Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-18

things and How She Enjoyed Them
The Duke of York and His Unmention.
abIes.
tBY CABLE TO THE DIsPATcH.l
LONDON, Sept. T.-The two topics o.
greatest popular interest in London thi:
week have been Queen Vlctoria's dolls anG
the Duke of York's trousers The Strand
Magazine has exhausted an immense extra
edition containing an article about the one,
and the newspapers have supplied clamor-
Gus public with columns of matter about
the other.
The Queens dolls, be it known, comprise
about 100 quaint little figures, which were
recently dragged from their hiding place
in one of the royal palaces, and which 60
odd years ago were very dear to the
Princess Victoria of Kent, then
lonesome little girl in solemn
training for the empty but ornamental
duties of sovereignty. How bare that child
hood was of all companionshIp and love is
told by Her Majesty herself, who, after per-
sonally revising the Strand article, sent to
its author a note containing these words:
Victoria a Great Lover of Dolls.
cher Majesty was very much devoted to
dolls and, indeed. played with them until
she was nearly IA years old. Her favor
ties we're small dolls, small wooden dolls,
which she could occupy herself with dress
ing and who had house in which they
could be placed. None of Her Maiesty's
children cared for dolls as she did, but then
they had girl companions, which she never
had. Miss Victoria Conroy, afterward Mrs.
Hammer, came to see her once week, and
occasionally others played with her, but
with these exceptions she was left alone
with the compRnionship OF her dolls"
To modern eyes the Queens dolls are
ugly little creatures. They are thus de-
scribed: They are not esthetically beauti-
ful, with their Dutch doll type of face
Occasionally, owing to a chin being
little more pointed or a
slight variation of expression, but with the
exception of heights, which ranges from
three inches to nine inches, they are pre-
cisely the same. There is the queer
est mixture of infancy and matron-
liness in their little wooden faces.
due to the combination of small
sharp noses and bright vermilion cheeks,
consisting of a big dab of paint in one spot'
with broad, placid brows, over which,
neatly parted on each temple, are painted
elaborate, elderly-grayish curls. The re-
udlHuer OF lne 1alr Is coal Dlack, and Is re-
lieved by tiny yellow comb perched upon
the back of the head"
The Trousers Far More Important.
much more serious subject is the Duke
OF York's trousers. The royal family and a
loyal people are gravely anxious about
them. They are even looked upon
as distinct menace to the line
OF succession. All this alarm has been
caused by the statement of woman dele
gate to the trades congress, who said in de-
bate, the other day, that the Duke of York's
trousers had been made next door to house
containing fever patients.
In no way could public attention have
been so efectually directed to the tenement
house clothing system, which is used by
even the most fashionable tailora Miss
Hicks, the woman who exnosed
the system, has been called on
for more details, and she has given them
with a vengeance. She has told of other
tenements where clothing for the royal
family has been made, and She has explained
that several times she has made the annarel
of the Prince of Wales in her room OF
course there is great hullaballo over II ali
The Prince of Wales and many others have
been interviewing their tailors in yiporons
language, and the tailors are denyinp and
expostulatlng with even greater vehemence
The net result will undoubtedly be a sal
utary check to the sweating system in Eng
land.