MAINLY ABOUT PEOPLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 153, 24 July 1909, Page 3

MAINLY ABOUT PEOPLE.

MR. WALTER WINANS. (From London M.A.I'.) i Mr. Walter Winan6, who has just received a gold medal for his team of ibrown horses, which were the best exhibited at the recent show iu l'aris, is, without doubt, the most wonderful shot of the day. Ho has won numerous prizes and medals (for his skill iwill} the revolver, and has beaten some of the fluent shooters in the world. In 188!), at Wimb.eilon, he made six.i'e.i liulls'eyes in succession, and once in competiI tioh with a noted French shot he. o.ny i ] missed the target twice in sixty shots,' 'and won the contest. In addition to his, skill with revolver and rifle, Air. Winans j j possesses many accomplishments. It isi 1 5 >o( .generally known that he is a very J 'clever artist, and is defended from tli'oj i famous Dutch painier. Vvynauts. |

WONDERFUL EYESIGHT. As a horseman, Mr. Winans is with [cut a superior, and his hoisos are among lllc liiiest in the world, it is inteicitiug to note, by the way, that Mr. Wiuaus was the first to notice the line action of horses in galloping. lie painted pictures which the critics said were tin-l-aturnl, as it was impossible for a horse to have one foot on the ground and the other three raised at once, or, at any rate, no human eye could be keen enough to detect if such were the case. But Mr. Winans' eyesight is extraordinarily keen, and he stated that he had himself seen what he described to be a fact. Since then, photography has shown that he was absolutely right. It is, of course, his wonderful vision that has enabled Mr. Winans to be so successful as a shot.

TURKISH GENERAL AND THE DUKE Edham Pasha, who has once more become the Minister of War at Constantinople, is without doubt one of the ablest military strategists living, and is I more than anyone else responsible for the efficient condition that the Turkish troops have reached at the present day. He has a great admiration for the British army, and holds that as a fighting force it has but few equals in the world. Some time ago he was dining with a party of British officers in Stanfooul, and the conversation turned upon our military leaders. Edham sat silent for a moment and then said, speaking in fluent French, "you have one soldier who, because of his birth, has never had any real opportunity to display his capabilities. He is one of the very few soldiers—there are not more than half-.n-dozen of them alive at the present time—who could handle with certainty and succesf an army of a hundred thousand or more. I mean the Duke of Connaught." Next to the Duke, Edham lasha places Lord Kitchener as our best military leader; while he is strongly of the opinion that no one can handle mounted troops so well as a British cavalry officer.

HIS MAJESTY A-WHEEL. Owing to doctors' orders there is every probability of the King indulging again in his old pastime of cycling. As Prince of Wales he was an enthusiastic .cyclist, and was a frequent spectator at cycling races when that sport was in the heyday of its popularity. Apropos of this there is an amiming story told of how on one occasion, having purchased a nciw machine, he presented his old one to an elderly Irishman who did odd jobs and ran errands in the neighborhood of Sandringham. "You'll find the wheel useful when you're in a hurry," the King said. "I trust it •will be a long time before I can ride it," replied the other. "Why, have you ever tried?" "I have," was the gloomy reply, "a frind lint me his. I had it three or four weeks, practising night and mornin', an' I never got so I could balance nieself standin' still, let alone riding on it." The King was so amused' at the ; story that he immediately ordered him 'a tricycle.

AN AFFABLE PRINCE, A story is told of King ChristianFrederick of Denmark, whose affability towards his subjects has made him immensely popular. One day, while ho i was Mill the Crown Prince, Christian was "directing the grand military manoeuvres, and, in accordance with his custom, was making a .personal visit of inspection of the sleeping accommoda-, tion provided for the troops. Accoin-1 paniod bv several officers, he entered the house of an old peasant-woman, who "Hesitated to supply them .with something to drink. To overcome her susliicion the Prinoa revealed his identity; "I am the Prince RoyaT," he said. "You aro making fun," was the reply. "Is it likely that the Prince Royal would dare to come into the house of a poor old woman like me?" A few days later there was a review of the troops, ami the old woman stood at her door to watch the soldiers go by. When she saw the Prince at the head of his soldiers she nearly fainted. The Prince, recognising her, smilingly saluted her. and said, "Well, little mother! Do you I believe it's the Crown Prince this time!" I

WHEN THE KAISER TRAVELS. The Kaiser, when lrc travels, takes with him an extensive and well - furnished wardrobe. Another formidable item in his baggage is his motor-cars. Ho never travels far without them. During his recent sojourn at Corfu he had no less than half-a-dozen sent to him; five were of German manufacture, the sixth Italian; all the Imperial cars are painted.ivory white, and all carry horns of a different sound. While the Kaiser's wardrobe occupies a. dozen domestics and about a'score of other people, the cooking arrangements, which the Empress supervises, are very modest. The 'Kaiser, en voyage, is generally very cheerful, but he takes the morning, at all events, seriously. He rises at six, and ut seven begins work with the heads' of his civil, military, and naval household. At nine o'clock he does his letterwriting. The royal epistles are written on specially manufactured notepaper, thick and heavy, ivory white with a light Mac edging ami measuring rather less than fifteen inches by a little more than eleven. Compared 'with the Kaiser's notepaper, his cards are enormous. They bear the inscription: William, Ger.j man Emperor, King of Prussia.

THE KING AND (THE SENTRY. Here is a story illustrating the great simplicity of King 'Leopold of Belgium, who recently, on leaving his palace, discovered the sentry eating a plum tart. 'Where do you come from, my friend?" asked the King. "You're verv curious," replied the soldier; but he gave the desired information, and in his turn asked v question. "And who are you? A soldier probably?" "Yes." "Half-pav?" "I'nisiom'd. But guess with -what rank?" "Captain?" "No, better." "Major?" "No.* "Colonel?" *N»." "General?" "No, better still." "Then you're the King himself!" "Yes." "Then kindly hold my tart for a little. I please, so that I can present arms!"

A MEREDITH STORY. 'Mr. Forbes-Robertson, who was a picturesque figure at the .Meredith Memorial Service in Westminster Abbev, was ; n constant touch with the great writer about a score of years ago. Meredith often 'threatened iu jest to iwrite a plav. •but never kept his promise. Once during the run of Irving's production of "Henry VI11.," in which Forbes-Robert-son acted at the old Lyceum as Buckingham, Meredith met him at the housiof a mutual friend, and, observing his sunburned appearance after a holiday, hailed .him by the rhythmic expression', "Here comes the browned Buckingham!" Forbes-Robertson recalls another story of an old",friend and late fellow-actor, Arthu r Cecil, who when once holidaymaking with (Meredith in Switzerland, came back to the hotel where the great writer was at work, (full of the glories cf the sunshine and the scenery of the mountain peaks he had been climbing. .Meredith listened to his eulogies for a while, and then, looking'up, rolled off extempore the following astounding quatrain: "The sun shone high upon tl\e crinkled erag, , He clove it, it left him scarce a rag; \Vith knees barked blue and bleeding nether lraro, He boasted be enjoyed the mountain