The times., 1898-07-10
GLADsToNE's GIRL FRIEND.
Miss Tenant Was the Great States

MISS Tenant Was the Great States
mnn's Chosen Companion.
The leader of London society today,
the woman most talked of and envied and
admired, Is neither titled nor very beauti-
full; she does not possess wealth to dis
tinguiSh her above her contemporaries
and she achieved her place as leader
when she was scarcely twenty-one.
This unusual young woman is Mrs. As
quith, much better known by her maiden
name of Tenant. for Miss Margot Ten
nant was easily recognized in the heroine
of that book of short-lived celebrity, DO
do, when it appeared some years ago
and created a mild sensation in the Unit
ed States as well as England,
''Dodo undoubtedly made Miss Ten
nants name known far and wide, but for
all that it ludicrously misrepresented her
and failed to do justice TO the true abll-
ties of this really remarkable young wo-
man in whose name can be put forward
several claims to consideration First and
foremost, Mrs. Asquith was one OF the
very few women outside the circle of his
nearest feminine relatives to whom Glad
stone gave truly beautiful friendship
and devotion.
She was perhaps the oniy woman, with
the exception of his wife and daughters,
with whom he loved TO talk. whom he
admitted to his library while he worked,
and to whose opinions and ideas he list
ened with pleasure and respect. She was
always treated far more like daughter
than q guest at Hawarden both by the
great man and his wife. and all the more
interesting is the association when one
considers not only the vast disparity be-
tween their ages. but between this grave
statesman and the most frivolous young
| lady In London society.
However that may be. Miss Margot
! Tenant was invariably pointed out to
| strangers as the protege of the grand
| old man. and the woman who dared
/ fly in the face of all the most sacred
| traditions on which the British maiden
| modelled her deDOrtmenc. Il is no Sc
/ cret that Miss Tenant on making her
debut in London quickly observed the
methods by which the American girl
conquers any foreign prejudice. To OBJ
serve with her was to initiate, ana
! though she fairly outdid the most free
/ spirited young American Oy her lively
sallies, her defiance of many honored
! conventions and almost hoydenish
| ways, she gained her point and braVely
broke down many of the tiresome useless
! barriers behind which the young unmar-
ried EngIishwoman was hedged in.
The British matron held up her hands
| in horror and fought for her old pre-
| negatives. but Miss Tenant Won the
| day and gained social freedom for the
| young people of her sex and position that
| had never been known before in London
| society. For a number Of seasons she
! fairly held the reins in her own hands
and fearful was the end predicted for
her by the gossips. In spite of her
shocking Americanism she counted the
| leading statesmen. men of literary. scie n
tific and musical fame in her train, and
| her appearance in the ladies gallery OF
the House Of Commons gave Zest 10
| whatever debate was on hand. She was
| the creator of a semi-mystic. sem-liter-
| ary society called the Souls" and. with
Mr. Arthur Balfour as her lieutenant in
the movement she gathered some of the
| best minds in England about her.
In time the newspapers came TO ser!-
ously chronicle the doings of Miss Mar
got Tenant they would those of the
Queen and the Prime Minister, and when
the irate conservatives in society were
at end of all patience with this gay,
clever. sarcastic little Phillistne she
overturned all their predictions by CIV
ing her hard in marriage to one of the
ableSt and most serious young politi-
ChEns. Mr.. Asquith. As If TO prove the
infinite variety of her talents. Mrs. As
quith settled down at once 10 the duties
Of wifehood and motherhood and showed
| as marked capacity 1or tneSe grdVer
callings as for the Iightest friyolites
Gossiping dowagers, who predicted dire
misery for whomsoeyer she might marry,
have been amazed TO see her assume a
stately position as matron in society.
To be hidden TO her days at homes 10
her literary luncheons or to her dinners
is to be more honored than to receive the
invitation of a duchess. To her gladly
come the great men and the most bril-
liant and beautiful women of the time
and her home is a center for the learned.
the witty and the famous. Yet her own
accomplishments are few. She speaks
several languages and is widely read but
that is all. AS the eleventh child of Sir
Charles Tenant she received a goodly
portion at her marriage, but no great for
! tune. In a roomful of beautiful women
she is almost insignificant. Her husband
| will probably never be prime minister and
he is far from a millionaire, and yet Mrs.
Asquith is by right of her wit, her quick
sympathy, her courage and her candor
the woman in London who commands a
position duchesses might envy and wieds
an influence that few princesses know.