PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 283, 2 May 1914, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Dr. T. H. A. Valintine, Inspecttr-Gjn-cral of Hospitals, is eponding somt tiflj in New Plymouth. ,r . Mr. Robert McNab v has been aavisea by the University of New Zealand that he has had the degree of Doctor »f Literature conferred on liirn. A London cable states that Geieral J. S. Ewart, who recently resigned frosa the British Army Council, has been appointed Scottish Commander-in-Chief.

The term of the Hon. R. A. L»uf hnan as a member of the Legislative Council will expire on Wednesday next. The Hons. J. Rigg and J. E. Jenkiniaa are: due to retire on July Ist.

Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M., is in New llymouth continuing a departmental inquiry commenced in Christchurca into certain matters connected with tfce Labor Department. The death of a resident of the Auckland Veteran's Home, Mr. Peter Gregory, formerly of the 08th Regiment, occurred on Tuesday. The deceased saw service throughout, the Maoiy war, ami gained the New Zealand war nedal. It is rumored, states the Lond«a correspondent of the Lyttelton Times, that Iwa, the Maori singer who remained behind when the troupe which cams over for the Festival of Empire Exhibition returned to New Zealand, and who haa since appeared at various Haglish music halls, has recently become engaged to the only son of a well-known pew. Mr. John MacGregor, who die* at Ti-' mam on Sunday, was one of Oamaru'a prominent ri.fle shots. Mr." MacGregor won the Belt in 1898, and two years before, at the Federal meeting in O&maru, tied lor second place with Mr. R. L. Rule, who beat liim on the shoot-off. He went to Bislcy with) a New Zealand: team, ibut owing to ill-health did noJUI do himself justice.

Mr. K. E. Fairfax-Cholmeley, *£ tift local staff of the Agricultural Department, who has been at Auckland* for about a year in connection with (Ate Department's demonstration Auck- , landjExhibition, "returned'yesterday, hut leaves again almost directlyJor Wellington and the south, to take charge of the Department's travelling exhibit which isto figure at the principal winter shows. "Marvellous" was the verdict of members of the Canterbury College,Ba*rd oa the performance of Mr. P. N. Oorkill in obtaining 100 per cent, in paper C in electricity, in honors. Dr. C. Cderidge Farr, in forwarding the information, said that he .mentioned it because he had never heard before of a possible, being scored, especially in an honors paper. It was decided to congratulate Mr. Corkill on his performance.

One of the tributes to Professor Ernst Haeckel, the famous* German naturalist, on his eightieth birthday whs the Grand Cross of the Ernestine 6rd«r, given him by the Dukes of Saxe-Mein-ingen, Saxc-Altenburg, and Saxe-Gotha. This order carries with it the right to hereditary nobility, if the person deoor- , ated eares to claim the right—a somewhat quaint position in English eyes. The German Press, states the Manchester Guardian,' lias been wondering what Haeckel, one of the leaders of Liberal opinion, would A. Haeckel lias settled the agitation by a letter, In which he says: "Of course I am not ' going to put in any suclj claim, like* my" grandfather Scthe, who, when seventy years ago lie was'given the Black Eagle, by Frederick William TV., also renounced hereditary nobility." Scthe was a distinguished jurist in the early days of thes nineteenth century, who on one occasion fell foul of Napolco-n. The election of M. Henri Bergson at. a member of the Academic Frane.iiso is an eventful occurrence for the Jews. Ktatcs the Jewish Chronicle. For the first time in 300 years of the ejtistenoe of the Academy, a non-converted Jew has taken his place, among the "Im- , .mortals." If ■ such an event was im-~V possible centuries. agOj when the Jews / were still without the rights of citigen*hip, it appeared even more <Upoult of realisation in tho prcsenf"J#lightencd period, since the growing forces of fentiSemitism had endeavoured to exclude' from high honors tlibsc who were not of their race and religion. M. Bergson is fifty-five years of age. He was born in Paris in 1850 of foreign parents. His family originally came from Warsaw; a M. Berson, president of the Jewish \ community in that town, who died some timo ago, was probably related to him, * for the two names differ but slightly. Some of the newspapers have stated that • ,the new Academician is of Irish origin. This statement no doubt arises froib the fact that his father, who was a musician by profession, spent part of his life not ill Ireland, but in London. M.' Bergson received his carjy education lit Paris in a Jewish secondary school; tho Institution Springer, which ceased to exist about fifteen years ago.