WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 51, 22 August 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen"). NOTES FROM LONDON CONCERNING THE QUEKN. London, June DO. The following is an interesting paragraph culled from one of the many eauseries written about the Coronation after the event: —"That their Majesties have been moved almost to tears by the token of loving loyalty shown on all aides is scarcely to bo wondered at. Those who know her best know tliat, despite her somewhat e»ld and distant 'bearing, the Queen is, as is so often the case with very .reticent poopde, most tender-heart-ed and susceptible to signs of joy or sorrow. Her very coldness of demeanor during the Coronation ceremonies at the Abbey was but another proof of how deeply she was feeling the responsibilioa laid upon the King and equally upon herself. It is this very recognition that will win for her the title I heard applied | to her the other day of 'The People's Queen.' Queen Mary has never been devoted to society, but where work for the poor, or the providing of entertainments for the children is concerned there is no one more keen and interested than our Queen." A WOMAN SOLDIER. A marriage was celebrated last month in Paris between a wine merchant and a woman who, disgusied in male attire, had served in a regiment of hussars sit years, arnd during that time given such proofs of valor that she had been raised from the ranks to a captaincy. In a late action in Spain she was wounded and her sex was discovered, but she was permitted to retire upon half-pay. THE KING'S KINDLINESS. Under tlie above heading the Daily Telegraph this week drew attention to an, incident not widely commented on, i hut full of interest. It appears that King George invited Mr. A. Valentine, ] president of the Whitechapel and Spitalfields Costermongers' and Street-sellers' Union, and Mr. John Raphael, its lion, secretary, as representatives of the street-traders' community, to view the Coronation procession last Thursday from seats in the Royal Household stand, Constitution Hill. The letter from Colonel Sir Arthur Bigge, conveying the invitation, was in most cordial terms. Nor did the matter rest there. On the eve of Coronation Day Sir Arthur Bigge sent a telegram asking the party to come to Buckingham Palace for refreshments when the procession had dispersed. In case there might be natural hesitancy to do so, one of the Royal servants went to tly> stand and conducted the visitors across the quadrangle to the Palace door. .After passing t!i:i.;ii>li various corridors they were welcomed by a member of the staff of the Master of the Household, Lieut.-Oolonci Sir Charles Frederick, and, much to their surprise, taken to a private room, where a table was laid with lunch for them alone. During the meal the officer of the household put the King's gue?'s completely at their ease, chatting with them all the time. Everything possible was done for their comfort, and so successully that the stay in the Palace exceeded an hour. There is reason for stating that all this was done on the personal instructions of the King. It is noteworthy that at.a tune when hundreds of questions of high importance—the service in the Abbey, precedence of envoys from abroad, and many similar matters —must have been engaging his Majesty's attention, he should have turned to consider how to make perfect the comfort of representatives of a very humble class of his subjects. MAY A LADY WORK May a lady work for wages? This vital question, arising out of the snubbing of Miss Beers at a naval dance at Washington (U.S.A.), is now being discussed with great animation throughout the country, and Congress, it is expected, must take a hand. Miss Beers earns her livelihood as a nurse, and when her social status at the naval dance was indirectly questioned, her midshipman escort immediately began making it very warm for the authorities. In replying to Representative Km-bley, who wants Congress to hold an investigation, the Secretary for the Navy, Mr. Meyer, uses the words "".li-iiinderstood social status of the yoim;; liidy." This has caused him to get into deeper water. Representative Padgett, of the House Committee on Naval Affairs, has now given utterance to his indignation at the implied meaning of this expression. have a number of others. Representative Padgett made it clear that an investigation by his committee was likely. Various members of tho House protested, and a number of prominent women have, followed suit. It is pointed out that various society women in Washington work for a living, and, consider it no disgrace, and correspondents write to the newspapers from all parts declaring that any effort "to introduce into America the snobbishness of the older civilisations, with their castes and classes, must j be destroyed immediately." Whether a private secretary may be rated higher than a governess or a nurse is one fea- j ture of the question which must be settled, especially when the nurse or governess, as in this case, was as well educated and well born as the private secretaries. Congressman Kovbley is going to endeavor to have the line of caste definitely .determined or entirely obliterated. MUSICAL " AT HOMES." ! Musical "at homes" have long beenj out of fashion in the London social; world, and nowadays when one goes out to dinner it is rarely followed by music | afterwards. There was a time when the daughters of the house, assisted bytalented friends, discoursed music for the entertainment of the guests, but since the extravagant perfection of the' ■day has insisted on talent that is almost professional in standard, young people are diffident about performing even be-1 fore their friends (writes the London] correspondent of the Adelaide Observer). The average English girl experiences such perfect finish in her musical studies by at least two years spent abroad (Eng- j lish folk always send their children out j of England for their musical education),! either in Germany or Paris, that the \

amateur standard lias become higher than ever, and girls feel that they must be able to perform awfully well or not at all, so prefer not to, if possible. There are many women in society whose musical gifts are quite beyond the ordinary, and any one of them is a loss to the public concert platform. Lady Maud Warrender, for instance, the good-look-ing sister of the Earl of Shaftesbury, sings beautiully, and so, by the way, does her brother. Quite lately he was i offered an enormous sum by an AmeriI can music hall proprietor to appear in New York. A peer would have been an immense draw in America, where they do so love an English title, but, unfortunately for the enterprising proprietor, the gifted earl does not belong to that section of the aristocracy who are impecunious. Lady Speyer is a talented violin player, and she is often heard in the cause of charity. Lady Eileen Knox, a daughter of Lord 1 Ranfurly, a former Governmer of New Zealand, has shown a great talent for composing, and Lady Wiltshire, Lady Cory and Lady Kinnoull a/re three well-known society musieions. Lord and Lady Charles Beresford, who are among the old fashioned people who like music after dinner, gave a large dinner party recently, after which several of their gifted friendia performed. Mrs. Carl [ Dereniberg played the piano with all the I finish of a professional, and Mrs. Waltef ' Rubens—sister-in-law of M. Paul Rubenf, who wrote "Miss Hook of Holland"— sang delightfully. Like most Jewish she is an ardent music lover, and has an extremely pretty voice with which to express the musicianly instincts of her nature. Mrs. Carl Derenlberg is of German birth, and possesses that quality which the English musical nature entirely lacks—warmth of temperament. Tho foreigner's musical soul is a flame; while that of English is a blodf of ice. DIVORCE PREFERRED TO THRONE The latest mails from Noumea contain an account of an extraordinary case, in which a woman successfully petitioned for a divorce from her husband because he insisted upon her becoming a queen The court of Los Angeles, according to La France Australe, has just granted a decree to Madame Nellie Clarke, who refused to follow her husband to the Pitcairn Islands, of which he claims to be king. Two years ago Mr. Clarke was shipwrecked on the Pitcairn Islands. Later on lie purchased them, and was elected king by their inhaibtants. His who numbered 123, soou wanted a queen, however, and, like a dutiful husband, Mr. Clarke askejl his wife to share his throne. She strongly resented the idea of being transformed into a queen, however, and asked the law to freo her from lier royal husband. The court was sympathetic, granted her wish, and at the same time censured King Clarke for neglecting his home. KEIR HARDIE AND THE QUEEN. Mr. Keir ITardk, in an article in the Pioneer, writes thus (jf the Queen: "I confess," he writes, "to a weakness for that good lady. She is the only Royal person I have ever seen who looks like a healthy human being. She is not of the wax doll or professional beauty type. But she is a handsome woman, or what in Scotland would be called a bonnie woman. I hear on every hand that she is a 'hard-featured' woman. Tho statemeht is a libel. Queen Mary's features are those of a woman of capacity. who in her time has had frequent occasion to assert herself, and has dono so, firmly and to some purpose. To see her with her children, as I have, and to note her hearty laugh and j the perfect confidence existing between mother and sons, is all the proof needed of her womanliness. Remembering the | tragedy of her girlhood, it is not to be wondered at that she shows something I approaching contempt for the gewgaws of society and——. But I am wanderi ing. If all the counsellors fail King ' George, the Queen will not fail him; and it will be well for him if he gives warning ear to her counsels. The men who looked best and who were dignified and at ease everywhere and all the time were the ancient peers. Their robes made one think of the Roman toga, a form of dress to which men will one day return."