Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-16


be worthy of its fine situation. At this
end of the crescent two great buildings are
In course of erection. which all but conn
plete the northern frontage as far as the
corner Of Kfngsway. q,
Directly opposite the Gaiety Theater. on
triangular island site forming the west
horn OF the Strand end of Aldwych, there Ia
rising lofty structure of steel, which will
by and by evolve into the new Offices OF
the Morning Post. The builders are fol-
lowing the American system of construction
that has been adopted in quite a number OF
new buildings in London. the steel Frame
work being completed before the masonry
is begun. The next site is occupied by
the Waldorf Theater, and the space between
ii and the Aldwych Tteater Is to be occu-
pied by the Aldwych Hotel.
The foundations of this huge new cara
vanserie have been completed. and build
ing operations will be commenced next
week. the last of the old buildings on the
site. the old "Artichoke'' public house,
having just been demolished. The Wall
dorf promises to be one of the most sumpt-
uous hotels in the metropolis. With a 'front.'
age to Aldwych of 100 feet and an average
depth of 163 feet, 1t will rise to a height
OF eight stories, overlapping by some sixty
feet the highest points OF the adjoining
play-houses. Its architecture however Is
to harmonic with that of the theaters,
SO that the three buildings should form a
very imposing and dignihed group.
An outstanding feature of the exterior
will be row OF lofty columns rising from
the entrosol floor, the four outmost columns
on each side being futed and the others
plain. Below these run two ornate bal
comics, and above them will be series OF
decorative panels, while the roof will be
finished at each end by a dominating cupola.
Here, again. the American method is to be
followed, and the constructors intend to
have the work completed in the short space
or twelve months
Alcohol Not Fashionable.
The practice Of abstaining altogether
from alcohol has widely pervaded the high
est circles of society. Queen Victoria OF
Spain does not know the taste of alcohol.
Her special ''tipple' is made from oranges
the fresh fruit squeezed into glass, which
is filled up with aerated waters. Oranges
are her favorite fruit, and at Cowes she
was accustomed to eat them freely. For
years Princess Henry of Battenberg was
a teetotaler. but of late she has suffered
SO much from rheumatism that she has
been ordered a little whisky, which she
regards as penance. Both Princess
Christians daughters, too are teetotalers.
The Princess OF Wales. who is an ex-
ceedingly considerable mistress, once dis
missed an under-nurse on the spot because.
contrary to instructions, she had given
Prince Edward, when he was five, a sip
Of the wine allowed her for lunch. All
the children of the prince and princess are
being brought up strict teetotalers, and,
save for the one taste of wine Prince Ed
ward had from his nurse. they know moth
ing of alcohol. Princess Patricia Of Con-
naught and her married sister also abjure
wine. Another royal teetotaler Is the
Duchess Of Argyll, and the two young
daughters of the princess royal. Alexandra
and Maud, have never in their lives touched
wine.
Not only is the Duchess of Sutherland a
teetotaler, but she is also a vegetarian. An !
other who takes neither meat nor wine Is
Lady Essex, the pretty American peerless. I
who stands SO emphatically to her princi- /
pies that her friends know she will not
dine out unless there are special vegetarian
dishes in the menu.
Peers May Become Extinct.
Many Of England's peerages will become
extinct in the death of the present holders.
That is one of the drawbacks to latter-day
legal peerages-that with very few exc
ceptions-the Earl of Halsbury's and Lord
Ashbourne's being among the fortunate few
the titles will expire with their present
owners for want OF heirs
Lord Brampton, better known as Sir
Henry Hawkins, will be eighty next
month, and he Is without an heir. Lord
Alverstone is also heirless. His case is par
ticularly sad, because when he reached the
bench and the house of lords there were
the brightest prospects that his title would
descend to his son. But death decreed 9TH
erwise. Lord Thring was parliamentary
counsel to successive governments when he
was raised to the peerage of 1886. He Is
eighty Eight years old and is without an
heir. Three former members Of parliament
VINO filled ministerial positions are now in
the lords in their old age and all three I'M
married. They are Lord James of Here
ford, who will be remembered Sir Henry
James; Lord LANDAU, Catholic peer. who
was Sir Henry Mathews, the unionist home
secretary, and Lord Baltimore, the eloquent
Mr.. David Plunket, who was long ago So
licitor general for Ireland.
Mrs. Craigie's New Novel.
Mrs. Craigies novel, 'The Dream and the
Business" the final proofs of which were
passed only a few weeks before her death,
will be published Mr.. Unwin, her publisher,
tells me, on August %. 1t belongs to the
more serious of John Oliver Hobbies now
els, and, in some respects, resembles The
School for Saints" There is a strong re-
ligious background, the principal characters
being young non-conformist minister and
his sister, who stand for the Protestant
spirit, and Lord and Lady Marlesford. de-
vout Roman Cathoics-one a convert, the
other a member of an old Catholic family.
The scenes are laid In London, in Paris and
in Italy. There are pictures of society life
and the life of the stage: the divorce ques-
ton is handled with delicacy and insight.
Full of subtle characterization and abound
ing in brilliant sayings. the book may be
expected to take a very high place among
Mrs Craigies novels.
Experiment With English Opera.
A good deal is being said about national
opera and municipal theaters nowadays.
The latest is that the London county eoun-
Gil has come to an arrangement with Mr..
Charles Manners of the Moody Manners
Opera Company. to experiment with English
opera on the scholars of certain of the
schools. The idea is to give the
a performance with the object
of educating them to taste and
appreciation of English opera, SO that
when they grow up they will not de-
part from it in a perverse craving
for the foreign variety. But this is not all.
When the youngsters have witnessed the
which is to be given gratul-
tously- by Mr.. Manners and his company,
they will be required to write what they
think of it. This sounds too terrible an
experiment. One grown-up musical critic IS
bad enough, but the prospect of hundreds
of unrestrained juveniles with desire TO
say something biting is appalling The
scheme is to be carried out in the course or
next month.
There is to be another week of somno-
lescence in the theatrical world before the
ou+up,n nroducrions arrive, but after the