LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 1951, 11 April 1889, Page 34

LADIES' GOSSIP.

—When ,the Duke of Oonnaught was in Canada, -years ago, he met, at an evening party an American young lady who made a dead set at him. The boy was, of course, rather flattered, for the lady was decidedly pretty. The two safe down together to examinea photograph album. Now the hostess was a devout Loyalist', therefore the album was plentifully supplied with portraits of the royal family. These the y^ung lady criticised freely, calling out, in the. most nonchalant manner, "There's your brother Alfred 1 Thatfs your sister Beatrice." This the Duke did not seem to mind, but when it came tp " There's your mother. Is it like her,?" his face, flushed, and he remarked rather pointedly, "It is a very good likeness of her Maj esty." The fair American refused to take,, the hint, and each time she came across the Queen's portrait insisted upon styling it " your mother's," the Prince always irTreply speakipg of' 1 ,' her Majesty." This scene continued for some time, to the great amusement of the other guests. In f ucure the 1 Prince avoided entering into conversation with the lady, and she to this day cannot understand how she has offended him. —That is a very pretty story about the little Crown Prince of Servia. Maternal affection appeals to every soul, Slavonic or Servian. A regiment, of which the lad is honorary colonel, banqiietted the boy. Whispered a guest to monseigneur, "You had better propose a toast." To the amazement of all Belgrade, he instantly rose— "To my dearly-loved mother." This fell, like a thunderbolt. What was to be done ? En masse the soldiers rose, and, with much diplpmacy, drank to the "Crown Prince's mother,' thereby exculpating themselves from any political difficulty. Though quite unintentional on the part of the Prince, there is more in this apparently small matter than meets the eye. . If ever Servian politics should come to a crisis in the ousting of King Milan, this little speech be treasured at St. Petersburg, and the author will derive much benefit and many blessings. — The St. Petersburg Gazette believes that the question of lady doctors in Russia has been definitely settled in an affirmative sense, withthe stipulation that ladies shall only attend on adults of [their own sex, and on children of both sexes.

— With regard to the widowed Crown Princess Stephanie (says the Queen), it may be stated that, although latterly the relations between herself and her husband had become strained, it is hard to speak with sufficient praise of her, who from the day of her arrival at Vienna won extraordinary popularity. Merry, gentle, and good, kind to everybody, and a devoted wife, her influence over her husband was most beneficial to him in former days ; and popular feeling is turning now towards the uciversally beloved young widow, who seemed destined to become one of the best of Empresses. Princess Elizabeth; the only child of the Crown Prince, is five years old, and a great favourite with the Emperor. His Majesty plays with his little granddaughter like a child, and the happiness he takes away with " him from the interviews with her, it is said, is risible on his face for hours and sometimes for days. —Admirably aSs her Majesty performs the part of the ever disconsolate widow, she is quite out of the running (eye-running, of course) when put in the lists with an American lady whose husband some time ago departed this life. Every morning this devoted widow visits his tomb, taps gently at the, door, and says, "May! come in?" Silence giving consent, she unlocks the mausoleum, and enters, remarking, "Good morning, my dear, how have you passed the night ?" Then she inspects the coffin, places fresh flowers upon it, and goes off to carry on her husband's business' — a medical institute. She also pays a watchman daily to enter the tomb every morning at 6, saying, " Good morning, doctor," while in the even ing he must see that all is right, remarking, •• Good night, doctor, we hope you rest well." AfteY' this the Frogmore ceremonials are mere child's play, and only in keeping with the silly waitings of a little girl after her dead kitten or canary. —An English lady, the daughter of a deceased doctor long resident in Paris, has just passed a brilliant public examination there for her own medical degree^ The arrangements of study and examination in Paris are very different from what they are in England. Here, the latter, a lady who proposes to enter the medical profession joins her own separate women's medical school in London or Edinburgh ; even at the hospital she does not meet students of the other sex ; and her examinations, which are mainly written, are conducted by men, it is true, but are quite private. How different it is in Paris 1 There female students are admitted with male ones to the education provided by the State for its future physicians and surgeons ; the students of both sexes " walk the hospitals " (attending patients of both sexes) side by side, and all the examinations, of which there are five, are public, and viva vooe I Not only the other students, but any curious persons of the outside world, may be present to hear the questions and answers ; and Miss Edwards passed her final ordeal in the presence of a great concourse of spectators. It seems as if it must be a much more serious affair to become a doctor" in Paris than in England ; but several ladies o| English and Americanbirth have passed successfully. — Probably the most spacious kitchen in England is that of Raby Castle, the seat of the Duke of Cleveland. It is 30ft equaie,

having three,- chimneys, one for the grate, a- second fo.r,, stoves,; and, the third .for the great cauldron. The . roof is arched, with a small cupola in the centre. It has- -five windows, from each of which steps descend, but only in one instance to the floor, and a gallery runs round the whole interior of the building. The ancient oven had a diameter of 15ft, and would allow a tall man to stand upright -in it. 'Tfofit as, this kitchen u|, -it must have been sometimes taxed by the hospitality of former ages, for in one of the apartments of the. castle, ,700 knights were upon one/occasion entertained at .the same time. ' —Many of ; . the new. rings have no golden ornamentation, in the setting .surrounding the stones, wtiicb. , are snnk.. into the, metal. The old fashion of a triple ring, , ,with, .three |, rows of different stones, has come back again. Diamonds, rubies, and emeralds , are. often i chosen. Another favourite arrangement is three rows above each other of three stones in each row, trie first of one row being placed beneath the last of the previous one. . - — Many • stories are told of the wise economy of the Duke of Edinburgh, but surely the following bears the palm. Soon after he was promoted to the command of a ship he was stationedfof some time at Gibraltar, and while there was in the habit of ■ dining withthe officers of the garrison some four or five days out of the seven. One day at dinner his Eoyal Highness, remarking upon the continual absence of mutton from- the menu, was told that there ; were no sheep in Gibraltar. The Prince had some very fine ones on board his ship, which hea t once volunteered to send for the; mess, and was warmly thanked by the officers for his kindly present. '.A fortnight 'later, however, when the ship was leaving Gibraltar, an equerry waited upon the' officer who had charge of the mess and requested payment for the sheep. The . officer, highly amused, refused to pay one farthing unless the Prince should send a formally-worded bill, made out hi the name of his Royal Highness and properly^ receipted by him. The equerry agreed, and, in the course of an hour, presented a bill for the mutton the Prince had helped to eat, and received payment for it. Needless- 'to say, the bill of the royal trader is preserved among the archives of the regiment. - 1 — Mrs Phelps' farewell reception on 25th January was crowded by her many friends, \ who all took- advantage of the opportunity; of wishing her good-bye. Mr Phelps, her son, and daughter were with her, and she wore the diamond bracelet subscribed for by her friends in England. It is no disparagement to Mr Phelps (remarks the World) to say how much his popularity has been augmented by Mrs Phelps. Always bind, pleasant, with a kind word and a sweet look for every one, her gentle womanly tact, her graceful presence and dignity, have won her friends on every side. Mrs Phelps has attained a popularity no woman in an official position ever enjoyed before. j —It is quite understood at St. Peters r I burg, says the St. James' Gazette, that either Princess Melitza or Princess Anas : tasia of Montenegro will become the wife of the Ozarewitch. Princess Melitza was born in July 1866, - and Princess Anastasia in January 1868, while the Czarewitch will be 21 next May. They are handf some, dashing, clever girls, and the Czar has long desired that one of them should become his daughter-in-law. The Empress of Russia would have liked her son to choose a daughter of the Prince of Wales or King of Greece ; but the marriages of cousins are so strictly forbidden in the Greek Church that it was necessary to abandon this project. —Many of the fashionable women of Paris are wearing huge hats of white kid on which are black feathers in reckless profusion. The effect is startling. i — It probably is. not generally known that certain chambers in Hampton Court Palace are said to be haunted. One of the legends is to the effect that the ghost of the nurse of King Edward VI, who died young, walks about invisibly, and makes her appearance when a royal child is born in the palace, and that a royal child born under such condi : j tions is sure to die young. It is a ! curiou^ ! coincidence that the Princess Frederica o£ Hanover (Baroness yon Pawel Rammingen), who has rooms in the palace, declares tha^ she saw a little wizened old woman of singujlarly strange appearance flitting about the palace before the birth of her child, and that the child, the first child of royal descent born in the palace since the days of Edward VI, should have died quite young. But, no doubt, in this case the result was father to the cause, and the early death of the ohild recalled the legend, when it would have indeed been odd if some old crow hadjaot been sufficiently handy to be easily raked up in the perturbed imagination of the sorrowing mother. Still, there is no doubt that ladies of royal descent who happen to be in an interesting condition will go and stay with friends or even descend to humble lodgings in a three-pair back, rather than run the risk of subjecting their babies to the malign influence of the nurse of King Edward VI.

— Frau Kettler, the distinguished editress of the Weimar Frauenberuf, has written a short paper on the history and progress of the woman movement. In England, she observes, women are striving principally foy political privileges, while in - Germany they are endeavouring to gain a larger entrance into the industrial world in order, "on the one hand, to lighten the struggle for existence for the unmarried women, and on the other, for the portionless widows." The Deutsche Frauenverein Reform was established about a year ago in Weimar, and has members in various parts of Germany. Among the callings which it earnestly advocates for women is that of medicine. The Verein looks forward to the time when, if women who are in sympathy with this movement would unite, there might >$ be women doctors trained at the universities, and a women's annexe, as the Americans would say, to the universities. —There is no end to the variety of personal vices. One of the latest is the ♦' ginger habit." The victim becomes a slave to ginger just as others become the slaves of tobacco, whisky, or opium ; and it is the more dangerous because it is supposed to be harmless. In reality it slowly destroys the lining of the stomach, and causes lingering pain and agonising death. Ginger essence contains twice as much alcohol as whisky, and is resorted to ,by. old topers, on. whom

whisky no *. longer has any: effect,. -, Many womenare addicted to the immoderate use 1 , of ginger, and it is a.. depraved habit very easily acquired by the too free'use of ginger for flatulence, cramps, &c. ; , —When the saint's day of little King Alphonso was celebrated lately at Madrid a grand dinner, to which 100 dignitaries were invited, concluded the day's festivities. It ,was served in the great hall built and decorated by the late King,, and the table, on which was displayed the unrivalled wealth o| plate belonging to the, Spanish court, was, ornamented with 20 gigantic vases of^all the choicest flowers of the Southi The dessert w.as served, on the antique Sevres service, on Yfhichare, painted yiewi? of the chief Spanish/ towns and monuments, and which, in its way, is as celebrated as the plate. ! -r-Agirvpos of the Prince of W^es.and one of the pictures recently on ..view at the. Stuart Exhibition, an*, amusing little story is told . >The picture,' which represents a scowl- 1 i 'vug, ill-tempered fellow, enough, was hanging in one pfthe rooms in Warwick Castle >spme years" ago,' when the Prince of Wales, "was; there on a visit. The Prince was struck sby the picture.and, turning to the, housekeeper, .inquired whose portrait it was., ,The housekeeper^ a Scotchwoman from the far Highlands,'answered readily enough, " James III.'? i" Ah, yes, of coudej the old Pretender.'! The sturdy Highlander looked at him sternly for a minute, and then significantly remarked; "To our moinds it was na he that wus the Prentender." Let ush'cpe the Prince blushed . for his usurping ancestor who kept James 111 from his own. — The first wreaths placed on the bed on which the body of the Austrian Crown Prince* .had been laid out were brought by the widowed, Crown Princess and the little Princess Elizabeth, pfown Princess' wreath .was composed, of her husband's favourite flowers, white rose, white pinks, apd lilies of the valley. When the body arrived in the Hof burg the Crown Princess asked to see it; but she was prevailed upon to rest for some hours. When the day dawned she went to the room where her husband was lying on the, bed he usually occupied, covered with a purple plush coverlet, his hands crossed on tiis breast, and a smile on his lips. At first the young widow could not move or speak | she stood as one in a trance. Then suddenly the tears came, and with loud sobs she sank upon her inees, burying her, face in the Crown Prince's bed. She refused for a long time to leave the spot, and when at last she was persuaded to return to her little daughter) who needed her comfort, she was unable to

walk without support. —At a recent wadding a tin box was pro T duced in whicfi.eWas placed a sheet of paper containing ,the autographs of all present, a list of the gifts received, photographs of bride and groom, a. piece of the wedding cake and of the bride's, dress, one of her gloves,, some of the orange blossoms, and anything else of interest. The box is to be securely fastened, not to be reopened for 25 years. The mother of the bride had had a similar box prepared and found the opening of it 25 years after an event of such great interest that she advised her daughter to do the same. What a chapter of history such a casket contains.

—As an outcome of the "Work and Leisure " Inquiry Department, in course of the management of which a large number of ladies requiring employment came under notice, a dressmaking and needlework club has been started in London. Here, ladies, after they have received a sufficient training, may obtain remunerative employment as plain needleworkers, dressmakers, or milli- • ners. Orders are received at the club for trousseaux and underiinen generally, some of the lingerie made being of a very elaborate description. The club undertakes to send out competent ladies by the day to private houses when the mending of dresses or household linen is required. On the staff of the establishment is a lady who U clever in the art of repairing and transferring valuable lace : whilst another makes filigree gold and silver sprays for evening wear. Besides these, supplies are kept on hand of warm knitted stockings and hygiene underclothing. All About a Fire O'clock Tea, " What is a ' five o'clock tea,' please ? " says the country mouse to the city mouse, " and when do you give it, and how, and do you really have tea, and what do you wear ? We read of five o'clock, teas stories and see them announced in the society papers, but we have only the faintest, most intangible ideia, a kind of composite photograph of vague impressions of what they are.". . " Just sit down, dear, and I'll tell you all about it," answers the pretty city mouse. " Now, a five o'clock tea, is the simplest, cheapest, easiest kind of entertainment a person can arrange, and when I am just too lazy to do anything at all and yet feel under such a weight of social obligations that I can't sleep nights, why, I give a series, of teas to quiet my conscience. One tea is no good at all, for you can't invite all your friends, and that is one of the things that you have no sort of an excuse for leaving people out of ; so I give one each week, until every name on my visiting list has .been used in the invitations. Sometimes the invitations are engraved, but that is exceptional. Most ladies just take their visiting card, which always has their day for receiving calls engraved in the corner, and simply write « Tea from 4 to_6, or from sto 7.' When a lady gives a very large tea, she sometimes receives from 3 to 6, but teas are rarely earlier than 4 or later than 5 o'clock. Of course you e nclose the card in its appropriate envelope and send.it by'mail to those you wish to invite. Then you have your dining table spread in some convenient room, like aback parlour or library, but not in the reception room. You do not enlarge the table with any leaves, but cover it with the daintiest, dearest little cloth, ! called a 5 o'clock tea cloth, all bordered with ! drawn work as fine as lace, or embroidered in pale blue or pink. At one end of the table' you have your Sunday [best teapot, covered with an embroidered tea cosey, and on the floor beside the table stands a wrought iron standard on which hangs a small copper kettle for hot water, with a bright alcohol, flame burning underneath. At the other end of the table is a dish of bouillon, and between them are plates of small, square sandwiches as thin as lawn, or the oblong pieces of thin bread and butter called .lady fingers/; a dish of salted almonds, another of glace J fruit, some assorted cakes, and perhaps a fruit salad. Occasionally jou will find, ices.

and meat '■ salads f . at lastea,- but; then it ap- { proachefi a reception , : sp , closely- it <is hard to draw the .defining, line between .them, and really it is hardly good form, for it is quite the- en regie jWay to serve nothing at all at tea but tea and sandwiches.; Then you make the tea table j attractive jwith your most ex--quisite china-cups and,saucers, v heap flowers, everywhere, and invite the two prettiest girls ypu know,- to .serve the tea and bouillon^ standing pne at .each • end of the table in the, most picturesque' toilets they can devise.'. One pretty girl is supposed to make the. tea on the table from the hot water in the little, kettfoijat.tbafc.iß just/for effects The tea is real^madeirithe kitchep, and the teapot is, replenished, surreptitiously from time-to time, , by the maid, who, stands behind the screen washing, up. cups and saucers." — New r . , ' Five O'clock Tea. ; „ Fiva o'clock tea, ,.," , .-> , Is delightful to me, . „ Tthfuk 'it tlie happiest hour of the day ; I ... •Whenrmsitbibgbyyon,, > ' ■ ■ , Irejoioejhro'andthr'o', ; i - As I pee a.neat maid couaingjn with the, tray. "/, With my heart in a flutter : ' , ' ' I hand, bread and butter, And take out the cups as you give them to me ; ■ - You look bo divine; '• ' " „ - Asyour fingers fcouota. mine ; , - Oh nectar was nothing to £ye o'clock teal Your hand is dream , ' As you put in the cream, And your eyeß are mucn'syeece'r than sugar to me j ;.' Gould Ibe a loafer, : By you on the sofa-, v • I'd Bpead allmy lifetime at five o'clock tea, i • ' -rMoonshlne. , • , , )__ ■ ' > !••