GOSSIP FROM ABROAD.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 98, 18 January 1908, Page 11

GOSSIP FROM ABROAD.

Countess Vera Tolstoy, a .dauglit'er'of' the Russian-author; is 'said to": take'-a,-"great in'-; terest in America; She.'lias .'written a' good de.il for Russiai) periodicals,,but. -the-first'of ,hei sketches translated into' 'fiuglishv is .iff account of an imaginary visit'to the' -United' States. N i' : -,' -iv:--Helen Keller ' will publish in \t"h"o tury during 190S t.he most important writings that- -she has; yet given"; 'to l ' tlfti world,' including lier first' poem,' A' Clhanfc'of Daric-,-ness." Tho'.essays- arc air- eloquent: •description of - the world in:which she lives;- : with. the: fivo seiiscs reduceU: to' tlio • three-/of-; touch', taste, and smell.,- Miss Keller-shows how, by correspondence ,-ind gets lior ideas of sight and .hoaring.'V'.-The cssnysvwni' be-published .under tlio title of "Sense and Sensibility.", and,- should- -prove - of ■ rare interest-. - V A ' statistician ; ''hiis]''got. nip ra list! of' the greatest I(>o..fortunes in 'the world, 'each of them exceeding £4,000,000. of.tho 100 are in America.. The .whole -list includes -only three women, Bertha Krupp, of Germany, aud Mrs. Holtv Green and Mrs. Anna; |. Wciglitniaun Walker, of the United States. 1 -i Louisa 31. - Alcott's old" home iii': C'pucprtl/, Mass.,. is l now-silent and deserted, in ariiong a; tangle* of; o,vergrown ; shrubs,;'uiipruheif trees and- wayward creepers ,011 .tlio- Losington Road. The roof is grey! w.itlu.lichens, the' paintl, formerly.mustard brow,'is'dark from age, tlio windows aro, blankI,*1,* arid-;,'a 7 sign; " For Sale " bars the. door once open to every visitor! if ' - -Misi Marie Josephine Crane," the/twen't-y-" year-old daughter of a. millionaire; 1 is-,deaf and dumb. She has decided to-. a-, farmer, and to make a speciality of- sheepraising. She is now completing a thj-do years!, coiirso in agriculture at the''University- of Wisconsin,, and is said to have-attracted;at-. tiMition by- her marked proficiency.- ilis's Crane's father -lias, given her a': farm near. Lake Geneva,Wis:- : ' . r ' Lady Uattcrsea. who lia^ 1 been-left a widowby.the death of Lord-Battersea in-bis sixtyfourth is. ono: of t-ho'-'most energetic social reformers in .English.'society!; A'capital speaker, with a clear voice, a-good: delivery, and an. engaging personality, .She has 'often' spoken on public platforms,"especially in'.relation to matters' affccting women's- welfare.The conditions of prison life-have bcen closely studied by lier,;'witli a .victf''tß:'refoi ; ming"thi> ; hard lot .of -women convicts;';in: fact, ;tlio Home Office appointed heiv-a rnehiljbr ofl.'th'e'. .Roard of- tlio Female Convict-' rrisrtni'af'Ayleshury. '• Tliankh to-her -ladyship,,.the lives of female convicts have been -lightened by* the introduction of many comforts.".Prison:lih'ra|,ric.s.havo:boen furnished Withstory-books, in. placo of dry- I ' scientific vdlumfc's'i';and. such little luxuries' as slipperS-'ahjl-., materials for, recreative 'employments "ar^-' : iiow'-.allowed. ■Another : humane conce'sSfon'.'.''is''!-tp'» jieriuit v.pinen prisoners to have portraits of nien>- ; hers of their .fa)iiilios;iii their' cells. A touching instance o'i'': pjison loyalty is . recalled by. Lady; Tlatterse'a'.'' , Kntering ! 'a ; .prison. -a few' days' after .tlio death of Oueeiv- Victoria, she; noticed several of tho prisoners wearihg'littliv black l.mws on their dresscs ; and on 'inquirywas told 'that--it.;..was .ill ''memory of the Queen. ■ The bows, had .been fashioned out of scraps of material that- the"wouien'had pulled,l dut of-their shoe'laces! ■ /••*■'' - - I , Ono of. the 1 most, conspicuous figures .-at tho] weddiiig of/ Lady Evelyn Inncs-Ke'r 'was the American inillipnairess, Sirs:. Ogden"; Goelet," .who is now' paying - her-, annual _ visit to '-her/ .daughter, the ; Duchess of .lt'rffb'urfjSh'c.' 'Mrs." ;ooelet:s jewels' are world-rono\yn'6d—'did .'She not have £'40,000 worth of them • stolen to-' cently aud . mysteriously ' restored "by tlio thief and tlio niagnificence of lior jewellery display at the Innes-Kcr; \Ve'dding , "Caused' quite a seiisation.. A ruby iis-big as a-florin fastened the laces at,her lieck, and'an extraordinarily {beautiful rope- (if I largo'.wh'ili?'.'aiid" black pearls hung below that* dazzling orrin-' ment. These, accessories are mere trifles" to Mrs. Goelet, who'.inherit.ed' the'larger' portion, of tho late' Mr. Ogtlen Gotlet,'s.„fbrtunc "'of £10,000,000.: ■'. ; • • . Tho women of.the Hunganaanql»ili6yj.wlib;' have long planned to estalilislil'a r muse(ini in memory of tlio late Elizabeth of; Austria', havo persuaded. Emperor Francis Joseph' to order all the'objects relatiifg 'fo the fat'o Empress to be collected and; J 'pr,6sentefl"to tlio' Hungarian National' Museum;' wlvtfro ;they will form a separate exhibitv" ' - No European quoon is so rich iii jewellery as' the Supreme Queen of Siarti: . She has'a huge safe or casket, thri. of a London firm, in which reposo - marvellous' necklets,' pendants, bracelet's,", anklets" 'of' diamonds, rubies, emeralds'and pearls galore.. The second Queen owns, a' 'scarcely • 'inferior: casket, and each of the other wives'has-her own sprcial hoard. The national-jeweller has a standing order for .500,000 .dolsl' worth "of jewellery to be delivered to the King every year, much of which is distributed among tho favourites of his harem. : - Tlio style (if a Chinese woman's dress apparently never alters, but if she can' afford to do so she wears nothing but silk;- -The first garment that she dons is a sort of apron, a plain piece of silk, which is tied round the waist and overlaps'behind. Theii como under jacket and overjackct, trousers and apron. Iu cold weather extra jackets, thickly wadded, aro donned. If tho- fair Chinese is going ,to receivo friends, or for any other reason wishes to appear specially, charming, sho paints', face with a- pasto made.of. rice flour, which dries aii'd gives her a, most cadaverous 'appearance.. , In parts of Greece there is an .old custom for lovers to win their wives bv their proficiency in' diving; As is probably, well known, sponge gathering is. a groat industry oil the Grecian coast and the girls' marriage portions in these districts, usually consist of sponges. A diving contest is a common ;oc-~ currence, and often a girl who is uiiable .to make up her mind between'h'cr loVers agrees to abide by tho result of a/display of diving and proniises-to marry the lucky man. who. can collect- the'largest number of'sponges under water in a given time and also'who, can make the. most courageous.'.dive from, a dangerous point-. '1.