TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11493, 28 January 1903, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

In referring yesterday tit " A Royal King Oscar, of Sweden, w« Orator, remarked that he was' v orator of no little power, Tht' latest " National Review" to band coa« iiims this in v series of extracts tfm lii* Majesty's speeches, translated by om of his loyal Bubjecis. "It may t» doubted," he remarks. " whether the principal speeches of King Oscar during 4" quarter of a century have a counterpwrtA those of any monarch of our times lor nebtt

ideas, lofty sentiments, and tttfkiaj forms of expression." The speeches tkw. introduced were delivered on -widely dil' ; . fering occasions, and they are natur*lly oT varying degrees of excellence. S(4W verge w nearly on the commonplace tbft no particular reason for their re-public*ttok . is apparent, others are really tHoqmwtv Among the latter is his Majesty* iddmi to his son, on his entrance into the Cava* • oil of State. It is a powerful and w»ImM reminder of the high duties that, in' tiw course of time, the Prince would pretwity be called upon to perform. "The «w4 of the King,' said King Oscar, "shall hi upright; his promise shall not be gw*tt - ' in idle cause. His ear shall be open to truth, whether it come from high or low. Law and righteousness shall be hu strength, duty his guiding star, labour hHU pleasure. Never forget that the judgnwat of your own times shall be silenced bafoit that of history, and that the verdict of

history must in rejurn be set askie by thlb of God. Strive, therefore, firet and fore. * mast, to worship Him ii»-all tlie sincerity of thine heart; then thou shalt suoohkL And be Hum now* welcome into the 4ft' of manhood! And may all the hop**, which nut only thy parents, but eftrj honest dweller in the dual realms report', in thee, be fulfilled to the common good i and thy own contentment. God blew >'" thee, my son!" In his favourite role of patron and friend of scientific exploMtfc • King Oscar made some felicitous remark* to Baron Nordenskiold and the men of ,' Ahe Vega on their return from their Awtto ,"" expedition. He recounted the great plorers in whose wake had sailed tt»* world's commerce, harbingers of prosp«ti# -r and civilisation. " But while new wofMf -. were lit up by the torch of disco«iy» • darkness still reigned over a portrait ot tit. '-. Old World, and unbroken lay thetcWai H ~~ : ; th-s Polar ice around the North GiMt «J.? the worid. It has been reserved for««t, ; time to burst some of these chaine ol and our dear Swedish flag now float* «ke*i v' the keel which first shaped it* «•*•*,,," around Asia." We could quote ntUMNM ;- noble and inspiring passages, but mart " \ content with one more, the conclusion of hw Majesty's speech at a banquet iilk ' Royal Pake© on his sixty-first birthday*-",. r "Burning are my prayers to God fof •*#■ A beloved people in whose midst stood *f -'■ cradle, and* for the fosterlaod ia wke# '"- soil my mortal remains shall eotne day M^, - And wen when my life's spark %»a'mtls • it extinguished-—such is my hope (Mi -"'," my prayers and eolicitutions shall still fcP* . - with immortal fire." ': Within two or tto*'^; ; A months we shall b>-,^; "Cup-Lifter." tearing of the leaw* of Sir Thomas lip-?Kj tone newest yacht, Shamrock 18-» ' M with which he intends to makm •■, > ( third attempt to carry off W* ± ' America Cup. Public interest ih tlf gi-eat contest will commence whea *■• ', English boat is tested against it* V* ' decessor and other crack Englwi y**f* ■ At present etrkt eeciecy w being fl* , served an to the material of which tlrt ■•■ -- challenger is being built; all Sir ThoßM* ~ Lip ton would say t<> a recent interraW"* wae that it was eomewhafc similar to the used in building Shamrock 11., but the* - is a difference and the builders a»pwfltii| . by past experience. The »aile ew •** . the subject of unusual attention, and «* *„ to be mad* of the finest fabric procaraW* -■ Tl» owner and designer lately vi*!»«* Denny's yaid at Dumbarton, whew ~ .. yacht is being built, and according to Si* -| Thomae they got un idea «f ** ,>| shape which greatly pleased, &•»• ;J| " Candidly," be said, "I never «ft* * ■*»• -jjj smartly-modelled boat. Her Jwß mw» jjM ou beautiful lin«, vhiatx fm t» ""'''Jl

bine grace and strength. Mr Fife and I have a very high opinion of the skill of the builders. To our thinking), no estabyshment in the world could do more for us than tlie Dennys are doing. Mr Ward and Mr Jackson, two of Uie partners, are devoting all* their time to the supervision of the work on tlie new boat. Picked jnen are engaged in her construction, for rou must understand that she is ac delicately fashioned as v watdh. Ido not like jo rliapsodise. but I must say that when ihe is completed Shamrock 111. will be ojkj of the most perfect vessels of her kind eves launched. If money and skill can beget success' —Sir Thomas I/ipton hesitated, and then addtd reflectively, " then juccess will be ours next Fall." After this expression of opinion it seemed rather unnecessary to axk Sir Thomas whether he was sanzuine of success, but the question being put elicited sin unusually confident prediction as to the result of the race. "Look here," he said, "it's never wise to prophecy regardinu; a yacht nice; but—well. I think it and I'll say it— Shamrock IN. is a ' Cup-lift er.' I am confident of success this time." Certainly if dogged perseveiuuce, plus all ihe money required, and all the British skill available, run enable a. British yacht to lift the America Cup Shamrock 111. is the boat ihat should do it. In the demand for houses Rapid House that has been created l>y Construction, the great influx of immigrants into South Africa, attention has been directed to tm invention which may play an important part in solving the housing problem in the new colonies. The British and Colonial Transformable ami Transportable Company, which has just commenced opt-rutii/ns in South Africa, offers to construct in a few hours a residence which, under ordinary conditions. w*uM take olmtsst as many months to build, and one, moreover, which can with very little trouble be enlarged, made mnuiler, or otherwise altered, to tuit the taste or convenience of the owner. One of their moveuble buildings hus been erected in Capetown as a specimen of their work. The parts were manufactured in England and shipped to the Cape, where they were put together on the site selected. All that was necessary was to level the ground—no foundations being required— and fit tlie parts together, a work which ■was performed by unskilled labour in half-a-dozen hours. The various parts of these movable buildings are all standardised and interchangeable, so that a house of any desired length or width can be erected. The weight of the building its at the base, so that it may resist the heaviest gules. Double walls, and a layer of asbestos in the treble roof, ensure coolness in the warm weather and warmth in winter-time, and careful attention is paid to ventilation, and due provision made against fire and flic destructive attacks of the white ant. A four-roomed house, with a verandah on two sides costs about £300, a sixroomed house about £400, and one with eight, rooms about £475. The company propose to establish a factory for the construction of their movable buildings at Port Elizabeth, and subsequently at various centres in Bouth Africa. The "Cape Times" comments very favourably on the new idea. "In the present state of the country, ,, it Kays, "it it» not difficult to conceive how exceedingly valuable a building of this character would prove which, while not demanding the employment of nkilled labour, is yet capable of being put together with extreme rapidity, without the use of tools, and admits of extensive alterations to meet the requirements of the moment."