Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-30
a gross exaggeratjon. there is no doupt
that DR.. Leyds was a very rich man in

uetQ
But. in common with SO many of his
race. he is of Jewish blood. and his
grandfather was rabbi OF Amsterdam
DR.. LeydS was collector OF works OF
fine art: He had brought together re-
markable collection Of pictures, and was
a connoisseur of violins and the possessor
Of some beautiful specimens that were
burnt during the war. His collection OF
pictures of vertu was nearly all that was
left to him when Paul Kruger died. and
1t has not yielded very much. I am told
that he will receive about $500 a year.
His friend. Edward Lippert. who Is a
cousin of the late Alfred Belt, and was
owner of the dynamite monopoly that
caused so much ill-feelng. is now liv-
ing in retirement In Hamburg. where he
spends a part of the remains Of his
fortune In retaining drunkards. Ed
ward Lippert was in his day one of the
Zambesi and Table mountain. and one Of
the best hated. He was perhaps the
only man who could beard Cecil Rhodes
and not come off second best.
Another stage In the erection of the
new London county hall, with frontages
to Westminster Bridge road and the
Thames, involving a gross expenditure of
Gl,IOO,OU. is now being pushed forward
Six weeks ago the contractors for the
granite embankment wall began to drive
piles into the foreshore of the river. on
which to erect a large stage, and good
progress has been made. There is a
romantic story in connection with the
site. which from early times has been
called "Pedlar's Acre" Who the pedlar
was is not recorded. but in his supposed
day the acre was a swamp covered with
osier beds. and was let by the owners
at a rental of ~ cents per annum. There.
1t IS sand. the pedlar. who had faithful
dog as companion. became man OF
means and left his wealth for the chart
ties OF Lambeth. Whatever may be the
truth concerning the story. there is at
present in the parish church at Lambeth
a handsome stained glass window, in
which the pedlar is represented In the
costume characteristic of the early Tudor
period. with a sack on his back crook in
hand and leading his dog by strap. The
estate. on which great industrial works
have been erected, is now extremely val
liable.
Gossip About Steaming Ports.
Current statements to the effect that
the Hamburg American line is preparing
to utilize Southampton instead of Ply
mouth as a port Of call for its ships to
America are little misleading. The fact
is that when the season opens in the
spring the company will utilize South
ampton as the westward port Of call for
two services week instead Of one. Ply
mouth would under the old arrangement
have been the westward port of call for
one.
Under the new arrangement South
ampton will get both. The position of
Plymouth as the most convenient port OF
call for liners coming eastward Is I'M
affected. The more important OF these
two German services will be maintained
by the Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, the
America, the Deutschland the new YES
sells Cleveland and Cincinnati. and the
secondary service by the President Grant.
the President Lincoln, the Butcher and
the Hamburg. There is no mention at all
of the greater convenience of Southamp-
ton as the British port of call on the west
ward voyage 1t is much nearer London,
and London is the natural center of both
mail and passenger traffic.
The view is taken at Southampton that
the Cunard Company must leave the Mer-
sey for the Solent sooner or later. 1t is
the general opinion that this is bound to
happen when the accommodation at the
southern port is increased. but in the
prevalence OF rumors regarding move
ment from Liverpool In the spring II IL
significant that. in the opinion of South
ampton experts. there would be no diff
Guilty accommodating the Lusitania and
the Mauritania even as matters stand.
1t Is pointed out that they could take up
their passengers in the river and be able
to do all the dock work necessary as well
at Southampton as at Liverpool
With the increased use of motor cars
in Great Britain new clubs for their own
ers have sprung into exiSfence. and now
the motor club world is practically d.
the Royal Automobile Club and the Motor
Union. They were formerly in alliance.
but have now separated. At the present
thirty-five clubs are associated with the
members. and the Autocycle Union,
comprising thirty-seven clubs, with .
membership of 1850. is in alliance.
There are also 922 individual asso-
membership of 4.oo4, with $50 applicants
awaiting election, so that the total num-
Der of members and associates Is 14.276
The Motor Union has secured the adhe-
sion Of a little over twenty clubs. but
insomuch as many members Of seeding
clubs have joined the union as individuol
members the more democratic organiza-
ton is not relatively at quite such dis
advantage AS the figures indicate. Some
6.493 individual members have joined the
union, as compared with 4,14S last year
and 3, 295 in 1905.
The Royal Automobile Club is now
erecting a palatial clubhouse on the site
Of the old war Office in Pail Mall in the
heart of clubd0m. The Georgian period
has been selected for the design. and the
length of the frontage Is 22S feet. and the
height of the cornice from the pavement
will be siXty-one feet, the height to the
top of the balustrade being sixty-eight
feet. and the top Of the roof facing Pail
Mall will be seventy-nine feet and the
back elevation of the roof will be ninety
feet from the terrace level. The building
when completed will face Pau Mall in a
straight line with the Carlton Club. the
skyline being the same height as its fu-
ture neighbOr. Portland stone has been
selected for the material from which the
front and back will be built, and it is al
ready being claimed that the front of the
edihce. classical in aspect will rank
worthily with it's compeers of Pail Mall.
National Theater Discussed.
national theater is being discussed
again. but when all Is said the crux Of
the question Is money. The real question
is whether the people Of this country are
willing to pay for the establishment of
and up-keep of a theater which, in cf-
feet shall do for England what the Co.
medic Franchise does not only for Paris.
but for all France. Will the provinces
care to pay money for institution
tional will be essentially metropolitan?
For, without the aid Of the provinces, the
national theater is little likely to become
an established fact. and certainly cannot
assume national character.
The mighty name Of Shakespeare. for
the theater is designed primarily as
monument in his honor, may hep to
bring in the money. and though a large
sum will be needed, 1t would be a small
sum for the millions of Englishmen who
hold the poets name in reverence to pro-
vide. Mr.. William Archer and Mr.. Gran
willie Barker, who have made a special
study OF the subject. estimate the sum
necessary for the foundation and main
tenance Of really national theater to be
conducted on an adequate scale at ESQ.
! to1, TOM +,;,,