Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-18
Queen Mary Is Liked
Among Her People
tal corro.nonaerce ~ the Star.

LONDON, June II. 1911
A MONG her real friends and those
who know her well there is a great
feeling of satisfaction in noting the in
creasing popularity Of Queen Mary with
her people at large. and the decreasing
amount Of comments-common enough at
one time-to the effect that she is cold,
standofish, stin and other remarks of
that kind.
The explanation of the whole thing is
summed up in one short word-shyness-
and perhaps only her majesty knows what
II is to he shy in a position such as she
holds That she has not the compelling
fascination possessed by Queen Alexandra
is patent, but ask her many humble
friends in the Thames valley, where she
was born and brought up. whether she
is stand-off. and they will well nigh fall
on YOU and rend YOU. There. where as
girl with her popular mother. Jolly
Mary, as the late Duchess OF Teck used
TO be called. she was to be seen almost
daily attending some concert. or bazaar.
or school prize-eiving She IS simply
adored, and ii has always been grief
to them TO hear her misjudged by people
who did not know her.
vi COuTSe. dS pu1IPSS ~ 1bI iho
Princess Of Wales she was quite over
Swallowed by Queen Alexandra. and like
the sensible woman that she Is. she never
attempted to push herself forward In
deed, at the time of the death Of King
Edward she still remained in the back
ground. though she could. by right. have
done a little showing on her own account.
People have just realized that and II mas
weighed tremendously in her favor. Now,
when she drives about with her niue
daughter. she is winning all hearts by
the really charming smile-that is never
perfunctory-that she bestows on her peo-
pie There are brains behind that smile.
and real womanly personality
There is a little old-world village caiied
Petersham, which. though within eight
miles from the heart Of London, might
we'll be sixty miles away, where queen
Mary has many friends. Here lives
lady, who before the queen was married,
was great friend of the late Duchess OF
Teck and whom they visited quite ire
quently. The eldest daughter was mar
ried the year before the queen ana she
and her father and mother attended the
wedding II was a beautiful summers
day. and everybody walked from the
church TO the brides home. The duchess
and Princess May, as she then was, re-
fused absolutely to usurp the brides po-
sition that day, but insisted on taxing
and her bevy of bridesmaids to the house,
helped to cut her cake and plant tree
but always after her.
On the occasion of another visit to
Petersham the queen was walking with
another resident of the village. whose
house-exactly opposite the church-they
passed on the way.
You live there, don't you?" said the
queen.
Yes, ma am" replied the lady.
eli, -ipo o a.
marked the queen with smile. The
nearer the church the farther from
grace
Among the children in the neighborhood
she had heaps of friends. The little
daughter of the vicar of another parish
was her devoted slave, and used to spend
many happy afternoons in the pretty
gardens at White Lodge. the queen
home, and when she married and became
the Duchess of York and left the district
she gave this girl a pretty bracelet with
the words ITO Kathleen, from her friend
May" on it.
And now that the queen has become the
first lady in the land none Of her Ola
friends have been forgotten. Al every
one of the public functions at which she
has appeared she has made special ar
engagements for some of her former serN-
ants to see her, and the Petersham lady.
though a commoner and holding no po-
sition at court whatever, will see her
crowned at Westminster Abbey, probably
one of the few untitled and unomclal
spectators in the abbey that day, for
space is so limited that very few favors
of this kind can be granted.
Besides, with her fair hair. blue eyes
and nice fresh complexion. Queen Mary
is quite good to look on. She Is big. of
course, but tall enough to carry that on:
but her style really is rather frumpy. No
one expects her to wear mobile skirt
or a cartwheel on her head hut her am
pie skirts of thick, stiff hrocades and her
little hats punched stiffly all round with
flowers and tilted we'll forward on her
neatly dressed head contrasted badly
with the German empress, who has just
been over here and who. though a still
bigger and older woman, looked so smart
in her flowing dresses of chiffon or other
soft materials. her picturesque hats and
fluffy white hair.
A still greater contrast lay between
Princess Mary and Princess Luise, the
empress daughter. There is five years
difference. il is true. but Princess Mary
looked a funny little old ashioned thing
in her plain frocks, tightly tied-back hair
and really awful hats sitting beside the
elf-possessed Teuton princess in a large
hat and up-to-date dress. Princess Mary
seems to have inherited her mothers shy
ness, for when she is out driving she sits
IN very straight and bows Stiffly her