"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 67

"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

(Specially written for the Witness Ladies' Page.)

INTERESTS OF A INTERESTS OF A BELATED SEASON. In spite of the late season of the fashionable world, the drapery trade is rejoicing in the prospect of a good time coming. The heads of most of the leading firms have expressed their opinion that the tendencies all round point to a revival of business.' Last year was a better year than that preceding, and it is affirmed that the general depression following the South African tf-ar is passing away, and with the bank rate lower, and Ftockt- and iharee outside "Kaffirs" doing well, a more hopeful tone is abroad — which must partly be accounted lor .by the fact that spring is . here, and the Easter holidays within sight. But "the drapers say it is the moderate^priced goods which are in demand; 4he purchasers of costly goods being in "iifle -minority. Although' spring is officially here, and we get edd days of warm sunshine, nve - or ; eix days of the week the cruel northeast -wincfe cut to the ..marrow, and alternate showers of sleet and snow make the fireside preferable to shopping, and many are deferring the purchase of their Easter finery. Tie spring millinery i> a-bloom with flowers and fruit, ard Queen Alexandra has given it a decisive style. Feathers and ospreys will not. be fashionable this season, for her Majesty has responded to an appeal >f the Royal Society for the Protection_ of Birds with a leiier granting her full "support lo its crusade against the destruction of birds for the sake ot their plumage. This fact will have a marked effect on fashion, for society will not defy the royal decree.

The Duchess of Portland, who is president of "the Boyal Society, in her letter to -the Queen, pointed out that as a result of -the -request ior plumfs many rare Bpecies of birds are in danger of extinction. Hundreds of thousands of birds are yearly sold in London alone to meet the demand : humming birds and birds of paradise, besides swallows, herons, tits, and many others. The Queen's letter, which was read at the annual meeting, was: "The Queen desires me to say, in answer to your letter, that .she gives-you* (the Duchess of Portland), "as president, full permission to •use" her name in any way you think best to conduce to the protection of birds. You know well how kind and humane the Queen kto all living creatures, and I am desired to . add that her .Majesty never wears osprey feathers herself, and will certainly do all in her power to discourage the cruelty practised on these beautiful KrdS." That ie likely io doom the osprey in England. The Marquis of Granby, who presided at' the meeting, said that "if women -would give up their attempt to wear the breeches, as many were striving to do, and at the same time give up wearingbirds as ornaments, they would be doing more to further the cause of humanity and -establish their influence in the world than by their efforts to secure the franchise." ' But women who have the franchise will not be able to go so far — or etop fo short — as the Marquis, or understand why women may not have a vote and discard the osprey at the same time. I believe that the broader a woman's outlook and the keener "her intelligence 50 are her sympathies and understanding, that " ! The bravest are the tendeiest, • The loving are the daring. ; But to return to millinery. A lovely restaurant hat called by its designer "Princess Ena " is for a debutante made of Spanish lace and roses, and combines hat and mantilla, a flounce of lace falling from the hat, and ebing coiled scarf-liko round the neok, the end falling over the. shoulder. The is very artistic, and would enhance the beauty of* a pretty face. Another- sample is of Irish guipure and ; white' tulle, with a wreath of pansies and ' forge±-me T nots. This also is for evening ' dress, ior there .is no mistaie about it hats are to be with evening dress at ! restaurant dinners. And restaurant din- • ners are growing more and more fashion- \ able, especially on Sunday night. Once , London was a dreamy place on Sunday ' for the foreigner and the -fashionable folk, i but these Sunday-night restaurant dinners . are as gay as in Paris. And we are to ,' nave more Paris in London, for the Lon- j don County Council have decided to let I the Strand Crescent site to the syndicate ! promoting the "Paris in London"' "scheme. ! So there will be something new under j the sun — under the London sun, anyway : I pleasure-takers sitting under the * open J verandahs, chatting and taking their refreshments in the air as they do on the Continent, with the panorama of the open streets adding to the entertainment. 'Taris J in London" will, without doubt, speed ily Become a popular fashionable resort in the hot days ot summer when closed-in j restaurants, however lofty and large. nn;e< < of necessity retain some* of the odour of the thousands of meals served. It ill probably be an acknowledged meeting i place for certain sets, as the old coffee- J fconses and inns used to be in the days of 1 Johnson and Dickens, whose ghosts would 'Joes their way in the Fleet street and Strand of to-day. ITas'hionabie weddings during Lent are 1 rare, but_a marriage which is beiiy? much j talked about is that of Iradv Bhuidrll i Tvidow of the late Sir John Blun- ; dell-Maple, to Mr Montagu Ballard, which took place on March 19 at Nice. Lady Muple foregoes £10,000 a year by her mar- j riage. and the use of or rentals from the ! !ate Sir J. Blundell Maple's country house at Child wickbury, St. Albans and the residence in JRegent'6 Park. Sir Blundell ,

BELATED SEASON. Maple left his wife £20.000 a year and these houses on condition that £10,000 a year, as well as the residences, passed from her in the event of re-mar-riage. There is some regret that the mansion as St. Albans is changing ownership, for it has been the scene of splendid entertainment, and in Sir Blundell Maple's ■days was famous for its stables. In the theatrical world the jubilee of Miss Ellen Terry is being much talked about, and the press has a good real to say of the charming actress who 50 yeaife a^'o. as a child of c-ight. made her first appearance on the stage. But Miss Terry, among other, artistic and brilliant women, never seems to age. It is accounted for; of couise, by mind ruling body : the intends sympathy of the artistic temperament with rhe vital passions which make life. It was from Charles Kean that Miss Teny first learnt the elements of her art, and it was n pathetic fact that she outdistanced litr master, although it must have been a pride to him that his pupil won succfS'-es b&yond his own. It was in London. 1875, that she secured the favour of it< playgoers in the part of Portia, playing under the Bancrofts. It was three years later, as Olivia, that hei long and brilliant career with Irving began. As Uphelia, Desdemona. Juliet, Lady Macbeth, and Margaret, in ''Faus>t." she shared the Lyceum triumphs with Henry Irving. It is recognised on all sides that her long and distinguished career upon the stage lias had an influence for good. The Daily Mail says : She was nrnong that little band of aitists which redeemed our national theatre and the

riofess'on of actor from the disrepute into vhich they had fallen, and elevated acting to •he ?titus of a liberal profession. It goes without saying that her work rie&arves, and. as, we hope, vril' leceive, national aecognition. The Tribune, the now Liberal daily newspaper, first suggested that the little girl who 50 years a,go won the hearts of the British public in "A Winter's Tale," and has gone on winning them ever since, should receive a public acknowledgement of the pride with which Britons regard he'-. The executive committee which has fakek the mitter in hand includes- Mr .Franklin Thomasson, Mr George Alexander. Mr William Archer, Sir Squ're Bancroft, Mr Ai\hur Boiuchier, -Mr Arthur Collins, the Hon. Stephen Coleridge, Mr George FAwardes, Mr Forbes-Robert3on, Mr Charles Frohman. Mr Becrbohm Tree, Mr William Hill, Mr Lewis Waller, and Sir Charles Wvndham. The Hon. Stephen Coleridge has consented to receive subscriptions, which must be sent to him at the Tribune office, Bouverie street, E.G. Captain Harry Graham is the honorary secretary. One of the big discussions of the houT j«. "Is it right to end the sufferings of hopeless incurables?" Miss Helen Mathers "Yes" ; Dr John V. Shoemaker "No." In "The Ferryman," published last August. Miss Mathers advocated the merciful removal of the incurably diseased by •»uihar*««ra, arguing that "if we do not allow an animal we love to suffer unavailing^-, :,o should we n ith the consent of the patient and family and a committee or jury, in which the medical faculty, the law, and the Gospel might be properly lepresented." bring about the death longed for by the hopek&s sufferer. What Miss Matheis suggested in her book has been introduced into the Ohio Legislature, the bill having been drafted by Miss Anna Hall, who recently startled America by declaring that she ought to be allowed to put an end to the agony of her mother, who wa.s suffering from an incurable disease. Miss Mather* contends that if our tortured and hopelessly diseased could have a \oice in it a similar law -nould be passed in England to-morrow. Here are some of Miss Mathers'.? arguments in her book, "The Ferryman": — "You forget," I said, "that the back grows to the liurdeu — that one may get used to auvtbing — these invalids cling to life even if they buffer always." " I'm not thinking; of them," 6aid Tom Shippoti impatiently; "let 'em live— clinging to lL*ir water-beds nnd hot-water bottles, and cushions till they're blue; it's with the pro greesive agony that must end in death we aro concerned There are no thoughtful surgeons or doctors alive who do not tecretly philander with death — they order drugE — even up to the last limit of danger to life. — but boggle and hesitate before the divine panacea, the true Nepenthe- death ' Of course they have their livings to get, but if the whole profession went soiia, the thing could be done. A? it is. the bravest among them fear to jeopardise their careers by suggesting an innovation which would certainly bring them into conflict with the medical authonties, and which would probably result in a great public outcry that they wished to beoorn« murderers. The old taint of Puritanism has to be reckoned with. A doctor's function, he contends, is always to preserve life — never to shorten it." "It's the certificate business. A doctor can't falsify it — to sign it falsely is to ruin himself — how can you expect him to do it 9 If he stood alone, perhaps — but no man stands a'oue." "It's all wrong," he said, impatiently. " Everywhere is the same old bleat of its bi'ing ' God's will.' It's not God's will — God and Nature are one, — and Nature ruthlessly eliminates her failures, does not feed to enable them to live in torments I say that those who die. cursing Gcd, should curs« man — too timid, too selfish to help them out of their agonies. Hospitals are built for babes blighted from their birth — take the money, and give it to those who staiw» th" peon's wlio keep the T'pfit alne ccii 0,.t .i rr':nc— lbe v.h.>'e «yptcin of 1 j«i«:tal management, or mismanagement, j- v.-ionp The vain and sickly sentimentality that will let a «oul writhe in difea^e. yet has not the mere humanity to kill it is or. -a par with tho<-e ncurot:' s who want In keep alive what Nature find it>eif wi=-li to die" "Aiid who is to alter it ; " I paid "The man mu<d be a m h and a powerful one, who feais actions, and (Lues to stand up

to preach a gospel of humanity towards the sick. I "That's my gospel," he continued; "Tom I Shippon's gospel — to add something to the j happiness of the world, to substract somewhat ' from the sum of human misery To help ! those to live who are fit to live ; to put out { of the way those who want to die — being dis- ' eased, and unfit to exist." "A large order," I said, and lit a cigarette. i "How do you propose to carry it out? It seems to me that you want to create a " confer' m murder as you would m wheat or in pork." "Merciful murder," he said; "that every State shcuid be empowered to commit — that every humane doctor secretly desires — the right in certain stages of hopeless suffering to hasten the patient's death. We kill a diseased animal — but we let human beings die inch by inch before us and stay out hand. 1 We risk our lives to save a drowning person — we will not hold up our fingers to help those who piteously beg of us just sleep — Test." "Who was it?" I said, for I knew that some personal experience was at the back of this ■ how it is always some human desire that marks every epoch of the world's history — the want of our own little bit of personal pleasure, which sets vast forces in motion, not always in the right direction? "It was my wife— Yetta," he said simply, and then I understood what the look in his eyes meant. Dr Shoemaker scorns the term of '"incurables. "' In his youth he was one of several doctors called in consultation on the wiie of a multi-millionaire who was dying in great agony. He ventured to disagree with the older doctors, nnd declaied that the lady was suffering from a disordered liver, and the change of treatment proved him to be correct, for the patient perfectly recovered, and is living yet, la years after the incident. With" the advance of science no disease Can be absolutely pior.ounced incurable: the traditional hopeless invalid is con- j stantly recovering. "Hence the absurdity of suggesting that it should be made lawful that one or more physicians should pronounce a death sentence.' 1 At one time, he argues, if a person had the gout i he must always suiter, as with other | diseases. "It is different now : we are constantly curing the incurable — or. more

correctly speaking. Nature- accomplishes the cure with a little help from us." He cites another .case in which a man ill with diabetes had been condemned to death by the doctors, and, after 30 years, i.« living yet-, and another pronounced dying of consumption who recovered entirely, and eventually died of another disease. The doctor found in a ijostmorteni examination,, that his lungs, which -were a mass, of seams and scars, had been - joined together 'by> Mature as though they ] .had,OTen sewri. '--He contends that as long a£ life lingers in the body there is a , 'possibility of recovery, and that it would ] not be \vise of doctors to undertake so ; tremenddus a responsibility as putting an j end to life. | I The bulk of opinion will go with Dr ■Shoemaker. There is in most of us some- i thing that revolts against hastening the end of mortal existence, suffering though it be. There are, of course, cases where it would be merciful, but the Christian fec.t-.ui'-ts affirm that no disease is incurable. The great problem of who shall live and who shall not will not in the England of to-day be met by killing the unfit. "The Invasion of 1910," with a full account of the siege of London, by William Le Queux. is attracting chief attention in the literary world. It is appearing serially in the Daily Mail, that enterprising journal, which, if anything, is beyond the I iacts of the hour. Guy Thome's story, '"Made in His Image (which. I understand, is to be published in book form by Messrs HulchinSon and Co.), and this story by William Le Queux are both prophecies of what would happen to England under certain conditions, one from a social j>oint of view, the other from a poli- , tical. "The Imasion of 1910" supposes that the Germans had landed in England, and the news was first known at the Post Office Telephone Exchange soon after dawn on a Sunday morning. Later it was discovered that the Norfolk and Suf- j j folk coasts were completely isolated and < cut off from telegraphic and postal com- , munication, together with the telephone and wireless telegraph system/ The Germans had landed at Lowestoft. By midnight on Sunday the news had spread -everywhere. The consternation of Britain ', j and the circumstantial details are most ; realistic. And the writer has deeply ', studied his subject, and is marvellously J informed on the geography of England and her defences. So accurate is the an- | thor regarding undefended positions of the j coa*t and the manner in which the enemy I is supposed to have invaded, and the roads I by which he advanced towards London, that the imaginary invasion is mnde to , &eem not only possible, but probable.