The Worcester spy., 1899-12-24
HOW CHRISTMAS is kept
At BLENHEIM
conse Has American Customs to the Palace of the MARI
boroughS

"Oh, yes, sir; Christmas Is a different
day to what it used to be to the poor
people about here. Since her grace came
three years ago last March we have
something to look forward to; and
everybody loves her grace, sir
Old Mrs. Barrett keeps the little shop
on the main village street of Wood
stock, near the principal Blenheim en-
trance, and she sells sugar-sticks, toys
or any of the other staple country items
to holiday celebration for the chill
dren. 1t did not take much to tempt her
to talk to me as an American on topic
in which she showed the common pro-
prietary pride of the simple people in
all the country round about, for she was
heart-full of the history of the kindly
works for good of the new mistress of
Blenheim palace, the duchess of Marl-
borough, whom our countrymen will re-
member as Miss Consuelo Vanderbilt,
the American heiress.
you should come out from London
on Christmas morning, sir" she contin-
ued. His grace and the duchess have
ready loaded up a great van, heaped
with all sorts of gifts, and they follow
the van all through it's rounds in their
own carriage, to give out the things
themselves instead of sending them, as
you might think such high-born persons
would do, sir. They come right in, sir,
and many a time her grace has sat in
that chair where you are now. when
she was looking for gifts for the chill
dren. Why, sir, his grace had not been
| back from America with the duchess
two days before he brought her grace
in to visit me. and that is the way they
do all around the neighborhood They
aren't proud a bit, sir, over their high
place, and you will not find any one who
does right but what will tell you the
same as l do, sir"
| 1t is an excellent thing to talk to the
common people in their own homes il
one wants to know at first hand and
truly, what public opinion is; and so
whiled away much of the time of my
visit to Blenheim at gOssiping with these
rural folk in the Nendeavor to find out
| just how an American woman of tact
and good sense can gain the hearts ot
her chosen people in a distant land
The aged Mrs. Barrett, who sells the
sugar-sticks expressed the prevailing
| sentiment the pest, DuL WndC Sne UOlC
me proved to be the average public
opinion on the singularly kind qualitie:
of the young bride who four years age
assumed such a rank and responsibility
as have fallen upon few American girls
They all talked eagerly on what ont
| could see was a chosen subject. Some
of the homes showed material tokens o
the common Kindness.
And would you believe it, sir" saiC
one poor woman, her grace knit will
her own hands a shawl for the littl
sick boy next door!"
For centuries, says e. p CASTOR il
\ the Woman's Home Companion
Christmas day at Blenheim has been
notable occasion for all the servants
tenants and adherents to the wide es
tates; but since the coming of the neN
chatelaine of the palace, there has bee
added to the observance a genuine sym
pathy and a personality which lend
new spirit to the celebration.
The Christmas tree, 80 feet in height
is erected in the great audit-room, an
on it and about it are placed the mul
titude of gifts for the children of tn
seven demesne towns round about, owe
which the Marlborough domain ex
tends. Seven hundred children an
their relatives are sometimes enter
tanned at the palace and yet it's vas
interior is never crowded. One yea
the duchess had 1900 half-pound bag
of sweets put up for her little friends