months visit to New York, Dame Sybit Thomdyke was met by her son, Lieut, John Casson, Nand Ris fiancee, Mise Patrlela Chester Master of Shang "Tale was the frst ume Dame Sybil had met her future daughter-In-law, unadorned spaces, that they will hardly go back to the fantastic shapes, lacquer, and infinite detail that distinguished the Chinese period fu the 18th century. Yet even this possible, Fashion swings from ex treme to extreme, and sooner or Inter a revolt against the modern style in furnishing, and oblonss, men at least out of work. Which, of course, stamps. them as progress' of the highest order.
Already the electricians prophesy the disappearance of drivers on trains, ind engines to run themselves with-Out engineers, "But," they add sorrow fully, "one great drawback is the Umidity of passengers. A long campaign of psychology reassurance will be necessary before people overcome their doperable, preference for sure to come, Meanwhile Chinese carpets are more and more papular; fand both in glass and pottery British designers are increasingly influenced by Chinese forms and colours.
Monte Carle's Worries Business must be bad indeed when Monte Carlo is unable to pay 3 dividend. What the feelings of the people of Monaco will be on having to "ante up" for the expenses of the Principality, always hitherto covered by the gaming rooms, one may imagine. "Casino receipts fell last year to £022,000, which was £128,- '00 tess than the year before; and expenses were £767,000, leaving a ott profit of under £55,000.
Compare this with the boom year of 1928, when takings amounted to over £2.725,8001 But that was before the world slump, when the evil days had "not come nigh and people hed begun to say "I have no plesscre human engineer".
Tow far the mechanfeatTon of rife really adds to Mte.comforts bs always Shige question. In certain things curse there iz no. doubt of the Sinswer—as when, recently the boiler inthe writers house went out Commission and for three days. Could have no hot baths. and only limited hot water.
But in to-day's "Morning. Post whiter, deriding ove worship of speed, ives in proof of his contention, (a) that by horse bus one could get. from. Cheyne Walk to Bond Street in 20 minutes; now it takes half an hour: that you could enter a shop, tay a reel of cotton snd be out three minutes: now you must Wwe through endless departments. in wast stores and Back again the same that in the old slow days 2 wochour Job took two hours and workmen scheduled to arrive at 9
But there are too many casinos. There are 173 now in France, with a very popular one at Nice, absolutely ext door to Monte Carlo. And without going so far as that you can get excellent gambling just outside Paris, at Enghien; while of course, Lo Touquet and Deaville now are as well known as Monte Carlo. But the great majority of the French gambling {ables do comparatively small busi-nese. People have not the money, either in France or the Continental countries which send her visitors.
'A reflection of this was seen yesterday in the annual meeting of the Gordon Hotels Lid. "The chairman said that their luxury hotels, the Dorchester and Mayfair had' dons ratably better business last year, particularly the Mayfair: others, lice the Metropole and Victoria, kept up steady, if unexciting, average; but foreign enterprises, particularly the Riviera, continued in the depths fon. Thursday, arrived "at 9 'Thursday—not at 330 onthe follow ing' Monday. or Tuesday.
"The Great Game of Life"
'The failure of the cinema to use its great opportunities for educations? Purposes' is frequently deplored well meaning folk who do not de end on the cinema for a livelihood. Put, if there is not education there is something very much like it skilfully concealed in entrancing entertainment, in the wonderful flee now showing at the Polytechni: called "The Great Game of Life. which portrays the adventures of Cherry Kearton, the first movie photographer in the wilds.
T believe that Mr. Kearton went out to China about 23 years ago hunting obscure~ oriental diseases Some of your readers may remember. But this is nothing to hie hunts after wild beasts. Coming to The escationias are charming evergreen shrubs which ought bbe represented in every garden. Perhaps the. most generally satisfactory is langleyensis, a vigorous, easily-managed, loose growing bush which bears rose-red flowers. Two of the newer ones are named C.F, Ball and. Ivey Escallonia macrantha is an attractive evergreen for sheltered place in inland gardens; in mild maritime districts it is commonly planted a a hedge, London at 13 he bought a $s camera ud went out in pursuit of the tera of Elstree. Since then he has taken, moving pictures of lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, penguins, pythons and the ' only moving picture on record of Theodore Roosevelt in Africa, "Just 30 years ago he went ina dirigible balloon to take pictures of London. The balloon got out of control and rose to heights which made the flood gush from Mr. Kearton's nose. But he stuck to his job and the pleture—the frst taken of London from above—was shown two days later at the Alhambra, It fs Interesting to see that films taken 20 years ago are little if at all Inferior to those taken now. The difference" sin the method projection, which has been vastly improved.
'Of course, we are all snapshotters nowadays, as witness that in a catalogue'of clothes for Easter which received a few days ago from a London store, two pages were devoted to hand cameras, movie and otherwise, withthe' injunction "Don't omit 'a camera from your Easter outfit." But few of us could produce a passable snapshot of the family pug in action. T know a man who lies out by the hour on fey Norfolk beaches, disguised as a rock under a tarpaulin covered with seaweed, to take bird photographs. But think of lying up near the edge of an African pool, as Mr, Kearton has done, to. film'a lion drinking after his kill," and never knowing when he may decide that he could dea bit more killing.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.