Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-12
LONDON HIGH LIFE.
The First DraHing-Reom of the Season
Presentation ut COurt-Its Value
from 4 Social
Standp0int-The Rights and Privileges
Which it CoHfers-The Royal Family
An s.Odd Fish,"
Correspondence OF the Washington Post.

! body from the country up 10 London al the
very time that the dreary winter landscape
Is giving place 10 the IOy5liest tding-an
English spriDg-has begun The opening of
| the season Is the first drawiag-room held by
the queen or the princess OF Wales represent
ing her; the close is the Goodwood meeting
the Soth of July. A presentation at court
means everything TO the people whose para
| disc Is London in the season The presenta-
| ton OF English people is absolutely rsgu-
| lated by rank, but with Americans II Is only
I by combination of luck, almighty infn-
ence and the goodwill OF the American min
! lister that a presentation Is possible. Owing
TO the vast number OF Americans IN London.
/ their inetfsble coDeeit TO their right OF
presentation and the ability they have to
wear swell clothes, the real rule with
your representatives at the court OF st
! ames Is not to present anybody ii
/ they can help il The social value Of this
4 presentation Is immense. Having been re-
| ceived by the sovereign entities one 10 be re
/ ceived anywhere; the British ambass sdors
| abroad are obliged to present any one at the
/ courts 10 which they are accredited, If they
| have been presented 10 the queen; and when
! it has been remembered that men OF literary
| scientific and artistic tastes seldom attempt
| 10 present themselves at court, ana that per
sons aged in trade are tabuoed. il will be
| seen that the field for American enterprise in
! the direction of court presentations is ex-
u
| sons desiring to be presented must be left
with the lord chamberlain several DAYS be
| fore, which is submitted 10 the queen, and
| her Majesty is by no means chary OF striking
| off names that do not please her-in one in
| stance going 10 the extent OF having 1t pub
| lished In the paper that a certain lady had
| been presented at court under false presen-
| tation. The rule that all dresses shall be
| dec0lietts is rigid. Ii was with the utmost
| Siff ltv hat MT=- IVafsh ba Janrhfar of
| the American minister before Mr.. Lowell,
could get permission to wear a square cut
| cnrssge, on account of her health at her pre-
sentation, and an English lady of high rank,
rashly presuming on the privilege OF Miss
| Welsh, having appeared in a square corsage,
was decidedly informed by the lord cham
| berlain that she was not n full dress and
could not be admitted. Feminine ingenuity
came to the rescue. a pair of scissors was
| found, and the rich material relentlessly cut
| off and the edges tucked in, and she was In
| full dress in less time than it takes to write
| it. The regulations, which are published
week beforehand, go into the smallest par
ticulsrs, and even the length of the court
| train is stipulated. Gentlemen and ladies
| are required to have two large cards with
| their names legibly engraved on them, one of
| which is given TO the lord chancellor aud
the other to the page who stands in the
| queens presence chamber.
There has been one drawing-room this
| year. The weather was beautiful, and the
| crowd was even more immense than usual
around the Albert gate of the Hyde park TO
see the carriages roll by with their splen-
| didly-dressed occupants, for even the coach
men and footmen must have knee breeches
| and velvet coats, powdered heads and large
| bouquets. Tickets are issued to those who
| are not high enough in the social scale to be
| presented themselves, allowing them to stand
- he 81 pssal-t han. to
see the fortunate ones on their way to the
presence chamber. There is brilliant and
engaging crowd in the ante-room. The name
| is called ont, and if it is that of lady as
! the lord chamberlain meets her ne takes-her
| train over his arm, and in the most dex-
! trous manner folds it into small compass
| and follows her until she reaches the door
! of the presence chamber, when he spreads
| il carefully out, the door is opened and
| her name is announced. The chamber Is
| a small room with dias, on which sits the
| queen and princesses. 4 lady OF ordinary
rank advances TO the foot OF the dias, makes
! 8 low courtesy, the queen bowling at the same
| time, and then retires by another door. If
| the lady presented is a peeress, she kisses the
| queens hand, and if OF very exalted rank,
| she is entitled to kiss the queens cheek. The
whole performance does not take up more
than three minuies-but what a world of
preparation is necessary Tor that three min
utes! There are numerous professors OF the
art OF court presentations and one family in
particular. who have had the instructions of
families of the highest rank for generations,
and to be coached by them is almost as
great an honor as the presentation.
The princess of Wales is the most dearly
loved Of ali the royal family. The queen rs
reverenced Tor her intellect-she has the
acute good sense that has appeared fire.
quently in the Guelph family, for her init
afa l-fanu lad ot a4 and for ha
naughty and unyielding spirit with which
she maintains her prerogative, which she
does as proudly as Queen Elizabeth; but as
the prince OF Wales is captivating by his
simple and gracious, yet prncely manner, so
is the princess the beloved oil the people.
So hearty were the demonstrations of popu-
larity toward her that it WAS requested that
the people would abate their loyalty. Now,
as she drives from Constitution hill at 4
o'clock in the afternoon, the crowd gives a
hearty English cheer, TO which she smiles
and bows. After that only those persons
bow to her who happen to catch her eye, no
matter who they are. She usually has one
outrider and lady IN waiting in the carriage
with her, and her three pretty little girls on
the front seat.
Princess Beatrice, OF whom the prince con-
sort wrote in her babyhood, SHE is tie most
amusing baby We have yet had" has the
dresriest time of any young lady OF rank in
England. The queen seems carrying out the
plan of her own education in her daughter,
for until the day she was married she was
never ten minutes out of the sight of her
mother, the duchess of Kent. She has none
of that liberty which an Euglishwoman Of
rank arrogates, for socially there Is one law
for the lords and another for the commons.
Rank and wealth are so all-powerful in Eng
land that a man or woman possessing them
has a virtual Immunity from conven-
tionality. English women of rank avenge
themselves after their marriage for
their slavery before. They knos< nothing of
coquetry, but they cen fiirt more wildly and
unscrupulously than any women in the worlJ
Princess Louise, though not exactly a mar
ried firt, is an "Odd fish" She Is more or
less disapproved by the queen, and is both
popular and unpopular. She affects art and
literature, as does her husband, and perhaps |
she and the marquis get on as comfortably
as married couples who are more together.