The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-23

torial decorations have been so clipped
by royal regulations that her train has
dwindled to a mere wisp on the floor
behind her as she whisks past the king
and queen. Tall girls are almost in
tears over the annual curtailment of
their glory, which has reached a ver-
table ''reductio ad absurdum" this
year. Fifty-four inches from their
shoulders is all they are allowed; fig
ure to yourself the effect of that on a
girl 81 inches high. 1t ceases to be Il
train altogether, and absolutely kills
all the natural grace of the wearer
Special recognitions to daughters of
friends of the sovereign, too, are things
of the past. King Edward and his con-
sort and Queen Victoria, too invariably
made a rule of greeting with kind
word or a smile any girl whose name
was familiar to them, a gracious act
which did much to add to their popular
ity. King George and Queen Mary,
though more democratic in many ways,
seem unable to give those human
touches to ceremonies over which they
preside.
There is one person at court. how
ever, whose smile gets bigger and big
ger as the ladies' trains get smaller
and smaller, and that is Sir Arthur
Walsh, his majestys master of ceremo-
MES His job of shepherding all the
women into the presence is no sine
cure, and he has been up against many
difficult feminine problems in his time
One of the funniest occurred last wear
at one of the courts, when an anxious
"presentee" approached him with tears
in her eyes and a most woeful tale of
tall" Her train, she said had been
stepped on by some unfeeling woman
on the stairs, and all her gathers"
had been torn out; could she get her a
few safety pins? Sir Arthur, who is
not very tall man. drew himself up to
his fullest extent and with all the
dignity he could muster. replied:
Madam. ! am here to present you to
their majesties, not to patch up your
garments
Such a unmber of smart people have
been undergoing operations lately that
one is amost inclined to think that
when they get extra bored with life,
they decide to have their appendices
removed and rush off to the doctor
forthwith. This was not the case with
Lady Bateman, however, whose opera
tion was most serious one. and who,
happily, is now making a good recov-
cry But she was very i'll for some
days, and her friends were very anx-
ious about her. Lady Bateman was, of
course, the daughter of James Jeffrey
Graham of New York, and widow of the
most popular Anglo Americans in Lon
don.
Mrs. Rupert Beckett's youngest
daughter has also been subjected to a
fashionable operation, and as we'll,
Flavia Forbes, the beautiful child of
Lady Angela Forbes, one of the hand
some sisters of the Earl of Rosslyn.
Flavia gives every promise of beating
all the records scored by her hand
some relatives of whom Lady War
wick and the Duchess of Sutherland
are two. for though still quite young,
she is remark ably beautiful.
There's no doubt that if you can af-
ford it, it is ten times easier to be
beautiful today than it was twenty
years ago. Almost every day, thought
full scie9tists discover some process
by which the points of beauty which
are naturally missing in our faces and
forms can be supplied--at price.
Dimples are the latest of articles that
can be procured, and damsels on whose
faces enhancing fascinations refuse to
play need no longer be dawncast
"Those we are most often asked to
put in." said beauty specialist the