FROM THE WATCH TOWER

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 263, 27 January 1928, Page 8

FROM THE WATCH TOWER

By “THE LOOK-OUT MAN” ON THE SUBJECT OF LEGS One would think that, in 1925, every citizen would have become inured to glimpses of leg. One sees in the aggregate so many miles of bare leg in the course of a summer season that it comes as a surprise to hear that there is a resident of a seaside borough who objects to a display of leg—even on a poster. The Devonport Borough Council received such complaint the other evening and naturally was rather amused at so strange a protest. No limbs to be displayed at Devorport! It is rather like a complaint against the presence of the Prince of Denmark in the play of “Hamlet.” * * AFGHAN MUSIC Afghanistan has a National Anthem. The powers-that-be in Egypt found, at the last moment prior to the Emir’s State visit, that no one in the kingdom had heard of the anthem which is played on ceremonial occasions in Kabul. The ship’s baud of the Rajputana, however, came to the rescue and broadcast the melody which, we are told, is rather like the slaying of a bull elephant, to an obbligato supplied by rattlesnakes.

* * » RAJAHS AND OTHERS — The accident to the beautiful Maharanee of Cooch Behar, a daughter of the Gaekwar of Boroda, while hunting with the British Princes recalls the number of Indian potentates and their wives who in these enlightened days take full advantage of the joys of European travel forgetting purdah and the restrictions that are imposed on womenfolk in the East. The ex-Begum of Bhopol, the mysterious veiled ruler of an Indian State, was perhaps the first to defy convention and to. consent to her photograph being published. Since then many beautiful Indian faces have been seen in Europe. The newest representative of Eastern royalty to follow precedent is the Queen of Afghanistan, who is travelling without the veil. There are one or two white Ranees. The Brookes of Sarawak, In Borneo, being white rajas, have married Englishwomen, but the Raja of Pudukota married one of the Melbourne Finks. They make their home on the Riviera. Another Indian prince, the Maharaja of Tikari, married an actress, who was known in Australia as Elsie Forrest. This marriage was not a success and the ex-jMakdranee is now living in London. IN THE BLAZE— Crown Princes need no publicity agents. As a memento of his marriage to a Swedish princess Prince Leopold of Belgium has been presented with a press-cutting book containing clippings relative to the event in which he played the leading role. There were over 7,000 cuttings and 2,500 photographs! It would be interesting to know how many books the Prince of Wales could fill if ali the paragraphs about him—entertain ing, dull libellous, adulatory, informative, gis-ipy, and ludicrous—could be gath-red together. A separate room in the British Museum would be needed for the volumes, for since the world began no prince, thanks to modern conditions, has had to face such overwhelming popularity and publicity. Small wonder that in his newer photographs the Prince shows signs of fatigue and boredom.

LONDON BOUND Arthur H. Adams, the New Zealand writer and poet who has been settled in Sydney for many years, is now on his way to London as secretary to Sir Owen Cox, one of the leading figures in the Australian world of finance. Mr. Adams was in Auckland a few weeks ago, renewing acquaintance with his native land after an absence of about 20 years. Though Sir Owen Cox is not a New Zealander horn he received his early financial training in this country, and has many ties iu the Dominion, financial and otherwise. Lady Cox is a sister of Lady Strathspey wife of the only New Zealander in the House of Lords. Sir Owen has the reputation of being one of the finest hosts in Sydney. He particularly distinguished himself some time ago when he entertained a party of American bankers and their wives who arrived on the pleasure liner Carinthia. Though champagne flowed with accustomed liberality, and the chief chef of the Australia Hotel carefully planned the dishes, in conjunction with the knight, in order to tempt the jaded palates of the tourists, the host contented himself throughout dinner with a little brown bread and some mineral water. Truth to tell Sir Owen Cox, shipping magnate, is ruled by his digestion. Educated at the famous Christ’s Hospital, or Bluecoat School, of London, he is the son of a Welsh naval captain. The K.B.E. came his way at the conclusion of the war for his services as shipping controller. The G.B.E. was awarded him in 1920. Sir Owen is the presiding genius ot Birt and Co, of Sydney ,