The Saint Paul globe., 1904-07-10
OUTSIDERS FILL
THE ASCOT RING
Society Folk Sell Their Tickets and Money Lenders
Mix in Royal Box
Special Foreign Correspondence

Special Foreign Correspondence
LONDON, July 9--In view of the
very mixed character of the folk who
occupied the royal enclosure at Ascot
this year, it has become moot ques-
tion whether, in the future, 1t will not
be considered more fashionable to be
outside rather than inside this spot
popularity supposed to be sacred to the
social elect. To be sure, the king and
his immediate satellites were inside,
but so, too, were varied assortment
of trades people, money lenders and
social nobodies. And on the outside
were those leaders of fashion who had
received tickets for the enclosure but
who found that these pasteboards af-
forded cheap and easy means of pay
ing off debts and obligations to lots
of persons who need keeping in a good
humor.
Permission to enter the royal enclos-
ure at the races is supposed to be con-
fined to court circles the members of
which write to Lord Churchill for a
ticket, and it is he who decides whether
applicants are of sufficient distinction
to be entitled to bask in the sunshine
of the royal presence. What is done
with these same tickets afterwards is,
unfortunately, a matter beyond con-
troll. If it were an exception for
social outsider" to get into this
charmed spot the offending court mem
Der responsible for the intruder might
be discovered, but the giving away Of
the tickets has now become so general
that to be inside does not at all imply
that one is an "inSider" in court cir
cles, and, on the other hand, place on
the outside by no means indicates in
feriority to those within. The femi-
nine aspirant for social honors, who
has succeeded in getting ticket to
the royal enclosure for the first time
is plunged into misery and distress by
the perplexing problem that confronts
her. If she makes use of her ticket
she may expose herself to the suspf-
cion of having obtained it by purchase
from somebody else and be classified
with the trades people and social no.
bodies who sail under false colors. On
the other hand, If she makes no use
of her ticket and remains outside. she
fears it may be thought that Lord
Churchill did not consider her stand
ing sufficient to entitle her to one. One
woman unacquainted with the strange
traffic done in royal enclosure tickets
was bemoaning her failure to obtain
one to Mrs. George Keppel. who en-
joys the distinction of being numbered
why bother about a ticket?" ex-
claimed Mrs. KeppeL Il get rid of
mine to a tradesman, and you will
find lots of us outside at Ascot who
have done the same thing"
In undertaking the restoration of his
latest acquisition, Hever Castle, Will
liam Waldorf Astor is taking particu-
lar pains to conciiiate British opinion,
which is very sensitive on the subject
Of American dollars applied to the re-
modelling of historical structures.
He has put in charge of the work F. L.
Pearson, a well-known architect. who
is an ardent devotee of the antique,
and has caused it to be known that he
has instructed him to spare no expense
to preserve the original design as far
as possible. Furthermore he has an
nounced his intention of adding to it a
large deer park and old-fashioned gar
den, so that its Surroundings will be in
accord with those that prevailed when
it was occupied by Anne Boleyn. whom
Henry VIII. married and subsequently
beheaded. Heretofore Mr.. Astor's man
agement of his property in England
has Rot added to his popularity, which
may in measure account for the fact
that at Heyer he has assumed the role