Only Lovely Woman.

Manawatu Herald, 5 April 1894, Page 3

Only Lovely Woman.

A curious anecdote respecting Sir George Grey was lately narrated at a public dinner in England. On January 27 Mr J. Chamberlain, M.P., attended the annual dinner of the Birmingham jewellers and silversmiths. Speaking of the dulness of trade, he said there was an idea that jewellery and ornaments were superfluities, and whenever people had occasion to retrench that was the line which they immediately began to cut down. But to comfort the jewellers he told a story about Sir George Grey when he was Governor of the Cape. Sir George, he said, had to deal with the turbulent Kaffirs that inhabited some part of the country. He succeeded in inducing them to labour on the public works, and he got them to pay taxes. That aroused the admiration of the natives over a wide district that anybody could do such things as* Governor Sir George Grey had been' able to perform, and on one occasion a great meeting of the natives was held,' and Sir George Grey addressed th« assembled chiefs. He noticed that the women carried heavy orna* nwnts upon *heir arms and legs f and he took 'occasion to comment upon their extravagance, pointing out how much better it would be to invest their money ; but after he sat down, , tbfe principal chief rose. He was an aged man,, and a man of great authory in his tribe, and he said : Oh {'governor ; you are a great man. You have done wonderful things ; j you have made us pay taxes ; you have made us work, and this we thought could never be ; but there are things boyond the limit3 of human power ; and, oh ! great chief, do not be deceived— -even yqiv cannot, make women give up their ornaments." (Laughter.)