WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 193, 24 November 1910, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by " Eileen"'). HUME LIFE AT SANDRIXGHAM. TIIEIR MAJESTIES AND THEIR CUESTS. There are one or two rules of conduct which are like the laws of the Medes and Persians. One of these is that 110 guest may on any account arrive after' dinner, and the second decree is that punctuality at meals must be rigidly observed. The hall is a favorite spoi with all the family, and it is there thai, the more important guests are usually received by His Majesty the King. Dinner is served at 5.45, a quarter 01 an hour earlier than at Buckingham Palace. Much has been written 011 the simple life led by the King, but in real truth the dinners at Sandringham are served with much statliness. The diuing-rooni is a splendid apartment, large and lofty, the furniture rich and handsome, and the walls covered with priceless Spanish tapestry. In this room are many small tables at one of which the King takes his place, while another is presided over by the Queen, and a few honored guests are invited to each of these tables by their Majesties. The servants wear splendid liveries in the Royal scarlet. Their coats are cut with swallow-tails and show a gold-braided blue waistcoat, i and they wear white satin breeches and white silk stockings. The dinner service in everyday use is in white chi.ua with a very small Imperial crown ana the garter. The King himself drinks ISS9 champagne, and sometimes a glass of old Tokay wine. Late hours are the rule, and the evening is spent in playing bridge, listening to music, or watching a theatrical performance. The ladies-of the Royal party often come out to luncheon with the shooters. The meal is set in a tent, and hot dishes are served, as a portable stove is carried for the purpose; but all the walkers return home in time for tea, which means a solid repast at Sandringham. China tea is drunk and also coffee, and such ample fare is served as poached eggs, sandwiches of various sorts, slices of ham, etc., besides the usual "tea food" in the shape of cakes, hot and cold, jam and brown and white bread and butter, and there is also a tray of liquers, old brandy, and whiskies and soda. AMERICAN WOMEN". THEIR PRODIGAL PERSONAL EXPENDITURE. In an article published recently in the Neues Wiener Journal, some statistics are given of the enormous sums spent by American women on clothes. The lavish outlay of Marie Antinette grows pale beside them. Throughout Europe the spending capacity of American women is watched with an interest much deeper than it attracts in England, perhaps because they find more to buy, or it may be that lavish expenditure in clothes is not so common abroad as it is in London. It seems that there are 100 women in New York known to spend 150,000 dol. every year on dress, more than 1000 others lay out 75,000 dol. on the toilette; 15,000 others have to make 3000 dol. suflice. A reckoning has been made that one of these ladies with millions of money at her disposal would probably lay out her yearly dress money in some such way as this:— £ Ball Dresses 8000 Reception Dresses 5000 Cloaks 2400 Lingerie gOOO Shoes 1000 Gloves .• 000 Hats 1400 Almost every American woman who is in the position indicated possesses some special taste which she indulges freely. One, for instance, rhapsodises about lace pocket handkerchiefs, and has the greatest delight iu dispaying her collection when she gets back from Europe. She may have searched the great cities ol America without finding a handkerchief that takes her fancy, but in Paris she gets what she wants and pays .'ioof. a dozen. "Of course," she will explain to her friends, the design was made speeialy for me, and I could not do less than order twelve dozen." Another ladv will make silk stockings her pet fancy. "These stockings," she will say, holding out a foot encased in a covering of silk as fine as a cobweb, "cost IOOOOf. a pair. I am sorry to say I shall not be able to get any more of them, for the man who wove them lias turned blind." American women, according to this writer, have millions of pounds' worth of diamonds, quite apart from their collections of other stones. The jewels are worn accordingly to the occasions, and one woman will be heard asking another about her summer diamonds and her winter ones, and so on. A practical American woman asked a Parisian belonging to an aristocratic house, "What do you do with your winter diamonds in summer?" "I wear it," replied the Parisian, for she had few: of this world's goods, and the only diamond l she possessed was a diamond ring. The American woman turned! away with a shudder of disgust. In J America, too, it seems, there are women' who readily pay £3O for an embroidered j night dress, and something like £400! for a fine linen tablecloth. A certain little dog is wrapped in a coat of real ermine and has a collar of diamonds, and there is one more interesting tale of p. Xew York millionaire who paid about £SO for a pair of boots for a lady. Those lavish spenders are not regarded with any surprise in their own coutnry, and any comment is met with a glance of surprise. "Why," said an American, when any criticism is made of the way in which his country-women spend, "it is their own money. Their husbands made it; why should they not spend it as they like?" QUEEX ALEXANDRA'S MISTRESS OF THE'ROBES. The appointment of the Duchess ot Buccleucli as Mistress of the Robes in Queen Alexandra's Household is specially interesting, for it was generally believed that her Grace hail decided to retire

from .the Court 011 the death of tile late .Sovereign (says tlic M.A.P.). There is no question but that the Duchess desired to do so. but Queen Alexandra wished to make as few changes as possible in her Household, and at Iter .Majesty's special request her Grace Iras accepted the position which she occupied at Court for so many years in the late reign. ■ller (jrace. however, will be relieved from attending to tile secretarial work in connection with her office., which will be done by Miss Knollvs. and which will be specially heavy before the Coronation.

The Duchess will now, of course, continue to be Queen Alexandra's first Ladv-in- Waiting at all State ceremonies as heretofore. CHILDREN IN BOARDING-HOUSES. Is it any wonder that children are not welcome at the boarding-house or hotel? says a writer to an Australian paper. I think not. It is astonishing iiow quite nice people will allow their little ones to do just what inclination prompts them in other people's houses, never uttering one word of correction, while tlie same thing would probably not be tolerated in their own homes. Children are no happier for being allowed to be destructive, untidy, and selfish—the very first thing all children should be taught is consideration and thought for others; as soon as a child | can learn anything it can learn that, and if such is patiently and unwaveringly kept before them in their early years, surely they would never become such undesirable visitors. The boarding-house keeper has nothing to gain as things are by taking in children, but everything to lose, and yet they -are always expected to charge less for them. Thev eat. as much as or more than an adult, they are more noisy, ana they destroy things woefully. Ho«- is the boarding-house keeper going to be compensated? Those in authority seem to think other people's property in this instance is fair game, so long as the;* don't have to pay for it—perhaps the> consider that their weekly payments cover all that sort of thing, not realising that more often than not the cost of renewing all their children have destroyed after their departure not only eats up any profit, but frequently leaves the landlady out of pocket. Is it any wonder then that children are refused? The remedy is in our own hands. The wonder and beauty of a little child is one of the best things the world holds for us. The musical laughter of children would brighten any boarding-liouse. Listening to tlieii quaint conversation would rest many a careworn heart! Then let the little ones be taught self-restraint, habits of tidiness, and consideration for others; so will it rest with the women of the community whether they shall be welcomed or whether the doors shall be closed against them. FLOWERS, 1 MILLION A YEAR FROM BLOSSOMS. According to an American consular report, the production of flowers in Nice in 1909 was 7550 tons, valued at £l,158,000. The industry employs IS,OOO persons. Two special trains transport these flowers daily to the North, 1 especially to Paris, London, Berlin and St. Petersburg, during the season. The flowers cultivated for export are chiefly carnations, violets, and anemones, while orange blossoms, tuber-roses, and jasmine are most extensively used in the perfume factories at Grasse. The production of flowers has proved more remunerative than farming. 111 the flower gardens a man earns about 2s Cd a day, and a woman Is Bd. A girl flower-picker in the district of Grasse earns lOd to Is a day.