Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-02-18
MANCHESTERNOW
HAS A FAT JOB
MOTHERS INFLUENCE WINS
FOR SON
Has Little to Do--Appears as Cap
tain of the Yeomen Of the
Guard on State
Occasions


LONDON, Feb 1.-THE duke OF
Manchester's appointment as captain of
the yeoman of the guard is generally at
tributed to the influence of his American
mother, Consuelo Duchess of Manches-
ter, with the king. AS everybody In so
ciety knows she Is one of the Oldest
friends of his majesty The day may
come when the dukes American wite
will be equally influential at court but
she is a long ways from 1T yet. The
salary that goes with the billet Is $6OO0
q year, which, considering that 1t in
wolves hardly anything that can really
be called work, is first rate pay. 1t is
great deal more than the duke would
be worth in any post that could be
made for him in connection with his
pape-in-law's railway enterprises, ana
his acceptance of the office definitely
disposes of the runners that he intends
to seek such a job. Looking at the
matter as a business proposition, Mr.
Zimmerman would be the first to admit
that the duke has done we'll in sticking
to his own country where rank counts
Court appointments provide much
softer snaps than American commercial
life.
Started by Henry VII
The yeoman of the guard, acting in
conjunction with the gentlemen-at-
arms, forms the bodyguard of the SOW
erelgn. They were constituted corps
by King Henry VII. in 1855. They still
wear the picturesque costumes of that
period and are armed with antique
halberds. Their uniform is the same
as that of the "beef EATERS" the ward
ers of the tower of London, with whom
all American visitors are familiar. The
rank and file are composed of old
soldiers who, no longer capable of en-
during the hardships of actual service
are still good enough for show purposes.
Their functions are purely ornamental,
for the real business of safeguarding
the king is attended to by Scotland
Yard detectives, who wear no uniforms
to make themselves conspicuous. The
yeomen of the guard make a pretty
background for royalty on state occas-
ions, and when they turn out for royal
PROFESSIONS their picturesque attire APP
peals to the eyes of the multitude who
often find royalty itself, attlred in the
conventional habiliments of modern
civilization, sadly disappointing and
commonplace.
Captain Peer
Custom requires that their captain
should be peer and that is where the
eligibility of the duke for the position
comes in. The appointment Is a poll
llCdi one anu Is really ny Tie
prime minister, although of course no
prime minister would nominate any
body for the job who is not personally
satisfactory to the sovereign. The duke
takes the place of the earl of VALDEZ
grave, who has been given the sack be-
cause he belonged to the conservative
party. Coming into power with such a
sweeping majority the liberals seem
destined to run the government for
1nfae fr1an he 1ttlyn fc5 oil f, hold
his easy berth for several years.
Guy Fawkes Day
One of the earliest functions that will
fall to dukes lot as captain of the
yeomen of the guard is to lead the ex-
petition which at the commencement
of every session of parliament wends it's
way through the underground passages
of st. Stephens in search of a possible
Guy Fawkes, and "engines of hellish
thunder" The yoemen will carry old
horn lanterns to light them on their
way and they will make a pretense of
poking into dark corners with their
halberds, and the duke will do his best
to look solemn and dignified. OF course
they will find nothing. If any con-
spirators had planned to blow up the
houses of parliament they would not
leave any dynamite lying around where
IL COdlu ne uioCONGTGQ ny SUCH IlelnOuS.
But the farce of making this search for
explosives has been kept up ever since
Guy Fawkes made his attempt 300 years
ago and it is not at all improbable that
1t will be kept up for another 300 years.
The duke of Manchester has a certain
hereditary qualification for the post
that has been conferred upon him. One
of his forbear, the second duke, was
captain of the yeomen of the guard in
1877. Another of his ancestors-the
second earl Of Manchester, who was a
distinguished parliamentary general
was the victor at Marston Moor, and
refused to sanction the execution of
King Charles 1. He also voted for the
restoration of this monarchs successor,
and was specially deputed by the upper
house as their speaker to congratulate
the king on his return to London.
Probably if he had not proved such a
turncoat the ducal acres would not be
so broad as they are now.