal it is stated that in Sweden the inhabitants of the Dalocarlian village of Orsa rejoice in freedom from lates and taxes.- Staufenberg, in Hesse Darmstadt, owns a large tract of forest land, ! which yields enough revenue to pay all the municipal expenses, and besides to allow a '" dividend " to every citizen of about £1 a year, besides a certain amount of free fuel. The town hall, water supply, schools, municipal bakehouse, etc., are all maintained in a state? of high efficiency out of the revenue of the public estate. Klingenberg-on-the-Main pays its rates and taxes, and gives a'i annual bonus to its inhabitants, out of the royalties on its rich beds of fireclay. Communal meadows and forests pay all the rates of Langenselbold, in Hanau, and each citizen geta besides two cords of firewood and twenty marks a year in money. Freudenstadt, in Baden — thanks to the possession of 5000 acres of land — supplies its inhabitants with free wood for firing and Jrail cling, with free pasture for their cattle, and with roads, schools, churches, fountains, hospital, and communal music, without levying any rates, and gives each family a "Christmas box" of £2 10s or £3. Kampen, on tho Zuider Zee, derives its income from the letting of municipal lands, and the iate-collector is unknown. Would that the pioneers of . settlement in this colony had followed the wise example of the forefathers of the fortunate dwellers in these municipal arcadias ! Englishmen of to-day are shakspere much addicted to the celeday, bration of the anniversaries of men who have long been dead. Some honour Oliver Cromwell, one of the greatest of Englishmen, on April 25, the day of his birth, while others honour Charles I. on January 30, the anniversary of his death. A greater even than Cromwell rr.iglit well bo commemorated, if, indeed, his fame needs such a tribute, within a few days from the birthday of the great Protector, for in April, 1564, William Shakspeve was born. Though the exact date of liis birth is uncertain, that of his death is not, for there is no doubt that he died on April 23, 3616. Though the present month thus has a double claim to the honour of containing "Shakspere Day," Mr Sydney Leo, in a lectura given recently at the London Institute, suggested that if lovers of litera- i i turc wished to consecrate a day to the great ' writer's memory, it should be November 8, the day on which, in 1623, was published tho first folio of his works. Mr Lee had much to say of interest relating to this first folio. " The chief mover in the publication/" he told his audience, " was one William Jaggard, printer to the City Corporation, who formed a small syndicate with his son Isaac and some other booksellers, and brought out the first folio. It was difficult to estimate how many copies of the first folio survived, but about two hundred had been traced during the present century, and of these less titan twenty were perfect, with the portrait en the title-page, and the lints by Ben Jonson on the flyleaf." A specially interesting ,'iict mentioned by Mr Lee was that a rare copy of the first folio, which, as far as he knew, had hithevto escaped tho notice of bibliographers, now belonged to Mr Con'n;;sby Sibthorji, of Sudbrooke Holme, Lin•..l:. It was a. taller cop- th".n any othei •!i;t had conic to. light, and the portrait* on .lie. Title-pago- was of unexampled freshness Mil clearness. But its most remarkable iftiUirc was an inscription on the title-page, in a contemporary har.d, the authenticity of which w.is unhesitatingly admitted by the ?x:?erfc authorities at the British Museum. This inscription- attested that the volume was a presentation copy from the printer Jaggard. The arms stamped on the binding, fragments of which were in the original state, proved -that Jaggard had given the book to Augustine Vincent, an officer of tho Heralds' College.