News, Views and Opinions.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 146, 20 June 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

News, Views and Opinions.

From time to time we glean new and surprising intelligence in the Continental Press of Imperial ailairs, Home polities, and the doings of Lord Chamberlain, the Earl of Brodrick, the Duke of Balfour, and other notabilities. Naturally the Italian papers were busy during King Edward's visit to Rome in enlightening their readers about the Boyal Family of Great Britain. One journal thus described Queen Alexandra's smile, and its effect upon Londoners who bask under it, and their womankind who imitate its gracious effulgence: —

"It is notorious in the United Kingdom that Queen Alexandra has the most captivating smile which ever illuminated the face of woman—at once captivating, sweet, and To note one oi' her smiles Londoners pass hours trampling in thb mud around Buckingham Palace. Every English man or •woman, would willingly surrender his life for the pleasure of gazing on her when she smiles."

In these circumstances it is only natural that the English husband should insist upon his wife greeting him, when he reaches his home, with an Alexandra smile. Therefore for some time Englishwomen of all classes ' ; have sought to acquire her illustrious smile." In all parts of the country, we are told, a remark about the weather or the last new book is received ''with a fixed 3mile." It sounds painful, for both parties; but perhaps a few lessons, from "professors of the Queen's Smile," remove a little of the fixity and rigour, otherwise it is hard to believe that ladiee take lessons, even at so low a fee as half a crown. Still, this Italian journal speaks with authority. "Gentlemen as well as ladies are pupils. The smile ia easy to imitate. Gently let drop the corners of the mouth, and at'the same time ajsume an air of melancholy." We trust that ladies will not turn this smile upon the public without trying it thoroughly first upon their friends. Even if they can become adept in gently dropping the corners of their mouths, it is to be feared that Queen-street full of Alexandra smiles would cast a gloom over the town.

According to the "British Medical Journal," the cost to qualify for a doctor is between £700 and £1200. Most of the London hospital schools arrange that by paying a composition fee of from a little over £ 100 to £ 150, either in one siim or by instalments, the student becomes a perpetual student, and is entitled to attend all necessary lectures and hospitals for the double diploma. Taking the larger sum for the purpose of estimate, and adding to it the necessary expenses at £100 a year for five years—a rather low estimate for London —the total cost of an ordinary student at a London hospital who qualifies at the conjoint board, would be from £050 to £700. If there is a failure at any of the examinations the period of studentship is prolonged and the cost increased.

When coming home from India after the Coronation Durbar in the battleship Renown the Duke of Connaught determined to inquire personally into the conditions under which the naval stokers perform their duties. Thus he, in spite of protests from the quarter-deck officers, descended into the boiler-room for this purpose. He had been previously provided with a proper kit. Down below the Duke was provided with a shovel, and he proceeded to ply it with all the enthusiasm at his command. At the end of half an hour he confessed he had had enough, and he yielded up his spade with the admission that there was ample justification for the stories current as to ,the nature of the stoker's work.

In past times men with -wealth which would now he considered trifling altered history, and made and unmade States. But the fortunes of the modern millionaires are so colossal that they have become unmanageable and need constant attention at every minute of the day. The richest man in the world is undoubtedly the American, John D. Rockefeller, and yet he is almost a nonentity as far as politics are concerned. Ha practically owns all the natural mineral oil in v the United States. He owns many railways, and influences all the railways in the Stages, so that no line can carry oil which is not his. He probably governs, directly and indirectly, a million voting workmen. If he chose, he could double the pay of all these workmen, taking the increase out of the general public. With a million working voters, prosperous through him, he conld control every election in the United States, from Alderman to President. He could literally be king if he cho3e, but beyond some corrupting of legislation here and there, and some Curtailing of individual enterprise, his vast wealth apparently does little harm. He himself gets very little out of the world; the simplest of meals, simplest of pleasures, an occasional game of golf, upon which he will bet one dollar, n?ver more; that is all. Such wealth as his is too much for any Man to work, and it is questionable whether he finds as much enjoyment in life as the average city clerk.

A delicious story reaches me from Pretoria, says the "Club Chatterer"- , Lα "'To-day. , ' A young" officer was recently sent with a detachment to a certan outlying village, the name of which need not be mentioned here. So soon as he arrived at his post he inspected the place very closely, and, noticing a powder magazine, mounted a strong guard over it, and gave instructions for the alarm to be sounded immediately any civilian attempted to approach it. The men realised to the full the value of their charge, and for the first three nights the alarm was sounded at the magazine, causing the whole force to rush hurriedly to the spot to see what had happened. The young officer got very litle sleep indeed, so greatly did this magazine worry him, and he was on the point of sending a request back to Pretoria for reinforcements, when someone made a paralysing statement to him. The magazine had been absolutely empty for the last eighteen months"! The worst of it is, the story has leaked out, and the youngster is getting so chaffed about it that he is seriously thinking of sending in his papers.

Captain Frederieo Nenes, formerly an officer in the Brazilian navy, will early next montii undertake a voyage from Rio de Janeiro to New York on a raft having no cabin, and with only a slanting roof of palm leaves for shelter. The raft is called the Brazil, and is forty feet long and ten feet wide. It will be manned by five Indians from the Amazon River, and the voyage is expected to last from three to four months. Should the raft reach its destination, it will form part of the Brazilian exhibit at the St. Louis Exposition.

A million dolars for a servant girl is the offer made by Mr John Farson, a Chicago banker, which is attracting to the Waldorf-Astoria scores of women anxious to please the millionaire, and unless Mr Farson locks himself up in a safe deposit vault he is certain to be kept busy. His offer is one of £200,000 to be paid at his death to the servant who will stay in his family till he dies, who loves her vocation, is good-natured, knows better than to discuss family affairs with other servants, is always dignified, will never make an error in her table service, knows at a glance the likes and dislikes of the guests, is a good nurse, cook, and dressmaker. Mr Farson promises to pay first class wages and will adapt the habits of hi 3 household to the whims of his servant. He will move if the servant wishes it, he will have Ms meal 3to suit her convenience, be humble always, and allow her all the privileges of a member of the family. Abject despair has naturally inspired this extravagant offer on the part of Mr Farson, to whom the servant girl question has become a hobbj. His friends are sure that the million dollars will never be paid, because no such servant exists; but Mr ±'arson persists with all the optimism of the spring season. We smile at the latest German-Ameri-can "difficulty." Recently it seems the German Agricultural Society decided to send out certcin picked men to study Yankee notions in the way of farming, and tried to save them from the pitfalls awaiting those who visit strange lands by issuing written instructions on points of dress and behaviour. The author of the circular seems to have gone to the American comic journals for his information. '"The American," he says, "wears light trousers, a leather belt, a shirt, and a light jacket." This perhaps may prevent the Germans from parading Broadway quite shirtless, but it will not keep them from leaving their \vaistcoat3, collars, boots, and socks at home. An official German always carriee out his instructions to the letter, and New York is anticipating a curiou3 sight when the gang-plank is lowered and the distinguished representatives of German agriculture walk down it, clothed in their "'truly American" suits. But what ha 3 hurt Uncle Sam most is the statement in the circular that nothing smokeable can be bought in the United States for less than ten cents (fifty pfennige), and that the delegates had therefore better take their cigars with them!

There can be no question but that the horrible Servian business was due more to Queen Draga's personal unpopularity and insistence in pushing her own relatives upon the officialdom of the country than to any other single factor. The insecurity of the woman's own position made her especially bitter and desirous of vindicating her position. A Berlin newspaper tells a strange story of a Servian lady who was an adherent of the party opposing the late Queen. At Court she pretended to be unacquainted with the rules of etiquette, and neglected to kiss Queen Draga's hand. Next day, at a big dinner party at Belgrade, she boasted of this, saying that she would never dream of kissing "that woman's" hand. One o' the guests reported the remark made by the lady, who early next morning was summoned to Court. A Royal carriage was sent to fetch her, and, as it was impossible to back out, she went. Queen Draga was waiting for her at the door of the palace, and at once extended her hand to be kissed. The kissing was duly performed, whereupon Draga shrieked, "Now get out of my house!" The revenge was complete, for a dozen members of the palace staff witnessed the humiliating ,scene, and circulated: exaggerated descriptions of it through Belgrade that day.