THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8159, 13 June 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 1906.

Mr Marous Stone, R.A., the popular artist, who will be represented for the 49th consecutive time in this year's Royal Aaaderay, has given voice to a most interesting theory to aaoount for the remarkable absence of really great men at the present'day. "It is a peculiar thing," he said, "that although, at the present time, there are hardly any really great Englishmen whose fame ia likely to be lasting, yet between 50 and 60 years ago, when I was quite a young man, England could boast of a large numbur of geniuses in many and varied walkß of life, whose names, apart from being merely remembered now, will be handed down to posterity for all time. Just think of all the great men who were bom during the 50 years between 1770 and 1820. 1 myself had the plbasure of personal

acquaintance with Dickens, who wrote some of bis most famous books when he was still in the twenties, with Ihuckeray, who was responsible for 'Vanity Pair' when he was atill quite a young man, and with many more. The names of such men as Soott, Turner, Shelley, Byron, Keats, Oarlyle, Macaulay,. Tennyson, Beaconsfleid, Gladstone and Watts, conjure up the recollection of great achievements in art, politics, and literature, while in the young days of these men Wellington was still alive, and Nelson died when last century was but a few years old. Since 1826 there have hardly been any men or genius born iu England, and it is a curious thing that in that year small waists, and consequent tight-lacing, came into fashion amongst women. During the 50 years previous to that date there had been nothing of this kind, and it seems to me to be fairly obvious that here is a very plausible explanation of. the matter. As a matter of faot, we take much greater care of ourselves to-day than the oase a oentury ago, with the result that the average age people live £to is much more than it was then. One has only to read some of the books of that period to find very striking evidence of this. Mr Pickwick, who was characteristic of an old dodderer, was only 45, an:} age that would be considered the prime of life to-day, while Jane Austen made of the man of 3U a grave, almost careworn person, laden with a weight of troubles. To day a man of 30 is a mere boy, just about to begin life in earnest. If only English women were to return to the fashions of 1800 now, when, as I have already said, so much greater care of our health, I feel sure - England would produce even greater men than those of whom past generations haVe been able to boast."

The Berlin correspondent of the Times writes that the Governor of German South-West Africa, Herr' voa Litidequiat, declared, in the coarse of a speech which he delivered* on the occasion of the Emperor William's birthday, that there was no reason why German Southwest Africa should not, in process of time, be able to challenge comparison with the neighbouring British colonies. He had too- high an opinion of the good sense of the English to attach any importance to the suggestion that such a prospect might bb unpleasing to them. The English were well aware of the possibilities of German South-West Africa, and would only regard it as natural that the German? would strain every nerve to develop its resources Moreover, a people so quick to understand their own interests could not fail to ' realise the advantages which British merchants, farmers, and tradesmen would derive from the neighbourhood of a thriving Ger-nan 30mmunity, especially at a lime of commercial depression such as South Africa was now passing through in consequence of the Boer war. There was room enough in South Africa for both Germans aDd British, and he looked forward to a time when the ways of communication which wore in course of construction would reach the frontiers, and when the relations of the two peoples wuuld be muoh closer than they were at present. Not till then would be aboor-plished the work *:o which the Emperor had made reference in his speech from the Throne.