Evening star., 1936-09-27

was splashed with blood as the re-
suit Of an attempt upon the life of
her husband. The inherited and un-
fortunate illnesses of her children,
the disappointments and disillusion-
ments in her private life, to those who
believe In superstitions, are the logical
outcome Of certain portentous charms
in the possession Of the Spanish
throne.
Victoria's meeting with Alfonso Is
attributed to q strange gold sequin
which he wore and Is said to still wear
attached to his watch chain, and
which was given to him by q gypsy
woman. Many Spanish people Of the
poorer and more romantic class have
always believer that to this fateful
charm he owes his marriage to Queen
Victoria Eugenia. It's a pretty but
ominous story, fanciful tale that Al
fonso one day met an old gypsy wom-
an near Madrid and offered her aims
She Indignantly refused the prof1ered
aid telling the King that she was the
last Of the Almovarides, who ruled in
Morocco and Southern Spain more
than seven hundred years before 1t
seems the young King was much i'm
pressed by the story. When 1t was
finished the old gypsy insisted upon
giving him a rare sequin bearing the
efhgy Of Ishag, the last king Of the
Almoravides. In presenting it to him
she said he must cherish it for there
was only one other like it; this, she
told him, she gave to an English
princess sometime before, and she
added, she will be the future queen
Of Spain. On visit to London, Al
fonso was surprised to find the coun-
terpart of his sequin in the possession
Of Ena Of Battenberg.
In no other country has a charm
played SO large a part as in Spain.
One Of the most famous rings in his
tory noted for its disastrous influence
was known as the Spanish Opal" It
was famous for its fiery beauty but
spread death and ruin to the person
possessing 1t. Finally Queen Christina,
mother Of the present Alfonso, had it
strung on gold chain and hung
around the neck Of the statue Of the
virgin of Almudena, the patron saint
of Madrid, evidently with the belief
that its malign influence would van
ish. 1t Is reported that this statue has
been demolished in the present war.
Christian Rulers Of Europe
Peculiarly Superstitious.
It seems strange, but the Christian
rulers Of Europe have been peculiarly
sensitive to the influence Of charms
and omens. The late George v al
most disrupted luncheon party at
the house Of Mrs. John Ward, daugh-
ter of the late Mr. Whitelaw Reid, by
refusing to sit down with IS at the
table, and his father Kind Edward
would not allow two knives to lie on
the table before him. He regarded
Tuesday as his fateful day, as he was
born. baptized, married and succeeded
to the throne on that day. The seri-
Gus operation which postponed his
coronation was also performed on
Tuesday. Another superstition Of the
present Kings grandfather was the
historic chair in Westminster Abbey
encasing the Scone stone, in which
all the kings Of England after Edward
I have been crowned and In which
the present British ruler will be
crowned next Spring.
Coronation Red Is to Be
the Royal Color.
|. This chair of plain boards, some
what gilded and decorated, was
thought by the Hanoverian rulers not
elegant enough for the ceremony and
it was draped with rich cloth of gold.
Edward VII on his coronation di-
rected that the chair should be used
as it was, with the timbers left exposed.
By the way trade journals report a
shortage Of gilt chairs in London:
They are manufactured largely in
France, and find their best market
in London where they are in almost
universal use for smart social gather
ings. How about Uncle Sam export
ing few for the coronation? And If
you are going over remember that
coronation red is to be the official
color-it Is described between a ma
genta and scarlet so that old and
young can wear 1t. But If it's too un-
becoming, coronation blue-between
Mediterranean and royal blue may be
worn. Just imagine the grand old
Westminster Abbey in this gorgeous
array.