ROYAL VISIT TO NEW YORK. CENTRAL MISSION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1384, 9 March 1912, Page 14

ROYAL VISIT TO NEW YORK.

CENTRAL MISSION.

DUKE OF CONNAUGHT'B EXPERI. ENCES. HUMOURS OF HIS STAT IN THE CITY. The visit of tho Duke and Duchess of Connaught and their daughter Princess Patricia to New York towards the end of January as the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Whitelaw Reid was marked by many amusing experiences on the' part ■■ of tho Royal party. It-was a private visit, but as Royal visits to Now York are extremely. rare, and this was the first occasion on which a member of the British Royal Family had been a guest in tho city with his consort, tho newspapers devoted the greatr erportion of their space to chronicling in minutest detail all and everything con-' cerning'the Royal visitors, and most diverting'reading it proved. '.'...' It must be conceded that everything possible, had been done to avoid any public excitement on" the arrival of the Royal party on Monday. No flags wero displayed in honour of the Royal visit; not even was the customary carpet' unrolled on the platforms before the Royal train. The crowds o£ suburbanites and photographers who assembled at seven o'clock in the morning at the Grand Central Station caught no glimpse of tho Royal party. Outmanoeuvred. They were outmanoeuvred, for the train to which the* two private coaches of the Duke and Duchess were attached halted at tho farther end of the platform, "far from the madding crowd," and their Royal Highnesses, after being welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Whitelaw Roid nud the British Consul-General, Mr. Courtenay Bennett, were hurried into a rough-hewn goods lift bearing the legend, "Passengers using this lift do so at their own risk."In this rudo contrivance they were raised to the level at Forty-fifth Street, a furlong distant from .tho entranco to the Great Central Station. ■ Unobserved by the crowd they entered motor-car 3 and wero driven rapidly to tho residence of Mr. Whitelaw Reid, where they took breakfast and discussed plans for the day. Meaiiwhilo amusing scenes were being enacted at the terminal gates, where it was supposed the ducal party would emerge. "There's the Duchess," shouted the photographers, as a plump suburban lady, followed by a younger lady in furs, hurried through tho exit. Tho "camera artists" pursued the supposed Duchess and Princess to tho door of their motor-car and oxcited them almost to the pitch of hysteria by a volley of snapshots. Similarly ridiculous 6cenes occurred in quick succession as other passengers marched into the streets, and not until the station, was empty did it occur to tho "camera squad" that they had been outmanoeuvred. "Democratic Ducal ,Pair." The leading journals throughout America'on January. 23 devoted the major portion of their space to describing in the most eulogistic terms' tbe appearance, dress, and doings of "England's democratic ducal pair and their captivating,daughter." . In tho course of a five-column narrative on the ducal activities in New York the.-'.'World" enthusiastically declared: ' "Any report; of the visit would be incomplete that did not, matte mention of the. attractiveness of the Princess, the dignity of the Duchess, aiid'the striking, appearance of tho Duke. The pictures of the Princess do her scant justice. To say she is a pretty girl is not to tell half the story. She is tall for her sex, athletic, and in the furs she wore yesterday looked quite as if she .might have stepped out of a novelist's page. She had not perhaps (ho regal heaving of. ono of Charles Dana Gibson's princesses. She looked more like a, lively American girl' fond of outdoor sports—as indeed she is. riie'Duk-2, as ho stood in full, sight of the crowd at the Reids' house, looked the type of man that one turns round to gaze at again. Ho walks with"'a swinging stride, ire is thick through the chest and thin about the,waist and legs. The tight trousers lie wore accentuated his taperin" calves, and it was not hard to bclievo that he makes a happy figure in Court costume. lie has the legs of a ridin" man." ° A Stroll in Fifth Avenue. Tho Duke, early in the morning, went for a stroll in Fifth Avenue in full view of the reporters. This romantic constitutional was thus described in the "Evening Journal": "It was a very good natured, kindly jovial member of Englishroyalty that set out from the home of Whitelaw Reid shortly after nine this morning The Duke was accompanied by Captain Rivers Bulkeley, his aide-de-camp, lor tho information of those disciples of Beau Brummel who love to copy English styles t it may be said that the brother of the late Edward wore a black Derby hat, a dark sack suit, and a large blue overcoat of ulster pattern. Y ou mn \& not have told his outfit from the regular kind that are sold m New York clothing stores for 20 dollars (£i). The photographers gave the Duke a salute of twonty-ono snaps and. then fell into line behind the reporters. The Duke seemed deeply affected by this tribute, so deeply that he- was grinning broadly as he strode along at a rapid pace. "Now. then, photographers, run. in front-of'tho Duke.mako sure he is nil there. an,d then take a few snaps of.him. Ihis seemed to',appeal beyond measure to his sense of humour, for ha smiled outright. Yes, gentle reader , , members of royalty can laugh just as heartily as a longshoreman off duty can. ' Duke and Photographers. "His Highness (sic) and Rivers Bulkeley walked down Madison Avenue' to Fifty-fourth Street, pausing now and then to look at a bin ding, a street car, a taxi, cab-anything that-seemed unlike things in England. In Fifty-fourth Street tho photographers, remembering the old adage that a cat can look at a king, halted tho Duke and asked him if he would pose. Tho Duke smiled, twirled his cane and moustache,.and said nothing, while Rivers Bulkeley exclaimed, "Pleaso bo quick, gentlemen." . ■ The "Evening World" declared that the democratic manners of the Duke are so perfect as to bo incredible ■ Full of admiration, it described how the Duke was at first adamant to the appeals of tho photographers, but finally stopped, and, laughing heartily, exclaimed, "I capitulate. 1 am your prisoner. Prime your weapons, gentlemen, and fire away." "After the pictures were taken the victorious army of photographers • raised heir hats to salute, and the Duke acknowledged tho salute by raising his Derby. The reporters then tried to interview tho Duke, but he showed-himself to be n rare diplomat. Ho smiled most affably when a question was. put to him, but not a word did ho utter. His smile was so charming that the reporters could not possibly feel the least bit peeved (sin). - . At luncheon tho royal guest met Mr. Roosevelt, and subsenuently they drove on a .sightseeing expedition up Riverside Drive nast Grant's tomb. Tho "Who Is?" Scare. The evening newspapers wero filled with amusing speculations concerning the outcome of what they termed tho "Who is?" fcare. The "Evening Mail" declared: "Notwithstanding all denials, it is quite evident that the guests at to-night's dinner and dance at the Reids are destined to establish a new rating in society of tho brand that signs itself with a big S." Many alleged 'lists of guests" wero published, but they were ono and all spurious. The manner in which the lists were prepared was highly diverting. The names composing them were sent to the newspapers by the peoplo who were most anxious to avoid tho stigma that might attach to them if it were supposed they wero not invited. Accordingly many ladies who wero not invited informed the newspapers of their acceptance of an invitation to meet the Duke. The editorial officos, in fact, were inundated with descriptions of the dresses the alleged invitees would wear. Others who had been actually invited seemed to have thought the invitation to be deprived of half its value if Mr. and Mrs. Whitelaw Reid wero allowed to carry out their intention of suppressing any list. Accordingly they aiso notified the newspapers that they would bo among the guests. Of their own accord the newspapers added the names of those whom they supDo3ed would |)& present, and in this way

lhts of guests partly corroot and lirjelj incorrect were mado publio. , Odg to Prlnceu Patricia. Princess Patricia won th# heart* of all in New York, and one paper, the "New York American," broke into Terse. The poet took for his theme tlie published description of the Princess, examining with absorbed interest tho mummy at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of Princcss Arteines.ia, who lived 8000 yeara ago. Tho verso run:— • When your eye 3 beheld her glory, When your ears drank in her etory, • Could you span the bridge of ages, l'rinccss Pat? Could you picture her resplendent, Robed in gown and gem -transcendent, Hymned by old Egyptian sages, . Princess' Pat P From her cofiin golden-coated, -v v Did sho-whisper, silver-throated, ~ <: How the hand of- Fate defied her, ' Princess Pat? • With her ancient blushefl burning • Did she eay. her' hear died yearning For the love her rank denied her,' ' Princess Pat? Did she, cry, "My limbs are shrunken, 'Gone my charms, my eyes ere.shrunken,' "Vanished, they who- fawned and - flattered," ; • . .' ■ Princess Pat? Oh, mr dear, if life • a .breath is, Who shall guess the age that death is, Or the aeons he has scattered, Princess Pat? No, I'm Bure her smile arohaio From the Nile days Ptolemaio, Blessed' you for your kindly freetinj, Princess Pat. - That she thought your hat a: treasure, That your gown enhanced her pleasure At this unexpected meeting, Princess Pat. Another instance in", which. Princess Patricia figured prominently in-the news-, paper accounts was a luncheon given by Mrs. Charles Dana, Gibson, who invited tho ten'prettiest girls in tho metropolis: to 'meet"her. • In Wall Street. Tho royal party were eulogistically de-, scribed as "the most popular foreign,notabilities who have over been .entertained in the metropolis'of the great democracy."; Among tho places visited on January 21 was Wall Street, and it is described by. tho "New York Globe" in the foUowing glowing-terms:— "Tho party got into the Stock' Exchange without any trouble.' Soon tho ' report spread to the floor arid tho Bhouting brokers wero performing for royalty. They strove to please. Nearly a hundred persons wero in the--gallery, and they paid no further attention to the acrobats in tho pit, but kept their eyes on the personages; and wondered "which was the Duchess' and which the lady-in-waiting. I Tho businoss of the Exchange was hampored, for traders on the floor found it impossible to keep, their _ minds on work, but' Stopped thfeir quotations'and choered the ducal party and saluted them with a shower of tapo. The Duko answered with a bow. "Outside men and women'packed the street like sardines. - The 'party'started to conic out of the building just aB a funeral procession was wedging its way down Wall Street: A photographer climbed on the seat of the hearse 'as it was passing, and, standing besido tho driver, snapshotted tho royalties over' the heads of the crowd/' ' ■' '"Ray for the Dock." ' The ."Evening: World",, adds:—The. skyerap'erS;. poured -.. thousands.,'of stenogra'r pher?, .clerks, messenger , boyg, and capitalists -into the streets as the visitors appeared, and a stentorian'cry went up, " Ray for the Dook, 'ray for King George,- 'rav, 'ray, 'ray!" The cries rolled through New Street and boomed through tlra broad aisles of Broad Street. The windows of the towering buildings wore I black with veiling heads, and when the Duchess -of Cpnnaught and her daughter were assisted to their motor-cars they in-" voluntarily pressed their hands over their ears. It was indeed a tempestuous experience, and when finally tho ducal party were extricated from tho funeral tliey had had a genuine taste of a really strenuous New York street jam. Imnchoon was taken at the houso of Mr. Cornelius Yanderbilt, other plaoes of interest were visited later, and in the evening the Duke and Duchess and the Princess were entertained to a dinner and dance by Mrs. Ogden Mills. At tho White House. On Thursday, January 25, the Duke went to Washington to. see Mr. Taft. On ■arrival he was met at the'station by Mr. Bryee, the British Ambassador, and there was a vast crowd -to - cheer. Ho drove ■first to the Embassy, and afterwards, with an escort of cavalry, went to the White Hous"e. The Duke paid-his respects to the President, and took tea with Mrs. Taft. Tho.members of the Cabinet and their wives were present, while in the streets when he left women waved their handkerchiefs, muffs, and hands to attract his attention. Mr. Byrce gave a dinner in the-evening, .after which the members of the Diplomatic Corps and tho justices of the Supreme Court vfero invited to meet his Royal Highness'. The Royal party returned to Ottawa on January 26. .