The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-02

| for several years, and has, he ADMITS,
always admired her, but she was, as you
will remember. engaged to poor Archie
Gordon, youngest son of Lord Aberdeen,
who died from injuries received in a motor
accident just before their engagement
was announced. But that is more than
two years ago now. and Sir John thinks
the time has come for his patience to be
rewarded.
He is, of course, considerably older than
his lady love. He was born in 1873 and
Is widower with three small children.
He is an exceedingly clever man. and
one of the youngest solicitor generals
ever appointed. He took prominent
part in the inquiry into the Titanic"
disaster.
| There is JOY in the hearts of all the
| dressmakers and milliners, for Easter
| falls about as early as 1t possibly can
this year, and that means early courts
and early season, and the whole of
| the fashionable world are now getting
| busy with their frocks TO prepare them
for the fray.
Among the debutantes whose names
are being discussed in Mayfair drawing
rooms and the fashionable clubs. the one
| in whom the most interest is being taken
| Is LduS IT'S Odpell. the eluer daughter
| of Lady Essex. She is just Is, though,
| to some of u.s. this Is hard to believe,
| for it seems only the other day that the
american Miss Grant as Lady Essex
was so widely known all over the con-
| tinent, was the belle of London and sew
eral other capitals because of her beauty
and charm. Lady Iris, though a hand
| some girl, will never be the beauty her
mother was, but she is extremely clever,
and popular among the younger members
OF her set. Lady Essex, until now, has
never entertained much in London. For
years. she suffered continually from an
acute form of indigestion, and lived al
most the whole year round at her coun-
/ try place, Cassiobury Park, near Wat
largely owing to vegetarian diet. she has
| got much stronger and Bourbon House.
Lord Essex's town house, has recently
been entirely redeoorated for the impor-
tant event of his daughters debut.
| Lady Iris is one of fortunes favorite,
| too, for she has the Duchess of Marl-
borough for godmother who will be
veritable good fairy this season to her
godchid. she will give one big ball at
least for Lady Iris, and is certain to
take her about great deal
| Another interesting 'bud" will be Elisa
| beth Asquith who will come out his sea-
4
| heard to remark that her coming out is
a farce, inasmuch as she has never
been in. To a large extent this is true
| for except at very large balls and re-
ceptions, Mrs. Asquith has for years been
accompanied almost everywhere she went
by Betty and Anthony, her two young
| er children, known to every man and
woman in the street by their rather &C.
| centric dress and their uncovered bushy
heads of fair hair. Indeed, It is this
| bringing up that has forced Elisabeth out
| into the social arena so early, for she
| has met so many people, and is so ad-
vanced in her ideas, that 1t is absurd to
| keep her In the nursery any longer. OF
| course, she is remarkably intelligent, and
has been very we'll educated, and can
talk on many subjects that many grown
ups" would hesitate to tackle.
To her. by the way, will belong the
distinction of being the only daughter
of prime minister courtesying to her
sovereign, while her father was in Of
flee. Mr.. Balfour, of course, is bach
elor, Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman
had no daughters; Mr.. Gladstone's
daughters were too old and Lord Rose
burys We're too young when they were
in office Betty Asquith and her brother
are now in Switzerland with their
mother, and on their return, serious
! preparations will be made for one Of
the great days of the formers life, Feb
ruary Z, when she will be presented.
In distinct contrast to this scintil-
lating young woman is Lady Mary Cecil,
the second daughter of Lady Salisbury,
who, now that her elder sister. Lady
Beatrice, has won a good prize in the
matrimonial stakes in the shape Of
Ormsby Gore, only child of Lord Har-
lech, will take part in the race this
season, She is, like most of the Cecil
women, mouse like creature. with a
serious turn of mind, but she has been
well educated, and Is pretty in a not
very striking manner with blond
cendre" hair and mild blue eyes.
| Lady Mary is one of the girls who
has been allowed by that most exclusive
person, her majesty the queen, to be
| a friend of her daughter, Princess Mary.
Lady Salisbury, who is eminently
a grand dame of the social world, has
long been a warm friend of the queen.
The most formal state is invariably
kept up at Hateld ard all the hoariest
traditions observed. which, to her
maiesty's mind, is just as 1t should be.
Lady Salisbury's friends. however,
have been heard to say that visit to
Hateld is extremely dull.
The household Of the future Lady
| Harlech threatens to resemble her
mothers in this way, too. Lady Beat
! rice, although not yet % years old, is
| already deeply interested in all polt
| ical questions, and not at all in any
| of the frivo1ities common to girls of
her age. Ormsby Gore, too, is a ter
| ribly serious young man, though he
certainly is clever. His ancestors have
been members of parliament in un-
| broken succession for over hundred
years, and young Ormsby Gore carried
on the tradition and was elected
Unionist member for Denbigh in 1910,
at the early age of 25. He is regarded
as one of the most promising members
of the Unionist party and as, at the
present, there Is a conspicuous dearth
of clever youngsters on that side OF
the house, no doubt he will succeed to
one of the big positions in a conserv-
ative government at some future
day.
Mrs Allan Mackenzie has received
shoals of congratulations on the birth
of her son. Mrs. Mackenzie was, of
course, Miss I.ouvima Knollys. daugh-
ter OF Lord Knollys, and was brought
up practically all her life at the court
The royal family always made great
pet OF her and Queen Alexandra wac
very anxious to nave her as a maid oe
honor, but Lady Knollys had such dol
icate health that she could never be
spared from home. Last year she mar
ried the son Of the late Sir Allan Mac
kenzie. and brother of the present bar
onet. The little boy will have as god
mother one OF the sisters OF King
George. from whose names Louise
Victoria and Maud, Mrs. Mackenzie's