LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 1934, 19 March 1891, Page 33

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— Nothing is too extravagant to be thought of by an American hostess ; and now that low table decorations are in vogue, this was what actually happened in Washington a short time ago. At a luncheon party the centrepiece was a mound of magnificent American Beauty roses, and as the guests rose from the table, each was requested to pull out a flower. As the request was complied with, the flower elongated, and from 3ft to 4ft of stem accompanied it. The mystery wag explained when the mound was dismantled. The middle leaf of the table had been cut and the jar of roses set on the floor beneath, coming up through the opening. The handsome cloth, too, was cut, so that to give a moment's surprise several pounds' worth of damage had been deli- • berately wrought. — In Eoumania women have for some years been eligible for the mayoralty, and one lady, Madame Anna Jonesco, has actually attained to this municipal distinction. In 1888 Madame Jonesco was eleoted Mayoress of Mangala, and filled the position until August 1890. Two months later she removed to Pranesci, in tbe district of Ilfoy, and im-

mediately upon her arrival was once mor nominated to the same offica. Madame Jonesco is the wife of a magistrate. — The visits of the Empress Frederick and her children to England during her husband's life were always looked forward to. When the late Fritz was alive, his dutiful attentions, to the Queen were the delight of heir Majesty's heart. As soon as her Majesty, rose to retire for the night, the (then)' Crown Prince habitually stood up and accompanied her to her private apartments. This courteous ceremony was always called "taking grandmamma home!" and the moment Fritz reappeared, after the great lady was safely housed in her own quarters for the night, it was the signal for unlimited merrymaking among the young folk, whe then sang, danced, and romped galore — good-natured Fritz being merriest of all tine party. After his death the Prussian Princesses pleaded for a like "good time" after grandmamma's departure — " Papa always let us 'haye as much fun as we' liked at this hour 1 " One Sunday evening of their second visit to the castle, as soon as the august lady of the house "had "gone home," they begged very hard for a revival of the old gay times. Spme demur was made. "But," said the girls, "we always do in Germany ; besides, it is 12 o'clock, Sunday is over 1 " And they dragged the piano aside, moved the furniture, and had a dance, each playing turn and turn about, and enjoying themselves to the top of their bent. — At one of the prettiest American weddings of last winter the bride, her pages, and her attendant maidens were dressed in Venetian costumes copied from old paintings. The bride's high-necked gown was of white satin embroidered with pearls, silver, and Rhinestones in a design of orange bloßsom sprays tied with Renaissance bows. The bodice had a Venetian collar' of pearls, and full long sleeves slashed with China crape and pointed low on the hands. The demitrained skirt was nearly covered by fldunces of old ■ point-lace, and the veil was of similar lace fastened by a diamond tiara. A court train of great length was suspended from the shoulders, made of white velvet bordered with white fox fur," and With embroidery of pearls, silver, and brilliants. The square corners of this train were held- by two little boys in page costumes, of white brocaded silk, with large puffed sleeves and short breeches of white satin, long, white silk stockings, and pointed Venetian shoes of white satin. The four bridesmaids wore picturesque gowns of turquoise-blue crepe de Chine, with tbe bodices and sleeves slashed in Venetian fashion, and filled- in with oval puffs of pink chiffon muslin. 'Their large, low, round hats were of turquoise-blue velvet trimmed with small erect bunches of pink ostrich tips. ' Instead of ea'rryinsf bouquets, each pair of bridesmaids bore a festooned garland of pink roses that appeared to link them together. The bride carried a prayer book with a massive silver cover. ' — Princess Louise; Marchioness of Lome, paid to her late master in art, Sir Ed?ar Boeh'm, the graceful tribute of attending his funeral in person. Her Royal Highness, who was dreise'd in deep mourning, sat in a seat on the south side of the nave' of the cathedral, close to the daughters of Sir Edgar, during the' funeral service. Major Bigge represented the Queen, and laid on the coffin, for her Majesty, a wreath of laurels tied With white satin, and inscribed; "A" tribute of regard ' and gratitude for many beautiful works executed J f or her, from Victoria E.l.'* The Prince and Princess of Wales, who have a happy knack of sending not only kindly, but pretty mementos to their ' departed friends, had entrusted Cblonel Stanley Clarke with an exceedingly beautiful wreath of lilies of the valley, eucharis lilies, 'and white lilac, with the words attached: "A token of sincere regard and friendship from, the Prince and Princess of Wales.'* —A Home-paper tells the following yam of " a quiet life ":—"" :— " A young woman married and went to live at the country residence of her husband. Her health was not good, and it was decided that she should spend a year in strict retirement. At the end of sis months, however, she returned to town, declaring that such a quiet life was more than she could endure. It appears that during that time she had had 37 different servants, one of whom was discharged for an attempt to set the house on fire whilo intoxicated, and one for an attempt to rob the plate closet, while half a dozen more were sent away for violent quarrels in their part of the establishment. The lady's mother-in-law had been thrown from a carriage at the foot of the lawn and injured fatally; her sister-in-law had come to make a visit and had improved. the opportunity to run away with a man whom she bad been forbidden to marry. The time had further been broken in upon by visits from the six bridesmaids of the hostess, who invited them in pairs for two weeks each, and then asked a few men to meet them, lest it should be dull. A gale had blown down an oak so near the house that its 'branches dashed in the drawing room windows, and the stables had been struck by lightning and burned to the ground. ' And such a quiet life,' the young lady said, concluding her account, ' waa to» much for me.' " — The Kaiser has consented to " promise and vow " on behalf of a little godson in Silesia. This babe was born on tbe same day as the new German princelet lying in the cradle at Berlin, and is the seventh son of a humble joiner at Leobschuetz. The parents of this favoured infant rejoice in the name of Kicbtansez ; and be sure they are vastly proud of the honour his Majesty is going to do them. — The wreath laid upon Victor Emanuel's tomb on the thirteenth anniversary of his death by the Syndic in the name of the City of Rome waa the work of the girls at the Female Professional Schools. It was of artificial flowers, but there was absolutely nothing but the lack of perfume to distinguish it from the wreaths of real flowers heaped around it. The girls who attend these schools are drawn from all classes of society. The system of perfectly equal treatment to all under the auspices of the directress works admirably. Between 600 and 700 girls of all ages are now pupil 3. The fees are almost nominal, but the technical instruction in many branches is so superior to what can be obtained elsewhere that many girls belonging to the upper class attend some of the courses. These comprise an ordinary educational course, jnoluding ope or two foreign l&u.

guages, drawing, painting, needlework in all its branches, from setting a patch neatly up to exquisite art embroidery, hand and machine knitting, artificial flower-making," cooking, and dressmaking. The class rooms ate on the tipper floors of an immense building, formerly a convent, and are sunny and airy. When Queen Margharita of Italy was one morning visiting the Professional School it occurred to her that it was the fittest place in whioh to teach girls cooking. In reply to her Majesty, the superintendent remarked that the funds necessary for providing the means of this additional instruction ■were not available for that year at least. A few days after all the apparatus needful for a school of culinary art were sent to the institution as " a gift from th« Queen Margharita." —There is (says a Home paper) something very sad in the touching little note Princess Christian has written to the authorities of the Church Army Social Scheme, to express j her sympathy with the object it has in view. She takes, as she says, a very great interest in the work ; and hopes later on to be able to contribute towards it. Later on I When her next year's income is to hand, of course she means, for it ia an open secret that the Princess, daughter of the richest queen in Christendom though she be, has a hard struggle sometimes to make both ends meet 1 — An American editor has been collecting the opinion of several well known people on dress. A lady who is a resident physician at Vassier and contributes to scientific periodicals protests against high fur collars. She declares they render the throat susceptible to cold and make the neck " scrawny." Dr Louisa Bryson says Frenchwomen are dolichocephalous and Englishwomen brachycephalous, and that these characteristics are not sufficiently < studied in their dress. She declares American women are developingsome Indian qualities of physique, high cheek bones among the rest, and that their bonnets should be chosen with due regard to this oircumBtance. Another busy woman, who is a journalist, hates to see women trailing their gowns in the mud and dust, and hopes Mrs Hancock's improved dress will become general, but would like to adopt it as a pioneer herself, " because small boys would Bhout." A doctor of the masculine persuasion asserts his belief that his sex regard with peculiar favour the prevalence of bright colours in women's dress— the soft yet brilliant reds and yellow and the gleam of jewels. He even thought that men ought to offer women a special vote of thanks in December for making themselves cheerful to look upon. —A delicious novelty for epicures is the following Bussian macedoine of fresh fruit : — " Slice thinly three Seville oranges, from which the peel has been removed; place them at the bottom of a plain china mould ; scatter over these a layer of grapes carefully detached from, the bunch, and separately wiped with a soft dry towel. Then comes a handful of forced strawberries, intermingled with fresh almonds cut in small shreds, and tiny square pieces of hothouse pineapple. Over these comes another layer of grapes, closed in with slices of oranges. Dissolve two gills of pure gelatine in a pint ot water ; when ready for use, add thereto a wineglass of Marasohino, a tumblerful of syrup of sugar, a liqueur glass of anisette, and two spoonfuls of Kummel. Take as many petals of freshly pluoked Bussian violets as a small band can hold, and throw them in too. Pour this very fragrant mixture over the fruit so that it fills in every crevice, and place the mould, tightly covered, in a pail of crushed ice and salt. Leave it thus for three hours, -until thoughly congealed. When about to serve, plunge the mould for a second in boiling water, turn it over on a cut-glass dish, surround the transparent structure with a garland of Russian violets, and send it up quickly to the table." — The Prince of Wales has seen nearly every country in the world, conversed with nearly every contemporary of the slightest eminence in politics, war, science, literature, art, religion. Indeed, his experience and its results almost unsettle one's faith in that Tespectable old saw about there being no royal \ road to knowledge. Truth to tell, there is a special road for royalty, though not many j have trodden it with such profit to themselves j as the well-informed Prince now at the head of English society. It is true he had to begin j like humbler mortals with a sound education of the pedagogic kind, enforced by a pretty stringent discipline ; but— what is not generally known — he had also the somewhat perilous hap to become his own master, to all intents and purposes, at 17. Of course he was not nominally of age till 21, only the actual sovereign attaining to majority at 18 ; bufc the Queen decided to hasten the day of his emancipation from parental authority, which was, no doubt, a wise resolve on her Majesty's part, seeing that an heir-apparent towards the verge of manhood would not easily be controllable. In a letter formally announcing to the Prince his freedom (November 1858), the Queen said he might have thought the rule his parents adopted for his eduoation a severe one, but his welfare was their object, and knowing to what seductions of flattery he would eventually be exposed, they wished to strengthen and prepare his mind against them. ■ Henceforth, they should never intrude any advice upon him, though always ready to give ife when, asked. According to Greville the letter "made a profound impression" on bhe Pxiu.ce. " He brought itto Gerald Wellesley in floods of tears, and the effect it produced i 9 a proof of the wisdom which dictated its composition." Whatever may be the Prince's shortcomings in other respects, he certainly knows how to play the host to perfection, and tte Princess is eyen more charming. — The following item 3 are from the letter of the South Australian Chronicle's lady correspondent in London : — It is the opinion of most modistes that plain skirts will be in vogue during the spring, with or without the addition of the tablier. A novel idea is to edge the hem of skirts with a ball fringe trimming. The " Re'ligiease " sleeve is being employed for tea-gowns, dressing-gowns, and travelling oloaks ; it is cut wide at the wrists, and has wide turned-up cuffs. Medallions are in great favour. Some ladies are outting rounds of velvet out and attaching the same to black net skirts for evening wear, either with the aid of fine stitches or gum; the latter process requires careful treatment, or the.

will make its presence visible where it is not required. _ „ At a recent ball held at Tunbndge Wells the second Lady Brassey wore a handsome toilet of rich yellow brocade; the corsage was trimmed with chiffon, pearls, and bunches of yellow feathers ; the skirt had a short train edged with a narrow frill. Lady Brassey is tall, her figure fine, and her hair extremely dark — a great contrast to the lady of Sunbeam reputation. Lady William Neville, who is of Spanish extraction, wore a magnificent tiara of diamonds, pearls, and emeralds. Her dress of yellow silk was profusely trimmed with black lace ; round the foot of the skirt there was a garniture of pink roses, and in her hand Lady William carried a fan of yellow feathers. This dress with its curious colour mixture exaotly suited her Oriental style of beauty. | I observe a remarkable tendency among dark women to wear pale blue, and for very smart occasions gold passementerie is more or less lavishly employed to trim. Bengaline (silk) and also cashmere lend themselves admirably to this kind of trimming. A little of it and good is in better taste than much of indifferent quality. The "Spinsters," as a certain party of young unmarried women styled themselves, gave a very successful ball at the Town Hall, Eyde, Isle of Wight, last week. Yellow is quite the most popular colour for evening toilets and room decorations. The walls of the ballroom on the occasion I speak of were hung entirely with yellow silk, and the lights were shaded with artificial yellow chrysanthemums, tulips, and roses. The entertainment was called "the butterfly ball,' 1 and butterflies of every size and hue were to be seen everywhere. Large ones looped up draperies, flights of smaller butterflies had alighted on flowers, banks of ivy, and pampas grass. The ladies of the committee wore butterflies as a distinguishing mark and also powdered hair. Nothing of late has been heard of the cross-saddle habit which created such a great commotion a year ago and threatened to revolutionise our former opinions concerning the best posture for women equestrians. The Princess of Wales from the first condemned the attitude as immodest ; and with his usual good taste the Prince wrote to the ladies who gave notice of their intention to ride astride to ask them as a personal favour not to do so. Riding habits are made chiefly of hairy cloth 3, Melton cloth being considered old fashioned. The jackets are cut on the same Hn6S as a man's morning coat, and the vests of kerseymere or deer skin. The majority of habits are black; grey-brown are seldom seen. Most heads are now dressed Greek fashion. The fringe is narrowed and drawn forward to shade the forehead ; the hair in point is parted across the head, half of it drawn to thejfront and the rest over the crown quite to the back, the hair growing on the lower half being raised to meet it and both coiled in classical knob with the extreme ends drawn through the centre of the coil and frayed out to make a fuzzy tuft. Any sketch of a Greek classical figure will illustrate the simple style I try to describe. The style of coiffure is completed by two bands of velvet mounted on wire, one extending further than the other towards the forehead, but both shaped to the head and joining at the back immediately under the hair coil. These hooped bands are finished by jewels or neat bows placed on the top of the head or at the side, according to taste.