The National tribune., 1908-04-02

In which we are living, but it is also {
very practical one. Good common sense
forms the foundation OF the methods
employed in all philanthropical enter.
prises of the day, and the churche.
show the same practical spirit in theil
work. A clergyman in Atlantic Cit!
has just announced that he will hold {
religious service for men only, who are
to be allowed to smoke if they wish, ant
to make themselves comfortable by
taking off their coats if they are more
contented without them. And, as {
further attraction and inducement, they
are promised some good singing by {
male choir after the sermon and &
moving picture show. 1t is too baC
that men have to be lured into the
house of God in this way, but many
progressive clergymen think that it i:
better to employ any means, not abso,
lutely sacrelegious, to get them inside
the church, for once there an oppor-
tunity is given the clergyman to SOW
seed in some heart, which may possibly
eventually burst into glorious bloom.
1t does seem too bad that Miss Theo-
dora Shonts, who recently married the
Duke de Chaulnes, should not have been
allowed to pass her honeymoon at least
without any unpleasant incident. The
girl who cannot look back upon a per-
feet honeymoon is to be pitied, and has
been cheated out of one of her dearest
rights. When the Duke and Duchess
de Chaulnes arrived in Paris the other
day, so the papers tell us, they were
greeted by crowd of the Dukes cred
itors who formed before the hotel
where the noble couple were stopping
and made a noisy demonstration. There
were tailors, bootmakers, shirtmakers
florists, jewelers., dog sellers and money
lenders in the crowd. every one of whom
wanted the money the Duke owed them
and wanted it then. The noisiest one
of the lot was the Dukes tailor, who
claimed he had furnished his noble Gus
toner with suits of all kinds for years
on credit This same tailor has won
quite a reputation in Paris on account
of having filled an order from Count
Boni de Castellane for goo pair OF
trousers at one time.
And now it is said that altho the
Duke of Abruzzi wooed Miss ElkinS in
right manly fashion, laying at the feet
of the lady whom he desired to share
his life, his title, position and every
thing else, yet she rejected his suit and
the brilliant prospect which it held out
to her No American girl making an
international alliance comes to mind
who has married a man standing 50
close to royalty as the Duke of AbruzZi,
who is the cousin of the King of Italy.
Few of our girls in the same class with
Miss Elkins would have had the
strength of character to refuse such an
offer. it is feared. especially as the
Duke is said to be a man of great cul-
ture and refinement, besides a man of
action. Nevertheless, the newspapers
tell us that Miss Elkins refused to
marry him before he left Washington,
and no reason seems TO be given for
this except that the young lady is thoro-
ly American in all her ideas, and so
imbued with the National spirit that she
could give her heart and hand to none
but one of her own countrymen.
The German Kaiser is supposed to
lead almost as strenuous a life as our
President, taking much interest in de-
tails of all kinds and interesting him
self frequently in matters which his
subjects wish he would let alone. Re
Gently he insisted upon drilling the sing
ers of the Royal Opera Company for n
performance of The Huguenots," WELD
ing the baton himself at the rehearsals,
and giving them all much advice as TO
how they should render their parts. 1t
is said that the Emperor's energy dur
ing these rehearsals was wonderful, but
that the singers were all threatened
with nervous prostration when he had
finished with them.
A most successful and clever adven-
turess and criminal was caught and ar
rested the other day at Nice. She called
herself the Countess of Montell, and
She was well known in the world OF
fashion, entertaining with great lavish
ness and splendor both at Paris and
along the Riviera. The Countess was
young and very beautiful, and her mag
nj NJ cd
wealth caused no end of comment, but
evidently aroused no suspicion. For sew
eral years series of mysterious rob-
berries have been perpetrated in the
fashionable hotels along the Riviera
which have entirely baffied the efforts
of the police. Finally suspicion point
ed to the brilliant, fascinating Countess
and 1t was found that she carried con-
cealed in her bewitching garments an
entire burglars outfit of the most in
tricate workmanship which opened al
doors to her. Hidden in different poCk-
cts in her dainty, lace-trimmed petGi-
coats were pincers, files, skeleton keys
screwdrivers and no less than 27 pair:
Of small, delicately-made nippers used
by the "profesh'' to unlock and lock q
door with its own key when on the in.
side. The Countess was caught bend.
ing over the door of a rich American
tiful cloak.
Have Mr.. and Mrs. Alfred Vanderbilt
separated? This question. is on the lipi
of everyone in New York society jus
at present, with no one able TO answer
1t. The fact that Mrs. Vanderbilt ha.
Just had her personal effects, including
ali her beautiful wedding presents
boxed up and sent to the home of me-
brother, Amos It. French, in Tuxed,
Park, looks rather suspicious, IT is true
Alfred Vanderbilt, altho the second sol
OF the late Cornelius Vanderbilt, ha
been regarded as the head of the famil,
since the marriage OF his elder brother
Cornelius, who, II will be remembered
incurred the disple3sure of his famil,
by his choice of wife, and was in con
sequence disinherited by his father Al
fred is probably the richest man of hi
age in America, and the year after n
graduated from Yale he married Mis-
French, the daughter of the late Fran
els o. French, president of the Man
haitian Trust Company and director o
railroads. The young couple had
beautiful country home at Newport
where Mrs. Vanderbilt has spent mos
OF her tine, and which she has no,
closed. 1t is said that these two, VIII
presumably had everything IN life I
make them happy. have been separate
most of the time for the past few year.
Mrs. Vanderbilt devotIng herself to Sc
ciety. while her husband gave most c
his time to his famous stables, bot
of them spending considerable time
Europe. but not together. They hay
been married eight years, and have on
child, a handsome, sturdy little felIo
OF seven years. who is devoted 10 h