LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 62

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— Mercifully for society, in this twentieth century, the clever woman is no longer synonymous with the plain and dowdy one— in fact, the majority of our 'beauties nowadays, aie as talented and accomplished as they arc good to look upon. A discussion was going on in a London di awing room the other day, apropos of the cleveiest women of the present generation in society, and someone pies-ent declared that Lady Wai wick, Lady Violet Greville, Lady Limerick, and ilrs Tuinant undoubtedly headed the poll. Lady Warwick's energy is as conspicuous, as her beauty and the meie society butterfly, who " never has a moment to sjjare," naturally wonders at the immense amount of hard work Lady Warwick manages to accomplish in the organisation and management of her entiles*' philanthropic.il scheme". Lidy Viule* Ureville, who is a daughter of the famous Caroline, Duchess of Moniro«e. has been a well-known writer for imany yeais. and is a tlioroughly well-read and informed lady. She is a sister of the pie.-ent Duke of Montiose. LaSy Violet (Jrcville, though by no means an aggressively "new"' woman — a,bhorring_eyerything masculine and emancipated in dress and mannei — is deeply interested in all the problems of the d j iy that especially affeel her own sex. A striking characteristic of hers is her singularly sweet voice, and she is a bright and sometimes very entertaining conversationalist. In appearance she has a thoughtful, intelligent face, and she is tall, slim, and graceful. Lady Violet lias alw-iy- been an enthusiastic cyclist, and wa^ one of the veiy iiist society ladies to ride in London. — The pietty twin-sisters Vivian, Queen Alexandra's youngest maids-of-honour, do their hair like all those in inner Court circles, exactly in the way the Queen wear.s hers. Is this the ie.«ult of homage to the (Sovereign or ot a hint from an august quarter? —In "Madame. '" Mrs Eric Pntcliard, ■wiitin^ on "Fashions," says: "I veritably believe that. this all-important year, fashions will be really lovely, and it is certainly very important that thpy should be so, ior naturally very great historical interest will be attached to the fashions of 1902. and truly fiom an artistic point of view will they contrast favourably with tho<-e of JB3B. For instance, though theie ha\e evei been past-masters in the designing of women's fashions, they were executed by a very different class from the arbitrators, of la mode to-day, added to which there are so many influences at work that combine to m.ike fashion all that is beautiful. In the trading world of London, for example, some of our best designers and •leading dressmakers are people of birth and eaucation, familiar from childhood with art at its best and most beautiful, consequently they cull their ideas of drapery from the Greeks, of colour from the Orientals, and of chic from the most beautiful periods of .past French history. Artists of repute stoop to design our frocks and give our manufacturers the advantage of their subtle knowledge of colour." — Private intimation has reached the Covent Garden authorities that the King and Queen will again freely patronise the Royal Opera during the coming season, and for this reason, indeed, the Royal Ir>X"<-, winch last year were let to other people, havt again been reserved. Their Majesties (xiys Tiuth) will probably follow the precedent of the former reign, and come sometimes privately, at others in semiState. — The " Nice Boy " writes to Modern Society : — " The other day I enjoyed a fascinating and entirely novel" experience. I went down to spend the week-end with a friend of mine at whose house I had frequently called, but at which. I had never before stayed. Hi« mother, with whom he lives, decided some [ yeais ago to give up men-sei vants. and as s~e has a decided liking for pretty girls she ! replaced her staid butler and stalwart footman by a staff of pretty parlourmaids, whose smart and stylish appearance has long been an object of my admiration. But what took me completely by surprise was that, when my fiiend had shown me to my room and left me there, only aibout half a minute elapsed before there came a tap at the door, and in ie--ponse to a rather gruff" ' Come in,' grunted in the intervals of unstrapping my kit-bag, a tall and handsome housemaid entered the room, attired in the same smart black-and-white uniform ' as the parloui maids, with whose appearance I was already familiar. [ " ' Can I unpack for you. sir? ' inquired ■ tlus vision of beauty, la a well-bred voice.

' I should have had your things all ready by now, only you did not send up your keys, and so I could not unlock them.' I simply gasped at the idea of allowing such a creature to perform such a menial task, and I was about to blurt out a blunt refusal, when I fortunately recovered my presence of mind sufficiently to say, ' Oh ! thank you very much.' " In the course of conversation I learned from her that she and all the rest of the staff of servants were quite happy, and that they none of them regarded the 18in waist, which they were obliged to train down to in the first six months, as a hardship, but, on the contrary, took a pride in looking as smart and stylish as their mistress desired. The next morning the same maid (arrayed this time in pink print) brought me in a cup of tea, and informed me that my bath was all ready, while at the sam? time she gathered up my garments and calmly bore them off to the lower regions to bru^h them. " I once, on the Continent, heard an English girl complain that in France she objected to the ' gentlemen chambermaids,' wlu» enter the room so unceremoniously without warning ; but I must confess that this was certainly my first experience of the ' lady valet,' and as a novelty it was i without doubt a pleasant innovation. Whether, however, it %vould work well as a steady, everyday experience is another question ; but as T only stayed two days in this fascinating hoiu-ehold, I did not give it a long enough trial to -md out any drawtbacks. When the time came for departure I found that she had already packed everything up while I was downstairs, and I felt that my modest tip was absurdly inadequate remuneration for services performed by such a distinguished-looking young lady. ' — The latest je-t at Court is that " The Wearing of the Gieen" ought to be played instead of the National Anthem. This is because the Kins; has had his suite of rooms •at Windsor Castle uiihoNtered and papered in vivid green. — The King and Queen and all the members of the Royal Family who were staying at Windsor Castle attended the confirmation of the younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and the two elder childien of Prince.-!-. Beatrice in the private chapel at Windsor Castle recently. This was the first occasion on which Queen Alexandia and the Princesses descarded their mourning, her (Maje«tv w earing a. very pretty dress of cream colour. — Although Mdlle. Jeanne Chauvin has now been a full-blown banister for over four years, her appearance in the French courts never fails to excite a sensation. A short time ago, the Fourth Chamber of the Tribunal of the Seine was filled, especially by members of the Junior Bar, to hear the charming young doctoresse of laws argue a case of infringement of trade marks. The merchandise concerned was a certain design of corsets, and dozens of models of these articles of feminine attire were displayed on dummy iigures in court. Mdlle Chauvin argued 1 er case both cleverly and divertingly. and her experienced "learned friend" on the other side, Ale. Allard, had uphill work in rebutting her "plaidover." The judge deferred giving his decision. Dark in complexion, slight of build, with a somewhat pretty face, lit up by a pair of bright eyes, Mdlle Chauvin (says the Daily Graphic) possesses qualifications for her profession which her male competitors may well envj . But, beside.-, her attractive appearance, she has a solid knowledge of law, great selfpossession, and an engaging manner of speaking in public. She was born at Jargeau, in the Lonet, and was. left an oiphan at an call}' age. At school hhe was an infant prodigy. In 1884 she took her Bacheloi^hip of Letteis, in 1885 her Bachelors-hip of .Science, became .! Licentiate of Philosophy, 1890. and a Doctor of Laws in 1892. Her original intention had been to qualify for a post as teacher, but her academic success led her to think of higher tiiumphs, and she became an ardent exponent of the Rights of women. The thesis which won her her Doctorship of Laws dealt with "Professions Accessible to Women." and was a powerful plea for the admission of women to all the "carrieres,' without distinction. After teaching law for five years in a "Lycee ' for young ladies, Mdlle Chauvin determined to go to the bar. Her application was strongly contested, but it was found by the judges that the law was on her side, and she was duly sworn in towards the end of 1897. Since then she has been gradually building up a very consideiable practice, but her appearances in the courts are very few and far between. ■ — Whether Lady Abeideen will .wear the famous emerald-, of which there is much talk, in her coronet at the Coronation is a question. If piecedent be followed in the regulations to be promulgated by the Earl Marshal, she will not. At the last Coionation, these regulations provided that a coiintess'9 coronet "should be composed ot eight pearls, raised unon points or rays, with small strawberry leaves between, above the rim. ' The lim encircled a cap of crimson velvet, turned up with ermine, with a tassel of gold on the top. Precedent authorises no such thing as an exti a- jewelled coronet. — That famou- historical jewel, the blue diamond, which belonged to the Duke of Brunswick, is said to have turned up in America. It was stolen many years ago, and all traces of its whereabouts lost. After the death of the late Duke of Brunswick, whose heir was the Duke of Cumberland, Bi.-marck seized everything, and actually confiscated jewels and plate, as well as kingdom, and the i'.mpeior William's treasury lemained in possession of many things which, as private pioperty, ought to have been relinquished. A partial settlement of the matter is probably due to King Edward VII, and Germany has given back some of the spoil. This blue diamond, which was lost and is found, was at one tune among the Crown jewels of (France, and was valued at 3,000.000f. Tt had been sold to Louis XIV by Tavernier, a wellknown tiaveller and merchant, and formed part of the French regalia until 1792, when it was seized in the general plunder of the Revolution and deposited in tli£ Garde

Meuble. A few weeks afterwards it was stolen. Some 40 years later it reappeared, cut into two brilliants, but recognisable, by its peculiar colour. One of the 'brilliants was bought by Mr Hope for £18,000, and it is the other half that has lately turned I up in America. — The craze for everything English on the part of the King of Italy aas extended to Queen Helene, and she receives Englishspeaking people with particular kindness, her chief topic of conversation being — the baby. She entertained the wife of a diplomat, only the other day, with stories of her little daughter, who is not yet one year old. " lam jealous- of his Majesty," she said, "as Yolanda makes much more fuss over him than she does over me. lam not allowed to maintain any discipline. The other day the doctor had said I had better nob go near her, as I had a severe cold. At the neck of my dress was a bright button, which the little one loves, and for Trhich she stretched out her hand. " Xo, baiby," I said, "you cannot have it,"' and when she cried, the King came forward and said, " Yes. yes ; she must,' took a penknife from his pocket, cut the button off, and gave it to the baby to play with. "That," added her Ikajesty. laughing. "is the way discipline is maintained in the nurseiy of the Quirinal."' — The Queen of Roumania (whose wellknown pen-name is "Carmen Sylva") has had the distinction of being married four times to the same King. She first of all * married according to the German civil code ; she -was then wedded by a minister of her own religion (Lutheran), after which, the King being a Roman Catholic, the pair were linked together by a priest f and, finally, the ceremony was repeated by a dignitary of the Greek Church. "Carmen Sylva "' had as romantic a disposition when she was a girl as she has now. It was when she was half way through her teens that she first met the man who was destined to become her husband. He was then a, German Prince and a captain of Dragoons. The captain attracted the little prince»s, who, being accustomed to weave stories, told him one day when they were staying in the same house that if there was any country she would like to rule over, it was Roumania. The Prince said nothing, but years after, when he ascended the throne, he returned to the princess and asked her whether she remembered the wish that she had once expressed. The result was that the pair became engaged. '• Carmen Sylva " cares little for a throne, being; wrapped up entirely in literature. She is au early riser, and as a rule begins to« write at 4 o'clock in the morning. — To the grand growth of restheticism. which has been so marked a feature of the last 20 years in England, we owe our relief from the gross burden of mourning as our" grandparents knew and tolerated — nay, enjoyed — it. Time was when widows wore "weepers" for a year and a day. At the present hour we do not know what like a. "weeper"' is. Up till the close of the fifties had a widow dared to show herself abroad, or even at home, without these decorations, public opinion would have had something uncommonly plain to say about her light and unfeeling behaviour. In those crude days the sartorial authorities — and* their authority was then a real one — assured all respectful inquirers that, save in the " slight affliction " department, which only provided for the woe to be felt on the loss of cousins or distant "in-laws," crape in! tucks of ordered widths was the only wear. Who to-day wears crape, even when sole residuary legatee to a benevolent uncle? Half a century ago, to bury the dead withf less than a. week's interval would have beer* counted a monstrous disrespect. The "day after to-morrow "' is now adjudged to be> the fitting moment. — Westminster Gazette. — Since Queen Alexandra lent her aid to reviving English cottage lace-making it is leported that good work of the sort; invariably sells well. From one depot in London alone, during a recent year, nearly £20,000 went to clever Irish "home" lace workers, who have even contracts for supplying lace to firms in the United States. Lace of various, kinds* is made nearly all over the world, and even the black women of Brazil have a special variety of their own manufacture. — Princess Clementine, who is staying w:th her father, the King of the Belgians, at Cimiez, is very tall, with the finelymodelled figure that distinguishes the Belgian women of the higher class. She is remarkably handsome, and always dresses with marked simplicity, wearing few jewels on ordinary occasions beyond a pearl chain and big single stones in her ears.

To ewture publication in the forthcoming imve Itttfn hhould reach the Witness office if possible on Saturday night, but on no account later than Monday i>lht W Description* of halls, etc., must be endorsed hit either the Witness correspondent for the diUnct or by the secretary to the ball emmnittte. The MS of any correspondents who do not comply with thix rule will be sent to the secretary for endoi sement prior to appearing.— EM M ELI NH DANCE AT DLACKSTOKE HILL. Dear Emmeline,— On Friday, 4th inst., a very nice little dance w?s held in the school at Blackstone Hill. Among the ladies present I noticed Miss Spraggon, who looked well in. a white dress, Miss M. Spraggon, cream silk blouse and blue skirt; Miss Dillon, white Mouse Pud black skirt; Miss Farquhar, black dress, pink tie; Miss M'Devitt, light green Liberty silk blouse, trimmed white lace, and black "skirt, Miss Huddleston, loyal blue mermo blouse trimmed white silk, black skirt ; Miss Turner, black dress; Miss Wade, white blouse, trimmed with pink, dark skirt; Miss E Wade, light blouse, dark skirt, Miss Slater, pink blouse, black skirt; Mrs Little, dark blouse trimmed with white silk, dark skirt. Ihe dance commenced at 8 p.m., and broke up at 4 o'clock on Saturday morning. Refreshments were haiidcd round about 12.30. Mr P. Dillon, jun., supplied the music, and Mr R. Wade acted as M.C. All went home well pleased, aftei Inning a very good time.— OuLOCKEE.

The "Labour Question" is, we know, A problem hard to solve, But if its progress is but plow, Results in time revolve. But in the case of cold or Results are swift and 6ure, ' If we but take to drive them off Some Woods' Gbe^t FErrsBjQXT Craft