People We Hear About

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9, 4 March 1909, Page 348

People We Hear About

Sir Edward Elgar, the famous Catholic composer, was the. son of W. H. Elgar, organist. He is best known, by his famous ' Dream of Gerontius,' which he and Cardinal Newman are responsible for. This famous piece was first heard in London in 1903 under the baton of the composer. Before being played in London, it had been performed in Dusseldoff and America. Sir Edward's other works include ' Caractacus,' ' Sea Pictures,' • The Apostles,' and his new Symphony, which was performed for the first time in Manchester the other day. His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne, who, according to a cable message, is making, a slow recovery from ' an illness contracted in Dublin, left for his ad limina visit early last year. His Grace is now. in his seventieth year, having been born in Galway in 1839. He studied at Rome, at St. Jarlath's College (Tuam), and at Maynooth. He was ordained in 1865, and' after six years spent in parochial work in Westpdrt and Tuam, was appointed Professor at, and subsequently Vice-president of, Maynooth College. He was consecrated Bishop of Galway in 1883, and was appointed Archbishop of Melbourne on September 29, 1886. ' . The Archbishop of Glasgow, Most Rev. John Aloysius Maguire, D.D., was born in' 1851, and received his education at Stonyhurst and Glasgow University, taking his theology course at Propaganda. He was ordained in 1875, and spent the first years of his. priestly life as'assistant priest at Glasgow Cathedral. From 1879 to 1883 Father Maguire was diocesan secretary j was made Rector of St. Peter's, Partick, in 1883; raised to the GlasgowChapter in 1884, and became its Provost in 1893. He became Vicar-General in 1885, and was consecrated titular Bishop of Trocmadae and Auxiliary of Glasgow in 1894, succeeding as Archbishop to the See of Glasgow on the death of Archbishop Eyre in 1902. In the beginning of 1903 he received, the pallium from the Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. Lord Ardilaun has been giving his reasons in the London Times why he declined to allow the erection of a mural tablet commemorating Mr. Gladstone's temporary occupancy of his Lordship's present residence in Carlton House Terrace. Here are some of his reasons : ' I freely, confess that I should rather not have on my house a memorial of one who, notwithstanding his " charm and genius," by his measures reduced the value of Irish property generally by a half, and reduced vast numbers of my countrymen and women to poverty, and who disestablished and disendowed the Church to which I belong. Even Radical critics should try to place themselves in the position of the criticised, if fair play was their real motive.' The Hon. A. W. Hogg, M.P., gave an interesting account to a Dominion representative the other day of his visit to Hastings. Accompanied by Mr. Dillon, M.P., and Mr. O'Reilly, the Minister went out to Meanee, where he was entertained by the Very Rev. Dr. Kennedy, a young New Zealander of high scientific attainments. Mr. Hogg was greatly interested in Dr. Kennedy's observatory, with , its huge telescope, and his fine equipment of scientific instruments, including thermometers for taking the temperature, not only of the atmosphere, but also of the earth at different depths. Dr. Kennedy's wind gauges, his lunar and stellar photographs, taken by himself, his system of daily meteorological observations, and the spectrum analysis, were also inspected. Mr. Hogg said he had -rarely enjoyed anything more than listening to Dr. Kennedy's exposition of his views on astronomy. His comprehensivelystocked garden, his glass-sided observation beehive, and • his cellar of first-rate local wines were also very remarkable. The Right Blon. the Premier, in the course of a letter of sympathy to the sistei of the late Mrs. Hope, the 'heroic stewardess of the Penguin, concluded . thus : ' One feels so helpless to do anything to lighten your burden in this unusually heavy hour of trial, but if anything can help assuage your grief , at the de^ath of your sister, Mrs. Hope, it must be the knowledge that in the hour of danger she acted the part of a heroine, and did her duty nobly to the last. I can only tender -my heartfelt sympathy to you and yours in your irreparable loss, and in the grief you have to bear."' Mrs. Hope -was the third daughter of the late Mr. . John Chisholm, of Invernessshire, Scotland. Whilst the' boats were being launched, we are told, she was untiring in her efforts to comfort and cheer the women and children. One hears of her telling a cluster of terrified little girls, ' Cheer up, darlings ; it's only a little way to the shore, and daddy's waiting for. you there!' The children wer£ frightened to take the leap into the darkness that seemed to be their only chance of life.