LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2524, 30 July 1902, Page 62

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— No social event for years has caused s-r. much anxiety and heartburning as the Court on May 30, and the poor ladies who had not been fble to order train" were all a little doubtful (gossips "Belle," in the Woild) as to what would be the result of their appearing without them. I hear it passed eff well, on the whole, and that the King and Queen were veiy giacious. 'iJie twr> brides of last year. Lady Clementine Waring and Lady Helen Stavordale, were a source of great interest. Lady llchester, looking very handsome and very proud of her daughter-in-law, presented Lady Helen, who looked very stuking and handsome in her Couri crown of ivory satin

and lri=h lace, and her jewels were lovely. She has improved so much in beauty since her marriage. Some beautiful gowns were worn, and none more beautiful than the Queen's.

— Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress of Russia, celebiattd her thirtieth birthday on June 6 The Czarina is closely lelated to our own Royal House, for her mother was the Princess Alice, the King's younger sister, tvhose devotion to her sick child was the diiect cause of her death. The Russian Empress is the mother of four little girls-,-so that the Russian Empire is still waitipg for an heir in the direct line.

— The Duke of Connaught is a capital soldier, with, a -truly Teutonic love of detail. Like the King, he will discuss a button or a facing- for an hour. Personally, be has the respect and the liking of all ranks of soldiers. He is an agreeable, rather stolid man, devoted to his wife, but with a p'.easant woid and a ready smile for every pretty woman. The Duchess of Connaught is even now a martyr to shyness. Those she knows familiarly swear by her. To the rest of the world she is an unknown factor, save where her charity has caused blessings to oe showered on her kindly head. Her chilhood was very unhappy, and she used to be terrified whenever in the presence of her rouph. authoritative father. The match with the third son of Queen Victoria was purely a love one, and now, when the silver wedding will soon be reached, it can be pronounced one of exceptional happiness. To the King, she is absolutely silent, unles« he speaks of Gerniany — the only topic on which, he has himself observed, lie ever can make her talk.

— Perhaps the secret of the sweet expie^ion and habitual serenity of the Japanese women can be found in their freedom from small worries. The fashion of dre^s never varying saves the wear of the mind on that subject, and the bareness of the houses and simplicity of diet make housekeeping a mere bagatelle. Everything is exquisitely clean, and easily kept so. There is no paint, no drapery, no crowd of little ornaments, no coming into the houses with the footwear worn in a dusty street. And then the feeling of living in rooms that can be turned into balconies and verandahs at a moment's notice, of having walls that slide away as freely as do the scenes on the stage, and let in all out-of-doors or change the suites of rooms to the shape and size that the whim of the day or the hour requires. — Pearson's Weekly.

— Lord Beauchamp, whose engagement has been so often announced and contradicted, will shortly be married, it is now authoritatively stated by his lordship, to Lady Lettice Grosvenor. Eail Beauchamp. who was born in 1872, was appointed Governor of New South Wales in 1899. Lady Lettice Grosvenor is a sister of the Duke of Westminster and of the Counte&s of Shaftesbury. She was born in 1876, and, like her mother, the Countess Grosvenor, now the wife of Mr George Wyndham, is very handsome and popular in Cheshire.

— " Engaged girls not wanted " is becoming a motto with those who direct the nursing profession. It is argued that although such knowledge is valuable to all, time that is spent in teaching the probationer who soon goes off to get married is, to a considerable extent, wasted, from the

hospital point of view

— " Miranda,"' of the Lady's Pictorial, says that she is told by a lady who lives in Holland that the unkind stories which were at one time current in regard to the Prince Consort Mere grossly exaggerated, and that he is in reality a devoted husband to Queen Wilhelmina.

— Is there to be a "boom"' in croquet this year? is a question forced upon us by the concspondence in a contemporary. winch is headed, "Is Croquet Popular? "' Everything points to an mciease in the numbci of player;- (saj-s a <writer in Madame), and. much as an all-round sportswoman will i egret, we find the lines of lawn tennis courts removed from many of the private lawns and cioquet hoops fixed inste.td. Tins is a pity. 'I here should be room for both games. Lawn tenni.s affords more exerci&e, and if played in moderation is an infinitely better game to improve one's physique than croquet. It i<», too, more interesting to watch, and herein lies the crux of the argument as to whether or not cioquet is popular. It is an intensely interesting game to play, but an uncommonly dull one to watch, so that it is more unlikely t" become popular from a spectator's point of view. As a game, it has jumped into popularity by leaps and bound.-, and its success is deserved, for it requires science, skill, patience, a good eye, and an unruffled temper to play it properly. Any pastime •which brings out these qualities is deserving; of success. — The Hon. Marie Hay is a popular young lady in society, and has made many friends since her presentation to Queen Victoria. Miss Hay's mother is sister to the Duke of Fife, and is now Lady AwCooper, wife of the well-known Leu " surgeon. She is clever, vivacious, and fa-c:-nating, and entered society under the auspices of her grandmother, the late Countess of Kinnoull, who was the daughter of the seventh Duke of Beauforfc. Since that lady's death. Miss Hay has spent most of lier time with Countess Alexander Munster. her aunt, whose husband is second son of Prince Munster. Miss Hay is the only child of the late Viscount Dupplin, who SEgs in tke lit Life Quards^ and jvko die 4

before his father, the late Earl of Kinnoull, so that he did not succeed to the peerage now held by his brother. — A fashionable Parisian milliner has declared that the average price paid by a certain English countess for her most dainLy hats is £26 10s apiece. The same wealthy lady also indulges in hose at 4gs a pair. — The Duchess of Atholl, who died lately, was the eldest daughter of the late Sir Thomas and Lady Louisa Moncrieffe, and one of the beautiful bevy of sisters who, in the sixties, took London by storm. The Duchess in 1863 married Lord Tullibardine, now seventh Duke of Athol. His father and mother, the late Duke and Duchess of Atholl, were on intimate terms with the late Queen, and on more than one occa&ion she honoured them with a visit to their Highland home in Perthshire. To the end of her life the late Duchess of Atholl was one of the Queen's household. — " Jlcive you," said one woman to another, in the course of a walk through the .shopping district, "noticed how crooked women are getting to be? Look at some of the women who pass us, and see if the right, shoulder is not almost invariably lower than the other." The other woman looked, and -lo ! it was so. "It is the natural *eault of alwayA having a train to hold up,'' said the first woman. '"Why will women cling to such unreasonable' fashions? A train is graceful only when allowed to sweep the ground, and we cannot let it do j that m .the dirty street, consequently we are everlastingly clutching it to keep -it from the pavement/ and the position this necessitates is so constantly assumed that the right shoulder is becoming lower than the other. li the thing continues, the boasted carriage of the American girl will soon be an empty boa&t, indeed. The only remedy for the present, the only hope for the future, is to leave off trailing skirts and go to a gymnasium. There, under the direction of a competent teacher, one who knows how to cure just such defects, train, and never stop until you are straight again." — New York Sun. — Each of the three Courts that have been held this year had something new as to its arrangements, but the greatest novelty of all was reserved for the last. Nob only were a certain number of people seen at Court without trains for the first time on record, but the King and Queen only received individually those who were presenting debutantes or themselves being presented. These presentations being completed, their Majesties made a progress through the state rooms, where the guests were ranged in long lines to the right hand, and as they passed slowly along, the King and Queen recognised many friends, while everyone bowed low and curtsied as their Majesties passed along. The Queen looked lovely ; another vision of beauty, sparkling with jewels and glorious raiment, cream satin and silver. # — Perhaps the most beautiful pearls in England are those worn by the Duchess of Maryborough. They were originally among the French Crown jewels, and were bought by Mr Vanderbilt, father of the duchess. The string is very long, and can be twisted round and round the neck or worn long light down to the bottom of the dress, and the pearls, -which are very large, are separated by diamonds. Lady Londonderry's pearls are also very good, hut not so large. Lady Ilchester's pearls are black ones, and do not look nearly so well in the evening as w hite ones, though they are far more valuable. — Queen Wilhelmina's crown is very gorgeous. It is of dull gold, only the edges being polished. It consists of a crimson velvet cap enclosed in a circle set with sapphires and emeralds. The imperial arches terminate in 16 points, eight of which are surmounted by lar?e single pearls, and the other eight, bent toward the centre and there crowned with the globe and cross, are set with nine pearls each, which are graduated in size, the smallest being placed at the top. — There is only one boy Duke, and he .has already neaily outgrown childhood. The Duke of Leiuster was, however, only a little lad of six when he lost his father, and then, just a year later, his lovely young mother, who was generally considered the most beautiful of the Earl of Feversham's quartet of daughters. Lady Ulrica Duncombe, the "boy's aunt, has devoted herself very closely to her nephews, and they haye not wanted for love and devotion from their many relatives, while the trio of unmarried aunts on the father's side have made their home with the orphan lads. — The Empress of Japan is a very clever and accomplished woman, 5-ays a lady's, journal, and trices a very practical interest in everything that can forward the interests of her country ; fclie is said to be particularly well informed about cereals and rice-gTow in£<, that important feature of Oriental industry. Her Majesty has also certain literary talents and occasionally wiites little poems, some of which have been piinted and distributed among the fccholars in Japanese schools. — The ex-Queen of Italy. who. it. is reported, has decided to take the veil, has always (says Madame) been very devout. Her desire has ever been, so it is faid, to reunite the Quirinal and the Vatican. The report, though not yet confiimed. seems by no means improbable, for since the terrible tiagedv which cost Italy its king and her a husband, she has been moio than ever devoted to piety and good works. — " ' Find the woman,' is the cynical remark of the men whenever there is a scandal," remarked a witty lady writer on feminine matter*. "It is a good maxim," she continued, ''because when you have found the woman she may enable you to di'scovev the man ! It is a fact that out of every five of the greater crimes four are committed by men, and only one by women, and in alrno&t every case when a woman has committed a crime she has done it under the influence of a man. The fact is that woman, by her very nature, is less responsible for her misdeeds than man. She feels differently, thinks differently, and acts differently, and cannot be judged by the same standards. Love in some shape or , form is tint leoAwji motive, in her life, and

she is exposed to physical and moral trials of which man — stolid and unimpressionable — knows nothing. Ido not say that women, should be regarded as irresponsible creatures, but their motives and the influences under which they act ought to be taken into account in judging them for offences against the law. Then it might somethimes be that ' Find the man ' was the maxim to apply."

To ensure publication in the forthcoming issue Utters should re >eh the Witness office if possible on Saturday nitjht, but on no account later than Monday am- Descriptions of bolls, &c. , nimt be endorsed by either the Witness correspondent for the district or by the secretary to tlie bail committee. The MS of any correspondents icho do not comply *«"* "••* ''"'* mlt be sent to the secretary for endorume-nt prior to appearing.— EStUELlNE

WEDDING AT CHATTON.

Dear Emmeline,— A very pretty wedding took place «it the lesidence of the bride's parents, Chattou, on May 23, when Mr William M'Kenzie, of East Chatton and late of Middleton, Aberdeenshire, Scotland,' was united to Miss Mary Barr Wilson, second daughter of Mr J. Wilson. The ceremony was conducted by the Rev. A. Gray, of Gore. The bride, who waa given away by her father, was attended by her sister. MissE. Wilson; and the duties of groomsman were carried out by Mr D. M'Kenzie, brother of the bridegroom. The bride- wore a beautiful dress of cream nun',s veiling, with slightly trained skirt, and trimmings of cream satin and- chiffon. She wora a. large lace veil and. orange blossoms, andl carried a bouquet of white chrysanthemums. The bridesmaidls dress waa of cream, cloth, with, transparent yoke and sleeves,. «nd trimmings of cream chiffon -and ribbon. After the guests had partaken of a bountiful wedding breakfast, at which the usual toasts honoured, the newly-wedded pair drove off to catch the afternoon Waimea train. The bride'a travelling dress was of mauve face-cloth, strapped with velvet to match, with cream satin vest and large mauve hat. In the evening Mr and Mrs Wilson entertained a number of the young people of the district at a social gathering. The young couple received many handsome presents, and enter on their life together followed by the best wishes of all.— Guest.

LIAKMAGE AT WEST TAIERI.

Dear Emmeline,— The "West Taieri Church was filled on Wednesday, 23rd inst., on the occasion of the niairiage of Mr Hector Bruce, of "Waitahuna, to Miss S. Dale, daughter of Mr John Dale, of Maclaggan street, Dunedin. Miss Dale has b?en for 13 years mistress in the Outram School, and the very Urge gathering in. the church testified to the high, esteem in which she is held in the district, both as a teacher and a resident. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Mr Fa-irniaid, and was a very impressive one. Miss F. Chisholm presided at the organ. Ine bridesmaids were Miss Dale and Miss Bruce, and the best mail Mr Bruce (a brother). Tho bride was given away by her father. The church was very prettily decorated for the occasion. After the ceremony about 150 guests sat down to luncheon in th« Outram Societies Hall, after which everyone enjoyed the solos that were sung and the social converse with, one another. There was <a large display of marriage presents in the- ante-room of the hail —valuable, useful, and ornamental,— and towards 4 o'clock a cup of tea and cake werot handed Tound and a verse of "Auld long syne sun". A carriage with a pair of gToys then drove up to tho hall door, and Mr and Mrs Bruce drove off, amidst showers of rice en route for Dunedin, carrying with them tiie sincere and hearty g«od wishes of the whole district for their future happiness and prosperity. The hall was beautifully decorated for the occasion, and tho day was exceptionally line.— Guest.

BACHELORS' BAI.T. AT CLYnE.

Dear Emmeline,— As mentioned in my letter elsewhere in this issue, I send you a description of the dresses worn at the bachelors ball: — Miss O'Shea, beautiful coatume of white silk, chiffon trimmings; Mias Burke, pink silk white satin ribbon ; Miss Alderdice, I^erty silk; Miss A. Pratt, white muslin, silk lace trimmings ; Miss Attfield, white cashmere skirt, Shite satin blouse; Misa Hayes , (Cronrwell), white muslin, pink trimmings; Miss Jeffrey, blue nun's veiling, lace trimmings, transparent sleeves; Miss B. Jeffrey white spotted mnß\m, white silk trimmings; Miss M'Elhgott (Kawarau), white rn« £ lin, pink saoh ; Mi 9B Richards pretty costume of black, relieved wltll pink and gold ; Miss Fache, white nun's veilin<* skirt lemon-coloured blouse and sash ; Mfss K. M'Elligott (Kawarau), white nun's veiling and pink ; Miss L. Burke, black dress^ white lace trimmings; Miss Welsford black skirt, pmk satin blouse ; Miss Sutherland, blue =atm white \&c& trimmings; Miss U. butherland pink dress, lace trimmings; Miss Young, white cashmere, chiffon and lace trimmings; Miss Todd, white cashmere, trimmed with whitfl lace; Miss Flanagan, lovely white silk dress, richly trimmed with white lace; Miss Pew, black skirt, blue silk blouse; Miss M. Flew grey figured lustre, black trimmings ; Misa M'Kenzie. black skirt, red silk blouse; Misa Uren black skirt, white satin blouse, white lace trimmings; Miss Salmon, black skirt, black sotin blouse, beaded trimmings; the Misses Jopp, becoming costumes of black relieved with, white lace; Miss Sutherland (Matakanui), h^ht blue nun's veiling, lace trimmings; Miss Krng, sea-green nun's veiling, chiffon trimmings fan lo match; Miss AWandrr (Alexandra), white silk chiffoti and pmk cording trimmings; Miss Fleming, white muslin, trimmed with white satin Miss Keith, white, blue vest, oale blue trimmings. Liberty silk Bash ; Miss Vhetstra, black, chiffon trimmings: Miss M'Swan. black *.Jort, pink nun's veiling blouse; Miss J. M'Swan. black skirt, cream nun's veiling blouse , Miss Partridge, white figured silk ; Miss Trucprlale, blue nun's veiling trimmed with, white lace; Miss B. Truesdale, black skirt, blue nun's veiling blouse, trimmed with lace; Miss Magmess. white clress.- white silk trimmines; Miss Jenkins, dress of striped material; Mifls Walsh, yellow costume, dark trimmings; Miag Hussey, black, white silk trimmings ; Miss Reany, cream silk ; Mrs Henderson, a rrcsfc becoming costume of cashmere; Mrs Pacev, figured gravenette, shot silk blouse; Mrs Partridge, black dre=s beadeH trimming, blue silk vest; Mrs w. Holt, black skirt, sateen blouse; Mrs Barry, black dress, lace and beaded trimmings ; Mrs Maginess. black dresi : Mrs . T . Holt, dark skirt, pink silk blouse; Mrs Davidson, black drpss, beaded trimmings; Mrs Hewitt, black dress, beaded trimmines: Mrs Welsford. dark costume, lace and beaded trimmings; Mrs Davis, black dress-; Mr 9 Keljpher, dark dress ; Mrs Bell, dark ro=tume , Mrs Watson, dark skirt, heliotrope blouse, white satin, trimming^.' The distinction of 1 'TV wn<» not mentioned by my fair informants, therefore I am in the dark as regard th-.t impoi'.ant question. — Own Correspondent.