CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CX, Issue 13216, 27 August 1903, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

In ibs hunger for new SOCKS FOB crazes, New York has to exladies. ploit all sorts of fads. It is, of course, the idle rich, those members of society who have to kill ennui at all hazards, who are busy in season and out of season evolving fashions which are the more popular as they are the more daring. The latest craze of the fast set is the abandonment of stockings in favour of socks. French women have, of course, adopted the sock as an article of feminine attire for many years, but its novelty has only recently begun to appeal to the American woman. The fashion is, however, said to bo spreading with rapidity all over the American Continent, especially at seaside resorts. The devotees of the sock urge on its behalf that, by its insuperable advantages, it has long since established its undivided reign with mankind, to the total exclusion of the uuwieldly stocking, and that for hot weather wear it is infinitely the more comfortable garment. There is an element of cheapness which is' also somewhat disingenuously raised as an argument in favour of the sock. Although the matter is attracting some attention in England, it is very doubtful if the fashion will ever become prevalent there. Outside a certain flashy clique, “the smart set” as they are known, London society has. set jig face dead. agaiusli

the innovation. “I hope they will never become fashionable here,” remarked one staid lady. “Just think how chilly and uncomfortable they would b'e. And how would w©' keep them up f And what would one do when getting into a cab or an omnibus, or when- crossing a street. They are not very neat, and I am not quit© sure that they are decent.” This opinion is borne out by the heads of the large drapery firms in England, who are not offering the articles to any great extent. Speaking to a newspaper man, one of the proprietors of such an establishment said, “I do not think even the ‘ smart set ’ would have the hardihood to walk down Regent Street in broad daylight wealing gaily-coloured socks and a short skirt. A', woman who ventured out attired in such ' a manner would have a poorer chance of setting a fashion than those Strong-minded ladies who attempted to adopt the rational costume some years ago* and walked about London openly attired in bloomers. No first-class hotel or restaurant would admit them, and they, would pinbably be followed through the. streets by a crowd of admiring loafers.” The craze will probably, therefore, have the shortest of vogues, and will die a natural death as soon a® tome other desperate inspiration in the matter of costume strikes tbs fertile brain of the next notoriety hunter. Mr Pierpont Morgan hits art and announced his intention of money. depositing his wonderful collection of art treasures in the Corcoran Art Gallery at . Washington, a decision that will bo productive of ihtlch lamentation all over Europe. Thero is hardly a public gallery from Athens .to Dublin that will not be the poorer. The collection has been made in a manner characteristic of the money king. Tine© years ago he decided to have ah art gallery of has own, and as he could not buy up tho National or tho Louvre he set out to establish a rival. He despatched half a dozen commissioners to Europe, with instructions to buy every recognised work o! art that money could procure. Museum* and private collections were attacked, and objects carried off at astounding prices where none had thought a purchase possible. The commissioners ransacked the cathedrals of the oldfashioned Italian towns and bought some of Era Angelico’s rarest frescoes. From the south of France they took aiVay the worn drously beautiful panels of Fragonard, and because a valuable picture was found in a peasant’s cottage near Rouen, every cottage in Normandy was searched fot rare landscapes by Corot. Perhaps the most famous picture in the collection is the “ Oolonna, Madonna,” of Raphael, for which £IOO,OOO were paid. A similar sUm purchased, a wonderful Gothic tapestry at present in the Victoria and' Albert Museum. The set of Fragonard panels were bought for £70,000, and. the famous /md much travelled “ Duchess of Devonshire," by Gainsborough, for £40,000. For a collection of fifteenth century bronzes Mr Morgan paid £40,000, for three Sevres vases from Lord Coventry’s collection £15,000, and for a landscape by Hobbema £30,000. From Germany he drew the museum of Consul Guttman, in whose family part of it had lingered for centuries. For this collection of sixteenth century goldsmith’s and silver-smith’s work he paid £60,000,. and for two busts by the French sculptor Houdin £20,000. Taken all together, the collection is an amazing monument of what perseverance and unlimited wealth can do, and th© very thought of it must bring tears to the eyes of the art-lovers of Europe. Mr Morgan’s original idea was to place his treasures in a private gallery in the United States, but the Customs authorities informed him that if he did so he would have to pay a heavy ad valorem duty. As ho had spent over a million atnd a quarter pounds in" making the collection, even the great millionaire did not relish the idea of paying another quarter of a million in duty. He therefore decided to present it as a whole to a public gallery, ‘ and in this way secure the remission of the duty. We have received from THE fiery “ over the water ” a copy of cross. the latest issue of the Jacobite organ, “The Fiery Cross.” Its flamboyant cover is**suggestive of a special “blood and fire” issue of the “ War Cry,” but it reflects not uncreditably something of the nature of its enthusiastic and burning advocacy of the Jacobite cause. The “ Fiery Cross ” is essentially a wholehearted organ. Its object is the advocacy of a double restoration, that of “oUr exiled British Royal Family ” and that of “ our Scottish National Parliament.” Its contents are devoted almost wholly to the exploitation of these two aims or relevant side issues. So far as the Scottish National Party is concerned, it calls aloud for “a Scottish Parnell who will deliver Scotland from th© political serfdom into which she has fallen.” As a means to this end it suggests tho establishment, of a party having for its motto “ Scotland for the Scots and the Land for the People.” Such a party, it holds, allied with parties from Ireland and Wales based upon similar interests, would be invincible, and would lead to the founding of a Pan-Celtic League “ strong enough to bring haughty. England , to her knees, and instead of shadowy autonomy with ill-defined or limited prerogatives, absolute independence with federation in its ' widest sense would be within sight.”' A protest against the “ Illegal Court at Holyrood ” is equally well defined in its enthusiasm, whilst the “ Anniversary of Culloden ” has inspired a memorial article glowing with burning patriotism and Gaelic quotations. Only one brave man was to be found in the Mid-Lothian County Council, according ■to the “ Fiery Cross,” on the occasion of a proposition to present an address to the King on his visit to Edinburgh. This “bravo man ” held l out that the address should be presented to Edward! First; King of Great Britain and Ireland,’.' in terms of the Treatyjpf Union of 1707, and not to Edward VII. But he found no seconder in his attack upon the “ usurper George of Hanover,” and the “Fiery Cross” hastens to publish the names of the remainder of the Council in hysterical capitals as those of “ sycophants untrue to Scotland’s national honour.," in order that this “ Black list of the modem brood of the ‘faus© Menteith’ may meet with the contempt of all honest men.” The “Fiery Cross” is interesting reading, among more pallid Journals, if only for its fresh-hearted enthusiasm.'