Curious Hobbies.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 14 April 1910, Page 4

Curious Hobbies.

A very curious hobby was that of 4in old woman who had been employed at Court in the capacity ot nurse, and who had a most intensive, collection of pieces of wedding cake. The cakes to which the fragments belonged had been cut at the marriages of the highest in the land. The place of honour was given to a portion of Queen Victoria's wedding cake, and nearly every Uoyal marriage tha.t had occurred since the accession of William IV. w.as represented in this curious collection.

Lord Petersham, a noted dandy in hi sdav, had a hobby for walking sticks, and also for various kinds of tea 'and snuff. All round his sitting room were shelves, those upon one .side laden with canisters of Souchong, Bohea, Congou, Pekoe, Russian and other varieties of tea. The shelves opposite were decorated with handsome jars, containing every kind of snuff, while snuffboxes lay here, there amd everywhere. Lord Petersham prided himself upon having the most magnificent. array of boxes to be found in Europe, and was supposed to have a fresh snuff-box for every day in the year. Count Henry von Bruhl, a famous Germam diplomatist, busied himself on collecting boots, shoes, slippers, and wigs, of all shapes, sizes, and fashions. This curious hobby was rivalled by that of a King of Bavaria, whose collection of hats was unique. A King of Warteniburg boasted the iwssession of above 9000 copies of the Bible; and a nicotine-loving American revelled in a treasuiy of pipes, of which he could count 365 specimens in meerchnum, briar, glass, ehiiiia, and clay. The Duke of Sussex, brother of King George IT., had a pa,ir of hobbies that were as wide as the Poles asunder. He was an indefatigable collector of Bibles and.of cigars. Pope Pius TX. was a. collector of slippers. Ho always had twentyfour pairs in his made of red cloth embroidered with gold, and ornamented with a solid gold cross; his chamberlain being strictly enjoined not to part with a. single pair, however well worn they might he, to any of the many devout applicants for them.