London, Sept, 9.
Towday being gloriously still and sunny we thought the canary would like to join our tea on the lawn. She promptly had a heart-attack and had to be revived with brandy. The dazzling largeness of everything was too much for her after the comfort table limitations of the familiar room.
T think I should feel much the same if T had just been crowned "Miss Europe" (not, of course, that there is the remotest chance of such a thing happening) like the ash Blonde, Miss Esther "Toivenen Finland, who, as you will have doubt less heard. by cable, was chosen yesterday at Hastings as the most beautiful from among the most Deautiful of sixteen countries.
About the sine time Miss Ruby Evelyn Dovey, daughter of a G.W.It engine-driver, was being crowned the "Railway Queen" There, at least, the scale of comparison being distinctly limited, you might feel that you had some claim to your title, But the loveliest girl of all the hundreds of millions of Europe? No, no.
There was a formidable posse of judges including Mack-Sennett, the film producer, some artists, and 3 couple of operatic sopranos. Exactly what title they had to be experts in beauty, it seems hard to say. Miss June Lammas, the English girl, had 1 strong following—it Is believed she was. the runner-up—but everyone shouted none the less warmly" for "Miss" Europe" when the Finnish irl was led up to be crowned by Miss Violet Vanbrugh.
The sixteen lovelinesses have been at Hastings for the past week, but they have not had much of a time. They ed, were rigorously rationed in respect of dances and. theatres, and might not even give interviews, One of them complained that it was like Yooking at all the fun through 9 lass window.
"Miss Europe" has now engaged a special secretary to deal wit the reposals of marriage and offers from film magnates.
The other fifteen are consoling themselves with the old adage that beauty fs in the eye of the Contrasting Forms The truth of this saying was abun dautly shown in the antropolony section of the British Association meeting this week. There it was related. that:
In Cyprus a "really beautiful" get looks like 2 from:
In Greek Macedonia the beauty's head is shaped like a pea In Albania nothing is more admired than the fat effect. Men Ike long-headed women, a round-faced girl would have no success at She would be called Have you read ment" yet? You will Shih-hua's rude description of "those long-nosed. pop-eyed, _wal-kuo jen, those foreign women, with piles of feathers and material on top of the fuzzy wool of their heads."
'A story was told to the British Association of a girl in another Balkan state, who was shown to an English visitor, as a great beauty. According to description she "had 3 face like a horse, somewhat underhung, tow-coloured hair and no-coloured eyes." The visitor, asked he admired her and wishing to be polite, replied hesitatingly "Well, yes" "We thought you would," exclaimed his host "we call her the little Eng Biblical History 'The Modern' Churchmen's Con ference at Birmingham this week has produced the usual attacks "on. the authenticity of Bible history, miracles and so forth. The speakers included the Dean of St. John's College, Cam bridge, and the Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the same University, 'They may "profess and call themselves Christians," but from their speeches, as reported, it is difficult" to understand how they persuade others to believe them, oF why they are allowed to hold thelt articular jobs. The divinity professor's comments on the Creed are worth quoting "It is nol" he said, "that we do not want a" erged. but that we. are Rot satisfied with the creeds. we have use. The "objection most deeply felt among. we to our" traditional reeds and doctrines fe that we have Outgrown them, Christianity has outs town them. i can no longer be con-{ined in them, Tonday. They have "no power Wh crew to. commend the Christian Fellgion to them.
"they do not in any way enhance Our Lard on the World, The last two assertions will evoke very large exclamation marks from many readers, In any case, if they are accepted, what becomes of the whole structure of Christianity?
As for the authenticity of Bible history, the critics have been so fre quently exposed on the irrefutable evidence of geology (the walls of Jericho story comes to my mind asa instance) and archaeolothat their persistence just a little rash, But they ever reflect on the harm they do? It is a common complaint nowa. ays that the younger generation dot not read the Bible" and religion. But the people to catch up a saying there by some well-known ma 4 subject about which the) never thought, to advance it own, to extend the apparent logic of ft to the whole subject, usually with the wish to appear clever and advanced, is a very familiar phoneme non. The Dean of St. John's or Lady Margaret Professor may know exactly where he stands, but on his pupils his criticisms may have an effect of which he little dreams,"
Comic Opera Revival Sir Edward Germa beautiful comic opera "Merrie Eng ud" has been revived and to judge by ite first-night reception with' startling success. It was produced no less than 32 years ago, and thus one critic well writes of it'that "it was not merely revival, it was a revelation." He oes on: though a world seemed a Grooming had cuddenly awakened. to the fact that Sit" Bdward German It 2 great genius at wel ana that the grace and iting. Jolity of his musie ix Something that. only England could Dreducensomething for our Did Setar our dellsht life there and manages to get some riding still.
Although it is usually the spring that brings with it a host of fare wells, all those left behind being heard to murmur that "everyone seems to be going home," the autumn, too, has @ quota, though not so heavy, of travellers from the East. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Payne leave on Sunday, the Empress of Asia for a holiday: in the United States. They expect to be away for six months and are returning by way of Europe, with no doubt a drop in on Paris for all that such a visit implies.
Tea Dancing on Board A series of tea dances to be given on board the Lloyd Triestino liners are being arranged for the autumn and winter months by the Company. Invitations for the first of these gatherings have been issued for Mon-ay afternoon, and guests will have the opportunity of admiring the new accommodation and decorations which have recently been carried out.on board the Conte Verde and the Conte Rosso are in port once a month on alternate months, and all who have chosen the Lloyd Triestino ships when booking fares from Shanghai to other paris of the world are being invited, the tea dances should form an extremely popular rendezvous during the pre-Sent season.
Not improbably "Merrie England" has a better chance to-day than at fits Srst hearing, Then it was looked fon as something in the Gilbert and Sullivan tradition but not s0 good. Now its fresh and exquisite melodies can be judged on their own merits and assuredly they do "show up" the tunelessness of modern popular must.
Sir Edward German has never really had the respect paid him composer that he deserves. His melodies are as distinctive as those of Chopin, with a freshness and "in evitablity" "(that preserves their charm indefinitely, and if his or hes tration is not that of "Tod und Yerklarung," it is beyond praise for the character of his sunny, must and the effects he seeks). "Merrie England" might well be followed by "Tom Jones." Tt, also, is full of lovely music. And then, perhaps, some Con= Uinental eritle will come over and tell us what a musical genius we have in our midst,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.