1938-02-28 — Page 3

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 28, 1938

A LONDON LETTER:

Page

Flowers Glow In The Lamplight

Modern Girls Trained As Leaders Of To-morrow

T

Lampshades that are different are "As soon as friends heard of my rare these days. It takes an artist 'work they began to send me flowers. with inventive powers and original to press for them, sprays from conceptions to produce anything, bridal bouquets and cherished flow- really fresh in this line. Such an ers gathered on the honeymoon, with artist is "Marlisa," an eager little the request that I should preserve Italian woman with all the sponta- and mount them as souvenirs. Flow- neous love of colour and form that, er lovers sent me their favourite is natural to her race.

blooms from their own gardens, and botanists their specimens and my work grew.”

90

The chief attraction of the "Mar- lisa" shades lies in the simple and perfectly natural arrangement of flowers and in the delicate colour schemes. Some of the field flower

Talking to her the other day, with the darkness of London's winter pressing about the window and the lamplight filling the room, she told me, in pretty, broken English, how the idea for her work came to her.

Real Spring Flowers and Ferns, Pressed With a Special Process, Were Used to Decorate This Lampshade. Both Shade and Wooden Base Are THANKS TO HER GRANDFATHER compositions seem to be blowing in

Bound With String the wind; freesia is used sparingly to show its decorative line; a little "It is my Grandfather I must

In a house in Curzon-street the bunch of spring flowers is tied to-members-in the words of their on five acres of land which have cost

The building is being planned thank," she said. “He was a botanist, and if it had not been for him gether as if just picked; "Old Man's club president, Miss Louise Andree some £75,000—with every possible would never have thought of using beech leaves; thistle leaf

Bear" is entangled with autumn Coury, sister of Captain Coury, V.C.device to make it aseptic, silent and pressed flowers in the way I do makes its own beautiful design.

grassare "being trained as leaders of labour-saving. Silence, sunshine and He made a collection which he kept

to-morrow.” The members are all chromium fittings are three features in an old herbarium. Some of his

pretty" youthful The youngest of of it. There will be no bells near flowers came from the Swiss moun-

all is the Hon. Margaret Elphins- the wards to disturb the patients. tains; others he gathered himself

tone, the 12-years-old daughter of Electrically, operated signals will from the garden of our home in The form and colour of nature is Lady Elphinstone and niece of the take their place. At night there Italy. At that time we did not value accentuated by the light within the Queen, but others are a

as "old"

ag will be no glare from corridor lights. the collection as we should, and transparent shade. The character of 25 or 26. The junior members who The main lights will be turned off, when my Grandfather went, we the flowers is emphasized by the are still at school only make contact and in their place there will be dim- forgot all about it. Then, one day, use of different materials carefully with their friends during holiday mer ones. an aunt of mine came across it, selected to bind the edges, such as, time. Thus the daughter of Sir buried in a drawer, and asked if she twisted silk, velvet, teisled wool, Eric Phipps, our Ambassador in The tendency of modern hospital might take some of the flowers away raffia and string. Plain wooden Paris, is at a convent at Westgate, construction as to have smaller with her to preserve them. It was balls slightly tinted in pale green or and two 16-years-old twin Hohen-wards. The old idea of a long row then that I remembered how people pearly tones and in some cases par zollern princesses, Princess Maria-of beds is going. In this new hos- in Victorian times used pressed flow-tially bound with string, form the Antonia and Maria-Adelgunde, are pital, the general wards will con- ers for lampshade decoration and lamp stands.

at school at Roepampton.

tain only six beds. On two floors for pictures, and it occurred to me

there will be private rooms where who can afford it will pay

ACCENTUATED BY THE LIGHT

and

to try, with the new materials now Besides lampshades there

The activities of the seniors range people are at our disposal, to invent a process small tables with flowers scattered from writing a communal "thriller, something like seven guineas a week. whereby colour and form in nature beneath the round glass tops; there each of about 24 girls writing one They will be furnished in modern could be kept alive.

are fire-screens with leaves and chapter, to making plans for produc-style, rather like a good-class hotel grasses forming natural pictures ing a play on Arthurian folk-lore bedroom, with lounge chairs "You can imagine with what new against the glowing light; there are next spring. Miss Sarah Bowes- fitted wardrobes. delight I then took my country glass-topped trays and glass-topped Lyon, a second cousin of the Queen, walks, hunting for flowers, leaves table mats with candleshades- to is chairman of the junior committee and grasses wherever I went; choos-match.

and is to take the role of Iseult in ing specimens that would best suit

the forthcoming play. She is 17. my purpose, and seeing them. in

MODERN GIRL

took

fancy, already forming themselves dark while we talked and in contrast The afternoon had grown quite

SUN AND SILENCE into beautiful designs! I pressed the floral shades in the room them with a special process I had on added brilliance.

Modern features in the great new learnt by which the colour is pre-

Queen Charlotte's Hospital building served, and then arranged them be-

now going up at Stamford Brook, tween pieces of translucent material

W., where so many thousands of In this way, I realized, one could Ever since the Modern Girl that London's babies will be born, prolong the joy of spring or sum- much maligned person - formed her clude sterilising towers cut off from mer or autumn indefinitely, retain own club rather more than a year the main building by currents ing the pleasure produced by a violet ago, occasional luncheons have been air which prevent the spread of any or primrose, by the vivid tints of held to champion her cause. summer petals, by the variety of autumn colours, and the soft love- liness of flowers in seed, without fear of losing them.

Jair-borne disease.

FREE WILL

"From one idea evolved another. Why should I confine myself to lampshades? Why not extend the Build a great heaven or dig work to include interior decoration? deep hell-Live in the sunshine An effective scheme which suggest or live in a cell; live in a bird cage ed itself was to enclose a niche in and beat at the bargStay in your the wall with a front screen of prison

fly to the flowers placed between transparent ... Laugh and be happy Thought is creative and thoughts

afolks a little or hate them a lot -hoard for the future-or share what you've got, frown and be ugly-or smile and be nice-Take stars. it or leave it-this bit of advice!

material and illuminated from the or weep and be sad - Grum-make the man in our own hands back with concealed lighting? An-ble and stumble or hope and be is the choice of the plan. God other ide

was to make a strip of glad-Walk in the shadows, or walk gives his creatures the gift of Fr wild flowers and ferns for a mantel in the light let Life defeat you Will-How shall we piece—there seemed no end to the or stand up and fight.

for ille things I could do!

Love

use

If your formal frock has a seq- uin bolero, add to item

a matching sequin calot, and wear them both with a black ner dress.

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WHITE-ANTS

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PROPERTY OWNERS THROUGHOUT THE EAST For Free Advice

Phone 30722

THOMAS COWAN & CO. White-Ant Exterm tors Queen's Bldg., Hong