Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-06
London Women Dress Well
and Are intellectual
acial Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON. November %, 1908.


X n ORE assiduously than at any time
N in her life is the ultra -sma ri
w. woman of the hour endeavorfns
to cultivate her mind. Very often 1t
is decided bore for her to have to do so
but If she aspires to hold her own it is es-
sential before all things to be able to
talk literature. She who has not a t
| least a superficial knowledge of the
poets from Chaucer to Swinburne Is bound
| to find herself out in the social cold
A newspaper recently contained the
following advertisement:
Lady offers three guineas per week T, an.
other who will come for an hour each morning to
discuss with her art and literature
The one who was selected from the
immense number of applicants for the
post found that her pupil was an
American peeress. who is one of the
leaders of society ana frequently en-
tertains the king and other royalties
Her ladyship explained quite frankly
to her teacher that her own education
had been very much neglected. and that
| If she meant to hold her important post
which had hitherto been kept by her
wealth. good looks and amazing gowns
she must now pose as being intellectu-
al. Il guess it is Il nuisance At my
| time of life to have to go to school
| again. but it is better to take little
l
You out
The hostess who can get some we'll
known litterateur to come to her draw
| ing room on an afternoon to discuss
writers OF the present or the past j.
bound to attain fame. The cards are
| issued Ito meet" Mr. and Mrs. So-an.l-
| SO, whose last book probably has nude
a hit or whose already assured position
in the realms of distinguished or IA
vorite novelists gives him or ncr a
| cachet
x *
The Duchess of Marlborough was one
| of the original leaders of the cult of
the intellectual when she took Emi
| Reich. the Hungarian author, for her
| guide and friend. His lectures on Pa
| to at Claridges Il few years ago were
| lied by the upper 10000, and they were
suggested by the duchess whose na,ne
| was one of the foremost on the :om-
| mittec of peeresses who supported the
| lecturer.
| The two daughters of Mrs. Caven-
| dish -Bentnck, Mrs John Ford and Mrs
| Walter Burns, are both great authori-
| ties on French literature. This knowl-
edge comes in specially useful social
| ly just now when every second smart
/ woman yieS with the other to show the
depth of her proficiency on the sub
| ject- Though Mrs. Ford has been de-
barred by her husbands poor health
| from taking her part in the intellectual
coterie. her younger sister is well to
| the fore.
For some Thursday afternoons past
all Mayfair has been religiously ati
| tending the series of lectures being
given in the green room at the Ritz
Hotel on historic love affairs such as
those of Heloise and Abelard. Jose
! phine and Napoleon. AT the moment
there is d great rage for all things
French, owing possibly to the recen,
| Franco British exhibition. These lee
| lures have the patronage of the Bishop
| of London and Lord Reay. and the DIS
play of wonderful gowns and jewels
there at $50 pm. has been sight for
sore eyes. For now that America n
women have taught their English and
| Partisan sisters how very beautiful
| Jewels can be made to look sparkling
amid dark furs in daylight the ladies
| of the old world have tumbled to 1t as
| though to the manner born. Said n
| well known young duchess the other
| day: There is at least the comfort THAT
! although we cultivate our brains there
| Is no necessity to make frumps of our-
| selves Our dresses may be smarter
than ever our jewels more dazzling.