LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2579, 19 August 1903, Page 65

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— The King's London hostesses are all distinguished for their supreme tact ; and it is, of course, a mistake to suppose that his Majesty enjoys unconventionalifcy of speech. Among those who have the honour of his acquaintance, it is an open secret that few men dislike "forwardness" more than he does, though no one - £ so ready

to make allowances when any mistake in the mode of addressing him proceeds fiom real ignorance. Among his Anglo-Ameri-can hostesses the beautiful widowed Duchess of Manchester has held a high place since the day when she, as Lady Mandeville, first appeared in London society. Another fair American who has been privileged to entertain his Majesty is Mrs George Cornwallis-West. As Lady Randolph Churchill, she often entertained him as Prince of Wales, and at her house he met many of the most prominent Americans of tihe day. Lady Farquhar was, before her marriage to her present popular husband, the widow of Sir Sdward Scott ; and she and Lord Farquhar have a delightful place in Norfolk, where they frequently entertain members of the Royal Family. Lady Colebrooke, who was one of the favoured Pagets, is perhaps the most artistic member of what may be called the Royal set, and is a fine painter. She has exhibited at the Paris Salon. Her house in Stratford Place is full of beautiful things, and she and Sir Edward Colebrooke are among the most exclusive hosts and hostesses in the more thoughtful section of the great London world. There are, of course, many members of die high nobility ■who occasionally entertain the Sovereign at dinner ; but in the matter of dining out King Edward follows the example of humbler folk, and honouis. some hostesses far oftener than others.

— A Russian scientist .strongly questions the idea so widely current that woman is necessarily man's inferior either physically or mentally. That she is often feebler in muscular development the scientist attributes to the fact that for many centuries to woman has been assigned the care of the home and children, while men have been the hunters and fighters. The primitive woman, he asserts, was quite as hardy and strong as her husband. Even to-day, the authority points out, women are often superior to men in point of endurance. Many a haidworking woman will endure

for a long period a strain on the vital forces that would break down a man in\a very short time. With respect to physical courage, the man of science appeals to the numerous recorded cases of female heroism in the face of appalling dangers. As to the question of woman's mental inferiority the authority refers to the significant fact that although a woman's brain is smaller than that of a man, it is really larger when the difference in the comparative weight and size of individuals of the two sexes ar» taken into account. The only reason she shows less mental ability than man is because of her lack of opportunity.

— Among those little people not born to fortune, but certainly born to good luck, may be counted those who have been adopted by childless and kindly women, who soon * learn to regard their pseudochildren as their own. Perhaps the most interesting example is that of the "ittle Sacha Dolgorouki, the adopted daughter of Princess Aiex>? Dolgorouki. '.This small damsel has everything that a child's heart can desire showered upon her. She accompanies the Princess everywhere, and her beautiful frocks and pretty bewitching manners make her a very prominent figure on Deeside each autumn. Lady Stanley, the wife of the famous explorer, has adopted a little boy, who is a 'met clever, interesting child, speaking French as well as he does English, and absolutely devoted to those whom he calls his father and his mother. More often an orphan niece or nephew is adopted by some great lady, but adoption is a comparatively new fashion, perhaps because one or two famous examples which occurred in the last century did not turn out particularly well. — "If- all that i: said and written about

Queen Draga be true she is certainly a very remarkable woman. She owes her success not so much to beauty as to that nameless fascination and power which is often in women, as well as in men, a magnetism not the least potent because it is undeflnable. I have seen her described in a London paper by the pen of another lady as not in the least beautiful, with a complexion dark enough for a gipsy, and a certain unpleasant expression. But she has height ; she has beautiful dark hair ; and she has sparkling dark eyes that probably reveal something of the ardent, masterful soul that is underneath. She certainly lias marvellous powers of getting what she wants. She was but a lady-in-waiting to the King's mother when first she met her future hus■band, and had already been married. What subtlety she must have shown to have been able to win the young King — then only 17 years of age — with that jealous mother watching every woman that came near her boy: and with the boy's father as well, and all the ministers, and all the great ecclesiastical authorities, and all the popular passion of Servia working against her! But she conquered them all with no weapon but those gieat dark eyes of hers and a subtle tongue, and her strong will. And to-day there are few women in Europe who have such costly jewels, such uncontrolled power, and, it is added, who have managed to heap up such vast treasures.*' Poor thing! That last sentence was written less than a year and a-half ago. To-day Queen Draga is without jewels, without power, without life — lying in an unconsecrated and unnamed grave. The poorest and most miserable woman in Europe grows pale at the thought of her fate.

— The Duke of Hamilton has one of the most interesting hereditary offices in the kingdom, for he is Keeper of Holyrood Palace, and in this capacity the owner of one of the pleasontest suites of rooms in the old home of Scotland's kin.'s. His wife s a Premier Duchp««, of •-horn Scotland nvry well be pioud Tall, fair, and singularly gracious in manner, sho is one

of those fortunate people sure of affection and respect in whatever circle they adorn. As Miss Nina Poore she was in constant request at every entertainment — social charitable, and sporting — in *he neighbourhood of the old cathedral towr. near which her early home was situated ; and on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke, whose sister is the wife of her brother, she received many touching marks of the affection in which she was held by her humbler neighbours. The Duchess i- very proud of her right to inhabit Holyrood, and, in accordance with her wish, the suite of rooms was made ready for occupation some months ago. The sojourn of the Duke's infant son and heir at Holyrood is a circumstance full of interest, as more than a century has gone by since a future Premier Duke oi Scotland has made a stay in the Palace. — "There is no more beneficial form of exercise for ladies than fencing," declared h. teacher of the art. "It not only brings all muscles into play, and adds ease and grace to the movements, but it a fine mental training, for it teaches alertness, a very useful quality nowadays. Some of my lady pupils, however, learn fencing chiefly as a means of reducing their weight. I could tell you of at. least one well-known actress who keeps herself slim, not to say healthy, by daily practice with the foils. It is a splendid cure for plumpness. Of course, many ladies lake' up fencing for its own sake, and some of them make such

expert fencers that they are a match for a well-trained swordsman. Numbers of lady athletes think their education is incomplete unless they can handle the foils. Men do not. I find, take up the pastime to anything like the extent that women do. I have 20 lady pupils to every male* one, but all of them — men and women alike — show the splendid results of the, exercise in supple forms and general 'fitness.'" — "John Oliver Hobbes's" onslaught on the modern Girl of the Period, as seen in smart society, is amusing many people, for Mrs Craigie, to give her the name by which she is known in the great world whose owe-lambs she has, greatly daring, | sought to criticise, is one of those women ,in whom girls like to confide. Mrs Craigie , has all the energy, originality, and wonder- ' ful gift of good dressing which we have learnt to associate with American women. She is said to be the best talker in London ; and during the Durbar, while the guest of Lord and Lady Curzon at Delhi, she earned the same reputation in India. Her great interest in life, after the drama, is in music. She js among the leading half-dozen amateur'musicians in society, and, however absorbed she may be in literary work, or in that of being hostess to a crowd of smart friends, she can always find time for practice. — The Empress of Japan takes the very keenest interest in all matters relating to education.. To the Peeresses' School -at Tokio she is a frequent visitor, and on the days when she will make an inspection numbers of servants arrive in advance to suitably prepare the apartments for their (Royal mistress. The teachers at the school, ( in particular, much appreciate these visits of the Empress, for she invariably leaves behind a substantial roll of silk or crepe for each of them. One of these teachers recently declared that so ample had these gifts, proved to be that she had not had to buy a silk dress for years. — Whether Russia will experience sooner or later trouble with China over the Manchuria question depends not a little on that astute and disreputable old woman, the Chines" Empress, whose full name, .by-the-bye, runs as follows: Tsze Hsi Toanyu Kangi Chaoyu Chuangoheng Shokung Chinhien Chung-Sih. Tsze Hsi, who is a Manchu herself, is about 65 years of age, and of highly original tastes. Butchery, as need scarcely be remarked, she has no objection to, but it will be a surprise, to many to hear that she is iredited wit"? knowing how to box, having learnt the ai' of self-defence when she was much younge than she is now. The Empress is a womai " who wears well, and, despite her counties! intrigues and the risks she has run, she ha! no grey hairs in her head. Another peculiarity about her is that she has nevei followed the orthodox Chinese fashion oi compressing her feet. Strangely enough, she is in some respects a cultured woman, notwithstanding her love of barbarity where the "foreign' devils" are concerned. She can paint, and she can write poetry. Indeed, she rather prides herselt on being an imaginative author. Some of her poems run into thousands of lines. A few of these works she has magnanimously presented to pubiic institutions ; but whether they have ever been read in their entirety is a moot point. I'romnent articles about her are her gold-tipped nail-protectors, which are several inches in length. What the Erapress's ' exact feelings are towards Russia at the present moment it would be hazardous to guess ; but that she will not scruple to further her own ends if a favourable opportunity presents itself is certain. — Men and Women.

— Philanthropy is with the Queen of Portugal as much a passion as hunting, music, oi painting. She is at the head of all Portuguese charitable establishments, ■vhich she directs in person even to the minutest details. Many and many a time she will quit the palace at some early morning hour unaccompanied, simply dressed in black, and none of the household dare ask whither goes her Majesty, for all know she is bound on some secret errand of mercy. Once when a civic guard, recognis-ng her and seeing her enter one of the lowest quarters in Lisbon, followed to watch over her safety she sternly forbade him to divulge what he had seen or to unmask he anonymity.

— Society is about to greet the new American Countess, young Lady Yarmouth, of whom great things are expected,

for her immense wealth will probably cause | her to become one of the leaders' in smart circles. The American invasion has been one of the most curious social developments of the last 30 years. Among the first beautiful Americans to enter the "high nobility' 1 was Miss Jenny Jerome, now Mrs George Corawallis-West, whom many people still think of under her old name of Lady Randolph Churchill. There are four Duchesses who may be called typically American ; curiously enough, they have but two titles among them, Consuelo, Duchess of Manchester, having seen her name taken by Miss Helena Zimmerman, and the marriage of the late Duke of Marlborough having been followed, at a comparatively short interval, by that of his son to Miss Vanderbilt, a god-daughter and namesake of the Dowager Duchess of Manchester. There is but one American Marchioness, Lady Dufferin ; but, of course, the new Countess of Yarmouth is the future Marchioness of Hertford. — Men and Women. — Queen Alexandra by patronising Irish poplin for Royal wear is reviving a Court fashion that dates back to the early days of the Hanoverian dynasty. From motives of policy, and as some compensation for the ruining of the linen and woollen industries, George II persuaded the ladies of his Court to adopt Dublin-made poplin for the quaint garments which were fashionable in the middle of the eighteenth century. In gratitude for this, the Dublin weavers — who are mostly Hugiienots — erected a statue of h's Majesty, decked with shuttles and other paraphernalia of their art, opposite the Huguenot Weavers' Hall. This fcuildinjr. before which the statue still stands, has now degenerated into an ironmonger's storehouse. Poplin, it may be added for the benefit of the uninitiated, is a mixture of silk and wool, the warp silk and the weft woollen.

— For a great personage, the Empress of Russia is very shy and retiring, with a gentle disposition nob easily ruffled. Her marriage was a genuine love match on iboth sides, and the only real trouble that may cast a shadow over her life is the lack of an heir to the throne. ' There is a jpropuecy current in Russia that the Czarina •will have six girls before she has a boy; but the Royal couple apparently do not credit the prophet, for there is serious talk

in St. Petersburg of a project to alter the law of succession so as to secure the crown to one of their daughters. Though the Czarina, for prudential reasons, confines her attention to domestic affairs and leaves politics to the politicians, she is really a woman of great intellectual powers ; and, quiet as she is, she is always ready to appreciate a bit of harmless fun. A few years ago, for example, she had rather an amusing experience'in Kiel, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She was shopping with her sister, and was recognised. Of course, a crowd collected in a moment outside the door. "Oh, dear," said the Czarina, "can"t I escape by the back somehow?" The obsequious proprietor of the shop explained that there was some building going on at the back, and the way was quite blocked ; but that there was a ladder if "Where is it?" said the Czartna ; and in -two seconds she was up the ladder, and over the wall into the next garden, whence she made her way unobserved by side streets to the Royal residence.

— To be brilliant and accomplished would seem to be very much to the advantage of a marriageable young -noman. This, however, is not the view taken by a lady with some pretensions to speak with authority on 6uch subjects. The average man, she considers, is a little afraid of the highlyaccomplished damsel. She is too apt to be assertive, to have opinions of her own, and to be a little deficient in that deference to and sympathy with masculine opinions which appeal so much, to men. As a result, it is often the case that the brilliant girl remains on the shelf long after her less gifted but more submissive sisters have provided themselves with husbands. The moral seems to be that the clever girl must be clevei enough to avoid making too great a display of her accomplishments before her male admirers. She must suppress the tendency to disagree with masculine views of things, however ffrongheaded, and remember that men are shy of women whom they suspect to be intellectually superior to themselves. They like best the women who defer to their opinions, and who make them feel pleased with themselves as the wise and strong sex upon "which women must rely for support and protection. So at least thinks the authority ; and truly it is a pretty le&son in feminine diplomacy.