WOMEN IN LONDON

Evening Star, Issue 20022, 13 November 1928, Page 16

WOMEN IN LONDON

[Written by Cynthia, for Hie ‘ Evening Star.’]

BiTri ABOUT BALMORAL,

Tbo Highland season is drawing to a close, and soon people will bo crowding back to London, 1 bear from relatives and friends I met when up at ISdiuburgh that it has been most festive and successful. I afterwards stayed at a lovely little Highland cottage near Balmoral, with such exquisite views of the country round about, and 1 heard a lot of information about tbo King and his family ■ It seems Queen Victoria loved Scotland better than half the English-speaking race are aware. It is now upward of eighty years since Balmoral first became associated with the throne. In IS-17 the Prince Consort acquired a lease of thc_ property from the Fife family. Tbo picturesque scenery and romantic surroundings attracted Queen Victoria so much that, when tho opportunity offered itself in 1852, she purchased the estate from the trustees of the fourth EaH of Fife, It was a good stroke of business, and although the cheque represented what the thrifty Scots dubbed “a power o’ bawbees,” fbo amount was but a fraction of what would bo demanded today. The acquisition of Balmoral was rather in the nature of a ‘‘fluke.’’ Before she had cvcn_ hoard of its existence Queen Victory had practically decided to make her Scottish homo at Ardverikic, on Loch Laggan, in Perthshire. She stopped there six weeks in the autumn of 1817. and then began negotiations to buy tbo property. That autumn, however, happened to lie wet and cold, and while she was at Ardvorikio a son of Sir James Clark, her physician, reported that Balmoral, which he bad just been visiting, was basking in warmth and sunshine. Her Majesty was so impressed with lus report that she went to inspect the place for herself. Tho result was that she broke off with tho Ardverikic negotiations and attached her interests m tbo purchasing of Balmoral. ES'TEREST LXCi CAI ICS'S •

1 am sure many of you who rood these Hues know aml_ recognise tho Scottish homo ot ouv King .quite easily from pictures or photos. Personally i never knew till 1 went there that it is built of granite, and consists of two separate blocks joined together by extended groups of buildings. 1) rom one of tho stately towers the most wonderful views arc obtained. When Queen Victoria iirst took up her residence there she added a great deal to tho estate by purchasing considerable tracts ot the surrounding district, as opportunity offered, and joining them to tho “ policies. btesj after tho death of Prmco Albert sho bought tho doer forest, which in itself covers ‘26 ,000 acres. In commemoration of this event she erected a cairn of stones on Urn summit of a hill, inscribed _ with the woras: “ The bonniest plaid in fctotland. This was in accordance with a local tradition that the forest had otieo, long hack in history, been secured from a former proprietor for a strip of tartan. Since then tho tariff has risen some what. ' , But this cairn is not tho only memorial of its kind to mark Queen Victoria’s residence at Balmoral, for she erected many others in different pam of the grounds. Tho most conspicuous among "these is a granite pyramid on the lofty summit of Graig GonfKman. with tho touching inscription To the beloved memory of Albert, tho grea and good Princo Consort.” Another cairn commemorates Princess Alice. That faithful Highland servitor John Brown also has his monument. EARLY TO RISE. Tho Balmoral day begins early. At G o’clock tho King’s piper stalks np and down the terrace heralding the morning with a brisk air and in the evening tho shrill music of his chanter tomes through tho open windows to tho guests at tho Royal dinner table. These guests often include a number of tho local lairds and big land-owners from tho district, tho minister of tho parish kirk of Craithio, where their Majesties worship on Sundays; and the officers attached to tho guard of honour doing duty at tho castle.

THE SIMPLE t LIFE. To King George tho appeal, of Balmoral is tlio opportunity it gives him for sport. There ho cun shoot and hslr to his heart’s content, and while not, perhaps, as fond of tho rod as or the gun, ho has none tho less landed many a lino salmon from tho Dee. After breakfast tho King has a chat with his private secretary, who, with ids assistants, has already been through a mass of correspondence. U hen tho lloval signature has been inscribed on various letters and documents His Majesty meets the dogs and guns and gillies and beaters, and seta off tor a morning on tho moors. Very cltcn. when tho tho weather is good, tho Queen, together with some of the ladies in attendance, drives out to meet him, and the party has an al fresco luncheon among tho heather. , So you see, as far as possible, tho daily existence at Balmoral is conducted m simple fashion, and, with no more Court ceremony or display than is absolutely necessary. Tu their Highland home tho King and Queen prefer ,to live as country gentlefolk, and, to divest themselves for tho time being of tho outward trappings of royalty. Thus,, no gorgeous uniforms, and very little, jewellery. On the moors His Majesty makes a point of wearing a kilt: and Queen Mary and the ladies of tho household always have a touch of tartan in their dress, tho ono preferred being tho Hunting Stuart., The evening after dinner is spout just as an ordinary British family would spend it—bridge, music, reading, and occasionally a littlo dancing, if there aro enough young people present. Sometimes the number is augmented by friends from neighbouring, houses, but early to bed is an essential, and lights are out at an hour which might astonish some of, tho people forming tho gay parties in Scotland this autumn.

Sadly I left the purple-clad Mils ami away from ono of tho loveliest countries in the world back to London, where wo all find ourselves sooner or later. Just now it is beginning to wake up from a sort of holiday sleep and all the gay places, restaurants, and night clubs, good, bad, and indifferent are opening ouco more. T bear we are to bo visited by a, wonderful ynuua American evangelist, Mrs Aimco MThcrson by name, who is devoting eight weeks to a crusade to convert England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. She is, according to her photographs, a very smart, fashionable-looking lady with considerable good looks. She has written to our papers of Ihe awful vice, depravity, and desperate wickedness of Paris in such tones that I wonder that city isn’t up in arms. A silver harp choir of angels is accompanying her ! Wo shall look for some wonderful times. GOING, GOING, GONG!

This is what is happening In London, sad, to relate, for now housebreakers are far advanced in the demolition of the whole of ono side of Portraan square, and among the houses of which fit-tie remains is the ono at the corner, in which Lord and Lady Blandford started their married life. It was large enough to be called a “mansion.” and Was beautifully furnished when the rich young couplo went into it, for the Duko of Marlborough’s heir has much wealth from his Vanderbilt grandfather. Portman square is all more or less Adam, for although the actual houses may not have been built by the famous brothers they, and many of the adjoining streets, were greatly influenced by their work.

Quo street nearby is called Adam street. The beautiful bouse which Lord and Lady Islington had in the square, and which one hopes will go on standing defmitcly, is actually tho work of Iteoert Adam, and has paintings by Angelica Kauffman. Tho side of the square which is being demolished is tho one connecting Orchard'street .and Baker street, and is therefore by far tho noisiest.

A NEW INDUSTRY EUR WOMEN. As women preponderate to such an almost alarming extent ii'i Great Britain it yearly becomes more and more necessary for thorn to do something by which they can earn an income sutliciont for their daily . wants Almost daily some new idea is 1 was most interested to hear of fox farming as a moans of existence, and alter learning all : could about it 1 came to tho conclusion that women interested in rearing live stock who seek a lucrative and healthy outdoor occupation cannot do better lor a livelihood than take up this class of work. It offers an extraordinarily quick and profitable return. box furs are ilio vimo and likely to bo, and there are plenty of smart women from cvety quarter of the globo who will give fancy prices for a really good lox fur, the silver kind, of course, heading the list. There is a Silver Fox Breeders’ Association in Great Britain, and as a proof of the in credible way this industry has increased since tho war there are 10.000 silver fox farms in Canada and 6,000 in America. Wo have only a few, but they are growing. Ibis association bolds shows at tbo Crystal Palace, and the entries last year numbered over eighty very beautiful specimens. _ Prices for Scotch or English-bred loxskins are quite as high as Canadian.

SOMETHING TO KNOW

Eur the information of tho uovico it may boro bo explained that ( black fox” and “silver fox” aro colour variations of tbo same species, these variations ranging irom jet black to pule silver. At_present_ tho most fashionable colour is what is known as “ half silver,” and skins of this shade command tho highest price. Another fact not generally known is that there is no natural breed of silver' foxes; tlio.se that occur in the, wild state are always “ sports ” of tho common red fox, and their brothers and sisters m the same iittc. arc usually red foxes. Sir Charles Dalton, of Prince Edward Island, was the first to raise silver foxes successfully in captivity, and this only after years of patient effort. To him and his partner, Mr R. T. Oulton, belongs the credit of producing a strain of foxes that fixed the typo for all time and ensured that pups born of silver fox parents would themselves bo silver foxes. This strain—known as the “ standard strain ” —together with the “ Alaskan strain,” produced later on by Messrs Milligan and Morrison, are the only two strains recognised and registered by the Canadian Government,

Tbo superiority ol the fur of domes-tic-bred foxes over that of wild foxes was manifest from tho first, lu fact, so marked was this superiority that when for tho first time, shortly before the war, Sir Charles Dalton brought over a consignment of skins from foxes he had bred himself, ho had no difficulty in obtaining prices ranging up to £SOO at a time when skins from wild silver foxes were averaging only £3O INITIAL EXPENSE. The price of a pair of good breeding foxes is about £2OO, from which it is seen that many people could not afford to start with even a single pair, let alone half a dozen. But a way out of tho difficulty may bo found by purchasing a part share m a pair of breeding foxes, which are kept on the ranch of the firm supplying them. Tho profits on the sale of a proportion of tho pups is allowed to accumulate until there is sufficient to purchase a pair of breeding foxes for oneself. With a really reliable firm there is very little risk in beginning this way, and tho system has much to recommend it. The animals have expert attention and every care on tho ranch. I inquired if our dominions, other than Canada, were suitable for this purpose, and 1 found any normal climate that is never very hot would bo suitable. I talked to a girl, now a very successful breeder, who was formerly a Red Cross nurse and had served overseas lor four years. After the war she bought a homestead in Colorado and took up general farming, but found tho work too hard and tho returns disappointing. _ Fox farming was brought to her notice, and she started two years ago with two pairs of foxes. Tho first year she raised nine pups, and tho next year she raised thirteen She sold two pairs for breeding and five for their pelts, and received £6OO for 1 liem. feho docs all her own work. What I thought was that if sho could do this why nut hundreds of women in England besides and in our dominions, too? All information may bo obtained and any amount of help with regard to tho general outlay can bo obtained from tho Silver Fox Breeders’ Association of Great Britain, which has headquarters iu London.