The Ladles’ Magazine.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2664, 20 November 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Ladles’ Magazine.

A GROUP OF ROYAL DAMSELS

A writer in the “Daily Telegraph” recalls the varied fortunes of 'some of the more noted of Queen Victoria » grand-daughters: — - Queen Victoria had five daughters . and twenty-.two grand-daughters, sev- ' eral of wuiom were destined to fill European thrones. The' princess Royal, afterwards Empress Frederick of Germany, had five daughters, and. in spite of the rigorous -etiquette oi tlio J. russian Court sue brought them up in the happy home atmosnhere of her English girlhood. An anecdote is tolcl of her eldest daughter, Charlotte, when a little gul, Such illustrates this. She with a Prussian cousin, was taking lesions from a professor in some art when the teacher offended the dignity of the Prussian damsel by curtailing her title. She drew lierseif up haughtily and desired him to remember that ghe was al•jyavs t(7 be spoken to as her Highness soauid-so. ' - hlie Crown Princess daughter, eager to soothe the wounded feelings of the instructor, hastily interposed: “Herr Professor you, may call me what you like. My father calls me ‘Fat Lotty.’ ” Princess Charlotte subsequently became the Grand Duchess of Saxe-Moiningen; Ivor eldest (laughter also married young, and Queen Vic- ‘ toria had the rare satisfaction of seeing her grandchild’s grandchild before sho cliod. Princess Victoria had a more troubled love story. She was engaged to the gallant Prince Alexander of Bulgaria, who was reckoned the handsomest man in Europe, and whose high spirit and brilliant soldierly qualities won the ad- - miration of *ll. One can easily believe that they would impress the imagination of .a young grl, especially as her parents fully approved of her suitor. But there was another influence in the background, unfortunately, more potent than Cumd. Hearts ware of little . account to the man of blood and iron, and Bismarck had no mind to allow a daughter of the Imperial house of Hohenzoilern tp unite herself with a prince whom Russia had marked'for sacrifice. Alexander’s doom had been sealed at St. Petersburg, and it was Bismarck’s policy to conciliate Russia. The struggle though short, was sharp, for Queen V ictoria threw her influence into the scale in favor of the young people. She always admired courage, and had followed the brave course of the young ruler of Bulgaria with interest. Had the Princess’ father been in health, the result might have been different, but the Emperor Frederick was then on his death-bed, - and the .domineering minister had ' his way. “He had three Victorias against him,” was the comment of an old diplomatist, “and yet he has cried ‘Victoria.’ ” The engagement was broken off. Alexander, after abandoning his throne, married a lady in a humbler sphere, and some years later Princess Victoria mamed a German, Prince Adolphus of Schaumburg-Lippe, and, let us hope, fourfd consolation for her early disappointment. Her sister, Sophia, married the Crown Prince of Greece, who met her during a tour on the Continent, and was charmed to find she had a Greek name, Sophia signifying wisdom. Princess Margaret, the youngest daughter of the Empress, was her mother’s chief companion and consoler in her later years of suffering and loneliness. She was said to be her mother’s favorite, and the Empress bequeathed to her beautiful home in the Taunus Mountains, where she died, and where King Edward last year met the Kaiser. Princess Alice, Queen Victoria’s second daughter, married Prince Louis of Hesse, afterwards Grand Duke of that little State. Her marriage had been postponed owing to her father’s death, inr. her mother was unwilling that it should be long delayed, although parting from the daughter who had been her devoted companion in the first terrible time of her bereavement must have been a great sacrifice. However, it was lightened by the decision of the young couple to spend the first year of their married life in England. Princess Alice was married in July, 1862, and did not leave her mother till after the birth of her eldest child, whom she called Victoria. We can well imagine ' the birtli of the little one would bring a ray of sunshine into the darkened home The Queen always showed a special interest in, the children of Princess Alice, who were unfortunately soon to have •* particular claim on her care. VYii.le her daughter was still in early girl- ; liood Princess.. Alice died, a victim to her motherly devotion. e*n outbreak of diphtheria visited the Royal House at Darmstadt, and the lives of all the children were in danger. The elder ones struggled, through it, but little Marie, the youngest and best-beloved, succumbed to it. The mother, worn out with nursing and anxiety, and subdued by grief, contracted the fatal infection. It is said that when breaking to her little son the/ news of the death of his favorite sister, she forgot caution, and hissed him. It was a fatal kiss, and, after a brief term of suffering, “England’s English-loving, daughter” was carried to her rest, her coffin covered, at her own desire, with the Union Jack. The young Darmstdt Princesses were' frequent visitors to England, and were always in close touch with their grandmother. As they grew up they were eagerly sought in marriage, for all, more or less, inherited their mother’s beauty and sweetness of disposition. Princess Victoria became the wife of Prince Louis of Battenburgj who is one of the most brilliant admirals in the British Navy. Princess Elizabeth, the second daughter, had a more chequered storv. Her mother had been a great friend of the Empress of Russia, the wife of Alexander 11., and they arranged a future alliance between their children. The Grand Duke Sergius of Russia was to be the "bridegroom, Princess Elizabeth of Hesse the bride. We meet with such engagements of tenor in fiction than in real life, and they are rash experiments. In 73fe case in question it was not a success. The Grand Duke Sergius L 'known to history as having been of a gloomy and tyrannical nature, and Ids; treatment of the people was a perpetual trial to a Princess reared in the happier, traditions of free Western , life.. Nr lie was one, of 'the best hated of the tyrannical Grand*Dukes. He-:was , cons tan i/1 y * threatened with assassination . and his wife, who was as popular ns ho wa s the reverse, was warned' not to accompany him. With true feminine . do'".'lr-n, Elizabeth persisted.' in mi--' --r bim on all public occasions, beliving- she might thus save liim Horn his doq- v But although Sergius resigned/' G governorship to appease bis enemi-’ s he did not escape his fate. : A bo> 1 vVI under Hie carriage when :

he was near his own palace, and Elizabeth, rushing out, witnessed the close of the tragedy. The Grand Duchess Sergius is founding an institution for the training of children, the care of the sick and needy, and the visiting of the poor at their homes, and means eventually to reside there. The article does not include the fate of the younger daughter of Princess Alice, who has known thirteen years of sorrow as the wife of the Czar of Russia, and is now a nervous wreck, haunted by the ever-threatened death of her husband, herself, and children. Nor does it speak of the happier destinies of the beautiful Princess Margaret of Connaught, who will one day be Queen of Sweden, nor of Princess Maude of Wales, who became Queen of Norway, not of Princess Ena of Battenberg, who thought Madrid “worth a mass,” and became the bride of the young King of Spain. For it was the younger grand-daughters of tile Queen who filled the loftiest roles, by some curious eliance.

OUR BABIES.

, (By “Hygeia.”)

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Promotion of the Health of Women and Children.

MASTICATION

CORRESPONDENCE, i

The following letters on the above subject have been received recently : BITER writes: As a- parent I, like hundreds of others, am much indebted and grateful ; to “Hygeia” for the useful in forma- i tion contained in “Our Babies” co- ! luinn. The articles oh mastication j arc particularly instructive. Might i I ask “Hygeia” to supplement the; instruction by giving next Thursday \ a list of articles ol ; diet which will j provide mastication ? With adults j who concentrate their minds and are j determined to masticate it is less di- j fficult to find materials for’mastication, but wliat 'is there that can be ! given to .children that will force them | to masticate whether they wish or j no? I have been puzzling over the problem with little success so far. - ; ~ 7 - WELLINGTON writes:— 1 should be extremely obliged if you will, post to the above address | any of your literature on the " feed- 1 ing of children. My child is three i years old and has so far been fed on J “slops,” as the doctors Call soft j foods and milk. We want to know ' your opinion upon the feeding of I children of this age, and l will gladly pay for literature, etc., upon receipt j of same. f ISLAND BAY writes:— [ I have read with much interest the j article on mastication in Saturday night’s “Post.” For some time I have had the same ideas about so much soft food being .given to .children, but I find it hard to think of a diet for my boy of 20 months —that is, a diet that demands a fair amount of mastication REPLY. * The problem how to provide the modern human being with food that will ensure full mastication is a very difficult one. The cruz of the difficulty lies, as “Biter” says, in bringing a child to masticate properly who has not been trained to do so from the beginning, and who has not reached the age when the will can be invoked to bring about the chewing of food -when it is not of a character which necessitates mastication prior tojswallowing. —Don’t Miss the Golden Opportunity— If we fail to satisfy a baby’s natural desire for something hard to masticate at the time when this instinct first asserts itself —say, at about six or seven months of age, when a bone may be given to munch at, followed by hard food a few months later—the instinct tends to die out, and there is great difficulty in re-establishing it; but it MUST be re-established if we wish our children -to have strong, serviceable jaws and teeth, and if we wish them to escape the modern tendency to adenoids, swollen tonsils, and the chain of ; .other evils which, follow on “paip” feeding. . j If the habit of merely swallowing ( food lias been formed, not only is the ; instinct* to chew lost, out if an effort is made to masticate properly the jaws soon become weary, and refuse to do their work completely. In adults the habit of proper mastjeatiori' can be developed by gradually and persistently ! using the jaws and teeth. If this is' done the task becomes less irksome day j by day, arid soon passes into a natural ! unconscious, routine habit, no longer | needing to be actuated by the will. ; However, for a long time vigilance must not be relaxed, because of the tendency to fall hack again into laziness and the swallowing of half-chewed food. —Take Food That Needs Work. — The great aid in this matter <, to take at each meal a fair proportion ol food that can scarcely be swallowed without a considerable amount of chewing and insalivation.- It is true that by the exercise of a strong will —no can force one's self to chew a meal of soft, mushy food, but the task is much easier and the-results are much better in regard to tbe proper pouring cut of digestice juices if a fair proportion of the food is more or less dry, and of such a texture as to offer sufficient resistance to the jaws and teeth. . This is specially. the case in euTrl^/''iPliiklhoe(l i i;'i' If all the food givenmore or lfiSfifcri soft'and moist a baby cannot be train? ed> to chew thoroughly; rthcLfhe glands; cannot be induced to. 'irisaiiimt^l, such food. On the oHler liand, if tbe-ty jaws, are properly exercised from the;’ start by giving hones tolchew or muhcjfe ? at prior to the eruption of toe Hi, and/' if the first solid food allowed is such • as requires munching—crusts, dry toast, rusks, etc. —the masticating reflex or instinct will be developed. Then oven when some soft food is given in addition this also will be more or less chewed instead of being merely gulped down'as a bolus. - —How to Foster. Healthy Instincts.— The best way to set about teaching a young child to eat efficiently is to invoke the imitative or mimicking faculty which is so strong in early childhood. The parents should make the mastication of food interesting by sotting the example themselves, arid tui'ning the process into a kind of game. In the case of a young brrby to whom speech is just beginning to appeal the words “bitey-bite” illustrated by the action soon induce' active mimicry; while a somewhat older child may lie interested by comparing the action of the mouth and jaws in eating to the grinding of corn between mill-stories. “Is the little grist-mill in good order ?” at once evokes a show of white teeth. Thus, iihpelled by a keen ciesiro to prove that in one thing at least it can Keep pace with it's elders, there follows on the part of the child an active demonstration that the is all right. By just such means are young animals taught the simple and necessary habits by the mother—witness'the ; education of a kitten, in 'cleanliness (from the washing of its face to the burying of excrement), or-in the c.atcli- . ing/ of nyce and birds. Setoii Thompson arid Long have shown us that all. the so-called instincts; are more or less fortified or fostered'm similar ways, , and it, is. strange indeed that the' human mother should usually be so negligent as she i? in regard to the traan- . ing /of her ..offspring in simple habits which are of such importance, throughout the battle of life. Instead of . lagging behind our human reason should, carry, us further than the instinct of the ‘beasts in the hygienic training of