MISS COLONIA IN LONDON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6126, 12 March 1898, Page 3

MISS COLONIA IN LONDON.

CONFIDENCES TO HER COUSINS ACROSS THE SEA. LONDON, Jan. 14. Dear Cousins, — American ladies who have been spending their Christmas and their husbands' or fathers' money in England are terribly angry with " Uncle Sam " over a new regulation he has sprung upon them in the matter of importing sealskins into the States. From a woman's point of view, and I think men will for once in a way agree, the new regulation is ridiculous. The position of affairs is briefly this. After the night of Jan. 7 any fair American who attempts to enter America with a sealskin jacket or any other garment with sealskin on it, either in her trunks or on her person will have the article confiscated unless she can produce the invoice of the person from whom it was purchased, together with certificates sworn on oath before au American Consul by the manufacturers setting forth the names of the persons from whom the skins were bought in both raw and dressed states, the dates of such purchases, and the number of the lot in which the skins were sold at the original auction sale. Unless, indeed, she can prove beyond a shadow of doubt that the sealskin was not one of those poached by the naughty Canadians, but is a true Yankee, the American woman will have to part with any article npon which seal appears that she may have bought whilst abroad. This jewel of a man-made regulation has been sprung upon the trade in London, as well as upon the fair Americans, and our retailers and manufacturers are consequently unable to give the required certificates. Nor do I suppose they will ever try to do so. In a sealskin jacket of fair dimensions parts of half a dozen skins or more are often used. Imagine a manufacturer setting forth the full, true aud particular . history of each skin from the time it left the poor animal's back ! One or two fair Yankees of my acquaintance are absolutely furious with thoir country's Government over this affair, for their parents were generous with sealskins at Christmas, and now they are unable to take their muffs and capes honi. with them. One of them expressed her intention of trying to get her cape through, by cutting out the silk tab of her Boston made waterproof and sewing it in the cape. The garment will then bear false witness to having been made by Messrs So and So, of Boston, and possibly the cheat would succeed, for I presume the regulation does not apply to sealskins of American manufacture which have merely accompanied their owners abroad. The girl, however, will most likely abandon her "notion" before she sails, not because of the dishonesty of the false 'labelling, but because she fears the consequences of detection. "A TOO ARTISTIC ALIBI." The peace of our breakfast tarble was rudely disturbed a few mornings ago by a 3udden outburst from the usually placid Tom. He was indulging in his unamiable habit of perusing the paper and suddenly ejaculated "Ass!" with an emphasis that told of strong emotion, and then, "He ought to be removed from the Bench." "Who's he, and what's he done?" I inquired mildly, and Tom then read an account of an innocent man's release after serving two months of a sentence of five years' penal servitude, passed upon him by Mr Justice Grantham. I will give youabrief outline of the case. The released man — a young fellow of two or three-and-twenty — who resides with his parents at Forest Gate, near London, was accused of attempting to assault and rob a young lady named Hughes, in the neighbourhood of Rhyl, North Wales, on July 13. Miss Hughes, on complaining to the police, was shown a number of photographs of men and youths who had been in custody. Amongst these happened to be one of Walter Spriggs, who had some years previously been convicted and sentencedatßhyl for some small offence. Miss Hughes picked out his photograph as that of the man who had assaulted her. Spriggß was arrested in London, and when his trial came on at the Ruthin Assizes five other witnesses swore to having seen him in the neighbourhood of Rhyl at the time of the assault on Miss Hughes. The evidence for the prosecution was undoubtedly strong, but it was met with almost overwhelming testimony that at the timo of the assault Spriggs was with his parents at Forest Gate. For the defence no less than twelve witnesses were called, and unless each and every one had committed the grossest perjury, it was clear that the sccus-d could not nave been within hundreds of miles ot Rhyl on tbe day of the assantt4

But Justice Granthan summed up dead against Spriggs. He told the jury that the alibi set up was altogether *' too perfect, too artistic," and he had the execrably bad taste to comment on the dress of Spriggs's witnesses as too fine for their position in life. He also committed an unpardonable legal offence in adverting to the accused's previous conviction before the jury had leturned their verdict, and tried to cover his blunder by saying that he had mentioned what he ought not to have mentioned in the prisoner's favour "because it might account for the police having suspected him." The jury, unfortunately, allowed the_ Judge to lead them. They found Spriggs guilty, and Justice Grantham passed a sentence of five years* penal servitude. Happily Spriggs's caso attracted the attention of a Mr Yelverton, a London barrister, and with the friends of the young fellow he made special efforts to get the Homo Secretary to make a special investigation into the case. Sir Matthew Ridley granted their desires, and several officers of the Criminal Investigation Department were set to work. Their inquiries took time, but in the end they reported themselves as completely satisfied that the evidence tendered at Ruthin Assizes by the defence was solid fact. The Home Office at once ordered Spriggs's release on "license," at the same time intimating that he need not comply with the usual conditions as to reporting himself monthly to the police. Spriggs had served two months of his sentence when released. He is now waiting for the Queen to grant him a "free pardon" for the crime he never committed, and one can only hope that with the " pardon " her Majesty will send some more tangible token of her sympathy with the luckless yet lucky young man. SHALL DIVORCED PERSONS RE-MARRY? The English Church Union seems to have taken up the crusade against tho remarriage, under Church auspices of persons who have been principals in divorce, started some years ago by Father Black with considerable vigour. The Council of the English Church Union has just forced an expression of contrition from the Rev C. S. Flack, who not long ago officiated as vicar of SfcStepben's, Kensington, at the marriage of a divorced woman. Mr Flack "deeply regrets that he should have been led by insufficient study of the question and the suddenness of the demand to assist in a ceremony which he now fully recognises to have been morally as well as canonically wrong." Having brought the parson to his bearings the English Church Union means to tiy a tilt at the Archbishop of Canterbury, who granted the special license upon which Mr Flack acted. Then, at the next meeting of the Council a motion is to be brought forward to the effect that to sanction, permit, assist at, or connive at any ceremony in a church connected with the legal iinion of a divorced person is conduct incompatible with membership in the English Church Union. But, though this motion will most probably bo carried, it is quite likely that it will result in a split in the Union. A very large number of clergymen are opposed to what may be called the total prohibition proposition. They are quite prepared to refuse to act at the marriage of the person divorced, but deem the Union to be going too far when it attempts to prevent the marriage in church of innocent plaintiffs in divorce. WOMEN'S ADVANCE IN GERMANY. I note witii some surprise that the women's rights movement in Germany has achieved a great victory. The first gymnasium for girls in a Government High school is to be opened in April next at Breslau, and we are told that the example of Prussia's second capital will soon bo imitated throughout the Fatherland. Thus another question has advanced a stage nearer solution, namely, that of the admission of women to German universities. Hitherto this has been impossible, for two reasons — the lack of sufficient preparation at a gymnasium, the condilio sine qua non for admission to all German universities, and the refusal of most university professors to countenance the presence of ladies at their lectures. But since the State, through the admission of girls to the gymnasia, has opened to them the way to higher studies, it must also allow them to profit by those studies, and therewith, ns the Pall Mall puts it, "fall away the shackles that have hitherto hampered women students." FASHION TURNING TURTLE. " What a jewel of a pet ?" I overheard a gushing American girl saying the other day, as we were looking into a jeweller's window on the Boulevards in Paris. Fashion is an extravagant jade, and her last acquisition is a bizarre little beast. Miniature tortoises are brought from the Landes to the jewellers, thinking, doubtless, with Hamlet, " What should such fellows as I do crawling between heaven and earth ?" But, under the hands' of the artificer, the unassuming little creature becomes an ornament to society. His coat of mail is studded and spangled with turquoises, rubies, sapphires or emeralds, and so caparisoned he is made prisoner by a slender gold chain and lives a life of luxurious captivity, crawling slowly on the breast, neck or shoulder of the lady of fashion, the light of the salon scintillating from his jewelled back as he creeps about in his 'i gilded bondage amongst the ribbons and laces in his wearer's corsage. His golden chain is attached/to an ornamental hook in the dress, after a turn has been taken in it round his wearer's neck. Quite a crowd flatten their noses against the windows of the Parisian jewellers' shops to watch the movements of the tortues, which you can buy for between .£ls and .220. The Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals, in taking the tortoise under its wing, proproposes to take it from the ladies' shoulders, and has given the new fashion a gratuitous advertisement. lam glad to say the fashion has not yet extended to London. It gives me quite a creepy sensation to think of it. BEARDED LADIES. Talking of the tortoise, my mind naturally runs on to the hair. The report that a bearded lady had been killed at an hotel in Euston and the presence of one amongst Barnum and Bailey's freaks have once more brought into prominence the trouble that many poor women experience from the growth of hair on their faces. Some, you know, pluck out the hair with tweezers every morning, a most painful operation, which gives only temporary relief, for the hairs still grow so quickly that more plucking forms a necessary part of the evening toilette. I have met a few ladies who shaved, but the result is to leave that characteristic blue mark on the upper lip. A Daily Nail reporter has been interviewing Mrs Ada S. Ballin, who, if her report be true, must be a public benefactress. Last year she treated more than two thousand cases, and has in seven years relieved some ten thousand of our sex. She claims to absolutely remove all hairs by electrolysis, which only causes a little redness after the insertion of the needle, but leaves no scar, and after a few days the skin becomes quite smooth and natural. She said that the minds of two poor creatures, both handsome women, became quite unhinged by the rush of hair to lip or chin, but that, under her treatment, they soon lost their ha.., regained their senses, and are now happily married. SANDWICH GIRLS. Coming down Oxford Street from Mudie's yesterday, I saw a crowd looking in great excitement at something approachingalong the pavement, and by-and-bye a long line of sandwich girls passed with a somewhat self-conscious laugh on their faces. They were dressed in gaudy red, green and blue dresses, and wore the long white pointed cap of a Pierrette. They were not encased in the customary boards, but had calico squares stitched on front and back testifying to the merits of some delicacy "eaten by the Queen." All day long they parade the streets in the West End, accompanied by a male chaperon and distribute hand-bills. There were twelve foolish virgins when they set out, but four of them resented being made to walk in the gutter like the mere men sandwiches, and, as Tom put it, declared their innings closed. The eight who remain are about eighteen years old, of the factory girl class; and get 12s a iweek. . K^tb_koc(»_ffltionjß'not-a-very loftyr

! one, it is at least honest, and there is one consolation about it, the girls get lOd f day more than their male rivals. THE CRYSTAL PALACE. Government aid is to be invoked to save our old friend tho Crystal Palace from itimpending doom. The Palace Company, which owns this national landmark ant the two hundred or so acres round it, has been in a bad way for years, and as tht debenture holders are pressing for the!; money, the company proposes either to sel! the Palace and grounds or to demolish tht building, which, from its nature, has beer a white elephant to it, and build over tingardens, thus destroying what ias beor for forty years to all intents and purpoa.* a national lung. I daresay that you will remember that this huge structure of glass was originally erected in Hyde Park for the first international exhibition v of 1851. When the exhibition ended a company reerected the building in its present position enlisting the services of Sir George Grove as secretary. Sir Joseph Paxton laid out the gardens, Brunei superintended the water supply, Owen Forbes and Bonomi advised on the equipment of the institution — for it was to be a centre of national education and enlightment as well as a hall of pleasure. As a nieans-of educating the masses I do not think it has been oi much value. Its sculptures and art galleries are gigantic monuments ol English bad taste, and its scientific collections suggest the legend "Rubbish shot here." There is a school of practical engineering, however, which I am told is excellent of its kind, and there are science, art and literary classes, of which one seldom hears anything. The Queen, in opening the Palace, expressed her hope that it might "long continue to elevate and instruct, as well as to delight and amuse the minds of all classes of my people." If it has not elevated and instructed to tho extent that was anticipated, it has, in spite of most inadequate railway arrangements — some of the thirdclass carriages on the lines that run to it being, I should think, the worst in- the world — filled the bill as a national playground. There is scarcely any form of entertainment that yon cannot find there ; flower shows, football matches, fireworks, tournaments, pantomimes, attract crowds from all parts of the country. It is about the best place I know in which to'] spend a wet day. Its choral festivals, the chief of which of course is the Handel festival, are "prodigious," and lovers of good music rejoice in the concerts given by Augustus Manns. The Palace has long been recognised as the place for large assemblies, and fetes of temperance and friendly societies, and the Salvation Army. It would be a thousand pities if the breezy heights of the gardens were to be covered by monotonous long rows of brick villas. The vestry of Camberwell has convened a conference for March of municipal authorities to urge the national acquisition of the Palace. There are two suggestions made — ono that the State, aided by the municipal authorities, should buy the company out. The company's capital is a little more than a million _nd a.half, ! and it is stated that the shareholders are \ prepared to sell forabouthalf this amount. ' The other suggestion is that the Government should take the place of the debenture holders and enable the company .to carry on. The Daily Chronicle has taken a plebiscite of members of the London local authorities, a large majority of whom aro strongly in favour of the public purchase ] of the Palace, and of voting money for tho purpose. My own idea coincides with that of Mr Montague Smith, of Westminster, ! who says: — j " If a properly managed pubiic company could not make the Palace attractive, no i other sort of ma,nagement is likely to do so. j The Palace has ceased to pay because it j has ceased to be attractive. It is too much of the old-fashioned Baker Street Bazaar or Lowther Arcade." The Palace is nat up to date, the train service is shocking, tho catering poor, and I have heard all sorts of complaints about the management. I believo that an energetic busineS) man like Hooley or Harmsworth, could make a big profit if be bought the place at tho company's price and boomed it. It will be a pity if, like the Imperial Institute, tho Albert Palace at Battersea and the Alexandra Palace in the north of London, the Crystal Palace becomes one of London's white elephants. I do not believe in tho transfer to the Government of property that has been a failure in the hands of private companies, but I do think that, whatever may happen to the building, tho Government should buy and throw open the grounds as a public park. MORE PALACES FOR THE PUBLIC. While the fate of the Crystal Palace hangs in the balance, we are to have two real palaces thrown open to us, the long, low building that faces Kensington Gardens and the old red palace in Kew Gardens, often visited by George 111. and his family. Kensington Palace is only partly occupied. Princess Louise occupies only a portion of a wing; the late Dnchess of Teck had another portion, but both on tho ground floor. The upper storey, containing the State rooms, the scene of many a historical event, has been suffered to fall into disgraceful disrepair. Could you believe it ? The banqueting room of Wrens is used as apotting-shed bythe gardeners ! Tho salons in which William of Orange, Anne and two of the Georges held their brilliant Courts are rotting away, the roof is in decay, the windows are broken and covered with cobwebs, and the rain runs down tho painted walls ! Is it not a shame that tho Queen's birthplace should be so shamefully neglected in the year of the Queen's Jubilee? I am sure that, had we only known, the women of the Empire would have subscribed to put the building into repair, if no one ebe would do so. William 111. lived and died there from the fall ho had from his horse when setting out for Hampton Court, and it was there, in her birthplace, that the young princess was hastily aroused from her sleep to bo hailed Queen of England. It appears that the building has long been a matter of controversy between the Crown and the Government. The Government would never place money on tho Estimates to put the rooms in order, and tho Queen thought that she should not be asked to do so from her private funds. So between the two the poor palace has nearly come to the ground. It was actually proposed to pull the building down, but the Queen naturally declared that sho would not suffer her birthplace to be destroyed while she lived. At last acompromiso has been made. The Queon relinquishes the Kew Palace to be turned into a museum in connection with Kew Gardens, and tho Government are to take over and repair tho State rooms of Kensington Palace, to hang them with some of the piotnres tbat jostlo one another at Hampton Court, to furnish them with relics of the present dynasty and throw them, open to the public. I cannot say that I am much impressed with tho liveableness of palaces. They always seem to me to combine the maximum of garish gaudiness with the minimum of comfort. I do not think that gilded statues and marble halls are much to the taste of colonials,' especially when the pillars of tho marble halls are hollow shams of painted wood, as they are at Buckingham Palace. ■——WW— II ■1111-BI