Monday, May 26, 2008

about our Queen

Lady Hagar can be blunt sometimes, but her remark about a "young filly, hopping up and down on the throne" wasn't all that far from the truth. Our queen is young and gay and wants to have fun, that much is certain. I couldn't hold my curiosity however, and wandered over to Mr Wells laboratory, where I thoughtlessly, accidentally, and unthinkingly activated one of his contraptions, that was collecting dust after his untimely disappearance.
Well, talk about revelations !
I won't digress on my little exploration, but for those who like to know more about our exciting queen, you can read the leaflets here and here where you'll find information on a cinematographic made on her somewhere in the year 2008.
There is also a book "The Young Victoria", by Allison Plowden (ISBN-13: 978-0750946995). I have ordered it, so if you bear with me, I'll tell you all about it.

a welcome to our newest lady : Keyah Kyomoon !

Dear Friend,

I come to you of 'mixed' heritage and for that I apologise. But whether my mother was Irish or Prussian and my father, African or Chinese, I still am unsure. While my eyes have an asian slant they are emerald green in colour, my hair is naturally red and my skin while only somewhat coffee becomes considerably darker if I have had a romp in the sun. I was raised in a institute for the orphaned and deranged. An asylum of the insane and for a time I believe I was. But the Fates saved me and at fourteen I escaped the cruel keepers of the institute to make my own way . Now that I am a mature woman, I have only my body and my skill as a story-teller. I would give me great joy to be a part of your story or you could be a part of mine.
May I offer one of my poems now as I offer my body for your pleasure:

Owed to a Wild Rose
When you see a wild rose
As you travel through this life,
Stay thy hand, friend!
For it is better not to pick that rose.
But only stop…Admire it's beauty… and continue on your way.

For any flower plucked will die…
Losing the very beauty that you sought to gain.
And a rose by any other name,
Is only a rose, after all,
And being wild is all that it knows.

Remember also, my friend,
That a rose cannot return your love, Nor
See, hear or speak of a love for you.
Any more than it can for the earth at its' feet,
The air that it breaths,
Or the sun shining upon its' face.

And tho' a rose can not fear death
By your hand or any other,
Nor even comprehend the loss.
It is the loss of living,
not the dying that is the fear.

Keyah Kyomoon.

If my words move you then my soul may become yours also.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

the Queen's birthday

Don't let it be said that the House isn't patriotic. We love our country, as it provides us with lovable gentlemen to grovel at our feet and we love our queen, as she is young and beautiful. After a long series of boring old monarchial crabs, we finally have a young filly hopping up-and-down on the throne.

So naturally, we HAD to celebrate her birthday. To our shame, we must admit we only learnt recently of the exact date , but we WILL be sure that a proper event is organized in the future. As it was, we hastily dressed up the house for the occasion, using a portrait we only recently acquired (You will agree, our queen IS a steal) and made arrangements for a small ceremony in her honour. We sent her a small gift as a token of our appreciation and were excited to learn that she was dying to try out the new hairbrush.

When the Ladies started to pour in, it was suggested that it would be an excellent idea to have a group picture. As Lady Luna is the first to saber down any of our pictographic attempts, the Sorority decided unanimously that she should take it, providing us with a well-earned peace of mind. So here it is, dear reader : from left to right, Lady Bella, Lady Hagar (me, yes yes), Lady Anske and last but not least Lady Suzee.
Bu the time Lady Luna managed to take the picture she was already foaming with impatience, as none of the girls could hold on to a pose for three seconds




Friday, May 23, 2008

(re)introducing Lady Luna !

Greetings Sir or Madam.

Lady Luna welcomes you to the Pearl ! I'm honored that you have the time to take a glance at my letter of introduction. If you are here, then you must appreciate the finer things in life.
Born as daughter of a wealthy German Trader, I lost my mother upon birth and even though my father's grief about the loss of his beloved wife remained strong, he couldn't deny his tender affection to the last gift she left on earth for him. When I reached age of 12, he took me with him on his journeys to foreign countries to assure my protection and education until the day where another tragedy changed my destiny once more. Bandits attacked the caravan we travelled with, killed all who resisted and kidnapped the younger ones ...
From there on, it is the story of Luna, bought by a Pasha in the slave market at Cairo and given to Sultan Abdulhamit as a present. There, in Topkapi Palace at Constantinople, in order to become an accomplished courtesan, they teached me about fine arts, culture and languages. With the help of the Eunuch Nadir I learned also about the oriental oriental ways of seduction and rised quickly in the harem to become Abdulhamit's favourite. The fall of the Empire brought me back to Europe, the only origin I remember. Separated from all the ones I loved, until today I seek to bridge the Western and Oriental cultures. I would be honoured to engage your company, please send me a telegram (IM) with your desires, my place is to ensure that any Gentleman is to be treated as a Sultan!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Manners : who apologizes first ?

"Dear Pearl,
A lady recently got herself involved in a dispute with a gentleman and things got a bit out of hand. Tempers were flying, voices raised and things were said that couldn't be unsaid. It was clear that apologies were due. The lady was wiling to do so, but refused to go first, claiming that a gentleman should always take the first step. Is this so ? As the gentleman was older, shouldn't youth bow to age ? ---- A concerned reader"

I consulted several books on etiquette and most seem to treat the subject of apology rather cursory. there is one statement in "Martine's Handbook" (1866), however that seems to support the lady's thesis :

"Civility is particularly due to all women; and, remember, that no provocation whatsoever can justify any man in not being civil to every woman; and the greatest man would justly be reckoned a brute if he were not civil to the meanest woman. It is due to their sex, and is the only protection they have against the superior strength of ours; "
Altough gratifying, I do take offense at the suggestion that exceptions may be granted to us ladies, simply because we are "weaker", much the same indulgence granted to children. I can only imagine what Lady Hagar would say to that. Let us therefore look at the matter with a diffreent approach. In J. Youngs "Our Deportment" (1881) we find a paragraph that may offer some insight. When discussing some generalities of the true gentleman, the author remarks :

"Politeness is benevolence in small things. A true gentleman must regard the rights and feelings of others, even in matters the most trivial. He respects the individuality of others, just as he wishes others to respect his own. In society he is quiet, easy, unobtrusive, putting on no airs, nor hinting by word or manner that he deems himself better, or wiser, or richer than any one about him. He never boasts of his achievements, or fishes for compliments by affecting to underrate what he has done. He is distinguished, above all things, by his deep insight and sympathy, his quick perception of, and prompt attention to, those small and apparently insignificant things that may cause pleasure or pain to others. In giving his opinions he does not dogmatize; he listens patiently and respectfully to other men, and, if compelled to dissent from their opinions, acknowledges his fallibility and asserts his own views in such a manner as to command the respect of all who hear him. Frankness and cordiality mark all his intercourse with his fellows, and, however high his station, the humblest man feels instantly at ease in his presence"
On treating the qualities of a true Lady, the author adds a list that make us seem divine (ah the wisdom of the good old days), but then adds :

"Here is the test of true ladyhood. Whenever the young find themselves in the company of those who do not make them feel at ease, they should know that they are not in the society of true ladies and true gentlemen, but of pretenders; that well-bred men and women can only feel at home in the society of the well-bred"
Clearly, what was remarked for the true gentleman, can also be said of the true Lady. In polite society, people take the feelings of others not only in consideration, but put them in a foremost position. As to the cause of the dispute, i'm sure lessons can be learned from the following :

Certain honest but unthinking people often commit the grievous mistake of "speaking their mind" on all occasions and under all circumstances, and oftentimes to the great mortification of their hearers. And especially do they take credit to themselves for their courage, if their freedom of speech happens to give offense to any of them. A little reflection ought to show how cruel and unjust this is. The law restrains us from inflicting bodily injury upon those with whom we disagree, yet there is no legal preventive against this wounding of the feeling of others.
Another class of people, actuated by the best of intentions, seem to consider it a duty to parade their opinions upon all occasions, and in all places without reflecting that the highest truth will suffer from an unwise and over-zealous advocacy. Civility requires that we give to the opinions of others the same toleration that we exact for our own, and good sense should cause us to remember that we are never likely to convert a person to our views when we begin by violating his notions of propriety and exciting his prejudices. A silent advocate of a cause is always better than an indiscreet one"
Is it not a disease of our barbarous days, that too often, ones' own feelings and convictions are treated with the deference that actually should be paid to those of the others ? And that while we find in Lillian Eichlers' "Book of Etquette" (1921) :

"Try to be naturally courteous and cordial in your speech. It is a mistake to "wear your feelings on your sleeve" and resent everything that everyone else says that does not please you. To become quickly excited,to speak harshly and sarcastically is to sacrifice one's dignity and easeof manner. Know what you want to say, be sure you understand it, andwhen you say it, be open for criticisms or suggestions from those aroundyou. Do not become flustered and excited merely because someone elsedoes not agree with you. Remember that Homer said, "The tongue speaks wisely when the soul is wise," and surely the soul can be wise only when one is entirely calm, self-confident and at peace with all the world!"
So we could conclude that both the lady and her gentleman sinned against those principles; was it not tempers that flew, voices raised, etc ? Of course, both so much as admitted that faults had been made, so there is no need to rub the salt in. I merely show these quotes as to point out the underlying principles. If it isn't already clear what the true Lady (and true gentleman!) should do when such transgressions occur, take inspiration in this :

Never refuse to accept an apology for an offense, and never hesitate to make one, if one is due from you.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

editorial

Your graces,
Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Ever since I joined our fine establishment, gentlemen and ladies alike mentioned to me (usually with a painful expression) the need for a gazette or other type of publication in which they could find reports on events they missed, or information on things to come. Letters of introduction from ladies, short stories, reviews of places to visit, clothes to wear, personal musings on a variety of topics, all appeared on the wishlists of several persons, not in the least the owners themselves, who, weighed down by their daily duties, lack the time to startup this worthy initiative.
Far be it from me to dispute priorities, of course, and it dawned on me, that, as administrator of the Sorority, I had to make this problem my own. the results of my efforts I present you here, and you can rest assured I will persecute, hound and beleager the residents of our halls to make sure regular posts are prepared for your digestion and amusement.

Your Servant,
Lady PearlT