Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-29
AN ITALIAN COURT PRESENTATION.
The Charming Margaret Makes the Ceremony
Easy and Graceful.

Easy and Graceful.
The ceremony of presentation at the
Italian Court, writes ROME CORES pom.
dent, is far more graceful and less oner-
Gus than that which takes place in Lon
don. Queen Victoria has no eye for eff
feet, and no desire to please her devotees;
so she ''holds her drawing room" at
O'Clock on a wintry afternoon, and in
sjsts on every lady, however young or
old, showing certain and no inoonsider-
able amount of her shoulders. The ItaI-
ian presentation takes place at a reason
able time of night. g., 10 o'clock-and
though low necked dresses are de rigueur,
there is no sumptuary law to regulate the
degree of lowness, nor are trains obliga-
tory. This makes the general effect far
more pleasing than that of an English
drawing room can passibly be, for each
lady can, within limits, dress as best suits
her style.
Again, the manner of presentation is
different. Queen Victoria sits on her
throne, Invariably dressed in black, the
members of the royal family standing
beside and behind her, and one lady at
time passes through the audience cham
Der and reverentiy kisses the fat hacd
so elaborate and low a courtesy that it
sometimes happens that tightly laced
lady colapses, sits dewn on the floor, and
cannot get up again. Those who have
their balance during the first courtesy
then walk out of "The Presence" las the
papers there call it) backwards, kicking
behind them the regulation train Q
think two yards In leugth required), and
saluting each member of the royal fam
ily. The victim then hurries away and
drives home.
Thelscene the other night was a very
different one. All the ladies about to be
presented, with the gentlemen ia attend
ance on them, sat around the reception
room, which was lighted with, it seemed
to me, thousands of candles: they were
arranged according to their different
nationelities and talked at their ease.
Suddenly there came hush in the farth
er end of the room-all sprapg to their
feet, and we saw that the Queen had en-
tered and was beginning her round.
The Mistress of Ceremonies, the Mar
chioRess Villamarina, read each name
from the list and presented the owner to
her Majesty, who spoke a few pleasant
words TO each person, bowed slightly and
passed en-. On being presented tie Ia
dies courtesied and the gentlemen bowed
profoundly.
The Queen looked charming in pale
green and silver costume, and fulfilled her
Office most graciously. She is very quick
and intelligent, and generally manages to
say something apt and to the point to
each person. A rather amusing incident
occurred, however, owing to a misappre-
hension on the part of the Villamarina.
Amongst the EnglishmeD presented was
a distinguished Peer of the Realm, Earl
Selborne, Lord Chancellor to Gladstone,
and well known under his former name of
Rounded Palmer-an elderly and exceed
ingly dIgnifed gentleman, looking the
type of a Scotch minister. The mistress
of ceremonies read his name as Col. Sell
borne. SIN the Guards,I presume" said
the Queen most graciously. mo, your
majesty" SIN the cavalry?" Etiquet
does not allow anything but short an
sWer to plain question, go the nooleman
could only answer again, 'No your Ma
jesty." The Queen tried all other branch
es and received the same answer. At last
she said: ''In what regiment then?" 81
was Chancellor under Mr.. Gladstone"
"Ah, you must be glad he is in Florence
now," and she passed on.
Another incident, and on our side of the
room, gave US more satisfaction, if less
amusement. The Queen bad addressed
some questions to an American lady, who,
either through nervousness or because she
could not understand the foreign accent,
hesitated in replying. Her daughter, stand
ing by her, answered Ia her stead.
81 spoke to your mother, mademciselie,"
said Queen Margaret, and passed on with
out word more to either of them. Anoth-
er compatriot went to the other extreme,
and was SO nervous that her knees shook
under her, and she could not find voice
to answer at all when addressed.
Having completed the round, her Ma
jesty dropped a magnificent sweeping
courtesy to the whole room (her courtesy
is famous, and ininltable by any one in
the COURT and went into the next apart
ment, where we're all tine unattached gen
tlemen. The King ought by rights to re-
ceive them, but such ceremonies are irk-
some to him, and he passes them on to his
wife. The latter left the ladies of her
suite at the door, and repeated the cere-
mony of the first room, accompanied by
the gentlemen of the Kings household
only. She then retired, and we we're free
to GO to supper or home.