ON THE OTHERS SIDE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 56, 29 November 1907, Page 3

ON THE OTHERS SIDE.

The following interesting jottings are from "Rose de B.oheme's" last letter to the Sydney "Telegraph ,, :V. . : ■~'•■■-..; < That wonderful. Spanish Baby is coming over to lodge at .Kensington Palace, whero its" great-gr&ndmothor, . Victoria; lbdgod'so long ago. '•' Yos,' the natural appendages,'in the form of Papa and Mamma, are coming, too, but they do not seem of so'much account, perhaps because this is a "private" visit. Anyhow, tho British public takes an interest in babies which is keen enough to satisfy Roosevelt himself, and there will be quite a little fuss over the little Spaniard. • QUEEN.VICTbRU'S "" All the more, perhaps, because we are at , this taking an especial interest in the small;'man's great-grandmqther., Queen Victoria's lpng promised letters have'just appeared, and though; they can hardly, yet be said'to be in tho hands of the public, every paper in tho land teems .with review and quotation, so that we feel already, familiar with / the "correspondence, ,and are, one and all, I asking' for; more. • Which, fact rather surprises me. If. you won't accuse me of ful disloyalty, I will, honestly own that I have always thought very,-little of the "Journal in the ■.leaves. They, strike .mo as coming under the namby-pamby head, and 1 think they, might just as well have been left unpublished. Consequently I.'had not e'Xpec- \ te4, much frojn ;the letters, and their, powerful.interest comes as> a delightful revelation: It.'.is well 'to realise; through their medium, what; a!c-spJendidiS6vcreign :and splendid woman .we had. in that .Mother of her Peoplo', "■Victoria- the Good; , .'. Well,.to understand , how much tho nation's weal owes to.'a'fema'lo handj" heart; and bfnhv. • ' , • ... 1 It is well also in another sense. For young femininity , of to-day •is apt to think. that it had no %'ental 'precursors. Not many months ago I heard a;charming, clever girl, 'when addressing a. small gathcring/calmlyassert that up to. 20.years ago women'were not'cultured or c'dueafed J. - Life's .experiences will: probably set tliat young person (Joiyn considerably, but meanwhile it is not a.had theory to.have such a public proof of what women's education arid culture has been in the'past! How many of even our most "superior" presentday, specimens could accomplish the,half of what. Victoria achieved in her long! life? Truth is, the art which Vc have most highly perfected of lato years is tho art of "blowing eur own trumpets.", THE BERNHARDT CRAZE AND''MRS. ;'-: .-'... ■. WIGGS.", Another book has appeared which appeals to us .women, though on totally different lines. A.good many of y/m have fallen under thespeHof the "Divine Sarah, "and her memoirs, which are sure to be ;imbued-'with some, of her own peculiar fascination, and eaid to .he extromely frank, must attract all those" who love the glamour of the stage'. And '■ who does not? 'By-the T bye, I almost think, that I should have liked to watch the faces of those 1500 London charwomen who, last Tuesday, laughed over "Mrs. Wiggs of, the Cabbage Patch." Of course" you have lead, the book? Personally, I think it delightful. Personally, also,, it' strikes me as quite unadapted to interesting staging.' Yet am I undoubtedly in "the wrong. For the play is having. an exceptionally good run here, arid this week "Mrs •Wiggs," otherwise Mrs. Madge Carr Cook,, put it to a special test. She invited, 1500; of our poorest charwomen to a matinee. And the 1500 roarod with delight. I daresay there was riot half »o much enjoyment among the well-behaved ■ people who:shored my "Barrier" experience the same evening. But then, you see, tastes differ. Somo of us want particularly to see pretty, or oxciting, things when we go to tho theatre, not just everyday humdrum, however .cleverly expressed.