The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-22

which she desired to present to the Amer. ioan woman. But the duchess, althouSf touched by the kind feeling which hss prompted the offer of the gift, gently re fused it. The Queen however, was moi to be so easily baulked, and she has add ed a eodicil to her will leaving the brace. let to Ter friend. tfrfff
 The duchess's friends, by the way, arc rather anxious about her just now. A though only lately released from a nuTs ing home, she immediately plunged into all sorts of preparations for her poorel friends, whose necessities appeal to iei kind heart with more than usual insiar ence when winter approaches. ttei mother-in-law, Lady Blandford, hardly took her eyes off, her grace at the an- nual sale of the work made by her spe cial protegees, the prisoners wives which was held recently at Sunderland house.
 "shes no business to be here at all said Lady Blandford "She ought to b' abroad finishing her rest cure, but there. no holding her, especially at this time q year.
 Duchess Needs Rest
 The duchess certainly did not look fl for anything but prolonged rest, aa seeemd slenderer and more fragile thar ever But a demon of unrest seems tt possess her. The sale of work at Sundea land house over, she went off to Birmi.'s ham to open a hostel for poor workin. women, a scheme in which she is tremen dously interested. Just look at her pro gramme for one week; A meeting al Sunderland house in aid of the miss'oi and social work of the Church Army the next day an lat home" for the w llii and Strays society; while on the three following days she promised to attend ar Oriental fete and baZar organized by tho Society for Women's Suffrage in Ken sington. At all of these functions she vii probably make speeches, showing that she has intimate knowledge of each insti tuition and it's work. For her interest il such concerns doesn't consist, as it does with many other peeresses, in merely put ting her name down as patroness and writing an annual check.
 Besides all these activities there atf the Christmas preparations to be made for the prisoners wives and children ii the two big houses in Endeleigh Gardens Every year she provides a fine feast fol them all, and there is a Christmas tree for the children and presents for every.
 
 tions herself. even down to the choosing of the smallest present,
 Influences Mrs. Asouith
 Her grace's shining example inf1uencef at least one English woman Mrs. As quith, wife of the premier, was so str'icf with what the duchess accomplished thai some time ago she organized the League of Personal Service of which she is rh, president The members of the organiza tion are invited to interest themselve: personally in one person or family II some poor district, and by their sympa thy and help, endeayor to better thei condition. Several of her American friends joined her at the start, and La1. Acheson, Lady Maidstone, Lady Granart and the Duchess of Roxburgh are nop among her most active "leaguers.' These four American women, happening to me at a friends house not long ago, starte a competition among themselves as t who could buy for $10 the most useful SC of Christmas presents for a family o five Lady Acheson gained the prize which the other three will give her an .t..t, ,f1rpA al.