Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-04
GOSSIP ABOUT WOMEN.

The humors of the White house, II is
the testimony OF every one who has re-
sided there, would fill many volumes.
Many of them are found in the daily mail
bag. At dinners the other day Mrs. Nc
Koe told cf a letter Mrs Harrison received
while first lady OF the land. 1t ran:
Dear Madam: I would like a present
from Washington City, so | will locate
on you for II. Please send me a dress pat
tern and uiere followed a list ol several
other things and please pay the express.
as ! have made vow never to pay anything
on an express package, as never know what
is in 1t until / have opened it." Mrs. Har-
rison, according to the rclat0r, was much
amused at this rissyc, and "l'll locate on
you for that" became standing phrase
in the family ever after when some object
was coveted
Another letter received by Mrs. Harrison
ran: Dear Madam Please send me a
piano and some sheet music. as / have a
daughter that has some talents"
The women of fashion and even the
actresses Of the present day can hardly
hold candle TO the danes Of old in the
matter of jewels If we take the valuations
recorded by historians as truthful and cor
rect According to Flny Leila Pauline,
the wife cf Caligu!a wore on her head,
arms, neck, hands and waist pearls and
emCralds to the value OF 81 $50 900. Faus-
tina had a ring worth 5000 coo. DOmitia
had one for 100000, and CaCsonia had a
bracelet worth 500 0O0 Seneca bcwais
that one pearl in each ear no longer suf-
fees to adOrn a woman; they must have
three, the weight of which ought to be in
sUppcrtable to them. There were women
in ancient Rome whose sole occupation was
the healing of the cars Of the bellies who
had torn or otherwise injured the lobes
with the weight OF their pendants. Pop
peas earrings were worth S150O0O, and
Caesars wife, Calpurnia, had a pair valued
at twice that sum. Marie de MCdicis had
a dress made for the ceremony Ct the bap-
tism of her children which was trimmed
with $4,000 pearls and 5000 diamonds, and
the last moment she found ii was so
I heavy she couldn't wear it and had to get
another. But men led in the splendor OF
the middle ages, and Philip the Good Of
| Burgundy often Wore jewels valued at Il
million francs. When he walked along the
streets the people climbed over each other
to get a look at him He was a moving
mass of diamonds The duke of Bucking
! ham wore a suit at the court Of St. James
which cost $50 900. The dress OF the mobiles
during the middle ages was literally coy
| cred with gold and precious stones.
Feminine New Zealand is in a reforming
mood At any rate, 1t is advanced" on a
number of topics. Women voters of the
| colony, at a convention recently, expressed
| desire to abolish capital punishment to
/ old-age pensions and to make judicial sen
tences refOrmatve as well as punitive
| Evidently these women are OF u go-ahead
/ disposition. Not satisfied with so ambitious
a program, they go still further in as
| serting the right of women to sit on juries
| and be elected to the legislature. Men
! are only too anxious to escape exercising
! the former right. 1t would be a distinct
| advantage If they could send their wives
! to serve in their stead. Another resolution
| was passed that is worth setting forth in
! full: I'm all cases where woman elects
to superintend a household, and to be the
mother OF children. there shall be a Law
/ attaching a certain just share of her hus
bands earnings or income for her separate
! use payable, II she desires, into her sepa
| rate account"
Before Ii Hung Chang left China for a
tour OF observation OF the various civilized
| countries of the world he instructed tn,
Viscount Ii Chow Chow to bring hint the
sacred book oe Chinese etiquette, from
which he selected the following questions tC
be propounded to ladies wherever he shoult
meet them:
How old are you?'
''Is that your own hair?"
How much did you pay for it?"
II Is simple Justice to the eminent China
man to say that in all his interviews will
ladies in all parts of Europe and Amerci
thus far visited he has never deviated from
these simple and polite interrogations.
unique entertainment was given re
| Gently by two young Cincinnati womeI
who have a reputation among their friend
for making their smallest affair an artist