New-York tribune., 1907-01-04
TWO ON TEN"

The late Lady Bur6ett-Coutts was a freouent
visitor 20 Paris. where she had many friends es-
pecally among the Orleanist set which never for
s0l the manner in which she had virtually saved
from confscation the greater part Of the private
property or the royal house OF Orleans after the
revolution of 1873 and the subsequent resorat ton
VI u'e Empire On one occasion she had a Gu
nous experience while visiting the great Trois
Quarters department store. on the Boulevard de
-Haoelelhe, at Paris. She noted that on being
passed on from department to another bv tho
statesmen and saleswomen II always with the
'e"aIh OF deux-dix." Escorted from counter to
counter everywhere the cabalistic words OF two
'en were repeated. The baroness endeavored in
vain to find what they meant but finally IN
lhe evening, by liberal tip to one Of the errand
poys or the store, she obtained the explanation
II MEANS he said. keep your two eyes on her
ten nngers.' The mystery was solved. The rich
est woman of England. the princtpal owner OF
Couftss Bank and muti-miloraire philanthropist
had been taken for a shopliftert
NO "CHILTERN HUNDREDS" FOR BRYCE.
Enslands new ambassador at Washington is
Under no obligation whatsoever to apply to the
Crown for the so-caled stewardship the Chiltern
Hundreds In order to leave the House of Commons
and the cable dispatches to the effect that he
would be obliged to await the reassemblage Of Par
lament In order to file his application are mislead-
ing The very fact of his acceptance of the post of
brltish Ambassador at Washington ipso facto
Gates his seat in the legislature The stewardship
Manors Of East Hundred and the escheatorship of
Munster. all of them snecures applied for only
when members of the House Commons have
other reasons than office for severing their rela-
tions with Parliament These sinecures are held by
the applicant for few days and then resigned,
and constitute the only means which the
Der OF the lower chamber OF the national legs
lature has Of resigning his place at Westmin-
ster for private reasons. The royal stewardships
and escheatorships above mentioned carry with
them merely nominal salary and no duties,
and their character is little known outside
OF Parliament that more than Irish
bers OF the most ultra Nationalist type have in
Cured obloQuy, not only among their constituents
but throughout the Emerald Isle. when they were
compelled to this customary method of
resigning their in the Commons the an
nouncement that they had accepted from the Crown
the office of steward of the Royal Chiltern Hun
dreds being most unjustly construed as a base be
trayal OF the cause of Erin for the sake OF n lu-
cratve post in the gift OF the sovereign.
1t is not generally known that n man may be
elected Member OF Parliament without his consent
or even knowledge. Cases Of this kind have oc-
CURED where men have been elected to Parliament
without their knowing anything about the matter.
during their absence from England. Although
legislators receive remuneration for their
vices, yet their attendance in Parliament is
pulsory, and the sole way by which they rid
themselves of the obligations imposed upon them
by their election is by accepting tho stewardship
OF the Chiltern Hundreds. Bankruptcy. insanity
judiciely established and conviction OF a crime are
the only other FOR the vacation OF IN
the House OF Commons.
MARoUIsE DE FONTENOY.