WOMAN'S WORLD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6901, 15 September 1900, Page 3

WOMAN'S WORLD.

The son born to the Hon Mrs Seville Lytton the other day is, it is pointed out, the youngr eat descendant on ihe one side of Lord Byron and on the other of Bulwer- Lytton. It is a curious fact that the descendants, of Lord Byron have nearly all been women.

Japanese women are -taking to the occupations usually performed by, men, and may be Been engaged in the making of roads, acting as stevedores, and coaling porters for steamers. The women-divers on some of tfbe coasts, are superior to the men in skill and courage.

Baden-JPowell is a splendid shot. -Once he was flaked why he did not marry. " I'm so addicted to shooting myself that I cannot bring myself to be the tarket for life of one pair of eyes. Every girl marks *bull'»»eye' on my heart until I meet another." At the same time, no man_is more popular with the fair sex.

Mrs Clemens plays a very important part in her husband's (Mark Twain) literary life. All that he writes passes under 'h-er severe censorship; she is hie meet acute critic, and if theTe 19 anything in what he has written which does not meet with her entire approval, it goes straightway to the wastepaper Tj&sket or is held back for careful revision. .

Sixty-three years hive gassed since the Queen, shortly after her accession, first iook up her residence at BuckingTiam {Palace, a mansion which was built in 1825 at a cost of over £1,000,000. The palace stands on the site of a quain>t old residence, built in 1703 by the Duke of . Buckingham, and purchased in 1761 fey iGWrge III.; who settled it on his Queen, -Charlotte. From -then till' now tie house has remained the London residence of the Sovereign. From it five royal weddings have taken place, the last 'being that of the Duke and Duchess of York.

The popularity of Rosa Bonheur's pictures shows no waning. The contents of the dead painter's studio are now being dispersed by auction, and the first sale has realised £22,630. Five, six and seven hundred pounds were common prices. The highest figure of. the day was £1980 for <a cattle subject. It is expected that the Bale of Mdme. Bonheur's pictures will realise £80,000. Of this sum Miss Anna Klumpke, the legatee of the deceased artist, will give half to the Bonheur tfamily, who took an action to upset the will, on th« ground of undue influence on the part of Miss Klumpke.

When the Queen travels to Scotland, she passes over three railway companies' lines, and a .very pretty -little time-table is always prepared for her, in white and gold. On it are the times at which the train is due at all the big stations, and how long it stops at each; it also points out the objects of interest en route: but most of the journey is accomplished at night. The Queen is dressed and ready to see and be seen when the train arrives at Aberdeen. From there to Balmoral the country is quite beautiful, and the Queen enjoys the scenery every time, as if it were quite new to her. Lochnagar is one of the. most picturesque landmarks, and an object of great interest is the farmhouse where Lord Byron lived for some time.

In the whole of Germany there ate>, it ia said, only nine female doctors, six of whom practise is Berlin, one in iFrankfort, one in Leipsic, and one at Munich. In Great Britain ■we find work for sixty-six lady doctors, and even Ireland " exceeds Oorm«ny l)y tWO. In Russia there are over 700 female physicians in practice. ' Dentistry claims in Crermany some forty fully qualified practitioners with scientific university training, t>ut there are many more practitioners who have served their articles and attended a local college for dentistry. In Holland, Belgium •and Denmark man; women are engaged as . apothecaries.

The women managers of "the famous Parisian paper "La Fronde" must look to their laurels, for art American woman is, at present running a newspaper in which no man ia employed' in any capacity whatever. She is IMib Virginia D. Young, and h«r paper iB "The Fairfax (South. Carojina) Enterprise.". Th« reporters, leader-writers, and editors are all women, so are. the compositors, proof-ieadeis, and even those who make up ihe formes. Women, too, solicit advertisements, attend to all the clerical and 'business work,, and run the whole machinery of the press, while even the "devil" has 'been banished, presumably in favour of an "angel," that post of -tradition being taken by a neat and sweet little girl, who wears a spotless white apron.

An interesting twit in the-oharacter of the Queen of Spain is that she never forgets those who have in any way been of service to her. Quite recently hex Majesty, while out driving, was seen .to nod, smile, and wave her hand to a woman, while the young king, who eat opposite his mother, showed signs of great delight. The woman, who was decently clad, bowed low in recognition, her face radiant. It was Alfonso's former nurse, who, it may not be generally known, once rescued him from kidnapoew. Tha woman had left her charge asleep in hia cradle for a few minute 9, and returned t-o find him gone. She tore down the stairs into the road, end soon overtook two men carrying what seemed to be a basket of clothes. She at once threw herself on the bask«t, and pulled off the covering, and there was was her foster-ohild in a Ihalfsmothered state.

. Madame Melba's new home in Great Cumberland Place is a treasure-house. The console lables, the tapestry" chains, the ohandeliera are beyond compare ; even the carpets are of the highest art interest. The dr.aw-ing-room ia a copy of one of the salons- in the <P«lace of Versailles; the.pictuxes, tinted engravings, sculptures, and curios throughout the'house defy description. Th« ;bed in. her own chamber is the one 'on which the Dauphin of France slept during ihe but night of his royal state. It is draped ■with rose flilk, and hung with priceless lace, the same as the ibedrspread. and the drapery on the toilet-table. The top of the latter is of thick glass, through which shows a painting By one of the great French artists of the day, while the service is of that rare 'tortoiseshell devoid of the dark 'mark^ each piece having a large "M " in diamonds. The ewers on ihe washstand are of exquisite Sevres china, standing in basins of solid silver, gilt to correspond w. v Ja the other appointments, the table slab in this instance being of mirrored glass. The boudoir, dressing-room, and bathroom are oh the same scale, the -two latter being separated by a folding door of diamond mirror panes, designed by Madame Melba. Despite the extreme luxury of ihe appointments, the dominant note throughout the house is a eesee of Comfort— a true atmosphere pf ihome. '