King Dick in South Africa... HE CAME, HE SAW, HE CONQUERED.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 108, 26 July 1902, Page 22

King Dick in South Africa... HE CAME, HE SAW, HE CONQUERED.

FROM May 17th, the date on which the Right Hon. Richard John Seddon, P.C., LL D., Prime Minister of New Zealand and the dependencies thereof, landed at Durban, to the 28tli day of that month, he filled the African papers as no one man has ever done before. The first day the papers gave King Dick a few niches, and tlieieafter they increased the size of their journals, and any space left over after our Premier had been duly chronicled was filled up with smaller subjects. * * * The cables anent Dick's doings give no adequate idea of the prodigies h performed in the limited time, but the African papers, full files of which have reached us, give several miles of insight into it. The Durbanltes freely accepted the statement that Mr. Seddon had been delayed in rescuing the shipwrecked crew of the Gertrudge Gerardia. They had no room for the rest of the Drayton Giange people. Dick got right down to the African heart during his first afternoon ashore by making the Lancashire and Yorkshire Societies sine "God Save the King" with himself as choir-leader. • • * King Richard repeated the National Anthem twice during the same day with terrific results. His fame was flashed to Johannesburg, and when he got to the seat of the South African sore every society in the city wanted him to talk for them The Australasian Society rushed him, and took him to Frascati's to see George Hutchison, who is chairman of the Association, Baden Powell, who came with Dick from Durban and other bosom friends k * * Every guest was in his seat half-an-hour before the conquering hero came, and when he darkened the banquet-hall door a roar went up that shook the Rand. The "Johannesburg Star" Seddonites in eight columns over that banquet. It eulogises his "clearness, perspicuity, and masterly grip of great questions." Baden Powell, actor, author, engineer, r>oet, and soldier, got some very neat things off on this occasion . i * • • He said that there was "little to choose between regulars, volunteers, or colonials, for, whether he is a Tommy who is more anxious about his pipe than the enemy (laughter), or a Bushman, or colonial who is just as clever as any Boer ever foaled — (laughter and cheers") they are all good, all good in their line. It has been a close race between them to show which was the best. « * « "I have had some little experience of each kind, and if anyone has shown in front a little bit more than others. I think it was those boys with the fern on their shoulder (cheers). They were first in the fighting, in holding a position, and very good judges of horses in other people's lines (laughter and cheers). I have it on their own Premier's authority that Lord Roberts himself mentioned them as being some of the finest collectors of feathered curios — (laughter)— he had ever seen in hit, life. Gentlemen, I did not come here to gas to*-night." And so the great B.P. stood down for the greater P-C. Then, the- toast of the evening was proposed in an eulogistic speech by President George Hutchison (the famous author of the mythical Bun Tuck, whom he alleged to be Dick Seddon's partner on the West Coast. But then, you know, there is a world of difference between George Hutchison, the Opposition M.H.R. for Patea, and Advocate George Hutchison, of the Rand » * Dick, of course, got off all those brilliant things' that journalists the world over have been makinp- capital out of ever since, and he worked in a slab of humour here and there. Eminently Seddonesque is the following • — "Mr. President and gentlemen, the cordial response to the toast just given cheers me on, and will lead, I hope, to further effort in the direction of proving to the world that we are the annointed people (cheers and laughter), and when I have made that announcement in a cosmopolitan community such as are gathered here in Johannesburg, and on the Rand, and you each and all agree that it is so, then I hope and trust that we shall prove ourselves worthy of being such a people. "There is no telling Mr. President, what a man may come to if he lives long enough. I found myself on 'Change this afternoon, and when I came to Johannesburg I found myself in the hands of the police. I received a pass (loud laughter), and I am allowed to ride a bicycle : now they have to find some maker to construct a bicycle that will carry twenty stone and I am to

dine when and wheie I like, and I am allowed to be out at night (renewed laughter). So that, by the permission ot th© police, I am with you on the present occasion. As I told you, there is no teillmg what you may come to and the only one who upheld this pass ■» as Mrs Seddon (laughter). She said 'At last you aie in leading strings' (continued laughter)." Then, Dick went on for thiee columns or so, the substance of which has been worried to rags throughout newsnanerdom for two months past. Kimberley rejoiced and was glad when Dick lushed through Diamondopolis, and the papers there went into big headlines, and put in double shifts to cope uith the occasion The "Diamond Fields Advertiser" Seddonises thusly 'It is impossible to read Mr. Seddon's speeches and mentally compare them with the more finished, but far less satisfying, productions of our Home politicians without feeling that, if this is a true definition, then the Premier of New Zealand is a veritable Aiax among statesmen." Dick couldn't defy the lightning express for Capetown, though, and it relentlessly bore ham to-w ards Table Mountain, where, the Drill Hall stood with wide open, doors, to* banquet him some more, and w T here that old New Zealand Honorary Major Pilcher was in command of the welcoming party. * • * If Durban, Kimberley, and Johannesbur^ journalistically ran riot in admiration of "Ricardo Robusto," the Cape papers tried hard to outdo them. The "Cape Times," which occupies the same relation to Africanders as the London "Times" does to Englishmen, in reviewing his Capetown address, spoke of it as a "splendid" one. Dick sparkled at Capetown. * # * The Drill Hall crowd roared tempestuously in glad greeting. They beheld the twenty-stone Premier whose weight had been felt in the councils of the nations, and they cheered at least, half a column. Dick remarked "that from the sounds proceeding from my rigrht I might imagine I was in New Zealand." This was a sly hint that Dick was a white-haired boy who was always listened tio at home. The crowd here laughed a couple of paragraphs. * • • Our Premier told the surging mass that the female franchise, as worked in New Zealand, was a great success. "I should be very ungrateful were I not to say that it worked well. We gave them the franchise : they keep myself and my Government in office. (Laughter)." Bonny Dick, the beloved of every lass — Lancashire or otherwise ' * * » Mr. Seddon commiserated with Mayor Thorne on the unkempt appearance of Capetown, and congratulated him on being th© right man in the right place. * • * It was awfully good of Mr. Seddon to say that he "earnestly prayed that some New Zealanders might come over here (to Canetown) and teaoh the people a thing or two and how to grapple with increased commerce." Finally, Mr. Seddon observed "that so far as the Mayor's work was concerned, he heard nothing but favourable comment." The Mayor deeply "thanked" Mr. Seddon for his kind words, and made a resolve to try and merit them. ¥■ * * While King Dick was being escorted around Capetown, seeing the sights, a Hebrew public-school master let the youngsters out to see the "Great Imperialist." The "Capetown Times" remarks that: "It was characteristic of the man that immediately he caught sight of the boys and girls, and heard their hearty cheering, he ordered the escort to halt, and, accompanied by the Mayor, descended from his carriage to address some words of thanks and encouragement to his little admirers. He told them that he was delighted to see them that he' himself took a great deal of interest in education in his own colony. * • • "He urged upon them the necessity of working with all their might during the happy days of their childhood and when they played to do that also with great vigour. He promised to convey their good wishes to his New Zealand children, and concluded by teaching his hearers the Maori words for 'How are you?' 'Good morning,' and "Goodbye.' Mr. Seddon then drove off to Mount Nelson amid the children's loud and reiterated shouts of 'I-ro-ra' — 'Good-bye.' " * * * It is feared that the Premier has caused many severe mutilations of the

Maori language during his triumphal progress through Africa, but, as these little events give him such excellent opportunities of instilling his wisdom into the minds of the little ones, as well as the °reiait ones, of the world, we will forgive the verbal lacerations. * * * Duty was calling our Premier away from Capetown, however, and the last day lie was in that city he performed wonders that ran into half the available space in the "Cape Times." The Capetown Australasian Society, captured him a,t last, and, of course, banquetted him with tremendous gusto. * * * Dick was extremely happy on that occasion remarking that he was pleased to think that Australians had done their duty, and so on. Mrs. Seddon was a Victorian lady, he said. (Applause.) That being the case he might tell them that the Australians claimed him to be an Australian, while the New Zealanders also felt proud of their "old man." (A voice "Quit© right," and cheeis.) At one time New Zealand and Australia formed part of a great continent, but volcanic and other action resulted in a separation of the two countries and, of course, there were miles of water between them, and they could not very well bridge that over. They in New Zealand said that in that division Australia was given the quantity and New Zealand the quality — (renewed laughter) — but New Zealand had not seen it in the same light as yet. * * • "When, however (he continued), the Commonwealth had passed through the experimental stage, and had demonstrated that Federation was for the good of that sxeat continent, then, probably, New Zealand might consider the matter, but, in the meantime, they would look on with a friendly eye." * * # Australia will be glad that she can count on our protection in an emergency, but we hope that the emergency will never arise, when Mr. Seddon will consider that continent's right to himself. The Cape papers, in their valedictory articles 1 , remark that "After a 'riotous' time Mr. Seddon left by the mail steamer for England." * * * If the press 1 of South Africa mirrors public opinion, the week's visit of King Dick of New Zealand was an event only second in importance to the war itself. Africa felt that King Dick had conferred on it no transient honour by visiting it, and, from the advice that fell from his mouth in the land of the Boer, there are possibilities that there was some that, if acted on, will place the African colonies on a pedestal as high as the one on which New Zealand believes she stands.