WOMAN'S WORLD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5861, 1 May 1897, Page 3

WOMAN'S WORLD.

Madame Hannah Korany has founded a woman's club at Beirut, in Syria, which is greatly appreciated by the ladies of the town. Madame Korany was one of the Syrian representatives at the Chicago Exhibition*. , Princess Marie of Eoumania, wife of the Crown Prince, collects perfumery bottles, a fad in which she resembles her grandmother, the late Empress of Russia, who left a beautiful assortment of these articles, valued at something like .£SOOO. Princess Beatrice is the greatest photograph collector in this country. She has 800 photographs placed about her various rooms, while she has thousands safely stored away. She has been an assiduous collector of photographs ever since she was a little child. Last spring Queen Natalie of Servia lost a valuable diamond ring in Paris. After much vain searching, the Queen announced that if found she would give it to the Little Sisters of the poor. It has now turned up, and the Sisters are going to raffle it— 2o,ooo tickets at a franc each. Princess Beglarion of Armenia is now practising medicine most successfully in her native land; patients come many miles to consult her. The Princess studied at the University of Berne, where she graduated with the title of M.D. Afterwards she served in Russian hospitals, and won the personal thanks of the Czar for her good work. To Mrs Thomas Hardy, if all reports be true, the world owes her husband's novels, for it was through her influence that he was induced to give up architecture as a profession and adopt literature in its stead. She copied out his first novel in her own hand, and herself sent it to the publishers, and she makes it part of her work to keep posted up in the literature of the day, in order that she may have a store of knowledge at her husband's command. Nicolini, the once famous tenor, and husband of Madame Patti, is a great lover of billiards. He has four tables— two English and two French — at Craig-y-JN os, in Wales. His wife, besides being the queen of song, may be termed a champion lady billiard player. She has for years devoted her leisure to the game. Her billiard-room is exquisitely fitted up, and is not only used for billiards, but is the rendezvous of the guests at all hours of the day. Her collection of cues is unrivalled. The Queen of Denmark, the mother of the Princess of Wales, has just reached her

seventy-ninth year. It is little known that the aged lady has a -withered hand. > The injury was the result a mauling by a tame tiger, which she received in her youthful days. Though she was seriously hurt — the tiger, however, had only attacked her in play — she bore herself with, singular courage, and induced the animal to follow her to where she knew she would find one of the palace guards. The tiger was then shot. In a recently published book Eeginald Brett says that Queen Victoria once impatiently remarked : " I am no longer Queen. Mr Gladstone is King." The grand old man always had an air of aloof neBB about him, even when he was in the presence of royalty. Beaconsfield, on the, other hand, was always welcome at Windsor. -The . Queen didn't like him at first, it is true,.; but he gradually won her over. In trifleß Disraeli naver forgot the sex of the sovereign. In graat affairs he newer appeared .' to remember it. v ' The weekly meeting of the Women's Poli- , tical Association was held in the Women's Christian Temperance TJnionßooms on April ' 20, when there was a good attendance of . members. A letter was received from Mrs Seddon replying to the address presented to her by the Association during her visit to Christchurch. A reply was also re- . ceived from the Minister of Justice acknowledging the thanks of the Asbo-. , ciation for the appointment by him ' of a ' matron to the Christohuroh and other T central police stations. Some of the social reforms likely to be dealt with by the present Parliament were the subjects of discussion during the evening.