The San Francisco call., 1905-01-11

LONDON, Jan. 1o.-Though he is
only 80 years old, the Earl of Beau
champ is said to possess the distinction
of having made more speeches than
any other living Englishman. There
may be some exaggeration about that,
but it is certain that he is the most
loquacious member of the aristocracy.
He believes that it is his chief mission
in life to set other people right by be-
slowing upon them unlimited advice
and counsel. AS it costs them nothing
for the most part they endure 1t good
naturedly. He never lacks an opportu-
nifty to ventilate his ideas, because lords
are always in demand a public func-
tions in England. 1t has not yet been
noted that he has ever accomplished
anything by his oratory, but he is still
young and persevering.
The Earl is a very good-looking man.
and he knows it, too. Likewise he is
we'll aware that he has very shapely
hands, and they always figure promi-
nently in his photographs. In his
younger days he was regarded as the
dude of the Deerage and is still con-
sidered the best dressed man in the
House of Lords.
A DEVOUT CHURCRMAN.
He is very devout and it was said
that in his early youth he had decided
to enter the ministry. He changed his
mind on that point on succeeding to
the ancestral estates and titles when
only 19. He has, however, always
shown keen interest in church matters
! and only the other day he berated
I church choirs and organists for being
/ more devoted to music than to religion
and thereby sacrificing piety to art.
| When he was 27 years of age Con-
| servative Government sent him tC New
| South Wales as Governor of that col
ony The Antipodeans, who have much
Z. less respect for hereditary titles than
English folk, did not take very kindly
! to him. His state dances were de-
risively dubbed "Seidlitz Powder Balls
/, because tickets of admission were blue
and white. The holders of the blue
! pasteboards were entitled to a better
! supper than those who had been pro-
/ yided only with white ones, and had
| other exclusive privileges, too. To the
democratic colonists distinctions OF
! this sort savored of snobbishness and
/ they resented it.
FOE OF RACE ScICIDE.
! The Earl did not mend matters any
, by taking them to task for their small
/ families and declining birth rate. That
sort of talk comes all very we'll from
President Roosevelt, whose precepts are
I backed up by the example his own
home furnishes of a large and healthy
family, but Australian husbands and
wives regarded it as sheer impertin-
! ence coming from a young peer who
was at that time still a bachelor, al
| though he could well afford wife.
They told him bluntly that before he
began to preach upon the obligations
+, of matrimony he should first get mar
ried himself, and intimated that there
were plenty of Australian girls who
were quite capable of sustaining the
title of Countess with grace and dignity
He did not profit by that hint.
1t was long supposed that he would
never marry because, according to
i tradition, curse had been laid on the
/ family. 1t was directed against the
eldest son of an eldest son and de-
clared that such one would never in
herit the wealth of the family because
it had been derived from the spoils oil
the church. The Earl is an eldest son
but in 1902 he decided to risk the curse
so far as any future heir might be in
volved, by marrying Lady Lettics
Grosvenor, daughter of the late Ear
Grosvenor and al sister of the seconc
Duke of Westminster. 1t was what i:
called brilliant match.