ELIZABETHAN DAYS AGAIN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1527, 24 August 1912, Page 11

ELIZABETHAN DAYS AGAIN.

A SPLENDID SCENE. There is only one theme for current gossi|>—"Tho Triumph, ■holden at Shakespeare's Knghmd on Thursday, July 11, in tho third year of King George the Fifth" (writes the London correspondent of tho "Australasian"). Nowadays, large' sums are expended upon amusements, but it will bo long beforo the £10,000 record at Karl's Court last night is broken. Kxpensivu as it was, tho "Triumph will nut result in a financial loss, for .£50,000 worth of tickets were sold. The Shakespearo Memorial Theatre Fund will thus benefit to tho extent of iiIO.OOO. As much us .£250 was paid for a box. Kvcn the "Sods" in the gallery paid ,£2 2s. each. In spite of the large amount of gate- , money taken, there were many empty seats at Earl's Court last night. Tilting in the twentieth century fashion is not to the tnsto of everyone. Moreover, there was a general doubt whether the skill of the aristocratic lance-men would bo equal to that of their forbears, who furnished heroes for the writer of "Ivanhce." It cannot truthfully be said that the tilting itself was very exciting. The Duke ot Marlborough was in silver armour. The Earl of Craven wore a suit worth at least .£6OOO, made in 15C0 by Wolf of Landshut for Philip II of Spain. His Grace of Marlborough and Lord Craven met in the first bout, but they failed to touch one another. Lord. Tweedmouth and Lord Ash by St. Ledgers did no hotter in tho second bout. When tho first lanco was shivered, it was by a rather gentlo pat against the woociou barrier separating the combatants. Finally the Herald (Mr. I. R. Benson, tho actor), in clarion tones, announced :— "Tho Duke of Marlborough has tilted well, But Ashliy St. Ledgers has tilted better." A gold cup, worth several hundred pounds, accordingly went to Lord Ashby St. Lodgers: It was presented by Lady Ciirzon, (he stately Queen of Beauty, who had entered borne in a canopied litter, and attended by a bevy of beauties in costume. Conspicuous among the "waytinge ladyes" was Miss Muriel Wilson, gowned in orange and silver and a soft shade.of pale emerald green. Another noteworthy figure among the ladies was the Princess Pless, in a blue gown, and wearing a "Clarkson" pigtail of long fair hair. She played the part of Princess Errant, and was escorted by a party of

foreign noblemen and noblewomen, including Prince Christopher of Greece. Yet another attraction was a ballet dos cheveux, in which Lady Sarah Wilson took part, gowned in black and steel brocade over a black satin petticoat, with linings of cobalt blue, shot with gold, and a cloak lined with steel satin. Morris dancing and a series of parades completed the "Triumph.'? Many of tho spectators were in fancy costume, and nothing was wanting to complete the feast of colour and beauty, except a rather larger measure of the spirit of the middle ages. The tilting at Earl's Court was a mud affair. After the tilting came n tourney, in which a body of knights in blue plumes were matched against a band wearing red plumes. The snort consisted in hacking off the fine feathers of the opposing combatants. The twelve, armed with short swords, hewed at , each other's helmets, amid general laughter. When the knight martial sounded tho retreat, the lists had the appearance of a gaming ring after the cocks had finished. Tho "Triumph" was followed by a, dance in a specially constructed ballroom, put up for "one'night only." The building was 180 ft. by 124 ft., and to6k a hundred men three weeks to erect. It was decorated with Dorothy Perkins and Crimson Rambler roses hung upon trellis-work. Tho dancing space was no less than 2500 square feet, and required 125,000 parquet blocks for its construction. These vast temporary ballrooms are quite common nowadays*. A week or so ago Olympia_ was transformed into a ballroom for a single night. Bordered by deep banks of exotic plants and illuminated by invisible lights, the great barn-like building was turned into a vast conservatory with marble terraces. Even the buffet was a quarter of a mile long. Meanwhile, in the East End of London a strike is in progress, involving 100,000 men or more. We read in the newspapers of starving women and children. It is not easy to justify so violent a contrast.