WAYS OF ROYAL " SITTERS,"

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 234, 26 June 1908, Page 3

WAYS OF ROYAL " SITTERS,"

SPAIN'S/BABY PRINCE AS MODEL s.ubjkct. ; : Senor Sorolla . y>'.Bastida, the Spanish painter,'COO of wlioso works-are now on view at . the Grafton Galleries, discussed lately (flays the "Daily : Maii") the idiosyncrasies of royal sitters. • IJeccntly -ho has painted pictures, of'tho Jung an'i Queeii of Spain, and the baby Prince of Asturias, and he is now- engaged. upon a portrait-of Princess Henry of JJattenborg/ . .-"Of-all my models," he said,."l liavo found Royal 'personages the most , patient.. They we,.too, tho most .interested in my. work. Iting Alfonso is all animation during tho sittings; Ho laughs'and ■ talks the whole time,' and. he smokes, cigarcttes incessantly. Frequently ho springs up and comes to look over .. my shouldor at the progress of tho painting. , In art lie is immensely interested, lie will talk about .pictures for hours. And he Has a real knowledge, too. -, There is nothing superficial about him. .-. "Tho. Queen of ; - Spain has loanled to SHk' Spanish like a native, and she is proud of her proficiency. I am painting her she talks,in that , tongue with a perfegt-ac-cent: And slip is one of the, n'ost .ideal models I'have ever had. .Slip will assume just tho attitude for my purpose, and. maintain it with a most praiseworthy paticnco, frequently turning to ask me,.' 'Is-that right?' . • "Her interest in tho picture I. painted of the littlo Princo' of Asturias was very pretty.' She was'nil eagerness that 1 should get Just the right; expression upon the baby's face. The baby Prince' behaved himself .during tho' sittings with quite -a Hoyal decorum. Never onco did he cry or wriggle about, as ono .might have .imagined. . Instead, ho sat: perfectly still, regarding my movements .with wide-open,. interested eyes, as though wtaulering what all tho fuss was about." " THE CRAZE FOR. GOLD. Gold cord and beads are almost as precious in the land as gold itself (writes " Emilc" in tho " Australasian.") Girls hunt up little out-of-the-way. shops in insignificant suburbs,' and plead with tho shopkeeper to look .in last year's, stock for a roll of. gold cord. Alas, has already been visited.' The large-shops : 'arq in.siege awaiting reinforcoments; they have sold out every half-yard long ago. Gold collars, with tiny tassels attached, adorn the. neck ; gold cords hang down from the neatly, coiffercd head, and surround the.;waist of the fashionable; and beaded' buttons, embroidery, and ornaments combine to-make.the dress the fashionablo costume of; to-day., Tinsel and ribbon are other predominating features for evening wear. You can\mako any old evening dress look, smart nowadays, a girl told ino, by tho expenditure of a few shillings in the abovo ■. ornamentations, and if the tinsel does not wear (for only expensive oirisel looks" fresh during a season),; well, it. can''.'be replaced for a quarter the price, of 3 new gown.

THE COURT OF TEARS. Many good things.come from America, and ~ot tho least admirable is tho • " Court of -.'cars,." which tho Jews, pioneers'in upholding and. strengthening the family relations, have established in New York. Here an informal judge, whose decisions none tho less seem to liavo a binding force, makes up quarrels between husband and wifo, succours the. deserted and the worse than fatherless,' and dries tho. tears of the bullied husband., What. an opening for such a court!' Hitherto tho. golf widow might repair and pour out her wrongs, securing perhaps the gradual raising, of her husband's handicap ' until he feared to moet his fellow golfers' eyes.' Decisions .as to pin money, the clioico of the drawing-room wallpaper, the arrangement of books in tho library according to their backs or . their subjects, and all tho hundred and onp little things that bring otherwise happy, couples into conflict might.be settled by tnis'domestic Solomon. Places where' the closest friends fear to tread such an impartial judge could safely venture upon.