Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-20
EDWARDS PARIS VISIT
Showed British Sovereign in
Most Gratifying Light.
LONDON SEASON BEGUN
INTERESTING CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE LATE LORD GRIMTHoRPE.
Revival of Romance of Baroness Bur-
dett-Coutts - Synod of Disestab-
lished Irish Church.
LONDON SEASON BEGUN


King Edwards visit to Paris shows the
sovereign in the light of his country's best
ambassador more than ever. and despite
the persistent efforts of the German press to
minimize it's Importance as being 'unofii-
cial," 1t is universally conceded that 1t
means a good deal. 1t is, indeed, impos-
sible to explain away the significance of the
visit this time, nor-stricty as the unoffi-
cial character of the visit has been main
tained-theoretically does there seem to
have been any real effort to conceal 1t.
Otherwise 1t would not have been openly
stated that the king had an hours CONVEX
sation with NJ. Delcasse, nor would the for
eign minister have been among the repre-
sentatives of the French foreign office who
were at the railway station to see King Ed
ward off. Nor have close observers failed
to notice that after the dinner at the Elysee
his majesty remained for twenty minutes
| in conversation with Prince Radolin. the
German ambassador and in French official
circles the two Incidents are classed togeth-
er. M. DelcaSse, 1t is said, evidently
greatly pleased with the conversation with
the king. who. no doubt. on his part, is
extremely well satisfied to find able and
experienced a statesman retaining his post.
King Edwards well-known character as
lie Roi Pacificateur' is so fully recognized
on the continent that his movements, unlike
those of his imperial nephew of Berlin. are
always assumed to make for peace" If
| he has been this time more demonStrative
| than usual in his manifestations of friend
ship for France, we may take 1t for grant
| ed that 1t was done Intentionally, as dip
lomatic and indirect manner of crying
Hands on! to Germany in Morocco. For
| that Tangier business is by means sat-
| isfactorily disposed of, from the French and
English point of view, the dispatch of
Count Won Tattenbach, the German envoy
| to the sultan, proves. and it will be neces-
sary for both the signatories to the Anglo
French agreement to keep vigilant watch
over its observance, since Germany evident
| ly intends to make 1t dead letter If she
can. Two facts are very noticeable today in
| regard to the international situation. One
Is the prominence given to the Anglo-French
| rGpproachement in all continental COM
mentaries on the situation, and the other
| the open manner in which Germany's sus-
pected Interior aim of getting up an alli-
ance against Great Britain is now referred
| to In many quarters.
After the Easter Recess.
The West End is taking down its shutters
after the Easter recess. This week, in
| deed. nominally marks the beginning of
what is known as the London season. But
the full swing of the gaietles and functions
| does not really occur until after Whtsun-
| tide. None the less, for any fairly popular
man about the town, London is very
pleasant place In May. Just at present 1t
is a capital in which II Is impossible to
keep one DOOtS clean t0r quarter OF an
hour, owing to the sharp showers and the
mud, whilst If chimney pots are not blown
| about by the gusts of wind. the hats form
erly known under that slang designation
go bowling about Pccadilly pursued by
their irate and undignified owners 1t Is
impossible to look dignified when chasing
your own hat.
Altogether it looks as If the gay season
of 1905 were we'll begun. The golden SUM-
shine of May has brought society forth to
the parks, and the Row has assumed its
air of season gaiety. In the fashionable
ealing hours the garden seats and points
of vantage by the ratings are at a pre-
MUM. The motors and carriages that
flash past bearing my lady" from one
society rendezvous to another make NOV
ing picture, attractive enough to the stu
dent of manners and millinery. Dresses,
and more especially headgear, bear the
mark of the coming summer. All the roses
of June, and many others of tints unknown
to that or eny other month, Turk in the
three corners of the hat of the season, the
coquettish .Marquise," with its sugges-
lions of the gay courts of Marie Antoinette
and the beauties of the Little Trianon.~
The coming of the warmer weather has
cheered up London visibly. The seasons
first display of straw hats was to be seen
| in the Strand. The hats were for the most
part old companions, who have done a
| summers and autumn's work, but one or
| two had the creamy white of newness, be-
speaking a cheering optimism that the
good weather had finally set in.
A Picturesque Nobleman.
| The late Lord Grimthorpe was a man
about whom opinion, whatever Its matter,
was in manner as decided as could be. The
more picturesque sides of his character his
interest in clockmaking and his restora-
ton of 81. Adams, have been written of to
the full, though no words can ever do JUS
tice to the amazing. bewildering, Stupen-
dous whirligig of a window that he placed
| in the north transept of the church. OF
his days at the parliamentary bar the no
| tees of his life have had less interesting
| things to say. Yet they were his best days,
| best even in the most mercenary sense, for
| 1t was supposed that he made tJaooo
| wear in practice. l viii not vouch for the
| figures, but it Will, at any rate, serve for
| the purposes of the story that he said once
| TO an acquaintance who asked him why he
| die not retire, Il know amusement so
| satisfying and inexpensive as that of MAX
| ing f500e0 a year 1t was in one of his
| milder moods at the bar that he described
| the young men who get briefs there be-
| cause of their relationship to parties con-
cerned as directors neces"
! He was not often mild in his parliament
| tary practices. He was, in fact, allowed
| almost to bully the committees. He
no less masterful in his own activity, the
| sphere of ecclesiastical law. He was most
, determined old Erastian, and one of the
| Lincoln's Inn stories about him may be
| given as the moot concise revelation of this
side of him. The grace after hall in the
| inn runs: God be praised for all His mer-
| ces. God preserve the kina, the church
| and the honorable sSSiety." 1t is said
| that before Lord Grmthorpe persuaded the
| benchers to reform the grace the church.
| in the grace, preceded royalty, as 1 believe
| it still does at the Middle Temple.
Baroness Burdett-Coutts
| The echoes which have reached London
| about family, disputes In Sarawak recall
| the romantic story of the Baroness Bur-
| dett-Coutts, and how she might have be-
| come a queen, not altogether regular
| royal queen perhaps but queen of sorts
| When in the fifties Sir John Brooks took
! up the white mans burden in Borneo, and
| ended by becoming IAN interesting eastern
| potentate,' his work was nearly ruined
! by the efforts of the knd-hearted but mis-
| informed humantarians at home. He had
| to come over and face a parliamentary in
| quiry into his rule, and the costs nearly
| ruined him. But just when he was on his
| last legs he found a friend and protector
| in the famous lady, who financed him, and
| so saved Sarawak and it's rajah for the en-
| pire.
| Ont of ora titIrde Raiah Sir lam left ber