New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-04
puchess's Alleged Conversion.

The stories current TO the effect thai
Consuelo. Duchess OF Marlborough, daugh-
cor Of W. K Vanderbilt, has become =
convert 10 Roman Catholicism are, to sa|
tho least. premature What is true, now
ever. is that she has interested herself IN
certain Roman catholic charities, and that
matters have reached such point that
.be is being opposed and DISTRACTED in her
rbi1anthronic work by the ultra Protestant
element. ON account Of her alleged Roman
catholic Ieaninc~ and IS being I'm c"nse-
cre,ce thereof defended and Championed
y, the Roman catholic clergy and latty 1T
Frrland. as WcU as by the Catholic press
4. an illustration Of this ! may mention
that one Of the pet charities Of the duchess
and ono ~ which she devotes much OF her
slime a. well rs a very large amount OF
rror.v. is tho building, starting and nam
,enanco Of lodging houses for women on
idouticallv the same system as inc H"'s
hotels in New York and the Lord Rowton
lodging houses FOR mon IN LONDON auu
,,ite as undenominationaL There rs moth
ing else or the kind IN England A. any
r,,o for women. and the duchess has
brought into existence ana lduhCheu
movement for the establishment OF houso'
Of this kind for women. not Only IN Lon
don. hit also i'm the other big cities one
uouId have imagined that an undenomina-
,ionsI philanthropy &C this KIND would nave
mot with the same kind OF universal ap-
prc,al that the late u. o. Mills rccelVc'
.u New York and that Lord RoWtoh oo-
tanned ir England; but somehow or other
The mira Protestant element have mistaken
tho object Of this charity. have taken alarm
and arc opposing the duchess tooth ana
nail
When quite recently the duchess induced
tho Housing Committee at Liverpool to &C
cent her proposals in connection with the
foundation OF q Wonens lodging house,
,nc municipality OF Liverpool. which had
r.on asked to grant not only the necessary
license bot also certain facilities such as
had bocn granted in other towns. refused
ou ,be ground that it was. after all. essen
talIy a Roman Catholic charity and that
fba PRINCIPAL benehCiaries thereof would De
,.qor Roman Catholic women. The duchess
Of niarlboroughs experiences at LAVerpooi
have been similar TO those which lei 10
her i'm certain other towns and cities, ana
fhus sbc is finding herself 10 such a de-
gree nut forward by her adversaries as
the promoter and moving spirit OF chart
ties denounced as essentially Roman cain
ollie that the impression has become gen
oral that she is now a convert to Roman
Catholicism.
II may be recalled i'm this connection that
there was always very general belief at
one time 10 the effect that the late Duchess
Of Marlborough. the American stepmother
of the present duke, had been converted 10
Roman Catholicism during the lifetime OF
her first husband. Louis Hamersley, in
New York. by Monsgnor Capel, VINO dieu
last week I'm san Francisco, and WHO was
PORTRAYED by Lord Beaconsfeld under the
transparent useudonyme OF MonsiSho'
"Catesby" in his famous novel Lothian
That Ramcrsley entertained some sus-
picon Of the kind is shown by the clause
in his will in which he expressly stipulated
that his widow, a daughter Of Commodore
Cicero Price OF the United States navy
should be excluded from any benefit under
Tho terms Of his will and should lose her
life interest i'm his property in the event
o. hey adher1ng 10 the Church Of Rome.