The Saint Paul globe., 1904-07-17
KING is A C0|NER OF MECHANICS
Edwards Sense of Humor TickIes His Subjects in
Old England
Special Foreign Service

Special Foreign Service
LONDON, July 16.-Nicknames are
many in smart London society, and gen
orally, to the disgust of the victims.
they are so appropriate and clever that
they stick for lifetime. The latest
object Of the society wags cynicism is
Admiral Sir John Fisher, who has lust
been appointed first lord of the ad-
miralty. Before that Admiral Fisher
mad the command at Portsmouth. the
most important naval station in Great
Britain. Here, by inviting the king to
view this and the other display, and the
Prince of Wales to go aboard this or
the other vessel of warfare, and by 9TH
erwise keeping himself prominently be-
fore royalty, he not only obtained pro-
motion but has earned for himself the
sobriquet of sThe King Fisher"
But the king himself is often the au-
thor of the niclknames that are attach
ed to different members of society.
From his royal master Lord Ribbles-
dale got the title of "The Ancestor" "
for the king declares he looks exactly
like an old portrait in the high collar
and stock which he always wears
around his throat. Park Lane, the
home of the millionaires has been
dubbed by the king the f'Kaffir Circus"
because all the South African mag
mates of the Kaffir market have congre-
gated there. For some unexplained
reason three stone statues were set on
top of the wonderful house which the
Inflated Barney Barnato built for him
self in Park Lane, and which is now
inhabited by Sir Edward Sassoon
These the king called 'the petrified
shareholders" When Sir Edward Sas-
soon bought the house, the first thing
he did was to remove these statues
and send them to Preston Park at
Brighton. a town with which the Sas-
soons have always been largely con-
nected. Mr.. Henry Labouchere, M p.
once Wittily described Brighton as a
long sea front with a Sassoon at each
end and the Metropoie in the middle.
The Metropole is Brighton's chief hotel.
So unkind are many of the nick
names that once established they are
difficult to erase from the memory.
The pet name for Sir Francis Jeune,
the president of the divorce court, is
Boots" for his family and friends de-
clare that his feet are SO large that his
boots come into view long before him.
self is seen. Still more trying Is the
Sobriquet of a woman who has been
all her life struggling to ascend the So
cIal scale In smart society, ana step Dy
step has succeeded until last year she
reached almost the height of her ambi-
tions by marrying her daughter to an
earl. And now when the gates Of the
social stronghold are thrown open wide
to her, all the world talks of her by the
comieal nickname that too plainly in
dicates her original position. For Mrs.
Edward Darrell, whose daughter is the
Countess of Kinnou1l was in the days of
her youth a Columbine in provincial
pantomime when she met one of the
Broadwoods of piano fame. and mar
ried him. When he died he left her a
lot of money. and she later married a
member of the good old Darrell fam
lily, one of whose ancestors. known as
wild" Darrell, figured so largely in all
the doing of the HELL Fire" club.
about the end of the 18th century.
Since Miss Darrell became Countess Of
KinnouIl, last year. society that went
timorousiy TO greet Mrs. Darrell as a
hostess now eagerly accept and return
her invitations. all the time talking
about her as "Hoop-la! or the Semi
grandn'
The up-to-date engagement in soci-