LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 25 August 1909, Page 73

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— Princess Alexander of 'eck, -who is taking an active part in philanthropic work, is <xne of the cleverest and prettiest of the Bang's nieces, and a -great favourite, of his. He was' hen guardian for many years, and aftetf her marriage, gave her" Henry Ill's Tower, Windsor Castle, as a permanent residence. Princess Alexander has jijuiek perceptive pcwers', sound com-mon-sense, and a genial, pleasant manner. She points and sketches well, and still has occasional lessons from Mrs E. M. Ward, the eminent artist. The ' Princess, like the King, always sees the humorous fidde of thing^r — Queen Margherita, mother, of KingVictor Emanuel, is going to Japan during August, and will remain in the islands for .three months. . She will take with her an automobile for excursions through the I country. The Emperor and Empress of Japan will meet her when she arrives at the Tokio railroad, station. This will be the first time the Empress has ever welcomed ; visitor. — Queen Alexandra, is the first Queen Consort wlk has accompanied the sovereign in state to open British Parliament, and when the King, shortly after his accession, declared his intention, to his Ministers of taking the Queen with him in the famous gilded coach to the Palace of Westminster, there was some demur, as no precedent could be found for the act. Hir Majesty stood firm, however, and carried x uk point, further declaring that the Queen should sit by hif side in a chair of state. — Miss Jean White, Doctor of Science, in the .Melbourne University, has won the unique honour of having her research thesis on ferments and latent life of seeds • accepted for publication by the Royal i Society, iii London. There is much scientific erathu&iasni~amora^ the women students of the Melbourne University, -and the \ Victorian •bvernment provides funds for : research scholair&hdps. Miss White is a successful teacher of science, and was one of the iTniversity examiners for the Victorian public examinations for 1907-8. —In Norway maa-ried couples are charged a fare and a half when travelling on the railway, this being one of the

privileges oonferi?ed on married people there. . Therfe are neiarfy a thousand, miles of railway in tha.t country, which, with the exception of 42 miles, all belong to ths State. In Austria and Hungary, where the zone system of railway travelling -was first introduced, j wife who is -accompanied by hei husband can travel at half fare ; children of the same family from six to twelve travel at one-third fare ; if more than two, only one-fourth rate is charged. Prom 12 to 20 they travel at half fare. * ' • ""

— The "'battle for freedom- In Turkey is i likely to be : long and ardfuous. We learn « that being under the impression the new 1 regime -would completely modify all pre- < vailing .Moslem ideas,' women had taken < to going out into the. streets unveiled, and 1 several hundreds had asked to have a t patriotic "play performed before them in the local theatre, to be exclusively re- 1 served for women. This ■ was agreed to ] by the local "Young Turk" Committee; < but on- the day of the performance hun.- < dreds of Moslems, . .armed with -knives, ] surrooacled the theatre, threatening jfco kill , a*ny woman wno' attempted* to ente£ The authorities of' Aiden, tb© second city in ' the district,., have published a decree whereby ,any .man seen, talking to ' a Mussulman, woman in' the. street' or. etee- j whem shall Jbe, firmed . IQOC piastres., . while ' xhe wb-man herself is to be bastinadoed.-. I ] — Lady Wernber is a. hostess with a future. ' She is tall and gbod-lookirigy "with ] da>rk hair and a fine' figure, is clever, and gifted with both energy and enterprise. ' And she has. great riches, is musical, keeps '• a box at the. opera, and -gives." many" ' dinners and" concerts at her house in Piccadilly Then she does much good work in aid of the ' Children's * Happy Evenings Association ; and each ' autumn has a show of dolls at Bath House, where : are on view hundreds of dolls dressed by' well-known society women. Both elie and Sir Juliu? Wernher are connoisseurs of , art, and thanks to their sure taste, their ' town hous n is a treasure-Dlace of pictures, china, enamels, and old furniture. — The astonishing success gained by Mr ; T. B. if. Butter, the am of the Master, of Trinity, in the classical tripos at- Cam- | bridge, recalls the famous triumph, of his accomplished mother, who, wliile she was still Miss Ramsay, carried off the highest honours *n classics it waa possible for a woman to attain. Following* closely on I what was a phenomenal intellectual feat r for a woman in days when suoh achieve- ; mentis were not as common as now, came , the news that the "sweet girl-graduate" i had 'won- the affections of the Master of Trinity, Dr H. Montague Butler. To-.day ] Mis Butler can rejoice in seeing her own successes repeated by^her brilliant young j son. ' - i Chicago's first policewoman, was robbed -of" heiT purs© within a- few. hours after, re; , oeiving her stasr and revolver. She is Mrs' Josephine Sullivan, ,and after being- sworn in, she went out tojdetect pickpockets and sneak thieves in the department stores. When hei afternoon's work was finished she returned home, and discovered -that her pocketbook was missing. "I know who got it!" ehe cried. "It was that well dresfied young man who sat next- to me on tlie. car -coming home." ■- - I" — Mrs Hume-Griffith, in a work entitled " Behind the Veil, ifl^Persia and Turkish Arabia," 'gives this useful hint to those who want to know a real Turkey carpet, j"Mafoe sure that Jhe coloitrs are fast. I This is dene by moistening a handkerchief or a small piece of cloth and rubbing the carpet. If the slightest tinge' of colour comes off, the carpet is not a good one. So much depends "upooi ■ the nature and durability of dyes used. la olden days, the only dyes used were indigo, madder, and vine leaves. Now, however, the aniline dyes are so commonly; used that it is difficult to find a carpet in. which all the- colours" are permanent. Europeans are often deceived wljen buying carpets, natives seldom. When the latter invests in a carpet lie expects it to last the who!© of his lifetime, and not only of his life but afeo that of his > children, gjandcliildren. and great-grand- ' children, and perchance be more valuable at the end of tliait period ,than on the day . he it." . " j