The World's News.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11756, 6 October 1902, Page 2

The World's News.

In the Queen's box at-Westminster Abbey were Lady De Grey and Lary Juliet Lowther, one of the Ladies Abhesom, and Lady Wolverton, among others, and the King's box had Lady De TrarTcrd, Mrs .Arthur JameS. and Lady Foe Shirt, Mrs Keppel, Lord and ArchibaldCampbell, and Miss Elspcth Campbell, and Madame Sarah Bemhardt.

There is, perhaps., no more interesting old man in Englmd th?.n Admiral Sir Harry Keppcl. who was a boy of six whcin Waterloo Avas fought, and commanded the Naval Brkrado in the Crimea. Sir Hsrry seems to have discovered the secret of perpetual youth, for at 93 he difjplays an activity which few men at half his years can rival. Ha. is in a double fense one of the oldest of the King's friends, and a special favourite with a"! our young Princes snd Princesses. He is still one of the keenest of .sportsmen. and hart been one ef the finest phots and hardest riders to hounds in England. Sir Harry celebrated his 90th year by publishing a delightful book of his reminiscences!.

It seems incredible (writes the "Literary World"), but it is a simple fact, tha* a querist, writing to a. contemporary, asked whether it was true, as he liad been told, that if the King had died before he had been crowned the succsssion would have parsed to his brother instead of to his son! It woud be interesting if a> collection could be made of all the absurdities uttered in prose and verse about the ceremony which we rejoice to know, is hoipspily finished. The "Academy" reprints "Mr Barney Maguire's Account of the Coronation. 1838," from the "Ingoldsby Legends." with fresh annotations that enable the reader of to-day the "better to understand the allusions. It is interesting to recall the reference to Baroness Burdett-Coutts as ..... that swate charmer The female heiress, Miss Anja-lv Goutts, and the doubt is hazarded in a note whether any other of the many persons mentioired in "the ballad is still living.

The writer of "On the Heels of De Wet, in "Blackwood's Magazine." tells a story of General De Wet's brutality, wh:ch ought (says the "Litera-r- World") to be substantiated or withdrawn. A Senior officer, unarmed, with some British prisoners who had lain down because they were too exhausted to walk, was', according to this story, lashed across the face by De Wet with a fjambok of rhinoceros hide, leaving a. great blue weal. The officer thus "truck closed with his a«sn,ihmt. but other Boers separated them. The writer's comment is that this was "an act of savagery fit to rank with tn.s cold-blooded murder of an envoy," and adds:—"The day will doubtless come when ignorant English people will vie with each other to do honour to the man who struck the miscreant blow. It mu?t b3 remembered that at present the charge is anonymous ; surely there could b 9 no difficulty in getting it confirmed by the Victim's testimony^ if true.

In some quarters not a. lititle alarm has b'-ii recently occasioned by statement!? concerning the erosion of our coasts, says ■-- in the Windsor Magazine; and manr i-nxious inquiries has. been made as to whether in other parts of the kingdom there wers not icompensaiting forces at-wo-k. which had long been engaged in reclaim: nX Enffl-ish territory from the embraces of the,sea. That-part of England whioh w»s not visible England m the time of Julius. Caesar comprises some thousands of square miles. It is to be found along the. F-hores of the Thames, on the coast: of Kent end Efsex in Lincolnshire, and in many other parts.

On the Ist of January. 1880. there were alive in Great Britain, Carlyle, Darwin, Tennyson. Browning, Raskin, Matthew Arnold; Lord Beaconsfield, Stanley Froude. Freeman, George Eliot, Huxley. Tyndall, Dant» Gabriel and Christina. Rosetti, J.Jatmore."'William Morris, R. L. Steveoeon, Walter. Pater, and Edward Fib-Gerald. Of 'nvn who in pure literature could-at that time, or in the rext decade, be for one moment named with these 20 only four wers ntill nlivr in 1902—Mr xierbert Spen»er Mr Swinburne. Mr George Meredith. Mr Jo.hn Morley- Pe.vk.ps there are only 'wo dates in Eng'i^h historv—l6oo and 1810 —which could cmßiwste with 1880 in the magnificence of the livinf? iwmfts producible on "a bare list.—Edmund Go?ce,

For the present, a Gnostieal interpretation of the, world is in fashion ; but for the wholesome na^ire. the s-n.nnv (cmperamei).tthis vast assumption of Plato, that "all is •^ood," and th? "pood is the All." though superfitval. t.liovrrh defiant o' well-owcr-•winedv&H-t. v ill" alwavs./provide the best because th? lr.ot hopeful solution.—-Satur-day Review.

The Colonial Secretary (remarks "Public Opinion'") has nwny excellent qualities, but he is not. hedged 'round by the tradition, the hereditary- attributes. tli<? lone *"ln^«' mat.Y3 experience which gave Lord SaiiftVmry such a hold on Briton and forc: gtior alikp. The statesman who.fo.-ji-'dp ? l.'i-ise as Mr Chamb-rlain has done, is of nece?sitv, even in a democratically-governed nouritiy.not; tha force that a ftatesman who is the* successor of a long lin" of more or leps well-known public men must bf. Th? Crdla made their **a-rt with Queen Elizabeth ; the Chamberlains with Queen Victoria.

Several people drove to the Coronation -ervice at- tie Abbsy by motor-car. Bxtt is

it nob certain that we shall live to read of astonished at one or two old fashioned folk driving to some festival- afr Buckingham ipalace by carriage? History moves by motor-car nowadays.

"Temple Bar" contains a vivacious jwjcount. by a lady who when a girl wrote a poem for an B.le of Wight newspaper which attracted the attention of Tennyson. The poet laureate invited her to spend an afternoon at Farringford, and of that red-letter day in the life of "the young poetess, we have a spirited description, with some fine flashes of Tennyson, who was not brus•que, and who admitted *ihat he could not understand Browning's poetry.

In a Blue-book just issued from the India Office Lord Curzon alludes to the statements made bry an English M.P.. that "Lord George Hamilton and Lord. Curzor have looked helplessly on while 2,000,000 o' human beings have perished of starvation and disease in India." So far from being true, says Lord Curzon "every man, woman or child that has perished has been s burden upon mv heart and xiipon that of the Government."

When (observes the Daily Chronicle) General Lucas Meyer expressed his inability +o acppDifc the King's invitation to the Coronation, it seemed little likely that he

•"■ohM not. survive to attend the ceremony ; but it is evident that his plea of ill-health

v -~.•■> no e-rnnty excuse. In a, somewhat illtimed speech^ Mr Seddon assumed that the refusal was a studied insult to the King. General Meyer has taken the mo?t! direct method in his power of confuting that view. He has died.

The insuring of one's life is one of those things, remarks "Business Illustrated," I which one is most aipt to put off. There j ar*9 few, however, who postpone^ what ,' ought to be the inevitale until so late a period in life as did the tough old smackowner of Grim'by. When he ipr&sented himself at the insurance office, he was naturally asked his age. Hk> reply was, "Ninety-four." "Why. my good man- we cannot insure you," said the company. "Why not?" he demanded. "Why, ycu and ninety-four years of age." What of that?" the old man cried. "Look at statistics, and they will tell -ou that fewer men die at ninety-four than at any other age." This was a new idea for the company .