People Talked About

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXI, Issue XX, 14 November 1903, Page 2

People Talked About

Mr. Joe Chamberlain's Brother. Such a great man as Mr Joseph Chamberlain throws such a great shadow that very little light falls on the rest <>f the family; but Mr Arthur Chamberlain. his brother, is being talked about in Birmingham just now as a possible aspirant for Parliamentary honours. Even if he were not talked about he would be interesting just now from the faet of his relationship with the man of the hour. According to “M.A.P.” his action as chairman of the Birmingham Licensing Justices, so widely followed throughout England, has given him in the eyes of the man in the street the character of an erring brother, whom it was the bounden duty of rhe Colonial Secretary, on his return from South Africa, to reduce to a convenient state of penitence. *'Whatever will Joe say?" and "You just wait till Joe comes home!” were expressions always on the lips of the indignation meetings that protested against brother Arthur's attempt to put an end to air-gun clubs in the public-houses of his district. In spite of his brother's immediate remonstrances. however. Mr Arthur Chamberlain is still impenitent. So the working men of Birmingham are inclined to regard him as hopeless, and there is a story to the effect that at the time of the great football final, some enthusiastic air-gunners, with a distorted sense of humour- wired him simultaneous telegrams stating that they proposed to visit the match, and asking if the intention met with his approval. In private life Mr Chamberlain is the head of Kynoch. Ltd., the ammunition makers, and five other large trading concerns, and spends his day driving between them with clockwork precision in an unpretentious hansom. He is generally clothed in a blue serge suit of no cut at all. and very much bagged at the knees. A Chamberlain without a mannerism »s almost unthinkable. and Mr Arthur announces his advanced opinions by wearing a tie of an invariable shade of hunting pink. Though younger than the Colonial Secretary. he looks much older, and disguises the strong family likeness with a great grizzled moustache. His spare time is devoted to mapping out the city into districts, and telling the brewers how many licences they will find it advisable. lest a worse thing should befall them, to surrender in each district. Just lately he has been studying 'Mr B. Seebohm Rowntree’s observations upon the “poverty line” in great cities, and has made investigations amongst his own employees, ending hv raising everybody’s wages to a mimimum of 22/ per week, whether married or single. This is slightly above the living wage arrived at bv Mr Rowntree. and Mr Chamberlain is pleased with his experiment, in spite of the fact that in the case of his largest firm the more highly-paid artisans most ungratefully went on strike because they. too. were not given a proportionate increase. If he is persuaded to inter Parliament, the House of Commons will be the better off by one more member of strong and forceful personalitv. with a bull-dog grip of affairs and an amazing enthusiasm. T’pon whichever side of the House he takes his seat, the Government of the dav mav be assured of having a thorn of peculiar sharpness in its side. ® ® ® About the Xytteltons. As the Hon. Spencer Lyttelton has been lately in Auckland, and his brother has just been made Colonial Minister, anything about the family will probably have some little interest for your readers (writes a correspondent). There were several brother Lytteltons, all of whom several brothers Lytteltons, all of whom wore in the Eton eleven. The two voungesf, the Hon. E. Lyttelton, now headmaster of Harleyhury. and the Hon. Alfred Lyttelton. K-C-. Secretarv of

State for the Colonies, were the most famous cricketers. They were both tine batsmen, and Alfred Lyttelton was the finest amateur wicketkeeper of his day. They both belonged to those celebrated Cambridge eleven that held its own against the great Australian elevens, and included such famous cricketers as A- P. Lucas, the brothers Steele (D. G. and A- J.), the Studds. Ivo Bligh. etc. The Lytteltons, although the family estate is in Worcestershire, played for Middlesex, and the Hon. Edward played a fine innings for that county against Gregory’s team. Alfred Lyttelton was Gird James of Hereford’s "devil.” and soon won renown in Parliament. One brother is General Lyttelton. Commander in-Chief in South Africa. The brothers are a conspicuous instance of brains and athletics- They were in the sixth form at Eton, which is limited to 20 boys only (Eton numbers over 900 boys), and prominent in football, racquets, athletics.. as well as in cricket- The Hon. Alfred represented Cambridge in racquets and tennis. One of the former Lord Lytteltons is the hero of a wellknown ghost story. The brothers are nephews, by marriage, of the late Mr Gladstone.

"Boss" of Tammany Hall. Tammany Hall is the most powerful piece of machinery the world has ever known. M hen the Democrats are in control in New York City, its power is almost unlimited, and even in those years when the Republicans are on top. the influence of Tammany is great enough to make itself felt: and the power of Tammany centres in one man. the so-called leader, whi>, elected by the votes of his fellows, is practically absolute ma=tcr. The present leader, writes Mr M. Low in "The World’s Work." is Mr <h tries Francis Murphy, who came into power when Boss Croker abdicated to become an "Englishman Gentleman.” He is 45 years old, a New Yorker by birth, .the son of an Irish immigrant, who died a year ago at the age of 88. boasting that he had never been idle a day in his long life. Charles Francis is the second son of a family of eight. As soon as the boys were old enough they were put to work. Charles began life in a shipyard. He was a strapping youngster with an ambition to become a first-class ship-caulker. The work was hard, but young Murphy thrived upon it.

his muscles hardened into steel, his chest expanded, and he became quick on his feet. He worked with rough boys, and the new apprentice had to fight liis way into the fellowship of the craft. He not only knew how to use his fists, but he had no fear. In two years he was the acknowledged boss of the boys in the shipyard; he had literally fought his way into leadership Boy after boy went down before him, and when there was no more fighting to be done, he beat them all in swimming, rowing, and play ing baseball. He had all of an Irish man’s love for a "beautiful scrap.” and an Irishman’s keen zest for manlv sports. Combined with these, he early displayed a marked ability for organising and lead ing his associates, the same qualities that for many years made him a prominent figure in New York City polities, and ha\e now made him the leader of Tammany. When he was only 17 years old he organised the Sylvan Social Club, the members of which were boys from 15 to 20 years old. and was elected, as a matter of course, its president. The club had a baseball team, and Murphy was the captain. Frequently a " game with a rival team ended in a fight, when

no quarter was given or asked, and retreat was only sounded when the other side had been pounded into submission, hi all these battles Murphy was always in the thickest of the fray. He tackled without hesitation men twice as old and twice as heavy as himself. Sometimes he was knocked out by the sledge-ham-mer blows of a carpenter or caulker working in a neighbouring shipyard, but the moi ? often he held his own. and withdrew his forces in triumph from the field of battle. ® ® ® Sarasate in Spain. The twenty-fifth of September is a day in the year which Sarasate, the famous violinist, marks with a white stone. He generally spends it in Pamplona, a sunny, mountain-girdled old city in the north of Spain. There he was born, and—so a sentimental story runs—were it not for a certain grave under the cypresses in the little Campo Santo amongst the hills, he would not at the present time be a lonely, middle-aged bachelor. September 25th is the Festival of Saint Fermin, the patron saint of the tiny town, and great is the mer-ry-making of the populace. The narrow streets are decorated, and are radiant at night with scores of coloured lamps. There are famous bull-fights in the Plaza de Toros—but chief of all the attractions is Sarasate himself. He is lord of the laughter and monarch of the mirth. In fact, he is as important a personage as the dashing toreadors themselves. When the Pamplonians know that he has arrived at the Fonda La Perla—the principal hostelry in the world-forgotten place—great is the joy. Rockets rush heavenwards, and in the evening a mechanical iron bull, stuffed with fireworks, goes running explosively about the square, belching Bengal lights and coloured sparks in front of the great violinist’s window's. And. of course, he comes out on his balcony and makes a speech. Also amongst the prime features of the Festival are the concerts where he plays, and where rugged, picturesque Xavarra peasants, burnt by the sun into lank brownness, come in enthusiastic shoals to listen to the son of genius who was born amongst them.