The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-07
TO
 ENGLISH COURT ARE OVER FOR THE YEAR
Many Doomed 10 Disappoint- ment-Queen Mary and
 Hel. Umbrella.
(rhe Associated Press.)

CThe Associated Press-) London, Feb. 7.-The gates are clos-- | ed against any more applicants for presentations to their majesties at Buckingham Palace this year. The Lord Chamberlain has announced that the lists are full, which will doubtless mean lot of disappointed social de- season.
 Four courts are ordinarily held each year, two early in February just after the opening of Parliament ana two in late May or early June Last year. owing to the large number en- titled to presentation, a fifth was held. but at such great inconvenience that lit is hoped to avoid repetition this year. To these courts all the official and diplomatic world receive the command to attend and English ladies who themselves have been presented, have the privilege of asking for a com. mand for some debutantee friend. s Formerly these com rnands could 5As asked for for a lady not a British subj ject and inet11is way many Americans. were presented by English friends. During King Edwards reign. however, it was decided that all foreign ladies should be presented through their embassies AS sthe embassies have only four invitations, outside the dip- lornatic circle, to which only ladies
 
 their near relatives are admitted, it is easy to realize the demand that has been made on the embassies for the privilege of being presented. Strictly speaking the four extra invitations are personal to the Ambassador or for presentations have been made through the authorities of the coun- try which the Ambassador represents.
 This question of distributing the four invitations is one of the most trying that the social secretary or an embassy has to deal with He re- ceivest hundreds of requests, all or mostly all from people of equal merit, and must make an early selection The rejected are his sworn enemies there= after. However, this year he can point to the Lord ChaEaberlain'S mo-. tihcation that the lists are ful1s
 Rain or shine Queen Mary must have her umbrella, the habit being so confirmed that she often feels lost has become conspicuous through the recent Incident at Norwich where the Queen Insisted upon carrying her umbrella Through museum whose rules forbid the taking of walking sticks or umbrellas into the picture galleries. The Queen has not been altogether exempt from criticism for her refusal to do as other people do in this res- pect. The Socialist papers seized upon the incident and even in more conservative quarters the Queens conduct is questioned. The Daily Sketch asks why Queen Mary. swho is usually so willing to adapt herself I to circunstances wuulG not tempo rariIy dispense with her umbrella when she visited the Norwich mu- scum. She was willing the paper points out, to dispense with bouquets and red carpets, with bows and speechmakfng, since she tried to keep her identity secret, but the Bishop l of Norwich who accompanied her had
 to disclose her identity in order that she could avoid the rule of parting Iwith her umbrella and obtain the roy laI prerogative of walking through the museum fully equipped for the pos sibility of the blowing off of the roof lcoinciding with heavy shower
 No matter what the occasion. un- Hess it be some very formal official
 ceremony, the Queen invariably car ries neatly folded umbrella, despite the fact that she always drives in a lcovored carriage and whenever she tstops anywhere canopy is provided. Princess Mary has the same umbrella habit as her mother. Queen Victoria likewise was always seen with a par asOI or umbrella, but she always l seen with a paraso1f or umbrella, b lli she always had hers open. and 1t was said that it was lined with chain mail Ito ward off attempts on her@Iife by
 bomb throwers.
 The romantic career of the Coats
 family, the thread miI1ionaires, has
 been rqnningsto it's end with the death
 of no fewer than five members during the past two years. Each membe1
 has left large fortune through
 which the British Exchequer has been
 enriched by a total of some $6. 900, ,oOf
 The death of James Coats in March E1912 left a fortune of nearly $10, ,00o,-
 900 without any provisions for it's dis
 position; six months later ArchdbaIe Coats passed away. leaving a sum o1
 nearly $7,00O,O 900; in January 1918 Sf,
 James Coats died leaving nearly $9,.
 000,00O and few weeks later F. M Coatss son of Sir James, died leav-
 ing $1,o00,00O- The fifth deatk
 which was that of Peter Coats in Sep
 tember last left another fortune ol
 $12, ,000, 900, making the total fortune
 of the deceased over $40, ,OOO 900
 None of the Coats left anything te charity but during their lifetime tfle1
 had been generous gfvers.