WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 March 1920, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

PERSONALS. Mr. and Mrs. H. L- Simpson have returned from Auckland and Eotorua. * » * » Miss Nan Billiard has returned i'rom Wellington and Christchurch. • « « * Mrs. A. E. Sykes is on a visit to Auckland. « en Mi|| Dorothy Simpson and Miss E. Runtrre left last night for Auckland, and will pJay io tjhe tennis match, Auckland v. Taranaki. The other two lady plftyers, Miss Brewster and Miss Mildred Thomson, leave on Tuesday. * » » • Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Weston have returned from W&ireiki and Botorua. ♦ ' * » •, 9 Mrs. H. H. Okey is spending a holiday in Auckland. * » t » Mrs. Winfield has returned from Inglewood, where she has been visiting lier daughter, Mrs. Erie Shaw. • • ft • Miss Burnett, who has been spending a few days here, has returned to Wanganui. • > < • Miss Monica Govett has returned from Wanganui, and is the guest of Mrs. FG. Evans. « • • • Mrs- H. Collier, who has been visiting Wanganui, and Wellington, returned this week. • • • • Miss Crowley has returned to Wanganui. • • • • Mrs- Home and Miss Jessie Home, who have been spending a month touring New Zealand, returned last Wednesday. e • * * - Miss E. Bayly, who has teen tlie guest of Mrs. Fox, Smart Road, has returned to Auckland. « • t • Mesdames Simpson, Denny Brown, Faber I'ookes, and Stephenson gave farewell parties, in honor of Miss Kath. Hamerton this week. „ » « * * Miss Stephenson is paying a round of visits to her numerous friends before leaving for England and is at present staying with Mrs. Standish, jnr. # • * • Mrs. Marshall (Wanganui) is a visitor to New Plymouth. • • • • Miss Hamerton left this morning for Inglewood, where she will spend a week with her mother before leaving by the Athenic for the Old Country. « * * • Mrs. W. J. Chaney gave an afternoon tea party yesterday in honor of Mrs. Beid (Wellington). 9 * * • The engagement is announced of Mr. Charles W. Hole, only son of Mr. Henry W. Hole and Mrs. Hole (Wanganui), to Valerie, second daughter of Mrs. St. John Smith (London). » • • t Visitors at the White Hart this week include: Mr. and Mrs. Whitney (Auckland), Mr., Mrs. and Miss Home (Hastings), Miss Riley and Mrs. Munro (Picton), Mr. and Mrs. Ellingham (Auckland), Mr. and Mrs. Clulow (Wellington), Mr. and Mrs. Glasson (Wellington), Mr. and Mrs- Sargood (Melbourne), Mr. and Mrs- King (Stratford), Madam Parker, Mrs. Beale, and Mrs. Hope (Napier), Mr. and Mrs. Satheringham (Auckland), Mrs. Paget (Auckland). # • # • Visitors at the Mountain House this week include Miss Nolan (Wanganui), Mr. and Mrs. Elliott (Bulls), Mrs. Harcourt (Wellington), Miss Valland (Wellington), Mrs. Blundell (New Plymouth), Mrs. Were (Te Kuiti), Miss Bayly (New Plymouth). The wedding took place at Havelock North, on March 10, of Miss Annie Dunbar McHardy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. H. McHardy, of Blackhead, to Mr. Leslie Hill Lamer, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. V. Larner, of Remuera, Auckland- The bridesmaids were the Misses McHardy, Dora Horton, Larner, and P. Larner. The best man was Mr. R. B. Mason, and the frroomsmen Messrs C. Gifford-Moore (Palmerston North), J. Kennedy and D. Kennedy. The educational needs of the adolescent girl was referred to by Miss Aitcheson in an address before the Women's Christian Temperance Union. It Was for the community to see, said Miss Aitcheson, that the education of these girls, many of whom left school at the age of 14, was continued on the right lines- Better environment, better housing conditions, hostel accommodation, social club rooms, and especially extension of education were among the remedies for the neglected educational state of our young girls. To keep our nation to the fore we must see that our youth was supplied with education between the years of 14 and 18. SINISTER MAMONB. ILL-STARRED JEWEL IN EXKAISER'S CROWN. Of wondrous beauty, yet credited v ith an evil influence rivalling that of the famous Hopo diamond, a remarkable jewel which was incorporated in the Prussian royal regalia is declared to have played a sinister part in the downfall of the Kaiser and his ill-starred dynasty. It is a great and brilliant diamond known as the "Blaze of Glory," and traditiorially stated to have been given by King Solomon to the Queen of Shcba. A fascinating account of the long years of evil connected with it is related by an international diamond dealer- Engraved on one side of It by the most cunning work is the sacred sign of King Solomon, and on the reserve a device attributed to that of the Queen of Slieba. The story goes that the wise king, carried away by thb charm of Sheba's ruler, plucked the jewel from his turban and gave it to the queen. Tales of the wonderful gem were carried by travellers into Persia, and the greed of the nomadic Kin? El-Hakim 11. was soon excited. He marched into the land of the unfortunate queen, and robbed her body, which had,'been mutilated by his soldiers, of the blood-stained jewel- Two weeks later the Shah was murdered by a subject in his royal palace. And so from year to year, the diamond wrought Its evil influence on every ruler, potentate, | prince, and family, sooner or later, who became associated with it. Possession of the sinister gem spelt ruin and often bloodshed to the owner, and recent his- | tory seems to have cbntinued its fateful tradition of misfortune. It is from this stage in the history of the jewel I that its connection with the ex-Kaiser fcarjftg, -tfrt .Middle-Agoa,

the Margrave (or Marquis) De Brandonburg, whose kingdom was the nucleus around which sprang up the Prussian dynasty; while making one of his accustomed" raids into the neighboring country of Silesia, captured a Jewish merchant whose collection of goods contained the ill-starred diamond. The Margrave promptly seized the shining gem, and swore to make it adorn the crown of a great kingdom of which his .family was! 'to be the head. The merchant, aware of the curse the diamond carried with it, ventured to wqrn the Margrave, but suffered death for his boldness by the ruler's orders on the castle walls the same night. The treasure was handed down, apparently without incident, f rom king to king until it came into the hands of the monarch now in exile in Amerongen. By this time the jewel had gained "the central position in the crown of the house of Prussia. The later heads of the dynasty appear to have lost sight of the tradition attached to the gem which adorned their crown- The keeper of the Prussian jewel-house, the late Herr Graf Zunkelhorn, a learned antiquary had, however, kept its fateful history in mind. He knew that to the years between 1919 and 1922 was assigned the climax in the awful record of misfortune and ruin marked out by the stone. Hence he implored his royal master to rid himself of the jewel when he was crowned King of Prussia. Wilhelm's reply was: "You must understand tha,t I am crowned by the Spirit of God and by the will of my people. The Hohenzollerns must endure for ever. ' No curse of evil can harm our dynasty." So he was crowned. Tradition has, however, justified itself.