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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Blyth Standard, 1930-04-17, Page 2A Great Victorian By Arthur S. Draper nue le best meas, red by those events which leave a 'lasting impres• stop, and one of 11100e wag a luncheon in 111e London home of Arthur J. Bal- four, 111011 First Lord of the Admiralty, almost fourteen years ago, At the tabid were two sisters of rho First Lord, ids hrotlter-in-law, Austen Cham- berlain, then Colonial Secrelary, and the writer. Just how 1 happened to be 1\1r, Balfour's guest is of 110 import. an0e, although 1110 topic we discussed after the meal WAS of much interest to me and to the other Alile'i0011 corres- pondents in Loudon, and perhaps of some little importance to Mr. Balfour and the British Empire. In the early spring of 191e Creat Britain lied come to realize that it was to be a long war; that business co1lid tot be carried 0u as usual; that voluntary enlistment would not suf- fice; that it alight be a good thing to acg0alut the rest of the world, par- ticularly America, with 1110 fact not she intended to fight until the bitter end, and that neutrals were bound to have an unpleasant time of (1. lu other words, British propaganda, to use a word which lilt the ear 1101'01113 at that time, was not sattsfaltmely or- ganized, Sir Gilbert Parker, the later Air. Mnsterntan and their associates were doing a big job, but the special articles they 11'01'0 getting from Ber- nard Shaw, 11. G. Welte, Arnold 13011. Ilett, John 141ase1'ield, Hall Caine and a boot of others were not considered sufficient, 111r. Balfour enjoyed the reputation of not reading "Tice Times," not to mention ince other organs of British public opil(100, in fact, the First Lord was repeted to be entirely indifferent to anything which appeared in the Public prints—so indifferent that he 10001001 111e editorials when he be- came Prime Minister. He did 1101 hate newspapers, he was completely indif- ferent to them. Most of the talk at the 100ehe00 had to do with some fifty motorcars the first Lord had in Egypt or 11I080- p010mia or somewhere else in that part of the world which was noal- tracting nearly so much attention as the region aeo(md Arras, Amiens an11 Ypres. AH', Chamberlain would ad- just his monocle, present an argument mat and regrets that hie enemy re• sorts to gouging anti throttling:' It 1000 not until the luncheon was over and he had taken Ino Mt() 1118 study that a word wrs (Rill regarding the reason for my presence In his home. Whatever his views about nowapepees Ito plunged into the sub- ject of the Amellca0 press, the work of the Amorican cm'respondente i1 London, the possibility of extending news facilities. As he stood with his hack to the open fire he asked ques- liml after question, inviting the frank- est criticism and showing iesta1t ap- preciation whenever I hesitated to give the whole truth ne 1 saw it, One unde'stoo1 why ho was 1010010 as "Prince Arthur," He made his guest feel tall he was doing hint a real fa. vor, He saw it as 0 new problem, something interesting, something well worth while doing and he tackled it as he did a ball en the base 1hue 01 an age when most mei: would Have been salted.' to 0pplaut( from the stands. Thee he ievaed me to walk from his home 10 the lhnu00 of Co111 1110119. At a normal gait the trip should bo made in ten mite es, but It took us almost an hour been se err, 13o110ur was expounding his view that the most important development of the war was trench 11g111fng, touch more iniportnnt than the anbmariue, 1110 aeroplane or gee. range. lie wore a frock coat, a ;oft Bleck hat and 0 pal: of glasses attached Io a black ribbon. He steeped at the Admiralty Arch to mance a point: lie stopped at the Iior00 Guards and acknowledged sniffles and gr 0111108, 110 't was plain ire recog- nieed 110 0110; nue 11001(0(1 half a dozen times (00(0 and that despite the fact that his 0001' tltry had foend him 0nd was politely suggesting that he would be late fn' questions in the house, Before tackling the story that day I saw Sir Douglas Browmrigg and (01d ldm what 111ad 01 rained and that Mel Baleen' had given mo permission to use anything 1 considered of interest to American readers. The naval een- s01• and 1 re:Idled t1 compromise and remained firm 'friends, but suffices it to say that wartime correspondence would have been a einielo affair with Mr, .Balfour as cense', His 110111(11005 wa1 staggering; 11) took one into his confidence and one was afraid of one's self. It was ear. Balfour 01110 was chiefly responsible fon' the framing of and Bir. Balfour would soy "No" w'itlt the first communique on the Battle'of Jutland, which dumbfounded the Brl- appai'eully as much interest and feel- ing as be would 0110(1 in declining a second helping of roast thicket. Mr. Chamberlain w•. 1 hieveistent. Ito want- ed those cats; be wanted them for transport;—Rud Ile got 111011, when Mr, I301four 00,010d to have grown tired of refiring. Sir Douglas Brownrigg, the Chief Naval Censor, "C0pp0" (Admiral Sir Reginald) H1111, the head of the Bri- tish Naval intelligence, and Ate. Masterson • Smith often found Mr, Balfour in the same mood — indlfferent to subjects of vital In- terest to then, a perfect genius in solving problems once the wag In- terested, contemptuous of details, but childlike ,111 his enthusiasm when lie 010I'ecialed that ho woe expected to untangle some diplomatic problem or write a note which would reflect the views of his (0001(y0100. Looking back over the files I find I wrote this paragrapih after that luncheon four- teen years ago: "I should say that war lo the last game that Mr, Balfour would select for enjoyment or recreation. He is the antithesis of Von Tripitz (who died the other day). Icor fouty-odd tisk people and wide the rest of the world feel that Germany had won an overwhelming naval victory. AIr, 13a1. foie' was never 0fraid to face the 1)1(1111 he had the deepest faith in 1115 Own countrymen, their courage and determination, and regardless of their Political views they admired him in a way they did no other contemporary 01010111(00. As the war went on Mr. Ba(10(0' came mese and snore in. contact with the press, Ile (('05 "A. J," Its those days—sympathetic, calm, the Gibral- tar of the Cabinet. Some of those who worked with 111m at the time w0110 fearful that 110 w0111( either say too 1Mich or be coutenpuofns. Instead there were few better spokesmen and lone Mat enjoyed these conferences more—the leading, tricky questions, the matching of wits, the fencing is which words alone score, There is the story of 111e Cabinet sleeting after the German attack in 1911, the drive which almost ended in a decisive victory for Ludendorf—a battle which (lelireesed Lloyd George and unsettled Douglas Haig, though Melt knew 0111001 and when the Ger- years Mr. Balfour has been in 1110 ser- vice man apearhe0d would hit. Most 000(3:- years 01'00 excited; man had their Y vtc0 nY his couuG'y. Ile was Pn'imene Minister from 1902 to J905, and p'Irst Lord of the Treasury and leader of the House of Commons from 1891 to 1906. Unquestionably he enjoys gulch more the preparing of his Gifford lec- tures or a ('00101 o11 the fatuous course of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St, Andrew's, of which lie was at one time the captain, that he does the Planning of how to increase the ef- ficiency of the already efficient. fleet under his (1011 11'01. Mr. Balfour 10 not a 03.1101', But whatever he does 110 does well. Now he Is In charge of the British Navy,,, Then :followed a few statements re- garding: the pl'oblelil of the blockade and the feeling of Americans (It was a year before we 0(11ue into the war) and then, this jiff r0 g mph : "All this is preliminary to the slate - (tient that Air, Balfour is one of the William Argutlulot Lace, hest friends and admirers the United. States iia; in 1110 British government, Ile is a generous and honorable enemy and loves and is proud of all Brltatu's naval tradition. lie fights as a gentle- S'MATTER POP—Ready to Eat. "wind-up," but "A.J." was content to say "}low nloving." it leaked and Germany, Germany, was beaten, though Britain had her back to the wall," to use Ilaig's weds, Some people are always str1vin,. for effect, coiulog amen words and phrases, but Balfour gave voice 10 his normal feelings, and the reactions of a great Victeeial heartened a people who had grown tired, exhausted, doubtful, disillcsilaa- ecL A 0U'ong mat spo1ce as 1115 an- cestors would have spoken and a W11010 nation responded. There was a challenge, there was only one ans- ae'. Aristrocracy, democracy, dic- tatorship --a wouderfal background of traditions' "1 mist cougrahhlale those women who have announced their intention to resist a return to long elciets "—Sir 'We are living at a line when every one thinks he is au netiwrity on re- ligi1n."—Dean of Westminster. GooZ "'t3'1E MI ftE1 . WihirPUS, S: oN E.z T-t\E. \ L U 11.1 C 4-- V G42y L MUC4! GIRL JOCKEYS ARE POPULAR IN ENGLAND :11101 1), Bell, winner of ladies' adjacent Lout race, Iliugstou, Eng., chats to her mother, who was also entered 10 noted pointlo-point race. nickrreezin ly. The fact that. later they would i g come to life if exposed within mason. ToWiden Menu, able time to warmer surroundings YY nuf convinced lint that the very swiftness Says Food ,] et the ((eezieg process hall been ac- M�n compliehed without any harmful re- sult to the structure of the living 01" gauism. "7n subsequent t tests," Mr. Chester contiued, ''Mr. 13I1d5030 found that with slow rreezieg the ice crystals puncture the cell walls of the food products and that as a result they fro - fluently became dry and Rat, When one pauses to consider that the straw- berry crop must he marketed within about: six weeks and that the season for many fruits and vegetables is 111u•ply liutited; m10 may, readily see tee importance of a discovery that en - allies fresh food products lo be put 111 a carton and then quickly (000011. 'Backed by a system of distribution that will see to it that such quickly frozen products are properly eefrigor- ated and merchandised, there is no reason wily enjoyment of tiny particu- lar delicacy would be limited to any 11(10 1000011. Sudden Refrigeration Pre- serves Natural Flavors at Savings, Expert Asserts Setenee and 101107sing Icnowletige of refrigeration will so transform the methods of handling perishable foods that Canadians of to -morrow will en- joy at all times of year, at nlnderate cost, essentially, fresh delicacies 11001' limited except to persons of wealth 10 brief seasons, Coley M, Chested 31'., president_ of the General Foods Cor- pe'atio11, predicted recently. Disclosing that experimental tests already have proved that 11 is possible by "quielc freezing"' to preserve in original succulence and tastiness for Many months atrawherrie.s and other fruits and vegetables picked from the garden after they had been ripened naturally sealer it snmme- 000, AH', Chester saw ha Llhe use of the ifs• covey a better balanced and more ap- petizing national menu. And with the development of this 10011 01 of refrig- eration he forecasts that billions of dollars worth of perishable foods now being wasted v111 e conserved, Chemical Changes Avoided The discovery of Clarence Birds. eye that perishable foods suddenly subjected to cold of temperature from 40 to 50 degrees below zero may be kept iu containers for mouths in all, their original freshness," said Mr, Chester, "promises to accomplish some rather astounding things In our systems of handling foods and in our national diet, It las been estimated that $10,000,000,000 word( of perish- able food is sold each year. There can, of course, he no estimate of the vast qu1}utitypf frutit0, vcge10111es and meats that are lost each year through lack of refrigeration or preservation. "Basically, Mr. Birdseye's discovery is that very rapid freezing of perish- able footle is accomplished without any injurious physical or chemical change. It was a chance observation that, Rost gave him the 11100, While fishing through a hole in the ice to Labrador ho noticed that 11011 pulled out of the water into air 50 degrees below zero froze stiff almost lust:m ',/oU MUST COME. 1i>D.CK--o18Na '1•ko V ELI1.1C4 A6AltJ SC?Ma'rIME. 001, LOVE -Co warned as 1(0 suggested that with every increase in population the world le nearer starvation, "With the virtual elimination of In- sanitary foods, the national 0101111 Is more appetizing and nourishing than it has ever been, Tho Canadian fac- tory land 10 better fed on 111e average than th0 icing's of the eighteenth cen- tury. Many Lauds unite in this task of tickling the Canadian 1101010. As the Canadian OR 11011'11 to breakfast 11e perhaps hag Flm'lda grapefruit sweetened with Cuban sugar'." May Be Applied to Meat "The same basic idea can bo applied to meat. It should be possible 10 boy stan10011 cuts of meat with all waste 100100ed, packed in a sanitary 00(1- 1011501' and ready to cools. Aside from 1.11 c e economics of savl10 perishable foods, such a system would effect great economies It freight and cart- age through eliminating the shipping of by-products. "Quite naturally, not all food Inese0- vation will be directly along the lines which Mr, Birdseye las developed 111 his Gloucester, Mass., laboratories. There will be adaptations 0 M add 1- (.10110 00 many persons add their ideas to ,this basic plan. But the result, and that not a remote 00e, will be that our national menu 'will have a wider variety of fresh foods that it ever has had. Upsets Mathu6 Theory . New Shirts From London Elusive Collar Stud is Held Fast in False Front in Com- panion Piece to Waistcoat Without Back; Holes for Collar Buttons Remain Fore and Aft. London.—Ailhough 13141100 pretend to be the most conservative of the orlil's inhabitants, London, as "the man's 10(011;' must, perforce, be as fickle in the matter of masculine fa- shions as Paris is with those of women. When Prince of Wales, the late King Edward gave .Saville stow a shudder by creasing his trousers along the side. King Gemge has continued this sartovial oddity The King also fastens ills four-in-hand tie with a gold ring instead of a Inlet. The 411111/- v011ons of tho Prince of Wales are echoed all over the world. Paris, however, always has laid claim to being the correct place for 0000 to buy their shirts. After improv in„ waistcoats to weal with evening clothes by removing the back, London tailors thought they had done enough in the interests of change. The shirt - makers herd thought diffeently. Cartoonists no longer wilt he able to lampoon the ubiquit000 dress shirt stud, It will not fail out any 01000, once it is in unless it is bitten off. The shfrhnakers have invented a chess shirt whic)i buttons 3001)1 the side, in- stead of faseeeinfi at this front. T,'ie buttons begin at the neckband and travel along the shoulder and (hewn the side. A dummy front opening with stud e holes is provided toconform to con- vention, and the idea is to insert the stud once and for all before climbing into the shirt. The neckband also opens at the side, although the 110105 for the collar11utt0us are in the usual positions. Although Englishlinon continually "grouse" about the tyranny 1)11d dis- comfort of stiff -front dress shirts, they have not shown any great desire to get away from this starchy form of armor. Even the American coat - shirt, with its peculiar advantages, is still a long way front being generally worn in this coentry, which all goes to prove that the majority of When do not take their own grumbling very seriously. Combine -Harvested Wheat Grades High Combhne-ha'vesled wheat in Can- ada compares very favorably with bin- der-1(arvesled wheat from a nulling and baling standpoint. Lt general no difference could be observed between the two 1n regard to these qualities, al- though in one season at least the co111• bhne•h0rvested wheat was slightly superior to the binder -harvested wheat. "Demands of that most voracious article of furniture, the Great Ameri- can P-,realcfast Table, are expanding in ever widening circles the sources of supply with which to satisfy our na- tional appetite, This craving for good thugs to eat is forcing productive de velopltletlt and cultivation of vast areas in Canada and fat' countries and Is making more remote the condition against which Malthus Jade of Many Hues Peiping.—To-day, as for csnlurtee past, 1'eiping is the most fluuous jade market in the world, although there is no record In 311slary, of the cold gem ever having been mined lo this vlein- ]ty, Jade carvers, however, have Lived here for untold generations and the' work of these skilled craftsmen st111 attracts I.he stone itself to this city, accompanied by merchants from Eur- ope and America who come Isere to buy the delicate carvings. 1'110 vogue for jade ornaments 10 the IJniled Stales is comparatively now but there 19 every indication that it will grow steadily, for ,jade hos a charm which has long made it the most precious jewel in the Orient. Ilesicles the carvings, 10111(11 are the handicraft of men, the made lea in jade which are prized in China are its color, its smooth coolness and 113 a'0souant time, which is n111010 to the ear, Light green, mottled with while, is the color of jade most commonly seen in Canada because 1t is both inexpensive and becoming to wear, and thus most useful as a costume ac. eessory, But jade in its natural state las shades from glistening white to deep dull black, including gray, yellow, brown, dark red, pink, ovauge, and every' tone of green from 1110 palest to the most brilliant emereId. Rare Colors "A chink flapper wearing longer sldrts deplonstrates Gm 0(110rtue0s of the shy knees." Etee•aliegreen jade, when clear and translucent, is lhe'emost expensive color, 011(1 a 0011(11 well -shaped stone suitable for a ring may cost many 11(000ands of dollars. All green jade is valued by comparison to these ideal 3010010, and the faintest shading toe light or too dark detracts from the price of the geuhs, as sloes also every 110gree of opaqueness 0101 every flaw its 10x11100. The rarest color.111 jade Is a flesh - 1111c hue, No example of this is to be found in Peiping to -day, bet the seal of the Nationalist (lovol'unteet of China has been carved from a slab of this color, which was recently dis- il0v0red In one of the southern pro• vhlces, Black jade, which 10 also uncommon is prized more as a curiosity than for its intrinsic beauty, for it is neither 00 translucent as black crystal nor as opaque as onyx, mut elms falls Into an 10(111ferent grayish class. However, when a carving is made from a piece of jade which c0mb1ne0 bolls black and white sections in one stone, the result Is often very artistic, The most valuable white jade is 11(• solutely white and absolutely pure, I1 does not have the grain of .marble, or t110 fine linos of ivory, or the cloudh Hess of white agate, and it cannot he compared to snow or any other thing in the world except flue white jade. It does not glitter but it doer, 0300 iuld 1t 1s particularly suitable for the 011000091 carving'. A. very noteworthy colleeibn of tho so-called "mnttou•fat jade" has 1100( nada by Queen Mary of England,' Good jade of this quality is clean 10 color hot it does not gl'iten like the purest white jade and Its general of-, feet is much more solid. Great pieces of "n11141011 -fat' jade are to be found occasionally' and,tbcse are carved ju- te vases, bowls, flat or bas-relief pic- tnres and other art objects. Buried for Ages Jade 111 yellow and red tones 15 se' ceptlonal 111 nature, but thousands of polished pieces, whit(_ have been burled in China through the centuries have been dug up in recent years awl) many of these have become reddish! with age, The discoloration is bo' ifeved due to minerals in the soil which have seeped into the jade, Sometimes this very ancient jade la): ('0018 beautiful shades of brown and orange, merging into the original green, and as these archaeological specimens are not expensive, they. m0,y make unique alai attractive pend- ants, paper weights, or otter curios, Although jade is alw•0y9 colder than Um temperature that surrounds it, 110(1 thus is a particularly suitable gent to hear 111 summer, it does absorb heat and its coldness cannot be tested fairly 11 hell for loeg 111 a warm hand.' The sound of jade cannot be tested by a small bit of carved jewelry, of emerge, but jade bells are made for no other purpose than 10 create music: The (Tear ringing tone of a jade g01I is considered by Chinese musicians to be the loveliest sound on earth.—Tho Christian Science Monitor, 'Animals do nearly all the tlliugs, man does and generally more perfect' ly"—Clarence Darrow. By C. M. PAYNE .