ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14787, 16 September 1911, Page 6 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

[FBO3I THE society papers.]

At- a recent wedding at Wood Green, where there -was a " best girl," who preceded the bride up the aisle, the three bridesmaids were "chained" together with cord, fiorally decorated.

The Queen has given each of her trainbearers a memento of the Coronation in the form of a very beautiful pendant. The pendants are made with pale blue enamel circles, in the centre of which is an " M" of diamonds, surmounted by a crown.

Not all American millionaires spend their money on luxury. Mr. John Wansunaker, of Philadelphia," the owner of the largest store in the world, and a millionaire several times over, leads a most frugal life. He does not care for society, and a visit to a concert or lecture is all he cares about in the way of entertainment. He says that he owes his success to hard work;and frugal living. Ho does not smoke or drink, and has very simple tastes in everything.

Prince Wilhelm, the second son of the King of Sweden, is married to a charming Russian Grand Duchess, Maria Pavlovna. At the time of the marriage she was regarded with a certain amount of suspicion Sy many patriotic Swedes, on account of her nationality. Princess Wilhelm, however, is nothing if not tactful, and wishing to improve her painting, she insisted upon entering the Stockholm Technical School as an ordinary pupil, and was placed in the highest class.

Of Mr. Chamberlain's family, life , surprisingly little is familiar to the general public. " Few people know that Mr. Austen and Mr. Neville Chamberlain are the children of the statesman's firs* and second wives respectively, or that he had four daughters, one of whom is dead. Mr. Austen's mother was Miss Harriet Kemvick when she married Mr. Chamberlain, and she died more than 40 years ago. Mr. Neville and his four sisters are the children of Mr. Chamberlain's second wife, Miss Florence Kenwick, who was a cousin of the first. •■

It is well known that the Kaiser's left arm has been almost useless from birth by reason of its shortness and the stiffness of the muscles of the hand, but it is not so well known with what marvellous quickness . and dexterity he lias cultivated the use of this arm. llie expedients which he employs to overcome its defects—-particularly troublesome to one who has to live so much in public many and ingenious. When he is on horseback, for example, his reins are passed through a piece of wood in such a way that they cannot slip forward out of his hand, so that the horse is always " kept • up to the bridle." , ~

Innumerable congratulations were received on July 25 by Mr. Balfour, who is now 63. He and Mr. Gerald Balfour are the only survivors of five brothers. He is allied" to the Cecils through his mother, a daughter of >< the second Marquess of Salisbury; it was due to the advice of the late Lord Salisbury, whom $he succeeded as Premier, that Mr. Balfour-entered upon a political ; career. His grandfather, who married a daughter of the eighth Earl of Lauderdale, belonged to "the": Balfours of Balbirnie. in Fifeshire. Whittingebame, Mr. Balfour's quiet Scottish home, was at one time a. stronghold of the Douglases.,

The.' Kaiser's v fourth son, Prince \ August Wilhelm, is married to Princess Alexandra iof Scbleswig-Holstein-Sonderbonrg-Gluck-stein, who is popularly supposed to have more extravagant tastes than please her Imperial father-in-law. For all that, he is exceedingly fond of his "little Alexandra," as he-,, familiarly calls her. The story goes than on more than one; occasion the' Kaiser has chaffed* Princess AugustWilhelm. upon her invariable seriousness, ami has suggested that she* was afraid of him. At dinner one evening, shortly before his last birthday, be exclaimed;"l ; shall soon believe that little Alexandra is incapable of a smile." The Princess proved the incorrectness of this idea by having a picture taken with a" huge smile, an enlargement of which stood on the Kaiser's birthday breakfast-table a few mornings later.

The Queen of Greece possesses one of the most fascinating confession albums. -Nearly every crowned head in the world : has contributed something to this book, 'and vastly entertaining it is to^ read the \ various i answers given by these august personages to the questions asked. In answer to the question! " What is your idea of happiness*:" the King of Greece has wittily written: "To always have a sovereign without a crown." '■' The question: •'.;" What vis your idea of unhappiness ?';'.* ■ has ; been answered by the King ■of Sweden as follows: *' Tight boots, a corn, and a heavy foot on top of it." Opposite the question: "What kind of person do you consider the most objectionable?" the late King Edward has written: ■ "The most objectionable being in ; the world, in my opinion, is the man who will insist on pointing at you with \ his umbrella and' shooting: 'There he is!'"

A really splendid ball was the one given by Mrs. David'Beatty in honour of Lady Rosemary Iveveson-Gower at Hanover . Lodge, • Regent's Park. Everything was done just as well as—well,' just as well as only unlimited wealth can do things. There were over 500 gaeste, including the one and only "K. of K.," that greedy ? Egypt is .so soon to snatch away again; all the wo';men .wore their freshest ;gowns though it was the fag-end of the season, and .to go with them ; lots :of the inevitable " makeup,",., more " than usually i necessary. The floor-was perfect. There .were cards, i»>r-.;tune-tellers, music, everything imaginable to keep the chaperons from getting bored; and the supper, prepared under the asgis of the Beatty chef, was of that scrumptious kind calculated to drive even the most abstemious sooner or later,to Marienbad. Mrs. Beatty enjoys half the immense wealth of | the late Marshall Field. She 'leapt quickly {• to social eminence some years ago, when ,'j she took over Inverca-uld, which faces Bai- ■ moral from the other side of the Dee. Here

she- 6o improved her shooting that the late 'King got some very fine sport there, and 'in return invited the then captain and the -Miss Field up to the castle to dinner, after which, of course, the social coast was clear..,