The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1894-08-09
HE MAY BE a LORD.
W. W. Aston said to BE In Training For
the british Peerage.

England continues To speak of WI,
liam Waldorf Aston Is an American,
and America laughs at him as an inli-
tation Englishman, hut the truth i, h
is so much an Englishman that he Is ac
tually slated for the peerage. This may
seem incredible in America, and yet it
is fact.
You are probably aware that Mr..
Waldorf Astor has already become a
British subject, and since he natural
lied himself here he has enjoyed prefer
entail election to that select circle of
England S territorial magnates, that po
litical hottest of the HOLES, the Carlton
club. A further step in his upward
flight was his nomination for the bench
of the county of Middlesex, and he will
be forthwith gazetted justice Of the
peace. That is an honor conferred by the
lord high chancellor, acting for the
crown, on the nomination of the lord
lieutenant of the county. 1t entities the
holder to rank as justice of the quorum
and is an inevitable preparatory step to
higher rank. So far so good, but the
half has not yet been told. He has been
offered a baronetcy, but, not quite con
tent with that, STIMULATES for the rank
of n baron at least and will undoubtedly
succeed.
Let me explain the difference in rank
between baronct and baron. The
former is the lowest order of hereditary
rank and entities the holder to be adj
dressed as sir and his spouse as lady. 1t
is III point Of procedure rank So and per-
mits the holder to sit in the house of
commons, whereas that of baron entities
the holder to the rank, title and dignity
of my lord and a seat in the house of
lords The style Of address to the spouse
of the holder of the title is still my
lady. The rank of baron is the lowest
of the five orders of peers and entities
the family Of the holders to be known
and addressed as honorable.
Lord Beaconsfield once said that there
was "a certain moral force in name
and dignity in double barreled
name. " Mr. Aston is of the same opin-
ion. He writes and styles himself Wal
dorf Aston, Soin books of reference look
under W and not under A. Mr.. Wal
dorf Aston, however, is doing well and
is appreciated here. He has always been
in good hands, having from the first
been chaper0ned by that fine old English
gentleman, tbat sturdy old courtier,
Christopher Sykes.
Success in social life i'll England de
ponds entirely on whose hands one gets
in, and it is not always that the most
written about are the most desirable.
In the case of Mr.. Waldorf Astor, his
chaporon is not much known outside,
bat Christopher is a man OF rare judg-
ment and unsullicd character, and, what
is more one of H. r. H. S set, high in
the favor of Queen Victoria and socially
power behind the throne. From the
standpoint of practical politics tho Civ
ing of social rank to Mr.. Waldorf Astor
is brilliant 1t will tend to attract other
multimillionaires, and when we get the
Astors, Nandcrbilts, Havemeyers, Rookie
fellers, Goulds and others our London
season will blossom like rose, and
when the few remaining corOnets of
British aristocrats now i'll pawn be re
deemed then the plebeian government
VI the United States may devise some
means of social demarcation to keep her
millionaires at home. Meanwhile a cor
dial welcome awaits them here. Cor
Philadelphia Times.