ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10908, 12 November 1898, Page 4 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

[FROM the society papers.] Dn. Zckkrtort, the celebrated chessplayer, was walking in the street one day, when an idea struck him with regard to a certain chess opening, and lie began carefully to think it out with a view to playing it in his next game with the equally wellknown player, Mr. Kteinitz. Lost in thought, he stood at the comer of a street for a long time, until a policeman, suspect- j ing him. went up and told him to move on. ' 'Beg pardon.' replied the little doctor absently, without looking up: "it's your move

" One never knows what may happen.'' Such is lie remarkable, almost pathetic, sentence of the preamble of the will of the murdered Empress of Austria. The slain sovereign only made her will in June last, and we are enabled to state that Her Majesty s dispositions provide for the realisation of her unrivalled collection of jewellery, and the proceeds to be applied to religious and charitable, purpose's. It appears that the disposition of the jewels of the Empress rested with herself absolutely, and that she was not precluded by anv condition imposing the descent of her magnificent possessions as Hapsburg heirlooms. The "Golden Rose,'' which she received from Pope Pius IX., is, it is understood, to be retained in the Imperial family.

An interesting visitor in the English lake country lately was Miss Ada Crcssley, the Australian contralto—and the only contralto that the Antipodes have yet given to England. To a voice of pure contralto timbre, Miss Crossley unites the almost rarer gift of perfect vocal production, which makes' her singing an unvarying delight. Socially, her success has been much enhanced by the halo of glorious* golden hair that crowns her happy, laughing face, a willowy and elegant injure, and "a iiapp l ' faculty for discovering charming frocks, and wearing them with a simple grace ua natural and refreshing as her unaffected, buoyant- manner. It was to the piano and organ that Miss Crossley lirst devoted herself. and the discover}- of her voice was due to the late Madame Fanny Simonsen, of Melbourne, whose daughter, Madame Prances Saville, was one of the Covcnt Garden prime donne during the last two seasons.

Authorities on masculine hair-dressing (writes a Westminster Gazette correspond dent) say that the style of parting in the centre began with the Lord Dundreirv mania in the early sixties. The younger generation of men generally part their hair at the side. But., as the victorious Sirdar parts his hair in the centre, it is expected by the tousorial profession that, by way of imitation, the fashion among voung men will swing round to that style. One barber says that he has already altered the dressing of the hair of several of his customers 1') that ala Kitchener. Wigs, too. he declares, are being discarded for new ones, with a thin line of sbnm seal,) running down the centra! Who can say after that that women are the only slaves of fashion?

Queen Victoria is read to for many hours a day, and is always a moist patient and attentive listener. She sometimes lias one newspaper paragraph read as often as six times, if it. happens to be one which she desires to remember word for word. Her memory is indeed wonderful, for the phrases she has heard she can repeat exactly, and in pcrfeet sequence. It is probably'owing to her habit of thinking over each word she herself utters that she is so keen ,i critic of language. The Queen thoroughly enjoys listening to a food, clever novel, 'but will not allow her readers to continue with any which offend her taste. Directly she,hears of any important new novel, she questions her ladies about it; generally (hey are! ready with private reports upon'it. or news-1 pi<pe: reviews. The Queen prefers character analysis to exciting plots. I

A clerical name which was lately prominent in connection with the behaviour of Mr. John Kensit whs that of the Rev. Henry Westall, vicar of the Kensington church, which was the scene of the muchdiscussed " crucifix" incident, last Good FriMr. Westall is a well-known figure in Kensington, where his zeal and devotion hove made him universally respected by his neighbours of all creeds and of none ' The Church of St, Cuthbert, in I'hilbeach Gardens—a, familiar object to all visitors to the Karl Court Exhibition, the grounds of which it closely adjoinshas been built and adorned entirely through his untiring exertions. and is admittedly one of the most) beautiful and richly-adorned in the metropolis. Within the space of 15 years no less an amount than £60,000 has been raised, in small sums, for its adornment and work ; and much of the decoration has been performed by guilds of amateur stone and wood caivers, all of them regular members of the congregation. Mr. Westall, meanwhile, has dwelt with his assistant-curates in the adjacent clergv-house, " passing rich" upon the princely "endowment" of £37 per annum, which is ail that the church can boast.

Madame Antoinette Sterling's son, Malcolm, promises to be a great success as a concert singer. He is an extremely clever youth, did well at Eton and even better at the University, but although at one time he thought of going to the liar as a profession, his natural talent showed so strongly that it Mils decided that nothing but a musical career would bring him happiness. Many people have been moved to tears by the rendering of "Darby and Joan," "The Better Land, and such songs by Madame Antoinette Sterling, but few people, except in her own immediate circle, know that her husband-Mr. Mackinley— was a perfect musician, although not a professional one. I liev lived at one time in Stanhope Place, and no more interesting dinners were given 111 London than those of Mr. and Mrs Mackinley, where all that was clever and'brilliant 111 London society was to lie met. Mr Mackinley was a great bric-a-brac collector and made a special hobby of Empire furniture, his drawing-room being a fitting rival to Mr. Orehardson's. When this very happy couple were on a concert tour in Australia, Mr. Mackinley died somewhat suddenly in Adelaide. Since then the homo in Stanhope Place has been given tip, and when Madame Sterling is not on concert tours site lives with her two sons in a flat near Victoria. She is a happy instance of a professional woman being at the same time a devoted wife and an adored mother !

During the festivities connected with the coming of age of the son of Sir Kenneth Kemp, at. Gissing, Norfolk, it was stated that the Gissing estate had descended to members of the same family for 600 years. the land first came to John Kemp in'l372, and from that date to the present day the property has desconded through twentvone generations— 15 instances from rather to son, in three from brother to brother, and in two from cousin to cousin, there are, it is said, very few estates in England which could show a similar record.

A Pail is journal, which is not always ' tfowTffl u* 1 ' iful stor - v t0 illustrate , the difficulties of getting married in France ; it happened in Cayenne, where two con- i victs, employed as sen-ants by the Gover- . nor, got leave to marry. They went to the ' I maine, and tie lady was asked if she was a 1 tt or -,? w,daw. "Widow," she said i n, ell, said the official, " but I have not ' the certificate of your first husband's death." 1 Really " si,d the bride, "I thought it was ! document" The'wi' '' 'Vlf P ensll) le < Document. Ihu lady smiled, and referred i htm to tlie record of her conviction. " You t wnl perceive, sir, that I was sentenced for TW L, M 8 ? Iso ? ed m - v husband!" i That would seem to be sufficient, in all' 1 conscience. Yet, as a matter of fact, their i married happiness had to be postponed till < the acte de deces could arrive from Paris. . i