"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2730, 11 July 1906, Page 67

"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

(Specially written f©r the Witness Ladies' Page.)

THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY.

May came in with biting winds and unpropitiotts- skies, to be followed by golden, days. The second Saturday and Sunday of the month was pronounced in town and country alike as "heavenly" — a touch, of July heat was In. the air, but the delicious greens of spring made enchanting freshness for the eye. Londoners flocked to those places out of or in the town thai were delightful with colour and sunshine. Earls Couit Gardens, brilliant with their faixy-like illuminations, were Thronged witfe visifors, and Kew Gardens were as crowded as in the height of summer. The roads were alive with carriages and motor cars, and the streets bright with dresses suitable for 109 in the sun. The wintery weather of a few days before was hard to realise, and people were strolling about till midnight, reluc tant to miss in sleep- one balmy hour, for such hours are too few, and the* months are" long for blankets and fires. In the woods the wood-pigeons cooed all day .drowsily, the. cuckoo calling and calling from • the ,- groves, and at every footfall thrush and linnet and blackbird revealed by timid flight where was its nest. And bright weather makes an enormous difference to the shopkeepers ; all the pretty goods in the dress departments designed for hob and eunny days are in immediate demand. One really warm day means thousands of parasols and muslin gowns alone being sold, apart from all the other dainty wear in demand. \ 'Spite her Majesty's desire, feathers — ostrich feathers at least — are enormously used in millinery, perhaps the more so because they spare- the English birds. The feather which for so long has been usurped by the lady coster, and marked by its size and value the social distinction to be accorded to its -wearer, is once again rescued by Fashion, and has regained its popularity among prominent leaders of the mode. Some of the feathers worn on the fashionable hats of the day measure a yard and a-half long, and by their costliness and beauty must Be the despair of the most ambitious 'Arriet that ever graced the heights of Hampstead Heath on Easter Monday. Walking skirts are sufficiently short •both for the comfort of walking and to escape the contamination of the roads. Plaided cloths are among the new favourites ; the neDv tweeds are in the best taste in subdued shades, and for shoulder wraps the feather boa and' Empire scarf are- rivals. Copies of beautiful old models both of Empire andi Egyptian.- scarves are seen in all the shops and on the smart women in the parks and streets. It is emphatically to be a colour season, and vivid touches of colour are to be seen even, in the white costumes: chiefly the waistbelt is of blue, or pink, or green. The return of the King- and the Prince and Princess of Wales has been the chief event of the month in the fashionable world. It had been arranged that the Channel fleet should be at the anchoring of the Renown at Spithead, but King Fog decreed otherwise, and blotted out the face of the waters. But when the mist lifted, ! •and the Renown was sighted coming up the channel, escorted by the Terrible, the j fleet weighed anchor a&d fell behind her, ' and as the Renown passed thundered ' salutes. It was a characteristic English ' homecoming, and after the heat of India must have struck a familiar chord. The royal children, eager and impatient to meet their parents, went out with A3miral Sir A. L. Douglas on the Fire Queen i yacht, but outside the Isle of Wight the ■ mist was- so thick that they had to turn ' back, and the little princes and their sister — Edward, Albert, Henry, and Prin- j cess Mary — were bitterly disappointed, but ; had to console themselves by sending messages to the Renown. But before 9 , o'clock the next morning the children went j out in a steam pinnace, and when it got ■, alongside the Renown they ran up the j gaagway, and 1 were soon in the arms of ; their parents, Princess Mary hugging her j father and mother delightfully. The 1 cruiser Terrible, which had escorted the ' Kenown to India and back, took a loyal farewell,, as.it steamed slowly by, by sing- . ing "God bless the Prince of Wales." There were nearly a thousand officers and men, and the farewell was most effective, follow-ed by cheers. The Prince of Wales saluted in turn, and seemed much touched. The King, in Fieldmarshal's uniform, went to Victoria Station to meet the train, and as his son alighted kissed the Prince on both cheeks. Then came one of those popular welcomes which Londoners love to give. With shouts of welcome from thronged streets, and escorted by the Life Guards, their children beside them, the Prince and Princess of Wales went home, where they must assuredly be glad to be after their months of exhausting toil. Many think that the office of princes is a sinecure, but a nearer | view discovers the fact that the Royal | House is tEe hardest-worked house in England. William Maxwell remarks : The King has just returned from a- holiday, in which we may be sure that the business of 1 State formed part of bis pleasure, and that in ' Greece, as well as in France and Italy, the influence of his strong personality will not be without advantage. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who are [ back from a more extended, tour, have earned 1 peculiar distinction 1 as travellers. They have seen- more of the Empire than any of their predecessors. Australia, New Zealand, South, Africa, and Canada were the countries of their first imperial mission. India, Burma, and Egypt have completed the pilgrimage. In these colonies and dependencies they have spent more than a year, and have been brought into close personal association with 1 the people and with those who «re directly j responsible for their government. They have j seen, not merely historic cities, but the conditions ol life among their future subjects'. The Indian tour differs in many respects from the> colonial. The people ..are widely divergent in thought and in. custom, and it is not easy to- . feeuecalise about » continent with three hue- !

dred million inhabitants. But as to the effect of the royal visit there can be no doubt. The personal element appeals with, overwhelming force to the- Hindu, and the very presence of the Prince and Princess supplied) that incentive to Oriental sympathy and imagination. A, native stationroaster expressed, in my hearing the pcpular sentiment — in words that would sound profane on other lips — "We cannot see God; but we can see the Shazadah." An American bishop with a quarter of a century's experience of India interpreted the feeling in Western phraseology: "The people have been greatly interested. But what is of greater importance than passing curiosity is that when the Priace and Princess come to the throne the natives of India will always remember that they came among them. That is a, valuable asset for the future." Aa for the Princess — her interest and her energy have never flagged, and. her eagerness to learn and to see with her own eyes the life of the Hindus has won the affection of the zenanas. The women of India declare that she is indeed — as she said in Bombay — their "sister," for "did ahe not leave her children in order to come thousands of leagues to see us." That the journey ha 9 involved no little endurance may be inferred from the mere record of travel. Eight thousand eight hundred and seven miles by rail in India and Burma; 26 nights — to say nothing of days — passed in trains; changes of climate-— from the damp furnace of Bombay to the snows of Quelta. — these are facts that may give a laint idea o-f the physical strain. To this the Prince added no fewer than 50 speeches, and a multitude of ceremonies that often kept him busy till midnight. I>espite these exertions and the wear and tear of fugitive travel, their Royal Highnesses have been in excellent health — better, indeed, than many ot the members of their suite. In six arduous months the Prince kept every appointment save one — and that a State banquet -which his physician sternly forbade him to attend, as he was but recovering from a slight attack of gastritis brought about by very indifferent fish. This record is conclusive testimony of hia powers of endurance, as •well -as to his eagerness to discharge the duties of his high position. There have, of course, been interval's of rest, which his Royal Highness devoted to sport. He shot his first tiger in the State where the King won his first pelt; but, greatly to bis disappointment, his opportunity of following big game on. an elephant in Nepal was destroyed by an outbreak of cholera.. The army, too, gave him recreation, as well as pleasure, for at Rawal Pindi he saw troops that must have appealed strongly to the military instincts of his race. On the frontier the keen interest of the Princess was not less remarkable than that of his Royal Highness. The journey through the Khyber— that bate and rugged defile upon every crag of which history, from the time of Alexander the Great, is written in bloodgreatly impressed .the royal visitors. And at Quetta — under the guidance of General SmithDorrien — they completed their experience. From the snow-crowned baTrier they looked into the forbidden land of the Afghans, and realised in the distant outpost of Chaman how great is the charge committed to the wardens of the Empire. These are among the memories that the Prince and Princess bring back to Englandmemories that life weaves into experience for the rulers of States. And not less vivid than these views of the frontier will be the memory of those vast multitudes who from Bombay to Calcutta and from Madras to Quetta, — in native States and in provinces under our rule—watched with growing enthusiasm the progress of the son and daughter of the Shazadah. That ia, indeed— as the bishop said —a valuable asset for Prince as well as for people. " The thanksgiving service at the Abbey for the Prince's safe return was very impressive. " Give the king Thy judgments, O God, and Thy righteousness unto the king's son," was the Psalm that was sung. The King and the Prince and Princess of Wales were present, the King sitting in a stall near the dean, who preached on the nature of true service, referring to the motto of the Prince of Wales, " I serve." The beautiful old Abbey, scene of so many historic and patriotic ceremonies, was thronged, many Americans being among the congregation. Among the distinguished; people present were Princess Victoria and Princess Henry of Batte-ibsirg, Prince and Princess Christian, and Prince and Princess Alexander of Teck. Ihe lighte and shadows in the aisles from the stained glass windows, the white robes of the choristers, the uniforms of the bluejackets from the warships returned from India, and the red-coated marines, with tha ecclesiastical robes of the i*iergy, went to make one of those impressive seenc-s where the State and Church are combine J. A huge crowd, unable to get inside the Abbey, waited outside, to whom the words, O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the s«a. was borne with almost passionate appeil. \ remarkable sermon by the Bisaop of Carlisle, preached at Birmingh:m, is one of the topics of t"he hour, for he said that " God is a disappointed God. It must be heartrending for Him to see how things are going on on this planet. It is obvious that something has gone wrong fundamentally in this world, which is not what God intended' it to be." This is in contradiction to the optimistic assertion, "God is in His heaven, all's well with the world." It is true that the age is more materialistic than spiritual, and that there is " selfishness, jealousy, self-will, bitterness, and, above all, conceit — one of the greatest enemies of man's salvation." But since man was these sins have belonged to the flesh, and may not it tc- in the Divine plan that by reason of the suffering of man, self- inflict edi by his own flesh, his soul learns from pain its own wisdom? Ihj inequality and rigour of the Brit ; sh divorce laws has been the subject of a big discussion, which originated in a comment on " semi-divorce" made by Sir Gorell Barnes, the president of the Divorce Court, who considers reform of the divorce laws advisable, the separations between husband and wife probably amounting to 10,000 a year. An eminent K.C. says that Sir Gorell Barnes's remarks will probably call attention to the- anomalies and inconsistencies which at present exist in the statutes which, govern matriinoniaU causes.. The ex-

pressed opinion of many is that no solution of the difficulties will be found until the law of husband and wife is put on a single basis. "At present shreds of ecclesiastical law ar© tacked on to patches of agnostic philosophy, with results that are sometimes merely dismal, sometimes amazing, and now and then grossly un- ■ just, as one or two recent decisions tes-

tify. . . . Any offence which really renders cohabitation impossible and destroys the basis of the marriage contract should, as a general rule, be ground for divorce, whether the petitioner is a husband or wife." But any movement that affects the social position of women in England is of slow progress-, there is a constitutional dislike among Englishmen to giving the woman an equal footing in law and the making of the law, which sentiment is, of course, in great measure a remnant of the British "chivalry, which did the "fighting, while the women did the loving. But with the superfluous millions of unmarried women conditions have evolved which make the old restrictions a handicap in their fight for existence, a fight the like of which colonial women have no experience, for where there is an opening for a woman here there are thousands able and eager to fit it. It is manifestly unfaiv that in a country where millions of women must work or starve they should have no voice in the making of those laws under the conditions of which they are forced to live and to labour. In England it is not a question of " advanced" ideas — the question is that if the men are too few to support their women, why should they have absolute control of the machinery which weaves the fabric of their lives? But it is a mistake to resort to unlawful measures with the object of gaining a lawful end). The superfluous millions with a vote would be a formidable array for or against the minority, of which fact the minority are perfectly well aware, and will lose no opportunity of making capital out cf hysterical outbreaks, such as the raiding of the Premier's house or interrupting the proceedings at the House of Commons. The attitude will be, "What do you think? Are women who are not self-governed fib for government*/" But meanwhile they will fight and suffer for those who will come after.

This inconsistency of women in kicking against the rules they have laid down for themselves as well as those enforced by the law-makers, is commented on by a lady, who calls herself " Clubwoman. " Writing in the Daily Mail she says : —

There seems no doubt that women's clubs have somehow come to be run very differ- j ently from men's. Sometimes they are prac- j tically run for the advertising and glorifica- j tion of one particular person. And I presume, that if a man joins a club, he is at least will- j ing to know its secretary. But a woman joins a club and utterly refuses to have a bowing acquaintance with the club secretary. Then she should not join at all. And when their clubs become notorious, and are talked about, does women's pride revolt, and do they take their name off right and left? Not they. The fact is, women may be clubbable, but they are not clubbable in the same sense as are men. I hold no brief for men; but they do manage their clubs immeasurably better than women manage theirs. Somehow they have contrived to keep them free from more j or less open charges of thievishness or pilfering. If ever the soiled linen of a man's olutfi has to be washed, it is washed in absolute privacy. Women, in fact — and here is one of the greatest differences between their clubs j and men's — are not loyal to their clubs. They seem unable to keep from talking to outsiders about club affairs — which may partly account for the unenviable reputations of certain women's clubs. Not wholly, however. Women's clubs can nowise afford to play the injured! innocent. They are far more leniently treated! : by Eociety than men's clubs. ! To conclude, women's clubs are too often conducted on wrong principles, and the calm way in which women tolerate abuses in their clubs — abuses with which no self-respecting man would put vp — and their continuing to

keep their names on the books of clubs of more than doubtful reputation do not say much for the pride of the sex. And the membership- of women's clubs to-day is fairly representative of the upper and upper-middle classes of society. Talking of clubs reminds me that the invitations to the Women Writers' Dinner, to be held on June 25, are out. This function has never lost its interest, and is a reunion of several hundreds from perhaps the cleverest women of the literary world. Miss G. M- Ireland Blackburne is still hon. secretary, and with her Miss L. R. Mitchell. Among the ladies of the committee are Mrs L. T. Meade, Miss Montresor, the Duchess of Sutherland 1 , Mrs Arthur Stannard, Mrs Craigier

Miss Ella Curtis, " Bluestocking,"' of the Lady's Pictorial, Mrs St Legar Harrison" ■ ("Lucas Malef), and Mrs Humphry Wai'd. The last -mentioned lady's n^Tf ■ novel, ' Femvick's Career,'* is not classed by its critics among the famous novelist's best work. As in " Lady Rose's Daughter," she has built the story upon biography. There is a good deal of art' criticism, which is pronounced dreary. "In brief," one review concludes, " 'Fen?' wick's Career' is neither convincing not distinguished, andi it wilL not endure comparison for an instant with the true and simple story upon which it is modelled." Happy the artist whose latest work is_ , his best ! But it is not always possible I to speak the beet word last.