There is to be a new, and rather strange use for glass. It is tobe used for statues. It is claimed that ordinary plate glass will make amore durable monument than either marble or metal. Plate glass—when of sufficient thickness—is practically indestructible, being impervious to the elements and having more resistance to actual force than either stone or metal. The bull's eyes of ships wear for ever—nover deteriorate ing. We may therefore soon expect to commemorate our ancestors in this material.
The idea seems strange at present, and I think in brilliant sunshine a row of glass statues would be rather dazzling, but I suppose we should in time get used to it as to many other things.
LOOKING BACKWARD, I wonder shall we adopt, and got used to the new bonnets on view. In the shop windows just now they are labelled worn by Her Majesty in 1837." They appear t6 be copied exactly from those John Leech drew in Punch—a small crown and enormous "poke" in front with a wreath of roses inside and a huge bunch of feathers and more roses anda quantity of Ince outside. The weight must enormous, and I very much doubt anyone having the courage to appear in the Park or Regent Street in such headgear. It is very nice to celebrate the great event of Her Majesty's record reign, -but surely it is unnecessary to carry things' so far as to adopt the dress of sixty years ago, and if women, why not men? We should all look as though we were taking part in some fancy dress ball or theatrical performance. The neat coats and skirts of the present day seem so nearly an ideal form of dress of women, that it seems a pity there should ever be any attempt to return even in a modified form to the dress of our ancestors, especially us so many women now spend so much time in bicycling and kindred amusements. We will hope therefore that the Victorian bonnets will remain in the shop windows which they help to fill up in a wonderful way.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.