LONDON JOTTINGS

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 June 1925, Page 3

LONDON JOTTINGS

another Seat fire. (Special to “Star? j CHELSEA, April 18. Last Tuesday night, London had another great fire in Malt Street, Old Kent Road, when a varnish works, a rag factory and an omnibus garage weio destroyed. The fire was discovered in the early hours of the morning, and owing to the inflammable nature of the buildings the fire burnt fiercely and furiously, necessitating a brigade call to all parts for help. A timber yard and petrol .station were also in danger, and this led to some fear for the residents of the nearby ■ streets, who were ordered to leave their houses. Omnibuses brought out of the garage, and others coming to the garage and unable to enter, were drawn up in the streets, extending for a long distance along the Old Kent Road and the people who left the threatened houses scrambled for shelter into the omnibuses, which became a long terrace of houses for the evicted. DEATH OF FAMOUS R.A. The death occurred on the 16th of one of the most famous portrait painters of England, John Sargent, R.A. Mr Sargent lived in Chelsea, and his death was discovered by the house-

keeper who failed to rouse him when she took his breakfast. A doctor was summoned, who formed the opinion that he had died from a stroke- during his sleep. He had he-eii bu 3 y the previous evening packing his luggage to leave for Boston, where he was engaged on mural decorations in the public library there. His decorative work in this building is among the most notable of his works. The picture for this year’s Academy was finished and despatched, and Mr Sargent had been resting from painting for a few days, and appeared in very good health. Born in Florence in 1856, the son of an American doctor, Sargent studied portrait painting under Carolus Duan, and practically jumped into fame with his first appearance at the Salon. . He was elected an associate of the Academy in 1894 and Royal Academician in 1897. His daring in brushwork, which is said to have had more in common with French impressionism than with the generally accepted academic method, gave rise to fierce

-’-7.0' controversies at his early appearance, he practically gave up portrait painting many years ago because of his dislike of. the fashionable portrait painter’s routine, and though his fame is greatest in that sphere he had achieved great things in other departments of his art, notably in his landscape scenes of peasant life in the Tyrol and in Italy and Spain. High prices have been paid for Sargent’s pictures, often as much as £3OOO for a portrait, and one picture sold at Christie’s brought 5000 guineas. 'The National Gallery owns many examples of his work, one of the finest being a portrait of Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth. A strange story- is told of Mr Sargent’s power of summing up the personality of a sitter. An American woman suffering from an obscure nerve trouble was advised by her puzzled physician to take a trip to Europe. She did so, and had her portrait painted by Sargent. On her return she showed the picture to her doctor, who was amazed, as the portrait was that of a mad woman. The artist had seen the trouble which had baffled the doctor. Within a year the- woman died a raving lunatic. RAILWAY DISTINGUISHES ITSELF The Southern Railway has really distinguished itself in a most amusing way. At 4.40 on Tuesday afternoon a train left for Chislehurst and Orpington from the Cannon Street station, quite a usual train, to take those city people who finish early, or the women who ‘ have been shopping, to their homes in these suburb-country places. But fate and the signal man designed

otherwise. Mistaking the train for one bound for Redhill, the men in the signal box switched it on to the wrong line, and away sped the train, taking its passengers for a run of more than sixty miles through Kent and Surrey, and incidentally a delay of two hours in the return of those in the train. The company were most apologetic, but said once the wrong switching had been done it was almost impossible to get the train on the right lines again. It wo'uid have meant the holding up of 30,000 people, as the wrongdoing of the signalman happened just as the rush hour was beginning. The Great Western Railway are figuring publicly in another and less amusing way. Hundreds of their employees have been dismissed through all branches of the company. An appeal was recently made to the staff, suggesting a reduction of pay in all branches to enable the full staff to be carried on, but this was rejected. The cause of the slump on this company’s work is due to- the reduction of the coal traffic from South Wales, EARL Earl Jellicoe has been warmly welcomed and entertained since his return from New Zealand, a few weeks ago. At a luncheon given by the Overseas Club in his and Lady Jcllicoe’s honour this week, he found certain points of resemblance between New Zealand and the Mother Country. He confessed that there was no perceptible difference between the wind in 'Wellington and the one which was blowing round Trafalgar Square that day also that one might travel to the other side of the world and there experience the house shortage so much deplored here: But in New Zealand he discovered one improvement on England, which apparently pleased him. The wise old law which the early settlers made that no street might be less than 66ft wide. Had the English fathers had tho samehappy thought, Lord Jellicoe said ho would not have been late for the luncheon ! KISMET FAILS.

The revival of “Kismet’’ has failed utterly and miserably, with a loss of sonic £20,000. It will be withdrawn next week, and the author, Mr Knockloch, rather bitterly declares that people don’t want clean healthy plays now, but wish to wallow in the unpleasantness of the “Spring Cleaning’’ and “Our Betters’ ’type of play. The charge is not quite fair. The fault was very largely in the caste of the play, and perhaps also in the nrodm'tion and staging—there is still a big following for wholesome plays, as long as the play is interesting. “Kismet’’ is a play formerly “made” by two very great personalities, and produced by one of the very finest producers, for everyone admits Oscar Asche a master of showmanship. It was revived without a really big personality in the caste, with 'scenic designers and producers working in different_ countries, and there was a lack of finish, of the “dove-tailing” that a really good performance needs. OVERTUNE. Sutton Vane’s “Overtime” has been very well received on its first performance at Hampstead and will surely ba

seen in the West End. It is a complete change, and gets away from the usual theme of love and its variations. We are shown the unborn in their future characters while they are awaiting birth, the lovers, the society climber, the old" maid, the judge, tho casual labourer, etc. Charon Junior' preparing to ferry them across the Styx, issues advice and tickets in a brisk cheerful manner. On earth we see them following their fate; the young lovers meet, too late —he is already married. The society climber has clambered to a point when she drinks champagne and brandy to make it worth while clinging on. The old, maid yearns for marriage; and so on with the other characters. The play concludes with the return of the pilgrims of life, glad, most of them, to return to their nests, LITTLE MISS BLUEBEARD. Another first night this week happened at Wynham’s Theatre,, when a French actress, famous in America, arrived in “Little Miss Bluebeard.” It is a feeble play—of the farce order. The leading actress, Irene Bordoni, wears, an astounding number of frocks, and sings some songs. The plot, concerns a young man who flirts with a lady, and, finding he has compromised her marries her in a friend’s name.

The friend accepts the curious position, and arranges to divorce the lady mi condition that she stons with him for a week under the .same roof. FASHIONS. In the millinery world the Bangbok straw is having an epidemic of popularity. These fascinating models are said to be imported from Siam, collected in a rough state, and exported to the fashionable world, where they w blocked and dyed till they assume the fashionable little turned up shapes of the moment. Lightness of weight and a fine shiny surface distinguished the genuine Bangbok, and they have the great value- of being extremely lipflit to wear, a smal ulntrimmed shape weighs about half an ounce. Another attraction of these popular straws is that, being colourful, they need so little trimming. Indeed, colour is one of the great charms for, of corse, 'hats are dyed in all the new shades of the spring and summer s°; son. There are other grass straws which imitate these smart little hats

from Siam. These come from South America and cost about half the price, lake the genuine Bangbok they are dyed and blocked in London and Luton factories. Red is still being used for dresses, and there are many new shades to select from. These are soft rose reds, flamingo cherry, framboise and hyacinth. All these various shades are popular, and there are such a variety that there is a “red” to suit almost everybody. From Paris comes the report that very little jewellery is being worn : a plaque of white jade strung on black eye-glass cord, or a collar of pink tourmalines, or again a few quaint fetish bracelets from India or China are tho only ornaments now; all the glare of paste and big pearls, etc., has disappeared for the moment. Model dresses showing for the spring demonstrate some delightful ideas easy to carry out. A short knife pleated skirt of White Kasha, had a black linen tunic blouse worked with silk and wool flowers in vivid tropical colours—with a gay little Bangbok* straw worked with the same flowers to match, while the newest dance frocks have short sleeves with V opening back and front. A black crepe-de-chine model took tbo sheath outline almost to the knee line, and there fluffed out into box pleats. These pleats were headed by a band of coral and silver passementerie nnd a coral velvet ribbon with a silver picot edge was made into a long peck chain with a coral and silver clasp in front. Hat crowns are getting lower again; some of the best Paris models are fiee from any exaggeration, and almost all show a narrow cloche brim in front, turned up sharply at the back. LIFE IN A “VILLAGE.” To be a “village” has lately become the aim of the suburbs round London —and where it is at all possible the women are making these outlying

suburbs a village with old rites of village life. It is the wish of the women who can only have a institute” if they live in a village. The social side of the village institute is being borrowed by tho suburban women, and here you may meet every class. There are the signing circles, the amateur acting, the handicraft and a hundred other things that offer a means of expression and bring an interest into the otherwise dull lives of many of the women, and with the help of a wise secretary no body is shy or left out. There is a very natural thirst for knowledge in most people, and here in the “village” institute at the classes this thirst is in some measure satisfied. Instructors show how to make silk flowers —show the interest and intricacies of Tafia work and its uses bn hats and dresses and curtains. Again there is someone who will show how to cut out and fit loose covers for chairs, to put in new springs, even to mend boots. Bottling fruits, making jams, icing cakes, all these- things are to be learnt at the institute; if women live in a suburb which calls itself a village they need not go on doing these things, but they know. how. Pottery and old English sewing, such as tourists delight in, on the peasant dresses of Russia and Roumania, are all being revived by the, villages, and bringing a certain amount of colour and interest into lives. Even carpet weaving is being taught, and in many a barn and washhouse a rug is in the making, just there to be worked at whenever there is the time to go on with the weaving.