People and Their Doings•

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19036, 3 April 1930, Page 6

People and Their Doings •

The King And The Russian Ambassador : Lord Bledisloe And The Bees That Were Not Busy : Will Bobby Jones Meet Cyril Tolley? : Wagner’s Death Mask .

THE DEATH of Frau' Cosima Wagner takes the mind back to the thirteenth of February, 1883, when Wagner died at Venice. The story is very graphically told in the memoirs of A. Wolkoff-MouromtzoiT, who died in 1928. “Joukowsky told us that Cosima was in the chamber of death, and that nobody dared go in, not even the doctor, not even Daniela, so we separated, all of us firmly determined to have the death mask of the master taken next day by the best sculptor in Venice.” Despite the fact that the work of taking the mould would only have occupied twenty minutes it was twenty-five hours before they could persuade Cosima to leave the room, and then only at the urging of Dr Keppler, who said that she would be very ill if she did not do so. In fact, so much time elapsed owing to the whim of the widow that the face had lost the fine plastic qualities of the moment of death before the mask could be taken. “No one can understand,” said the great artist in writing of the incident, “just how it exasperated me to know that the existence or the non-existence of the mask depended on the goodwill of two perfectly self-satisfied people, one of whom was a stranger and the other not the daughter of Wagner. What has happened to this death mask of Wagner? Daniela persuaded her mother to leave the body only on the condition that the mask should belong to her, and for twenty-five years nobody was able to obtain it.” WWW JN THE WAR YEARS Lord Bledisloe was chairman of the Sugar Control Board. When I met him at Home (writes a correspondent) he told me that on one occasion the beekeepers demanded more sugar because his strict rationing was starving their bees. When he complied with this demand and granted them more sugar he received a protest from the fruitgrowers of the country, who complained that owing to the sugar supplied the bees stayed in the hive and declined to seek it elsewhere, with the result that there was no fertilisation of the fruit trees! WWW 'J'HE SECRETARYSHIP of the Methodist General Purposes Trust Board is the latest position which the Rev M. A. Rugby Pratt, General Secretary of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, has taken over. He is already the principal executive officer of sixteen funds connected with the Methodist Church, so he has plenty of experience to draw upon. A descendant of an old newspaper family, Mr Pratt edits the “Methodist Times.” and has written some pamphlets and a large number of articles for his owii paper and newspapers on early New Zealand. Just now he has the manuscript ready of a comprehensive work dealing with the history of Otago before the days of European settlement.

While a student for the ministry in Tasmania, Mr Pratt acted as adviser to the Government in connection with “Black Friday” claims, which arose out of a devastating fire which swept the whole of the southern portion of the island. For his services there, he was accorded the thanks of the Government of the colony, as it was in those days. 4

\yHETHER MRS FRAER, as a member of the Domains’ Board, will do very effective work there remains to be seen. She already has her hands fairly full. But women in the past have not been entirely devoid of ideas in this direction. Queen Caroline, wife of George 11., spent a lot of her leisure in improving the parks (one of her innovations was the making of the Serpentine). She selfishly desired to have St. James's Park entirely to herself until, having enquired from Walpole how much it would cost to keep the public out, she received the reply, “Only a couple of Crowns.” JNCREASING NUMBERS of private car owners are finding their way to Hanmer Springs for a day’s outing, particularly on Sundays, the men’s swimming pools, tennis courts and Government kiosk being now open on Sunday afternoons. It is a pity that there is not more civic pride evident in the township, the present state of the square and' building thereon being a very bad advertisement. Hanmer evidently has its share of those visitors who think that posterity will be interested in the fact that Charlie A. and Bessie B. of some town, somewhere, visited this place on such and such a date, for the roof, walls and floor of the building on the top of Conical Hill are literally covered with names and dates—carved, written with pens and pencils; even a paint brush has been brought into use. W W T . w. WAKEFIELD'S injury, which " will keep him out of the Rugby team for New Zealand, is most unfortunate, and it is a pity that this veteran cannot come out as assistant manager or in some other capacity, as the Rugby public would like to see him. He gained his international cap before he went to Cambridge, and he played first for England in 1920-21. Few followers of Rugby in New Zealand took Wakefield’s inclusion in the team very seriously. Indeed, it was considered a sign of weakness that the selectors should have had to call upon one who, although a good player, had outlived his Rugby usefulness according to New Zealand standards. si r £'HE KING received the Russian Ambassador a few days ago. This should silence the fantastic stories that were circulated at the end of last }4ear concerning the Russian Ambassador’s delay in presenting his credentials. They started in New York with the publication of a message from London by an American journalist. After that they were magnified. The “Echo de Paris” stated that the King categorically refused to receive the representative of Moscow. It went to the length of saying: ~? or £e V., despite the insistence of Mr •u C <¥° na *d, re^use d to receive M. Sokoln“co “' but finally a compromise was arrivdevolve on the Prince of v\ ales to receive the Soviet Ambassador, probably before Christmas. In order to find a precedent the Prince deputised for the King the other day to receive M. Skirmunt, the Polish Minister, who has been raised to the rank of ambassador. This precedent will be invoked • Soviets make any complaint, but it is the Poles who will not be pleased.”

gIR HUBERT MURRAY, the Got' ernor of Papua, and brother of Professor Gilbert Murray, tells a pretty story of his legislation for the prevention of “the spreading of lying reports.” Sir Hubert first explains that such serious public commotions have been caused by this practice of lying reports that he has been compelled to issue a stringent ordinance with substantial penalties, and the native police were suitably impressed with the importance of ai resting any purveyor of “lying reports.” Sir Hubert Murray says that one of his policemen on the lookout for offending Papuans went into church one day recently, and to his indignant amazement heard the preacher tell the congregation that if they did not come to church more regularly they would be burnt in a big fire. What was a loyal.Papuan policeman to do? At first he thought he ought to arrest the preacher forthwith for spreading a “lying report,” but not wishing to interrupt divine service he ran out of church and reported the offender to the Governor, and asked whether he should go back and arrest the liar. M R R. T. JONES, barrister, better known as Bobby Jones, golfer, has added another championship to the interminable list which he began at the early age of fourteen. In the tournament played at Augusta, Georgia, Bobby won the South Eastern Golf Championship with a score of 284. His nearest opponent was 297. This is a very wide margin. Bobby's full name is Robert Tyre Jones. He commenced golfing when he was a boy and speedily became known as the “Atlanta Wonder.” There is not a golfing crown worth while that he has not worn, and though he is a lilywhite amateur he is recognised the world over as the greatest golfer of all time. His performances are followed in the States by an idolising public. When he was beaten in the first round of the National Amateur Championships last year the whole nation had a grievance against his obscure conqueror, who fell into instant unpopularity. Judging by Bobby’s latest performance, if Cyril Tolley, the British amateur champion, realises “the dearest wish of his heart,” which is to have another crack at Bobby Jones in the Walker Cup match to be played in England this year, what Bobby will do to Cyril will be a pity. 9 S? GOOD WHILE AGO “Punch” published a cartoon of the House of Parliament turned into a family institution. Father was there, of course, and mother had brought her knitting, while the children scrambled over the back benches. That was a prophetic cartoon. We are moving in that direction. The Lloyd Georges have begun. They play a kind of family follow-my-lead-er. Miss Megan invariably precedes her father into the House and follows him as soon as he gets up to go. Both Mr Oliver Baldwin and Miss Megan Lloyd George are conscientious in their attendance at the House. These two young peoples’ earnest conversations together have been noted in political circles, but so far neither has been accused of departing from the family; faith. .