The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-13


nischievously. AT least. she needn't
have told me in so many words that
she had asked half the roomful before
/ coming to mel"
The kindness of Queen Wilhelmina
| OF Holland is we'll known and on the
birthday of her husband. the prince
consort, recently 1t received another
| exemplificat ton. On account of her ILL
ness the customary festivities had to
be abandoned, but the kindly instinct
| of the royal invalid would not allow
the disappointment to apply to some of
| her favorites. 1t did not matter to
court, but there were others to whom
the distinguished tunctionaries of the
| the upset of the arrangements would
be little short of tragic. These were
the children of certain humble retain
| ers about the court. And for these
special cakes were baked by the
| queens orders.
A world of kindness is expressed
in that little action. Her charming dis
| position endears her to all who have
had opportunities of witnessing it's
manifestations. She has had many
| lovers. among them susceptible young
men not unknown in distinguished go
ciety in England. Before her marriage
she was pestered by the attentions of
infatuated young men. She has an
eye for the humorous side of senti-
ment, as she has for the practical The
| honest, loving tribute of the fisherman
who sent her the first herring of the
seasons catch she promptly cooked
and ate; the love missives of the i'm
pertinent she probably used as fuel Of
the herring.
In the great printing Office at WASH
ington, where the government paper
currency is prepared for circulation
| there are some very skillful women
who receive only small pay. This Is
notably true of those who inspect and
| count the sheets of bills as they come
| from the presses. Every sheet contains
four bills. each of which must be per-
| fect. If there is ever so small a spot
or flaw in the printing the bill is re-
1ected. These women have to be ex-
perts who have served IN all the ca
| pacities from printers assistant up,
until they can detect in an instant a
flaw which would not be seen by the
unframed eye. They inspect and count
$4,000 sheets of bills day. and their
| compensation is $500 a year: they have
TO pass rigid examinations before they
can get into the service at all.
persons who suffer from the heat in
summer should be comforted whenever
they lick postage stamp, for the girls
who put the sticking material upon that
stamp are in a much warmer place.
During the average warm day in
Washington the thermometer stands at
ITO degrees in the big room where the
governments stamps are coated with
glue. The sheets of stamps are run
through long boxes Allied with very hot
air In order to dry them thoroughly,
and these heated boxes raise the tenn
perature of the room in spite of open
windows and many electric fans.
"Old fashioned people are fond of
telling us that conversation is a lost
art, said young matron, TO the New
York Tribune. 1T may be that they
are right; that in former days group
OF women chattering together would
be discussing literature, the drama or
social problems, but It is not likely.
Human nature, whatever may be the
worlds changes, ,a1nalns forever the
same, and 1t is always the trivialities
of life that interest US and are chiefly
talked about. 1t is quite true, how
ever, that certain subjects that to-
dav are paramount used to be consid-
cred bad form 10 introduce INFO con-
versetirh.
at Tt seems very odd to me- remark
ed stately Southern gentlewonaan oil
the olden school to me the other day
to hear my daughter and her friends
continually discussing their servants
and the latters various peccadilloes.
In my time, such people were never
mentioned: their characteristics would
not have interested us. They are like
any other part of the domestic machin-
ery that to be perfectly creditable
should be kept out of sight and mind
except during the performance of spe-
ci1c duties. An English author, who
writes that his hero and heroine lived
happily together, for in twenty wears
the wife never talked about her fser-
wants, evidently understood what the
l domestic ideal woman should be like
| Certainly our standards are not par
| ticularly high, for the talk of any cou-
pie of women who happen to be to-
| gether, If overheard. would in ninety
nine cases out of a hundred be either
| about clothes, servants or some gossip
| about their acquaintances, these three
| topics being the staple themes in every
social set. varied by local jokes and
| mild kind of shorseplay that takes
| the place of the traditional wit which
we are told used to be a component
| part Of the society conversation of our
| forebears.
But you have omitted the greatest
| of all modern topics said the same
| Southern gentiewoman, again assum-
4 Il
| member when / was married and came
North how It shocked me to hear the
| cost of everything talked about, and
| the constant reference to money that
was made in conversation, for it was
| another unwritten law with us never to
allude to the cost of any article of
| clothing or personal belongings, and
never to discuss the relative fortunes
| OF our friends. To establish the value
| of everything on pecuniary grounds
we would have considered really vul-
gar, and to hear It all talked about
! with tiresome reiteration at my faith
| er-in-law's table amazed and Distress
! ed me. l have got used to it now,
| for my family are quite as bad about
1t as every one else, but l still think 1t
distinctly Ill bred"
Although all girls desire to be hand
| some and those not favored with the
gift are constantly bemoaning their
fate, the plain girl has her compen-
sations. One of them is the ability to
| procure employment If she needs 1t,
while her friend, more captivating in
! person and manner, Is turned away.
| One very attractive girl applied at a
| large establishment recently where she
had understood help was needed.
Il fear it will be impossible to make
| place for you behind our counters"
said the appointment clerk with evil
| dence regret in his tone.
"And yet understoon that you
\ needed additional saleswomen to meet
the rush of the early summer shop
In, oh ,aA E,.x ,ss,t.