ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13390, 19 January 1907, Page 5 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

[FROM THE SOCIETY papkbs.J

The Kaisers yearly bill for travelling b* rail from one part of his Empire to another amounts to £100.000. He litis special trains and pays the ordinary rales on al' railways. It is stated that Mrs. Mary Anderson de Navarro has been prevailed upon by Father Bernard Vaughaii, the smart easti gator of the small set. to emerge into the public gaze this winter. He has prevailed upon her to. promise to act some scenes fron " Macbeth" and to sing a few songs in aid of his Catholic charities during tin coining winter. Mine, do Navarro lives. .1 secluded life at Court Farm, Broadway. Sine she left the stage, at the age of 28, she has been implored to go back to it, hut has aiwavs -.(id no.

King Frederick of Denmark was walkini recently near Charloitenltiiid Castle, ami saw a nurse playing with two English children, a ho; ami girl who were twins, mi the grass. He asked the nurse whose children they «cie. " t'hrft is a. curious question, said the nurse in English, " tor L cannot sec why they should interest you. The Kin;; answered', also in English, " 1 mi sorry that I have Ix'en inquisitive without introducing myself to you. I am King Frederick, and my sister is Queen Alexandra of England." The nuts.- at once answered his questions about her little charges, and i lie King sent his compliments to the patents ot the twins who had interested him.

The portrait of little Prince (Hat is to he painted by Mrs. Gertrude Massey. who has received Queen Maud's commission for the work. Mrs. Massey is a very clever miniaturist, who numbers many members of the Royal family, including King Edward, among her patrons. The King was delighted with her remarkable portrait, of his pet bulldog, Peter, and Queen Alexandra was equally charmed with her miniature of Her Majesty's favourite spaniel, Marvel. Many beautiful children have sal to Mrs. Massey, among them the Prince of Wales' children, the two little, girls of Mrs. George Keppel, the future AngloAmerican duke, Lord Blandl'ord, and ye', another future duke, Lady Evelyn Caven dish's little bov.

King Edward's French chef, M. Menager. is a very important personage in the Royal Household. He enjoys a salary of £1800 a, year, besides free lodgings near Buckingham Palace. The King's breakfast, always a strictly private meal, he does not attend, so lie does not reach the Palace until after eleven o'clock! He then receives from the Master of the Household the menus for the day, and at once sets to work upon them in the sunny Royal kitchens, where he has a little army of cooks and assistants, all women, at his beck and call. Dinner is served at Buckingham Palace at nine o'clock, and the servants and attendantsdirected by M. Menager wear scarlet sua! low-tail coats with dark-blue, gold-braided waistcoats, white satin breeches, and whitsilk stockingsa unique and remarkably handsome livery. After dinner M. Menager present* his " leetle bill" for the day, which is paid by the treasurer "on the nail," and then the jovial chef (he is now in the prime of life) charters a hansom and tolls home to his comfortable apartments, a supremely satisfied man.

The two elder sons of the Prince of Wales have just had their first run with the West Norfolk Hunt, an event for which they have been in training for some, considerable time. Jackson, the. headkeeper at Sandringham, first took the boys in hand, and imparted thorough instruction hi the habits and tactics of Reynard. Both Princes are splendid horsemen. They have been in training from lour years of age, aaid were good riders at ten, but during the last year or two they have had a. special training for the hunt, going out sometimes with their father, but more often with a trusted groom, and yetting hard practice at gates, hedges, and ditches, beginning with the smaller obstacles, until they can now take five bars and fairly wide steams with great ease. Last year the Princes often rode to the meet on their ponies, and occasionally followed the hunt a little way in order that an insight should be given of the real work, and that they should get accustomed to the leadership of the master of the hounds. Now they are the happy possessors of larger mounts, and have appealed in all the glory of scarlet and cords, and arc most businesslike and enthusiastic voting sportsmen. They have promised their first brushes to their grandmother and mother respectively, and are most anxious to obtain the coveted prizes.

Smart women now seem as much at horn* in the city as ill the West End, in a broker's office as in their own drawing- ! rooms ; . and their electric motors arc as familiar a sight in Throguiorton-street as in Piccadilly or at Hyde Park Corner. And the modern matron'talks in a matter-of-fact manner about bulls and bears, booms and slumps, carrying-over and special settlements; indeed*, a wicked wag said of a certain beauty: "She 'carries on' _and 1 carries over' with equal success." Now and then our typical woman finds out what, is meant by the term "difference." Hut events go far to justify her keen interest in, city affairs ; she shows both pluel" and prudence, and her speculations have been, in the main, most successful. In 1895 some big fortunes were made, and in 1899 the then rise in metals was responsible, for several tiaras, a. few town houses, and big profits to the London and Paris dressmakers. Society women who' speculate are more or less' of democrats, and they have done much to bridge the once deep gulf between the city ami the, Weal hnri. Wealthy financiers have always held pride of place ; but in these days, many a nowlyfledged stockbroker owes his dinner invitations and his week-ends at country houses to the lucky tips and timely advice that be has given to .some popular or powerful woman. Moreover, the city has. of hit?, shown signs of entertaining. For many rears past the heads of one world-famous firm have given a daily luncheon at their palatial office; and, nowadays, more than one go-ahead broker provides tea or pick-me-ups for his fair clients from Mayfwr and lMgravia-

The eldest daughter of the King an* Queen of llalv, Princes Yolanda, is a very charming and fascinating little lady, and already her sayings and doings are largely reported in the Italian papers. The King and Queen have recently been staying ww their faniilv at Racconigi. in North Italy. Un tlieir arrival a crowd of people assembled at the station to welcome them all, but Princess Yolanda chiefly, for everyoa« adores her. The little Princess sat up very straight in the carriage during the drive to the castle, and gravely returned the bow* mad.- to her, at the same time trying tc bring her small sister and brother to do the same. Her efforts wen, of course, vain, and when at last the carriage drew up and she found herself at home she gave * great sigh of relief, as if to say: "Well, that's done!'' A few minutes later she bad forgotten all about the duties of a Princess, and was thinking only of her pels. Sins visited the stables, kissed her ponies and ted them with sugar, and gave her baud to her friend the stable boy to he kissed. Sb« made all sorts of inquiries as to the animal* that she had petted during her last summer's visit to Racconigi, especially desino* to know all about a certain very sawll P*g. This alas! she discovered to hM* # *<>!<« the wav of all bacon, ami she was j™™* indignant. "1 suppose," she *f* l v « 1 suppose you would eM me « inj Sa'pa were not King!" Princess \olaoda is nier sixth year, tall for her *g«, *.tb h.mttullv modelled limbs, a •■• •• sJart. tovc "curlv black hair and wou-enul dari eves which are mournful, patn*i»c, angry, JLsrhingt or' mischievous, according to ti« mood of the moment. She has inherited tho beauty for which her .mother's i&nar* axa noted, and bills fair to grow up qt»<g£ ia^Jßu^jjei