Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-12-27

IA
A so much interested In the cere-
mony of the browning by
proxy OF King Edward on New
Years day at the Dunbar In India were
II not that the United states feels Itself
Part Of the show, as represented by
beautiful Mary Victoria Letter curzon,
wife of the viceroy who stands 10 the
place Of King Edward, to be crowned at
Debit The word "durbar" is found
alike IN the Hlndoo Turkish and Per-
sian languages. "Darhar' Is another
way to spell II, and "dar" means door
while bar means admission through
that door. Thence "darbar'' came to
mean an audience room of state and
finally an official reception by the head
of a state II Is not, however specially
as king Of England that Edward VII
Is crowned by proxy at Delhi, but as
emperor of India, a much more gor-
geous and imposing title. This durbar
of 1902 has never been equaled In India.
The one In 1877 az which Queen Victoria
was proclaimed empress stands as the
most magnificent oriental show western
nations knew anything of up to the
present time. But that was of a gem
Grafton ago Since then the nations
have progressed in luxury. We now
know how to produce grander and more
costly spectacles Take for example
the single item of illumination Not all
the gold and gems OF India thirty years
ago could have produced splendor like
the electric lighting which will lllumlne
the night fetes of this greatest Qf all
durbars
To the American mind, naturally UNI
responsive to the pomp OF royalty the
great durbar with It's gayly capari-
sOned elephants, suggests nothing so
much as a huge circus, with gem laden
silk clad nizams and rajahs and ma
harajahs for actors. Neither does the
circus suggestion imply anything else
than respect and good will for George
Nathaniel Curzon, the strong and
manly figure who has ia play em-
peror in the show We may take his
appointment TO the viceroyship OF India
as a fine and delicate compliment 10 the
United States through his beautiful
American wife, Mary Victoria Letter
In the procession which greeted their
arrival In Calcutta, along the line In
her honor the flag of the stars and
stripes was twined with the union Jack.
At the real coronation In London AL
eandra was the central figure because
Of her grace and royal beauty; at the
proxy coronation In Delhi she Will be
represented by woman who bears her
self no less regaly, and that woman
the daughter Of plain American mer-
chant who got rich by his own exer-
lions. Blood tells,
At the first entry Of the Curzons into
Calcutta, lnda's capital, all the people,
brown and white were attracted by the
ladys wonderful beauty and graceful
ness as she appeared In society she
dazzled the white men and women, es-
pecialy the women, with her exquisite
gowning
Lady Curzon is the perfect type Of the
American society woman. The splen
doris Of the great oriental government
house at Calcutta had no dazzlement
for her because the home she had left
the Letter mansion. in Washngton-is,
while not so large, as magnificent as the
vice regal residence in India, That
home Of her girlhood in Washington is
modelled after Scarborough Hall, In
England. lis entrance hall Is entirely
Of marble, walls, stairs and all. From
the center the grand staircase rises and
branches right and left In the library
is a magnificent mantelpiece Of Ten
nessee marble warmed and gilded by
the coored light that streams IN
through the stained glass windows,
Il think" said Mary Letter to
friend 10 whom she was showing the
new Washington home-'I think we
can be rather comfortable here"
The tour Of observation was contin-
ued through tho private rooms. Lady
Curzon that was TO be conducted her
visitor to her mothers sleeping room,
fitted up with luxurit.- conven-
fences that the queen of Sheba would
not have known what to do with. The
visitor expressed her admiration Of the
beautiful apartment.
yes" said Mrs. Letter, I'VE like it.
OF course It Is severely plain and simple,
in the English fashion, but we like that
style for bedrooms"
The friend ldered what, on the
whole, Mrs. and Miss Letter would call
ornate.
But perhaps Lady Curzon, vice refine,
could not play her part so royalty at
the durbar II she had not been trained
TO more than oriental luxury as the
daughter Of a republic. Her beauty is
Of the kind that lights up like a star at
night. Her eyes are really violet blue,
the cOiof OF parma yiolets. They are
fringed with long, curling black lashes,
and above them are the straight, thick
eyebrows Of perfect beauty. With eyes
so frlnged and curtaiRed by black
lashes and broWs as themselves to
seem almost dark goes hair nearly
black the darkest possible brown.
She is unusually tan. In height
matching her husband. who Is over six
feet and strongly built When they
made their official entry into Calcutta,
they were --'>J be physically the mo-
blest pair that ever wore the vice regal
hon0rs OF India, They have three chill
dren. and Lady Curzon plays the part
OF mother-as she does everything else
Ito perfection.
All the worlds people are brothers
now. and travelling is easy and not too
expensive. A notable event in one land
draws members OF the brotherhood Of
nations from all over. To the Delhi
durbar gather Arab camel caravans.
yelled women, Turk, Persian. Syrian
and Greek; men, white. black, yellow
and brown; fakir elephant, dog don
key and tiger, prince, brigand and
slave. our American Mary Letter one Of
the two central figures OF II all. What
place to get newspaper copyl
II Lady Curzon We're the mere society
ornament, however brilliant we might
pay her dues in the current social small
coin Of compliment and bow ourselves
out. But she is more. She Is a bril-.