Woman's World.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 138, 4 November 1914, Page 6

Woman's World.

PRETTY WOMAN FINDS OUT FRENCH SECRETS.

There is a legend of a French Minister whose admiration for the fair sex often got the better of his judgment. He fetf a victim to the charms of a beautiful young countess, whoso house was the centre of a smart cosmopolitan set —political, diplomatic and social. I This whimsical creature evinced a strong yearning to see certain state documents which she knew he controlled, and dared him to satisfy her caprice. The amorous' Minister, assuming that such frivolous, feather-brained society butterfly would never understand intricate military plans, gratified her curiosity. Subsequent developments led the Government to the suspicion that a hostile foreign power knew far too much of their military affairs, and certain mobilisation plans wore accordingly modified.

SHOOT AT GERMAN EFFIGIES. At many garden parties that take piaee these afternoons society amiwi-s itself by taking shots at some ell'igy of his imperious majesty, and the other a-t----tenioon no less a personage than Princess L-lcnry of Battenberg had' the best aim of all tho participator? in the game, writes an English lady. Which, by the way, recalls a story of her and her nephew. As p, very small boy Wilhelm came ov6r here with his mother to the Wedding of the late King Edward, atwliick lie was to wear a little uniform for the first time. His aunt, Princess Beatrice. a child herself, and he had been for days quarrelling bitterly, and on the auspicious .morning when the cocky young German was to sport himself in the gay uniform it was found the tails were cut off the coat. From that day to this his aunt Beatrice and lie have waged war.

LUD SANITATION OF BIG CASTLES. A coiTespuTiuent from London write.-:: "It is a bad wind that blows nobody any good," and at least one vie.oi peopie—the builders and j:lumben> —are r.ut entirety coiiilenining the war, lor it is tiie existing state oi things that has revealed the frightful insanitary condition of ineny of the o'nle.it. and. luost stately homes in England which have been refused by the Government as hospitals for the wounded. This has opened the eyes of tiie owners of noted mansi:.,?;

to the fact that it is time to sec that they were put in order. Jn Scotland, c'-peeiallv. soimc of the famous casi.les that Auieric'.uis have rented in the p.wi are known to lie in Hie. most a]i';:au.r.;. .I: e.u.isi sv.te. it was until tue ai-

rival of the young heir that tint MuxImplies took it into their heads to find out tow they were situated with t%nu: to drainage'of Floors. The Duchess oi Roxburghe had some experts up from London to explore and to report to h r. 'lhey informed her that the drainage system about as antiqiiated a.-; it could be and that it was r.ctesary to overlie.:'! .t completely, whi-..i< was done at e.e. enormous cc-.t. Xow it is the most up-' to-date castle in all Scotland in this r.js::eet. M for W'alnier Castle, it is there p;,r:r l.a.dy Curzon laid the fouudaiioii of her deiie:r!e. health which rendered her iricapaiiii- oi ligiiting the trouble fro.:: which she ;:ftw.vari'Ss ditil. It vvai

until tie' !r.:e King Edward came to lite throne thai lialmoral Castle had a owlem' system of drainage installed and a sutiieiem.'V of bathrooms added.

BIRDS AN!) UILID3. In Australia they have a bird day in the schools. Teachers have been telling the children about various Australian birds, and have taught them that it is better to protect bird life than to destroy it with a catapult. A lew of the lessons are here summarised:—

The JJelgian cock-sparrow is a cocky iittlo bird who siood up ,to fight a Prussian hawk; anu though the sparrow is liuntcd out of its nest, and has hardly a feather left to IK- with, he still has light left, in him. The Servian wagtail just keeps on v/ii.irginy. Till l jackdaw oi" >ll:r'nis 'S French bird, and the curse bid :i::on l<in: Sik year is a very curse indeed. i;e i, standing up tii.der boiiil.ar.'.'.ncnt, and !>,: will h-. elite U» yruw n.",v feat'icr-, rery soon. Tiie .Au.trnlian emu is a hird, iritis a wonderful thirst., and some of him arc about to niar-.li to Berlin. The South African ostr.ch has taken its head cut the sand, and s"es that a 'German with a promise in'one hand anil a {run in the other is a poor sort oi friend.

The turkey is a migratory hird, and v.-ill shortly leave Kurope. if iie isn't careful

The riennan goose will he cooked when the war is over