Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-01
London Tribute to Late "John
Oliver Hobbies"
KING EDWARD AT H0MBURG
Delightful Life of the Old German
Town.
lUEEN VICTORIA AND MANTnLA
Young Queen Of Spain DESTROYS Of
Stimulating the Lace Industry
The Latest Club.

Stimulating the Lace Industry
The Latest Club.
Special Correspondence Of The Star
LONDON. August 20. 1905
The late Mrs. Craisie, better known per-
haps under her nom de plume Of John OIL
yer Hobbes." was one Of the most remark
able women in London society Apart from
the unique gift she possessed as q writer,
her power of speech was the chief asset In
q personality at once attractive and lovable
AS conversationalist she was assisted in a
great degree by her wonderful attributes
as reader OF character, and on several
occasions when have found myself among
ner delighted audiences have been i'm
pressed by this more than by any other of
her pronounced characteristics. A friend of
mine tells me that he was talking with
ner In west end drawing room just at
that time critical in politics when Mr.
Chamberlain had withdrawn himself from
MI. Gladstones leadership after the home
rule split Mrs. Craigie declined to speak
on political. subjects. but was happy in
men. 49,. =. - -
IT seems to me- she said, that Mr..
Gladstone is eternally q student. He ia al
ways eager, to learn. Mr.. Chamberlain, on
the otner hand. impresses me as one who
mas completed his schooling years ago, and
Is now all too anxious to teach When /
first met Mr. Gladstone he deluged me with
questions as to my literary methods, and I
was, as you may be sure, delighted to tell
80 great man how my plots were con-
structed. how my characters were dressed
up and set moving, and how 1 invented my
dialogues and epigrams At that time /
was not SO Wen known as an authoress, and
Was perhaps fattered by his attentions
"A few days afterward," said Mrs Graf
gle, L had Mr.. Chamberlain Introduced IN
me. Almost Immediately he commenced
teHMng me how to write a book You can
wen imagine IN those early days Of my
career which Of the two men pleased me
the most" Ao
In reading through the many obituary
notices Of Mrs Craigie have failed to see
any reference made to an art which the
covered-certainly to have cIristened II w.s
an art rather akin to that Of 'bunburyinx,
whlch phose who have had the good fortune
Of seeing THE Importance of Being Earn
est will remember with delight
Mrs. Craigie called her art "blfmmine."
and she once described it as an art of ''just
taking, and talking pleasant things and
saying SAYING nothing" adding. That's what all
Pressed for a further description of II.
she said: TITS good thing hurts no one,
amuses people. and keeps the world off, No
one ever finds out that 'blimming' woman
is cleverer than her husband. That's one
OF the greatest conservers Of married bliss"
BY the death Of Mrs. Craigie the list of
women playrights of any prominence is
reduced to two-Madame Madelaine Luz
cette Ryley and Miss Clio Graves few
others are understood to be concealed under
masculine names, but, practically speaking,
modern west end honors have been openly
gained by only three. Mrs Craigie cannot
be said to have ever scored definitely as a
playwright, the sole contribution that is likely
to remain in the memory being THE Bish-
ops Move which Mr.. Boucher found
fairly popular at the Garrick, but Of which
she was only part author. Her first play,
The Ambassadors" was staged in 1898 by
Mr.. George Alexander at the ST James and
her last, The Flute of Pam" in 1904 at the
shaftesbury by Miss Olga Nethersole. after
preliminary run at Manchester
The reception OF this piece was so con-
trary to what was apparently expected that
Miss Nethersole broke into tears on the
stage. and few days later challenged the
critics by giving a free performance to all
who cared to apply for seats. Needless to
say. the Shaftesbury was packed The
novel experiment did not alter the fortunes
drawn after week or SO. Notwithstand-
Ing the Scene" ON the first night, Mrs
Craigie pluckily appeared before the foot
lights. and simply, smiled at those who
chalance on first nights always won for her
the admiration even of the dissatisfied
members Of the audience. -.
Every one of her half-dozen pays was
distinguished by literary. grace and effective
epigrarhs, and 1t was chiefly the absence of
dramatic fiber that accounted for their rel
alive theatrical weakness. The authoress
was by no means robust-iooking, but it is
certain that no one anticipated such swift
ending to her brilliant career.
1t has been generally remarked In the
criticai notices of Mrs. Craigie's life and
work how strongly she was Influenced by
he Got holt foil vxypt n1, she nd ,Ia
the time she wrote Robert Orange" When
the book was published few were aware of
her change of faith but were struck by
the new strain-so earnest and sincere
which pervaded her writing Like all who
embrace Catholicism in adult life, she was
extraordinarily Jealous. For years she had
a suite Of rooms in the Convent of the As
sumption in Kensington Square, and used to
say that when she wanted to get away
from the world she went to her home In
the convent Some OF her best work was
done in these quiet rooms. Indeed, her
friends had an idea that were 1t not for her
boy she would have become nun.
kk
Though the king has during the past few
years journeyed to Marienbad, on the Aus
trian frontier, to take the waters, rather
to the neglect of Homburg, he is this week
making flying visit to his old spa. Kron-
berg. long the home of the Empress Fred
erick, stands In the MIDST Oh picturesque
landscape only six miles away.
The fact that his majesty is travelling
again through Homburg, II only for cou-
pie of days, will attract big crowd OF
fashionable people to the delightful spa,
which believes in the English motto. EARLY
to bed, early to rise"
The holiday life of the place is charm
ing. Homburg, deserted at midnight. Is
thoroughly awake at O'Clock in the morn
ing. You have dressed hastily. perhaps,
oovtn 0xr,1 yiar
the tree-lined street on its way to the min
eral springs. The road sweepers are smok-
ing cigars and gossiping at the corner
of the Kaiser Friedrich promenade The
Teuton maids in quaint garb; are bringing
the farms and rural laundries in dog
drawn carts.
Here and there Is bullock team, max
ing slow progress with homemade wagons
piled high with field and dairy produce.
Bordering the avenue that leads to the
springs the flower sellers and the ven
ders of honey have opened their stalls.
On nearly every path through the park