The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-15

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LONDON, Dec. A.-The season Of Christmas
shopping has begun and the Queen will
spend the greater part OF next week in town
90 buy the nnumersble Christmas gifts
that she always sends TO her multitude
Of relatives and friends.
Queen Alexandra IL an industrious shop
per. She personally selects every gift
with a view to the taste Of the one who
will receive il. She does not visit the shops
Of the various tradesmen, but does her
shopping at home.
Special rooms are allotted at Bucking-
ham Palace. and in them the royal warrant
holders arrange a large display Of season.
able gifts. The price Of every article is
marked in plain figures. and no statesmen
are 10 attendance. though there are often
representatives Of h different trades
men within call in case the Queen should
want to ask questions.
Once more there is talk Of the Duke OF
Marlborough being anxious to find a
bCIdANt w AihN y alAeO uhh NbNhlk -
smaller estate in the midland counties for
himself. Blenhein is an enormously OK
pensive place to keep up, and the late Duke
was probably guilty of only a small ex-
aggeration when he once declared in the
National Sporting Club that the place cost
him Zoo a year for putty because Of the
large number of windows the house con-
tains.
There was some talk n little while ago
of Whitelaw Reid taking the place. but
II is understood that this idea has now
dropped and that a South African mining
magnate may becOme the tenant.
B~lenheim, like Strathfieldsay. the home
Of the Duke of Wellington, is held direct
from the Crown at the feudal rent of one
miniature Union Jack flag a year. which
h received by the King n placed in Wind
sor Castle, where the successive Tags are
TO be seen.
The British Admiralty is great on detail.
A special messenger has just been sent
down TO the Channel feet with an order
that no more postal orders for sixpence
shall DO issued 20 the men. The sailoTs
had suocumbed to the limerick competition
craze TO such n extent that their demand
for sixpenny orders to send along with their
fifth line and coupon became a source OF
annoyance. giving a lot Of extra work to
the officers.
So the sixpenny order has now been added
to the list Of prohibited things. which in
cludes parrots. monkeys. snakes. and most
recent Of all. diabOlo.
In bestOwing the Order OF Merit on Miss
Florence Nightingale the King has given
q lead which some OF the British learned
bodies may now be inclined to follow.
The Royal Academy never elects a
TO membership; the Royal Society cannot
admit a woman TO fellowship. The Royal
Astronomical Society should not elect a
woman astronomer. no matter how dis
ti~nguished. to membership. II has lone
90. Lady Higgins being one OF several
women who have been thus distinguished.
But a new charter will have to be sought
TO legalize these elections.
The Royal Society stands fast by it's rule.
A year or 80 ago six Fellows of the society
nominated Mrs. AyrtOn for a fellowship.
Mrs. Ayrton is one OF the most distinguished
electrical engineers in the country. il the
inventor and constructor Of a line divider,
discovered the connection between current
length and pressure in the arc. the cause
and laws Of Kissing in it. and is the only
woman member OF the Institution OF Elec-
trical Engineers. But the six Fellows and
Mrs. Ayrton were informed that the council.
having taken legal advice. were assured
that the thing could not be done.
Even more absurd was the case OF Nine.
Curie. It was she. not her late husband.
who discovered radium She worked out
the wonderful experiments and originated
the schemes by which the precious ma
terial was finally isolated. but the Royal
Society would not admit her "a fellowship;
1t only gave her a medal.
Alfred Mosely has now received nearly all
Of the reports of the English teachers who
lately toured the United States, and will
soon issue u summary Of their opinions.
Speaking Of the general impression formed
from the reports he says:
Generally speaking the teachers have
found hat there il a lot TO learn from the
American methods. This is particularly The
case in regard to elementary education.
They nave seen hat in developing the
initiative Of a boy or girl. for instance,
the United States schools are far ahead of
ours. Tn children are taught TO seek
the why and wherefore Of things, and TO
acquire knowledge on their own account.
-The higher education Of Americans is