ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13727, 18 April 1908, Page 6 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

[from: THE society papers.] Tin: expectation of another happy event hi the Spanish Royal Family will, it is stated, shortly be announced in the official Madrid Gazette. Dr. Gutiernez, who was recently appointed Court Physician, left Madrid for Seville to visit the Queen. Queen Maria Pia, the mother of the murdered King of Portugal, was always greatly honoured and respected by her son. King Carlos, who regarded her as one of his wisest counsellors. She has interested herself in philanthropic movements of all kinds in Portugal. Unattended, she visits the poorest quarters of Lisbon, and is adored by the beggars of the town. Queen Maria, Pi» is one of the finest lady shots in the world, and it was from his mother that King Carlos had his first lessons in shooting. The Sultan of Turkey has an extrordinaiy love of the sort of tales which are generally stigmatised in this country under the title of " Penny Dreadfuls." At night he always has someone to read him to sleep, and his favourite novels are those giving detailed accounts of assassinations and executions. The stories of crime excite him and prevent him from sleeping, but as soon a* the reader reaches a passage where punishment, falls upon the criminals the Sultan immediately becomes calm and falls asleep. It is from the Casino in Monte Carlo that the Prince of Monaco draws his ample resources. In 1898, when the gambling concession to the Casino Company was renewed he received £400,000 m ca*h, an annual' sala-rv of £100,000, the promise of a further £600,000 in 1914, when the present concession expires, and the undertaking of the Casino Company to spend £200,000 a year on the works of the port of Monaco, and other sums for improvements, public works, charities, and so forth. Perhaps the most interesting man amongst the nevdy-appointed King's Counsel is Mr. Alexander Grant, of Manchester. Mr. Grant began life as a half-timer, working in a factory in the morning and going to "school in the afternoon. Nevertheless, he managed to gain scholarships which took him to Manchester Grammar School and ultimately to Oxford, where he won a host of scholarly distinctions. Ultimately he read for the Bar, was called in 1894, and since then has established himself as one of the moat prominent and successful advocates in the Lancashire County Court. He is only 42 years of age. The Princess of Wales and the Princess Louise Duchess of Argyle have received from the Kaiser the Prussian Louise Order, which, in the case of ladies, is equivalent to the Iron Cross. Both Orders were instituted by Frederick William 111. in 1814, when he—like the rest of the world—believed that peace had at last been really established. The Iron Cross commemorated the patriotism which had found expression in the great war. The Louise Order rewarded the deeds of charity, especially the hospital work, of ladies who had followed the splendid example set them by Queen Louise. The cross is of gold and black enamel, with a sky-blue medallion in the centre, which bears the initial, and the dates 1813 and 1814 on the : reverse. ; There are many K.C.'s who know more than a little about the noble art of selfdefence. It is not so many years ago since Mr. Rufus Isaacs was very fond of " donning the mittens" once a day for half an hour or so with a professional bruiser. Sir ■■-' Ralph Littler. K.C.. was an excellent boxer in his early days at the Bar. Mr. Lane, the well-known' Metropolitan Police magistrate, was. in his younger days, one of the flsiest amateur -weight boxers in the countrv. Tall, deep-chested, long in the ' reach, "and possessed of tremendous hitting powers, be has smashed a heavy door-panel with a blow from his fist "re now. The ; ascetic-looking ; and scholarly magistrate is r* often seen quietly watching a good bout at the National Sporting Club. >

To her many accomplishments Lady Constance Stewart-Richardson has now added that of ballet dancing. Lady Constance has been attending the classes of Mine. L'ava-lazzi-Mapleson; the famous mistress of the ballet in Covent Garden, and, donning the usual costume,-'has been initiated into the mysteries of the profession. Lady Constance is said to have a perfect genius for "the ait, and if she cared to devote the time to it she might become one of the nios;. exquisite exponents of ballet-dancing ever seen. Unconventional to a degree, Lady Constance is a noted sportsmoman. She is a' champion lady swimmer, a fisherwomatt who has landed many a salmon, and an unerring shot, and when in Scotland it amuses her to go out shooting clad in Mackenzie tartan kilt and wearing a tam-o'-shanter. lie lore her marriage in 1904, Ladv Constance spent many months shooting "in the Rockies, where, absolutely alone except for her guides, she camped out. Dressed in breeches and coat, with a cap on her short, dark hair, she looked exactly like a slim, boyish man.

A little incident is recounted concerning the Princess Royal and her Brighton residence, where King Edward has been staying, ft illustrates how Royalty putters from the infliction of unwanted callers —a form of annoyance the King was carefully guarded 1 against during his Brighton visit. 'The Princes.- whs walking along the parade to her house when, us she approached her own door, she saw a carriage waning. Kit her "Her Royal Shyness," as the Prince*.* is called, was not in a mood to receive visitors in general, or else she dosired to avoid., these visitors in particular, for when she reached the house she walked straight past the gate. The callers were informed that the Princess was outlaw! when the carriage had gone the King's daughter turned round again and went iu home. Another time the Princess Royal was walking along the Brighton promenade when she saw a poor little girl crying over the fate of a cheap doll she had dropped. sadly damaging its face. Her Royal Highness* stopped and expressed her sympathy to the little girl at the unhappy fate of her doll, and then presented her with enough money to buy a very much better one. The little'girl darted away in the greatest glee, but .she had no idea that the kind lady who had spoken to her was a King's daughter.

The second Court of the season was a much more interesting affair than the first, by reason of the greater number of important presentations made, but the Royal circle was even smaller. Prince Arthur of Connaught, lately returned from Spain and Portugal and Gibraltar, stood near the Princess of Wales; -immediately behind the King'" and Queen, who always occupy the foreground and are the only persons to whom curtseys have to be made. It is a less trying arrangement for the nervous debutante, who formerly had to pay homage to each of the Royalties in their order of'precedence, and not infrequently lost her head in the strain of the attempt. The Queen and the Princess of Wales were once - more iii .jelled black dresses, relieved with superb diamonds and pearls, and black and white were generally worn even by. those without officii 1 ! connections, as the date r»i this Court was not announced until the order tor mourning had gone forth. Princess Victoria accompanied their Majesties. Lady Salisbury again did duty as Mistress of the Robes, in the absence of the Duchess of Bucclouch, and wore many diamonds with a heavily-jetted princesse dress of black net and a velvet train. The most important debutante was l«idy Victoria Cavendish-Bentinek, god-daughter of the late Queen, and only daughter of the Duke of Portland, arid.by a happy chance * the' i 'mm was hold on her eighteenth birthday. She looked a radiant vision as she shyly responded to the smiling welcome of the Sovereigns, and her gown and train ,-if. white tulle embroidered in silver and hemmed with pearls was quite the daintiest worn by any young girl. - '•'-■■■ : '■'-' $