The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-29

Dy some marksmen practicing at neigh boring range, another time he was Knocked down by couple of runaway horses, and he had a third escape when | he wac forced to jump from the windows
 ot Government House, Wellington the building being in flames. As governor, | by the way. he entertained the present King and Queen on their first colonial | tour.
 In company with Lady Ranfurly a thoroughly Irishwoman. the earl made many tours in New Zealand and the ad- | jacent islands. and in one of the latter secured specimen of the southern mer- ganser, an extremely rare bird. of which there are only one or two examples 1T. Europe. He Is also credited with having introduced the passion fruit into Eng land. Popular with all classes in New Zealand, he was especially loved by the Maoris, whom he treated with great kind- ness and tact By way of acknowledg- | ment their chiefs elected him to be <one of themselves and bestowed upon him | many endearing names. Lady Ranfurly, in peace times, is one of London's greatest dance hostesses ? The couple have two daughters, the elder of whom is now Lady Constance Mines Gaskell The younger. Lady Eileen Knox, was pretty debutante of a few seasons back
 "Tommies" Champion Letter Writers Most of us who have chums at the front are inclined to rnurmur hard things against the military censor, who, after carefully blacking out any particularly promising paragraphs in our friends mis- sive, scribbles his own signature in the corner of the active service envelope as sort of official O. K But thesa field censors who generally are officers really deserve our pity rather than our curses. They are hard worked men.
 Tommy Atkins being. apparently. the greatest letter writer of his generation. How he produces his missives is told by an acquaintance of mine who is a lieutenant in the City of London regi-
 ment, popularly known as the Artists
 and who. as such has to act as censor He writes. Tn the trenches, in the bat
 tery, in the billets. by the roadside, on
 the wagon, the soldiers write, and write, and no one objects save the poor sub
 alterns, who will have to censor so. or
 maybe 100. letters each between dinner
 and bed.
 Your cake was very good, the hair-oil
 had split over it. but 1t didn't matter
 Hoping you are well as it leaves me at
 present. Give my love to Susie and
 Tim
 Hundreds of thousands of pencils are
 busy this warm afternoon, and hundreds
 of thousands of letters will be delivered
 in two or three days, and be read and
 re-read, and handed round. Up in the
 narrow trenches they are writing now in
 all possible and impossible positions
 calmly and meditatively. and with much
 pencil sucking. to the kind lady who sent
 the socks, or furiously scribbling to her
 who must have at least six pages. ceas-
 ing not save to fire a verbal volley at
 some clumsy passerby.
 Who am |? asks the weary sub. as
 midnight approaches-'who am I that
 these little family comedies and tra gedies
 should be laid before me. Who am
 that should lose my eyesight in at
 tempting to read by candlelight what
 would be utterly illegible in the broad day?
 ! There Is one bold, bad bombardier who
 cau turn out Q pages in one afternoon,