WOMAN’S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, 20 November 1926, Page 19

WOMAN’S WORLD

A MAID IN MAYFAIR.

GOSSLP FROM LONDON TOWN ROYALTY AND THE SIMPE LIFE. (From Our Lady Correspondent.) London, Oct. 7. Queen Marie of Roumania’s devotion to her adopted land is reflected in her daughter’s love of old Serbia. The young Queen of Jugo-Slavia adores her summer home, Topola, where with her hueband she lives the simple life in its most literal and genuine interpretation. For the palace itself is quite a small residence. It has not even garage space for a two-seater, and the royal ears are parked outdoors. But the young Queen asks nothing better than the glorious mountain air and gorgeous scenery, and she is surrounded, too, by affectionate subjects, who are tremendously proud of the fact that their King is himself a Topolan. In the village is a little house that was inhabited, a hundred years ago, by King Alexander’s forbears. ENGLISH LACE. It is well-known that Queen Mary “buys British” consistently. She has a special fondness for Nottingham laee, a taste that is shared by Her Majesty's pretty daughter-in-law. The “little Duchess” recently bought a lingerie set in pink crepe de chine, deeply trimmed with this English’dentelle. that was one of the choicest exhibits at tfie Royal Society for Needlework. Meanwhile, now that Sandringham is being gradually got ready for the King and Queen, Her Majesty’s personal interest in its refurnishing is evidenced in her choice of Nottingham lace curtains for the windows, as well as a number of bedspreads in the same handsome fabric. THOSE SITWELLS. Has ever controversy ranged more fiercely round any figure in contemporary literature than the three Sitwells? Descended continuously, through their father, -from eleventh-century Saxon carls and counts, and from John of Gaunt through Lady Ida Sitwell, they are hailed heterogeneously as consummate poseurs, as interesting “eases” for the alienist, and as geniuses of the first rank. Of the trio, Miss Edith Sitwell is considered by many to be the brainiest. She is certainly the most candid. “We all have tlie remote air of a legend,” she said once; and the utterance doubtless explains her own sartorial efforts to live up to this conception of an immemorial aura round the Sitwellian heads. It is perhaps not generally known that Miss Edith, had she not given herself up to poetry, might have won fame of a non-ebntrovereial order as a pianist. Since early childhood she has been a brilliant musician.

THE PERFECT LISTENER. It is not surprising that Lady Alexander is one of the noet popular women in her-set. I have never known a more perfect listener. It is sheer fascination to watch her, when she is dining out, giving her whole attention to her partner. There is subtle flattery inlier very attitude, which is responsive enough to satisfy the greediest mono; logist! Add to this the fact that she enjoys the reputation of being one of the best-dressed women in London, and it is not difficult to understand why she never lacks a. dinner-table companion. At a certain famous hotel the other night I noticed her at one of the tables. One knew instinctively that all the women present were “taking in” her exquisitely-made black chiffon gown, her gold curb bracelets, and her triple row of big pink pearls.

“REVEREND MADAM.” Interest in the recent foregathering of feminine ‘‘reverends” at; Golders Green was centred • mainly in the remarkable personality of the “baby” of the party, the Rev. Joyce Daplyn, B. A. Despite the fact that she looks what site Is — a mere girl-—she obviously ruled the roost; and it is significant that she has just become chaplain to the new Union of Women Voters. - Her appointment to AH Souls’ Chuieh in London’s literary suburb dates back only a few months, but already she has a. devoted following. Her. sermons. never worry her, for her eloquence. is quite effortless. She thinks a far more serious side of her ministry is dealing with the individual problems of lier congregation, and it is a tribute to her intellectual insight no less than to her unflagging enthusiasm that nt‘U take their spiritual difficulties to her as well as women. “NO HOLIDAYS” NOVELIST. Miss I. A. R. Wylie, one of the most prolific contributors to magazines as well as an able novelist, tells me she has no use for holidays. ‘ She fhjds even a week too much! After two or three days’ respite she gets an idea for yet another story, and cannot rest without getting down to it and finishing it off. Like some of our . big business men enthusiasts, she cannot really enjoy life to the full unless she is working. .And with it all, she remains the picture of health and most attractive young womanhood. She lias very definite ideas about marriage, and though she can be great “pals” with the sterner sex, it will have to be a very wonderful Prince Charming, I fancy, to persuade her to change her mind about the joys of independent—and. extremely successful— spinsferhood. WHEN “THE WORLD'S SWEETHEART” WEPT. Romance centres round Hollywood's marvellous film babe, the two-year-old Mary Louise Miller, who enjoys the distinction of being the youngest star on the screen. For someone—a very famous someone —fell desperately in love with her at their first meeting, and wanted to carry her off in a Rolls-Royce right away. In “Human Sparrows,” Mary Louise played with the other Mary, “the-world’s sweetheart,” and this elder Mary became so deeply attachedto her tiny namesake that she wanted to “have her around” all dav and every day. She and “Doug” made the offer of a million dollars to adopt her. The princely sum was refused; And Mary Pickford wept bitterly over her dfe-

appointed hopes. So that is why Baby Mary Louise still plays on the coueretefloor of her father s elothes-pressing establishment, though 'she might be living in state with two devoted fosterparents. PRINCESS ELIZABETH’S PORTRAIT. The Prince of Wales, who has a wonderful collection of photographs of members of the Royal Family in his sitting room at York House, has just added to them the first pencil sketch done of the little Princess Elizabeth, which was given to him by the Duchess of Fork. The sketch is the work of a young artist in whom the Duke and Duchess are interested, and it is said to be an extraordinary good study. So pleased is the Duchess with it, she has commissioned a miniature portrait on . ivory of the baby, to take with her when she goes to Australia next year. A TRAGIC LINK. Queer how sometimes quite incongruous things link themselves up. This week an In Memoriam notice must, for many Victorian play-goers, have brought back brave old-time Gaiety nights. The In Memoriam notice is quite in the vein of Rudyard. Kipling’s "Widow in Sleepy Chester,” and is to a young subaltern, Broughton Cobte, ‘‘who fell leading his men into action against the WaiiaWazirs this day seven years ago. The dead officer was a grandson of Miss Phyllis Broughton, the beautiful Gaiety actress and twinkling dancer who took' roles (-formerly played by Kate Vaughan.* She became a great picture-postcard queen, but her impossible ambition was to play Lady Macbeth. She had two daughters, and it was a . son of one of these who was killed on the North West Frontier in 1919 with General Cliino’s expedition against the .throat-cutting sheep-stealing Wana Wazirs; A far cry from Gaiety first-nights to “grSVe that the Wazirs know!” JAZZ FLAPPERS. There is scarcely a vocation left exclusively to man. Women are_now playing jazz instruments with such skill that feminine jazz bands are in demand fo,‘ dance halls and restaurants all over the country. At Covent Garden Opera House, the largest dance hall of its kind in Britain, a woman’s band of 9 players has been booked for the season to play alternately with a well-known male jazz-band of I'3 instrumentalists. This is no . mean task for 9 women to compete with 12 men, but they have shown in the fortnight that they have been playing that they can hold their own. Their combined ages amount to only 190 years. The banjoist is JO; one of the saxophone players is 17, and the pianist is 19. None of the girls is more than 24. The conductress was 21 on the night that the Covent Garden season opened."

TITLED WOMEN GOLFER. Lady Alness, the only lifted aspirant to the woman's golf championship this year, has figured, in the competition longer than her present na’nje, for she played on several occasions before her marriage. She .was a Miss Grainier of Harrogate, and at one time . held the Y orkshire championship. Five years ago she. married Mr. Robert Munro, the Secretary for Scotland, who on his appointment to the Scottish bench as Lord Justice Clerk assumed (as is the way with the Scottish Judges) a territorial title, that of his native parish in Ross-shire. Until about a dozen years ago the ladies of the Scottish judges did not share the courtesy title of their husbands. That sometimes created awkward misunderstandings as would be the ease now if his lordship Lad to write “Lord Alness and Mrs. Robert Munro” in a hotel register. Lady Alness is petite and slim, but hits the ball an astonishingly long way, and she has plenty of opportunity for practice on the .many courses in the neighbourhood of her Edinburgh home.

THE ADVENTUROUS SEX. A problem with which Missionary Societies are new faced is that, while it is impossible to get sufficient young men to go to obscure parts of the world to teach the Gospel, over 100 per eent. more women than are needed are continually applying. All kinds of women volunteer to go to the wild parte of Africa, Japan, China, or Canada—women with degrees in theology and medicine, educationists, women with means but with no qualifications, and even servant girls. The Church Missionary Society regretfully turns down scores of these applications annually. Yet this society has at present 453 single women missionaries as against 416 single men. This is apart from 331 married men have their wives working wifi them as missionaries.

MOTHERS’ UNION G. H. Q. Though there has been a fairly generous response to the appeal for funds to pay for the new ■ headquarters of the Mothers’ Union, which now takes its official place among other sedate Church of England societies congregated round the venerable Westminster Abbey, the full sum is not yet raised. So far about £52,0.00 has been received, but more money must be forthcoming to carry through the equipment of the new centre. As the Mothers’ Union boasts nearly half-a-.million members all over the world, and is actively working in dioceses all over the British Empire, the remaining obligation ’is haldly likely to cause much trouble. Both Queen Mary and Princess Mary belong to the Mothers’ Union, and have visited the new G.H.Q., which .will possess many useful articles presented by the Royal patrons.