ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14691, 27 May 1911, Page 6 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

[moil THE SOCIETY papers.]

XjOWTITER Caster, Westmoreland, the scab of Lord Lonsdale, is filmed for its lovely gardens, and many acres have recently been added to them. A feature of the gardens is the number of trees clipped into quaint designs, one of the most curious being cut into the design of a corkscrew. Another represents the late President Kruger sitting in.a chair smoking a pipe, while others represent various animals. Jinny of tho trees wero brought over from Holland, where gardening of this kind is a carefnlly cultivated art.

Princess Elizabeth of Poumania is the rldost daughter of the Crown Prince and Princess of Roumania, and bids fair to equal, if she does not rival, the beauty of ' her mother, who "is credited with the distinction of boing the prettiest, as well as the best dressed Princess in Europe, and ■ also with having been the favourite nieco ' of the late King Edward. She was, before her marriage, Princess Marie, the daughter • of the late Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe- * Coburg-Gotha. Princess Elizabeth is very fond of being photographed in beautiful and unconventional poses.

Lord Roberts is credited with believing that Tuesday is his lucky day, and it would seem as if lie had some reason for this opinion. It was on Tuesday, October 1, 1895, that he was appointed commander of the forces in Ireland; on the same day ' of the week in 1901 the three great events "of his campaign in South Africa took place —the surrender of Cronje with 4000 men oil February 27, the occupation of Bloemfontein by the victorious general on March 13, and the occupation of Pretoria on June ' 5, while on Tuesday, December 11, ho left Capetown for England.

Queen Maud of Norway has a great dislike for the stiff etiquette of Court life, and nothing pleases her more than to escape from it whenever possible. A story is told of hor that she was one© at a

railway station seeing a visitor off, and noticed 'a newspaper reporter busily jot- . ling down notes in a notebook. The Queen took a notebook from her pockot, \\;rote

something in it, then tore the page out and throw it on to the ground. The reporter picked it up, hoping to thus .' secure some valuable information. How* ever, what- he read was : " I wish I were . a reporter." 1

The American newspapers proclaim the :discovery at Richmond, Indiana, of the ■ youngest grandmother in America, if not in the world. Sho is Mrs. Everett Parker, j- now 28 years of age, who was married at 1 .13, and whoso daughter, following in her •.'mother's footsteps, married when only one ■ ■ year older. Mrs. Everett Parker's great-great-grandmother, aged yQ, is still alive •' and so' the baby which has lately been ■ born to heft daughter can claim the proud distinction of i possessing a great-great- ' great-great-grandmother. For generations >■■ the women in' Mrs. Parkers family have ■ married at about I*s years of age.

•-"It is interesting, in view of the War •Secretary's elevation to the peerage, to ' recall the fact .that-so.recently: 'March • 11* Mr: Haldane was made 'an honorary burgess of tho ancient royal burgh of •' Haddington : in commemoration of his 25 years' representation of the burgh in Parliament, and . when the provost, ;in proposing the f - guest's health, : deferred v - to the rumours •' of/Hi» coming - elevation to the House '■ of Lords,- ' Mr. - Haldane; in reply, humorously said that the , provost's remarEs": seemed to suggest that' he thought him rather older . than he' felt • himself to be. i !' Do'' I 'look like anything- of the sort?'! lie asked, amid laughter, and he added that lie looked forward to appear; ing " before a siftiilar gathering '25' years hence. A few days later, in the House of Commons, Mr.'.Haldane shook his-head • at'the suggestion; mentioned in debate; that he was to. be -"translated" to " an- ' other place." \ . •

Some little :timd ago Mile. Miropolskvj the -brilliant young " Portia"' of -'the Paris Bar, delivered a'lecture at the J Theatre dii j Chatelot, attired'in a dross and. hat of the fafchion&ble design. At the<. bottom of the-programme distributed -to the audience MlleV Miropolsky 'had: had 1 printed : " The' dress' and hat worn by Mile., Miropolsky are f:fom ; the ' ateliers t>! Mme; So-aiid-So'." ' In the "eyes of many members of the Bar. this was a' dreadful breach of legal r etiquette and it was reported to the Council of ath6 Order, who intend to meet and''sifc' in judgment. The episode has jplit ;the Bar into rival ; tamps. One side ihinto the enterprise of " Mme. So-and-so'-' in thus advertising her " ateliers'* % -only deserving of. admiration, while the fithor" Side thinks that if such a custom 'Is allowed, the dignity of the order will disappear, and that a way will be opened op for making use of advertisements by a lUpthod hitherto unthought of. -The result of/, the council's deliberation's will be .awaited with much interest.

■' 'v,'-'f t ,f . The Queen's elder brother, the Duke of Teck, is a major in the Ist Life Guards, which rank he earned for his services in the' South African war. An amusing story is told of an occurrence while he was in South Africa. A number of officers were talking together, and one complained bitterly of his bad luck in being kept on the lines of communication, instead of getting & ! p&st on one of the staffs. Ho ended by asserting that without social influence there was no hope of getting on in the prmy. . While he was _ speaking, a very untidy and dusty-looking officer entered the room, and listened quietly to his angry remarks, merely saying at the end : " I ?iiite agree. If I had only come of a airly, good family I might have got a pinch' better job than I have now." 11 What is your job ?" asked the grumbler. " Handling a lot of the worst-tempered mules that ever drove a man to bad language' and despair," was the' reply. The griimbler 'sympathised, ''and asked the badly, used man who he might be. "Only the Duke of Teck," was the reply, to the consternation' and the amusement of the other* hearers. ~'. ' , '

A Striking" feature of the Coronation jeason will bo tho large number of American peeresses who will take a prominent part in the festivities. Chief among them will he tho Duchess of Marlborough (neo Vanderbilt), and Lady Docies (nee Vivien Gould). Tho Duchess of Manchester is another American hostess who is planning big entertainments at her house in Grosvonor Square. Tho Countess of Ancaster, also an American, intends to give some big Coronation parties. The young Countess of Gran aid (nee Beatrice Odgen Mills) is a favourite with tho Royal family, and will certainly bo in tho forefront of Coronation hostesses. But the list of American hostesses who will give great parties during the coming season is almost endless. There are, too, tho Duchess of Roxburghe, the Countess of Craven, and Lady Leith of Fvvio, Lady Maidstone (a member of the Drexel family), and tho . Honourable Mrs. Cecil Bingham, onco Mrs. Chauncoy, one of the most popular American hostesses in London, whose unexpected marriage to General Bingham took all her friends by surprise. The presentation of the former Miss Vivien Gould at . Court is already a topic of animated conversation in the powerful American colony. Lajter on, i Count and Countess Laszlo Szochenyi will bo coming over to swell . the gathering, of the Vanderbilt jjjans in London for the Coronation# :♦'.. tmJ. 7. r,.