TABLE TALK. Social, Theatrical and Literary.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 204, 21 May 1887, Page 4 (Supplement)

TABLE TALK. Social, Theatrical and Literary.

Precis. Pkin6k' 6k AVat.es 'and tiie EAiVfnQUAKi:*Tins " Times " Vo Become a Penny II j ai*er"Ouida"thk Lioness of SociKtY— Mrs WAkBLER A DfcBSSMAKKR — DEATH OK 'EtXGENB RIMMEL, THE KINO OK SCKNTS— His Tradk Triumphs — Ylanq-Ylakg— •' The Exquisite *' — SmrwiuanT's "I. Zin 1 gAri"— Revival of "Man jind Wife"— Tub Uiox-TamAr at OLympia— A Stirking VAu-FORMAXCE-H6W TO FU'I YOVR HfiAD'lX A Lion's Mouth— Thus Lioness Turns Nasty — Skkth's Account of Himself - Wiikn the Truth Leaked • Out— Donatello's First Success— Literary Chit-Chat, &c , &c. London, Maroh'4 Thk Prince of Wales entirely refused to allow his equilibrium to be put out by the earthquake at Cannes. Instead of utilising his position as a Royalty to insist on the railway company's accelerating his dcpar- j ture, H.R.H. remained quietly where he was, and by walking and driving about just as usual (offering assistance and making kindly inquiries), materially lessened the general scare. It is in contemplation to reduce the pi ice of the " Times " to a penny. Have you seen " Punch's " hon mot on the Under-Secretary for the Colonies ? Onslow appointed! Hum! Did business go So very fast that wo must go On-slow. " Ouida "' is the social " lion " (or ought one to say "lioness") of the moment. 1 met her the other afternoon at a five o'clock tea in Portland Place, and was much disappointed. Mdlo do la Ramee is a faded outre elderly woman with what the British matron calls " foreign mannei's." She talked loudly, and, 1 thought, with considerable affectation, and said nothing either particularly clever or particularly new, though people listened as if to an inspired prophetess. Mrs "Wheeler, the erstwhile "professional beauty," is about to join the ranks of lady dressmakers. Royal patronage co^t her husband dear. Captain Luke Wheeler's means were not equal to the strain of commingling with tho " Prince's set" for any length of time. He and his pretty Avife made a brave show for a time, but when His Royal Highness turned his attention towards American " gyurls " their star set. Hence the dressmaking. M. Eugene Rimmel, the well-known perfumer of London and Paris, is dead. He was a cheery, chirpy little man, full of benevolence, and blessed with a disposition as sweet as his own scent. In his time Rimmel invented countless perfumes, but perhaps his greatert success was the peculiar " Ylang-ylang," which "all Paris" affected during the Empire. " Ylangylang is far too strong und sensuous for modern " masherdom," which (let us be thankful for small mercies) affects pungent aromatics in every sense more refreshing. Rimmel's other triumph was a most delicate and fragrant, but monstrously expensive perfume, christened " The Exquisite."' One might as well pour pearls of gold, as this scent, upon one's handkerchief ; but the effect is perfect, a faint suspicion of hothouse gardenia, that is all. The most fashionable scents just now are Atkinson's " Stephanotis,' "Gardenia,"' and " White Rose." Each command a certain sale, especially abroad and in the colonies, and many ladies, I understand, adhere affectionately to famous manufactures of " Ess. Bouquet " and " Rondeleria." Personally, I think, if a man mu^t use scent, Shipwright's "I. Zingari," which is fresh and aromatic, or Lundberg's " Edenia '' arc best. The Prince of Wales gave a great spurt to the former, which can only be obtained at the Universities Toilet Club in Coventry-street. Rimmel was a thoroughly well educated man, and \\ rote a number of works both in j French and English on the history and manufacture of perfumes, etc. He will be much missed by the French colony in London. A revival of Wilkie Collins's " Man and Wife " is promised at the Haymarket Theatre, with E. S. Willard in the part of tho brutal athlete Geoffrey Delamnyne, which Charles Coghlan made his own in the palmy days of the old Prince of Wales's Theatre in Tottenham Court Road. There must be many in Australia now who remember the production of "Man and Wife," and the discussion it provoked. Mr and Mrs Bancroft, Chas. Collette, Hare, Coghlan, and I think Carlotta Addison were on the original cast. '•The Snowball," a funny 3-act farce belonging to the same school as " The Great Divorce Case" and "Pink Dominoes," which had a succts iVtttime at the Strand Theatre some years ago, has taken the place of "The Lodgers" at the Globe Theatie pending the production of Charles Hawtcey's new play The exhibition of lion-taming which now ftamns a principal feature of the entertainMseatfe at "Olympia" is far the most exsMfow I ever saw. An immense cage comjiosed.entirely of iron bars and containing eight -large lions (a lion, a lioness, and six aeariy ;f ull grown pups) is wheeled into the arejja.. The lions look round growling and goading. Presently there enters tho tamer, Seeth, clad in green coat garnished with gflld lace, reaching down to his waist, and gzfp fleshings. He bows and walks stmigJiifc\pp through the double door, and is among bis beasts in a few seconds. They pei'foria,many evolutions, which nped not be dewritMjd, \>vith great alacrity and a little growling-; ,on;ly the lioness resists. When it is all ovqr, ,a .chariot takes the Swedish Daniel round the ring in triumph. Hi bows, and s&ys •" Ecce homo." The inevitable " Pall Mall " interviewer recently discovered Mr Seeth, and had rather an interesting talk ,with him apropos of the Middlesex magistrates having protested against the lion ,taj»er putting his head in the leasts' mouths.. Secth condescended to explajn aa follow^ .: — " If I put my b#ad in the Uo®^ mouth, I have my hands on fris jaws, yow&ee, I only wear a moustache ; & hoard or wfcisikers are dangerous, because they fickle t>h& lion's tongue, and he wouJ4 jt'es*st. 4s fcrrfjlwger it is ridiculous. If a man steers q, ship he iwt have been taught to steer ; if a lady drives a chariot she has hod many J^ssons ; a man cannot sifc a fiopy horse if h& has never Wen across a horde's back before, As it is with them, so it is with me. You take my place this eveningt and the audience will have a gory exhibition, This is not my ddbut in the lion's den, lam passionately fond of wild bqasts. My father hud a menagerie in Sweden j he be-

gfrnlic* tfcriin me when 1 'Was a boy of sftwfn, ; a«d we Hised to enter 'the cage *of boasts! together. When I was fifteen I took fivoj 1 Ji4ne*to on my own account. Now lam twenty-four, and am still alive. My father is>over eighty. He is alive, too. So much for danger. If <I got drank, then I. might as well oe dead. " " How >do you train your lions ?" '" That is my business. I may be a bit rough on them at first, but kindness is my •recipe. I ha'vo had my present company •about a year and a half, and my old lion is» so fond of me that he would on my behulf if the other seven attacked me. Need I tell you that I would enter the cage, at any time without stick or whip, but they are effective, like the pistol. My lioness; hates me, but she fears me too, so what care; I for her hate V" " Tigers or hy tunas are quite in your lino, of courso ?" " Certainly. Tigers aro the most dangerous of any performing animals. But, when I am buying them 1 can tell with certainty whether they will be too dangerous for exhibition. I would, for instance, go to the Zoo, and in a fow minutes tell you which of the animals would submit to training. After two or throe days' practice with" new purchases I perform with them." Mr Sect-h smokes and drinks his halfbottle of wine or his glass of lager, but no more. He is so attached to his boasts that 1 really believe that some day he will even j make his bed with them. As it is, he is quite w illing to breakfast with thorn, and always reads the papers when they are being cleaned up. If "the lions ever do eat Mr Seeth they will have a good meal, but that is none of my business, and the remark won't offend him, for lie dot's not read English. 1 call him a Hercules ; a woman would say he was a splendid man ; his lions probably think him a giant. He is about twenty-four, in magnificent condition, with clear eyes and red checks, enormous hips and legs, a wondorhil chest and arms, and hands that look powerful enough to crack a lion's skull, both covered with honourable scars. Mr Scefh has remarkably high -spii its, which nothing affects. lie never dreams of lions' jawsuiid " ruddygore," and is so indifferent about Mich things that he Mould go to bed with the lion just as he gets up with the lark. MissLeonoia Biaham (Mrs Barnes), who lias for some years been the prima donna of the Savoy Company, was (it now transpires) married some months back to Mr Duncan Young, of the German Reed troupe. The lady is considerably older than her husband. How little mere age has to do with looks on the btage may be gathered from the fact that William Terris, the most youthful and adorable of Romeos and the boyish naval lieutenant of " Harbour Lights," is much nearer 40 than 30. The Maiquis of Huntley's adventures in India, China, Australia and New Guinea will be publshed this week by Chapman and Hall. The same firm aro preparing a cheap 2s re-issue of Ralph Trou's " Story of an African Farm," which was very well received when it appeared in three volumes and has also run through two six shilling editions. " Ycss," Mr Rider Haggard's stirring »tory of the Transvaal war, which has been running in "Cornhill" for some months past, was published at six shillings yesterday by Smith and Elder. There are some scenes in it as good as, if not superior to, anything the author has done, notably the description of the terrible thunderstorm on the Veldt, under cover of which the heroine and her lover escape from the Boer sharpshooters. Mr Haggard's new novel, it is finally Fettled, will deal with ancient Egypt at the time of Antony and Cleopatra. Under the title of " Service Afloat," Commander Semmes, who "bossed" the notoiious Alabama during her long and destructive cruise in 1863, has published his diaries kept during the Confederate War. The work is> in one volume, and illusti-ated. Mr Bai ing-Gould repudiates the authorship of "Demos," which Smith and Elder now announce as the work of George Gissing, a well-known writer on the more perplexing problems affecting the lower classes. Mr Gissing's iirst novel, "Workers in the Dawn," did not attract much attention, and " The Unolassed," which followed, and which touched on an awkward social question, though clever, was voted heavy. " Demos " is, of course, a masterpiece in its way, and " Thyrza " (now passing thiough the press) will, on die, set the seal on the author's reputation. None of the new magazines are doing well. "Murray's" is voted too heavy, " Scribner's " a colourless imitation of the "Century,' 'and "The Hour-Glass" scrappy and generally unsatisfactory.