ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11872, 25 January 1902, Page 6 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

[FROM THE SOCIETY PAPERS.] The building of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough's new town house is proceeding apace. The marble staircase and hall promise to be among the most beautiful in London, and even to rival Stafford House. The duchess has excellent taste.

I hear it is now an accomplished fact that in future all the Drawing Rooms are to be held in the evenings. The Queen has always been in favour of this' arrangement, and all sensible people thoroughly appreciate her idea, and are most desirous that the evening Drawing Room should prevail.. No woman, however young or beautiful, looks to advantage in evening dress in broad daylight. It is curious that it should be so; but there it is, and no one attempts to contradict the fact. . ; . . Altogether the innovation will have hearty approval, save from the populace, who dearly loved to line all the approaches to Buckingham Palace on Drawing Room days.

A funny problem is facing us in the coming future if it goes on being the fashion to be vivacious, and sympathetic, and emotional, and " fascinating," as it certainly is at present for all women who want to be admired. The penalty will they will not be able to photograph us. It is now proved beyond all doubt that only unemotional women really photograph well; those women whoso features are heavily built, immovable, and in eternal repose alone get real justice done to them by photographs, except in very rare instances, or in the case of actresses, who too clearly understand posing with effect to be victims in this way. Far and away the most personally charming and winning Women make but indifferent photographs. One theorist even goes so far as to say that, the more intelligent you are the more unkind is your pictured impersonation. The problem is, which is to: be or not to becharm, grace, fascination, intelligence pretty photographs?

The well-known composer of religious music, Sir Frederick Bridge, is by no means musicianly, so far as his appearance goes. He does not wear leonine locks, like Liszt, or the various kind of barbers' mops affected by other musicos. He simply wears his hair in the orthodox, short-cut fashion, has a small moustache, keen and rather severe eyes, and a long, pointed face, his pedagogic severity being enhanced by a hooked nose and spectacles. Sir Frederick is, nevertheless, in spite of his want of capillary attraction, a good musician. He knows all about English music of the times of Elizabeth and the Jameses and the Charleses, and has a particular reputation as an organist and choir-trainer. He has been organist of Westminster Abbey for about a quarter of a century, and has just celebrated his fifty-seventh birthday. Is not this a first-rate record—won, too 2 without any meretricious attractions?

One of the striking features of the coronation will be the number of Catholic peers who will make their appearance on the occasion as compared with those who were present at the crowning of Queen Victoria. The Duke of Norfolk's family have, of course, always been Catholics, so liive the Howards of Glossop and the Howards de Walden, as well as the Cliffords, and the Herries, and all of these distinguished families were probably represented at the coronation of the late Queen, though when they took up their positions they may have received a rather doubtful reception, inasmuch as Catholics were then accepted with more reserve than cordiality. All this is now changed, and His Majesty will .welcome a host of Catholics on the great occasion, for religious bigotry is now mercifully - a thing unknown among people of , culture. Indeed, with the exception of the North of . Ireland, there is practically no other place where serious sectarian disputes arise. - ;'' Y .

You would naturally imagine, wouldn't you, that the Prince of Wales' secretary was bound to be a courtier born? But Sir Arthur Bigge is nothing of the kind. He has not, like Captain Fritz Ponsonby, had the advantage of having been brought up almost in the Royal family circle. He is, first and foremost, a soldier, who has served his country well in several parts of the world; but he also happens to be gifted with a wonderful tact and savoir faire. Under Sir Evelyn Wood he greatly distinguished himself in the Zulu War; so much so, that lie was brought to the especial notice of the late Queen, who presently assigned him a Court post. , She was particularly attracted, as in the case of John Brown, by his outspoken bluntness ; but, in Sir Arthur Bigge, the bluntness was always good-humoured and respectful. So that Captain Biggs finally succeeded Sir Henry Ponsonby, when he"died, as private secretary, was knighted, and is now formally installed in the influential office he now' holds in , regard to the Prince of Wales.

It is not generally known that the recent visit of Dan Leno and the Vaudeville Theatre Company to Sandringham, on the occasion of the birthday of Princess Charles of Denmark, was a. little surprise arranged by the King for his youngest daughter's birthday. Princess Maud, to give her her more familiar title, has always been an enthustic lover of Dickens, and has read the whole of the novelist's books through more than once. She is especially for.d of " The Christmas Carol," and a week or two ago she said to Prince Charles, "I shall go to the Vaudeville on my birthday and see ' Scrooge.' It will be a. capital birthday outing." When the King heard of his daughter's proposal he quietly arranged for the performance. ■ Princess Maud once sa'id that she believed no one could be really bad who could cry over Tiny Tim. " Whenever I feel I am getting a wee bit selfish," she said, '* I read ' A Christmas Carol' through, and then I feel I must *do something to brighten the lives of the many brave-hearted little cripples there are in the world." The practical result of the Princess' simple gospel is that every Christmas time she is responsible for the despatch to several of the hospitals for cripples of huge parcels of toys and other gifts for the little unfortunates. Each one bears a label, on which is written, "With Tiny Tim's love;" but Tiny Tim in this instance is a Royal Princess.

The Duke of Fife holds a record. He is the only man who has ever been known to change his rank while he ate his breakfast. After the marriage ceremony had been celebrated in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace, on the morning of July 27, 1889, he led his Royal bride into the dining-room., where the wedding breakfast was laid, as an earl. When the meal was half over the late Queen, in raising her glass to the toast of the young couple, conferred a dukedom upon him, and thus, as he ate, he passed through two ranks of the peerage—surely the quickest promotion ever recorded. The only example believed to approach this is the case of the present Prime Minister, who rose to speak in the House of Commons as Lord Robert Cecil and sat down Viscount Cranbourne and heir to a marquisate. During his speech the message conveying his elder brother's death was brought into the House and communicated to the young man, whose whole prospects in life were thus altered in the course of a speech.

Nobody can say definitely yet what the name of the new avenue from the Strand to Ilolborn will be. The County Council itself is divided into three parties over the question, who might be called the Royalty party, the literary party, and the municipal party. The first would follow the example of the City Corporation in the cases of Queen Victoria-street and King Williamstreet, and call the new thoroughfare either King Edward Avenue or Queen Alexandra Avenue. The literary party, who originally favoured Charles Dickens Avenue, have now capitulated in favour of Shakespere-street, having also had under consideration Dr. Johnson's name, in view of his well-known love for London and his connection with St. Clement Danes Church. The municipal party are of a practical turn. They favour Council Avenue and the simple term Broadway. 11 is not unlikely that this party may triumph., i