The Washington herald., 1911-01-15
MEN OF ENGLAND
IN THE PUBLIC EYE


Lord Mimic has brought home with him !
many pleasant memories of his term OF
Office as viceroy of India. though he does
not take the trouble to conceal the fact
that he will be glad to get a prolonged
rest after the strain and responsibilities
Of his duties out there.
The lord tells many q good story of his
life in the British dependency. One OF the
best of these relates to an experience
that befell him when one morning he
paid visit to .Snowdon." the Official
residence of the commander-in-chief of
the Indian forces at Simla. 1t was still
early in the day and Lord Mimic was
anxious to see Lord Kitchener.
The vfceroy found his way barred by
a sentry, who. though an Englishman
himself, did not recognize the viceroy.
Lord Mimic tried to explain his mission,
but the soldier remained obdurate
But, see here expOstulated Lord
Minto. Il am the viceroy.''
The man shook his head. We get all
sorts he-e," was his unruff1ed reply. Last
week We had cove down here who
kidded he was the grandfather of Queen
Victoria We had to put strait-jacket
on him. SO you would better push on
At that critical moment. officer
happened along who knew Lord Mimic.
Repression in itself was hateful to
Lord Minto. who has inherited the Whig
traditions of his house. and personally
is a man of generous and sympathetic
nature. But necessity is a hard task
master. and it was necessity that COM
PEELED recourse to the Regulations of
1sls' and to the passage Of the seditious
meetings act and the press act.
1t is one of the best results of Lord
Mintos viceroyalty that deeds OF vio-
lence were not allowed to retard the
work of reform The initiative that re-
suited in the India councils act may
! have come from Lord Morley. but the
viceroy was heart and soul in sympathy
| with that reform and the addition of
native member to the viceroy'S council
unuuestionably was due to Lord Minto
j himself
| The keynote of Lord Mintos admins
! tration was a sincere belief in the 10y
atty and good sense of the Indian peo-
pie Other viceroys may have been more
| dazzling. but to few of the men who
! have occupied that great office in this
| epoch has it been given to achieve so
| great a measure of success to Lord
| Mimic.
| Lord Darlington president Of the board
| of agriculture of England has been Civ
| ing another of his fascinating lat homes
| to farmers at the Offices of the board.
| When he instituted this feature. in 1906
| il was regarded as revolutionary de-
parture. defiant of all the canons of red
| tape: but now these ''at homes have
J come to be regarded as quite the regular
order of things. They are generally at
tended by about 100 yeomen farmers who
are ''in Lonnon'' for the cattle show.
| There is neither fuss nor ceremony, and
visitors. between their sips Of sherry,
! discuss horses and crops with their af-
| fable host, not without a suspicion of
! ''hecklnG'' occasionally. but always with
! delightful infornality.
| The originator of these unconventional
| functions was among the late King
! Edwards oldest friends. Lord CARING
| tons name really is Smith-just plain
Smith A good story is told concerning
! the bestowal of the peerage on the first
| Of his line.
| The man had asked Pitt for permission
to drive his carriage from his residence
| in Whitehall through the Horse Guards.
| NO." replied Pitt: Il capnot do that.
| but tell you what I'll dol will make
! you a peer" And he did.
| This peer was the first man connected
with trades that was given a seat in the
1
| Carrington-the farmers friend-has car
ried on the family tradition by a constant
| display Of an entire absence of siding.
| A reader Of my description of John
| Redmond disagrees with me as to the
| mans real personality. l must maintain
my estimate.
| Mr.. Redmond is polished man Of the
! world, traveller, and student He
| knows his geography we'll. He found his
| wife in Australia. and once. while refer
| ring to the subject in the House of Com
mons. playfully chided the late Sir Will
| lam Harcourt. who a short time pre-
| vioJs had received service of silver
! from krkaldy. the only Englishmar
! who had carried bullion out of Scotland
| After politics Observation-Disclosures
rule for Ireland. Mr.. Redmond's chic
passion is the drama. When he is in Lon
don he rarely misses a first night. He i:
a seIf-confesseG admirer of Sarah Bern
hardt.
TO convince my skeptic reader. let me
mention a little incident which transpired
at the commencement Of the last Union
ist government. illustrating the gener
IosiJy OF his character. A certain young
lrnionist. the son Of well-known peer
was making his maiden speech in the
commons, IN "A deDdte concerning mat
ter connected with Ireland, and like
many others on that trying occasion. ht
suffered from nervousness. One of Mr.
Redmond's followers was punctuatins
the remarks of the young speaker with
sneers and jeerS. Like a tiger. the Ma
ltionalist leader turned upon him:
GIVE the boy a chance, can't ye?'
rang out in the House like the crack oi
a whip.
The new House Of Commons will miss
the CHEEKY. dapper little T. G. Bowles
to whom Kings Lynn cnce more ha:
been unfaithful. No man of his niche:
ever mad so much self-possession wher
getting up to speak in the nation:
council chamber
Mr.. Bowles first became known t.
fame when he acted as correspondent
for the London Morning Post durins
the siege of Paris by the Germans in
1871. Some years later his rowing dis
position led him to Turkey. where
aided by the Duke of Sutherland. he dit
much to arouse public sympathy for tha
unhappy country. During his parla
mentary days he was the only NJ r
who possessed the distinction Of havin:
a master mariners certificate.
Once he went down to Portsmouth T.
bid good-by to his son. who was abou
to start on his first cruise as a nava
officer. Entering the gunroom. he wa
promptly assailed by cadets and middle