London, Apr. 22.
No film star ever understood the fort of publicity better than the Loch Ness Morster. He has now, not merely hitched himself on to Royalty, but to Its youngest and (Jointly with her sister) most popular member.
Coming Into the nursery recently, the Duchess of York found the Princess Margaret Rose poring over fairy tale. "Oh look, Mummy," exclaimed the child, pointing to a picture of a dragon "Isn't that a darling little Loch Ness Monster."
Now with the return of warm weather, the Monster has emerged from his winter quarters and has been [photographed by a Surgeon Wilson, 0 print being subsequently reproduced in the "Dally Mail." Surgeon Wilson says he saw a commotion in the water some 200 yards from shore, and then a strange head (rather Uke a swan, minus the beak) rose above the surface and stayed just long enough to be "took" before submerging again. Zoologists are quoted to the effect that the picture resembles no marine ereature previously seen. So we look forward to a busy summer.
Since the monster frst "got into the news" last summer, he has had imitators all over the world. Their appeailance has been noted and Immediately forgotten. The Loch Ness Monster re-ing, ind his adventures have been translsketler rush for basements, But London's water has been infected by bacteria, the gas from the shells rained down by the aeroplanes filters into every nook and cranny. Only a few fortunate ones have gas masks. The play ends in a general cataclyson lof horror. It is a fine production and the ending wonderfully staged. Whether it will achieve its purpose is an-lather matter. But the theory stressed lby some good folk that Germany only wants all the armaments she is bulld-ing, all the air stations she is planning. as.a solace to her own dignity, seems to me singularly unconvincing.
Stella Benson's Diary The will of the late Stella Benson (Mrs, O'Gorman Anderson) the nove-hist, has naturally attracted attention. she directed that her diary amount ing, it 18 said, to fifteen or twenty volumes should be given to Cambridge University with strict orders that they Jare not be opened for 50 years. Each volume has a lock and, according to lone report, as each was finished the key was thrown away.
According to Miss Benson's brother, che began to keep a diary when only fave, in her life she made an enormous Jand' vary varied number of acquaintances, and she is believed to have written of them with the greatest plainness. She did not wish any of them to be wounded by her writing, while she also wished to preserve for posterity a faithful picture of the life lof the age she moved in.
Another Little Drink Practically the whole British Press is up in arms against a joint decision lot the Lord Chief Justice and two brother judges, that local. magistrates may not extend the closing hour of Jpublic houses for half an hour in sums mer time. Of course the judges are not blamed, but the Idiocy of the Licensing Law.
T-do not understand that law very well (who does?) but apparently on "special occasion" magistrates. may fatiow public houses to stay open an extra half hour. The magistrates of [Steyning in Sussex (120 others have done the same, but Styning has been taken as atest case) decided that summer time might count as a special fceasion, and told the publicans th Reed, ok case Xi 1030 pam. Instn The police objected and the judges very reluctantly decided that the Taw fwaz on their side, although counsel for Steyning pleaded ingeniously that summer tume was a very special occa sion for holiday resorts, "which were fall to-overslowing. all the. sum land during the winter lived on their wceumilated fat like @ bear."
"The oulrageousness" of the law which says-that grown men and women cannot be trusted 10 buy a lass of beer after 10 pin. is palpable {fo all but fanatics, for if people mean to "get drunk, they will do so" by ten land the extra half hour will not mat-for either way. But all the news paper protests' in England will not [defeat Dora.
We are not the only country, how-lever, 10 have a Dora, There isa Port somewhere up the Amazon called Ceticia, where all dancing is forbidden latter "Opi. except on "Saturdays when ft may continue till two. You may draw your own deductions from ther tact that the place is administered bby a League of Nations Commission.
'A War Play Almost on the very day of the French rejection of the British farinament plan (on the evident and that Germany has defy all attempts to stop her) a very grim and opposite play was produced fat, Daly's.
Dark Horizon" by Lesley Storm Ikives an appalling picture of what the Jaeroplane and science have made of war. For two acts the characters of ithe story are seen pursuing their normal lives of business, love, and petty interests. There is some newspaper scare of war, but it seems remote. The League is in charge of negotiations the Government will not allow England to be involved, And then out of a clear sky arrive ithe aeroplanes. There is a helter~ larly woman whose husband is in the Navy or Army air services, becomes inured to waiting. A very simple and There are many women who have the same suspense to go through. After all, Tm but one of them......"She smiled, and concluded her discussion the observation that Commander Settie's sea-duty on the USS. Palos, will after his balloon flights and at least to his wife, even with her faith in alr-travel It is an interesting idea, but will work? There are abundant contemporary records of the days when Bun-hill Fields were really fields, Islingtor a pretty country resort, Apsicy, Hous quite literally "No, 1 London." But jwe have the greatest difficulty in ple turing what ordinary private life ws like in those times. How many young people to-day can realize a time perfectly well remembered by their par~ lents, when there were no cinemas, radio, telephones, aeroplanes, motor cars, 'X-rays, and very little electric Posterity will probably, be more interested in Miss Benson's observa tions on her friends than in her furniture and food—that is if the aeroplanes have left the world any posterity 60 years hence.
I notice that one of the weekly Jgardening articles common to. all newspapers speaks of the reviving popularity of the camellin—perhaps in company with the revival of several [Victorian fashions, for somehow the Jcamellia always seems a distinctly Victorian flower, Flowers Return to Favour Flowers have their cycles of fash lionableness just like dogs. (When 1 iwas a child, 1 remember Manchester terriers being popular, very clever, smart dogs they were. I have not seen one for ages, and pugs seem to be absolutely extinct. Even bull dogs late comparatively scarce.) Similarly T cannot recall when I last saw either a tube-rose or a gardenia, The former, perhaps, went out of favour owing to their heavy. rather sickly scent, when the fresh air craze began' to catch on. The gardenia may have declined simultaneously with the decay of 'A gardenia in the button hole was as much a distinguishing mark of the villain as the evening dress, opera cloak and white gloves.
Latterly it has seemed to me that jputtonholes are becoming popular again with men, as tie-pins undoubt edly are. A year or two ago you saw snaither. T can only hope that the fashion of wearing flowers in the evening will not be revived by women. 'Turning over some old photographs ithe other day, T came upon one a girl of the eighties, a noted beauty fof those days, in an' extraordinarily stif-looking evening dress, with a heavy spray of flowers extending right from one shoulder to the waist. The effect, at least to our eyes now, was not pretty, but merely fussy. It was Jalso an expensive fashion and hardly for the good of the frock.
Apropos, T recall a time and grim leid story of those days, told me from Iher personal experience, by an aunt.
girl friend of hers was going to her coming out" dance, and a man in whom she was more than alittle Interested, had asked permission (it iwas done'in those days) to send her flowers. The evening came, but not the flowers, the girl was dressed and jwaiting for the carriage when a large box arrived. The flowers at last! She Jopened the box eagerly. The florist had made some hideous mistake. The [box contained a funeral wreath.
Not long afterwards the man with whom the girl was in love went to Egypt to take up a position, caught typhoid fever there, and died. She Inever married,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.