FOUR ARAB HORSES

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 169, 12 April 1930, Page 28

FOUR ARAB HORSES

There is a fairy tale quality about the marriage of princes and princesses which cannot but make all hearts beat to a quicker measure. There seemed no end to all the lovely things which found their way to the Palace in Rome for the Crown Prince and Princess of Italy, from exquisite tapestries and rare old pictures and books to diamonds and pearls and things made of silver and gold. In spite of their request that all wedding gifts should be sent to charity instead of to them, they received a great number, and we cannot help thinking that not one of these gifts was quite so much in the fairy tale tradition as the gift of the Regent of Hungary, for it was nothing more or less than a team of the four finest Arab horses that Hungary could produce.

The Hungarians have been a horseloving and horse-breeding people ever since they came riding into Europe from Asia more than a thousand years ago; and the two State studs are justly famed far beyond the confines of the country. It was from one of these that the Regent chose the four beautiful greys which he sent to the Italian Crown Prince. As they are carriage horse he sent a neat Hungarian dog-cart with them. And the scene when the Hungarian Minister presented the gift to Crown Prince Umberto, and the fiery team, in their resplendent harness, dashed past to show their action while two Hungarian coachmen in red-embroidered native liveries sat impassively behind them, was, in this age of motor-cars, like a page out of the Arabian Nights. Billie had been found out telling an untruth. “What would your mother say, Billie, if she heard you say that?” demanded his teacher. "She would be ever so pleased,” was the unexpected reply. “How dare you say such a thing!” fumed the teacher. “But she would,” insisted Billie. “You see, my mother is stone deaf.” iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiini

Drawn by Molly Diederich, Palmerston North (aged 15 years). 1 1