The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-05
Old W. rld Gossip
BY LA MAnQuIsE DE ToNrnNoY.
} EER being represented In the
- House of Lords by nearly
dozen peers prominent among

dozen peers. prominent among
them Lord 1veagh. Lord Ardilaun. ana
Lord llindlip. and groceries by Lord
Devonport, head OF the great grocery
firm of Kerley Il Tong. seat in the
upper chamber of tho imperial legis
soap, In the person of Sir William Lever.
who is to receive Ills coronet on the
occasion of the impending distribution
of honors I'm connection with King
Georges birthday. this month.
Sir William, who received paro-
nctcy three years ago, and who repre-
scented one of the Cheshire divisions
in Parliament from 1906 until 1910. is
the founder and head Of one of the
greatest soap producing concerns i'll
the world. From very humble Begin
nings, Sir William has built up an
enormous business. and he mag be said
10 nave started his career as an crran4
boy In his fathers grocery shop, in II
country town in Lancashire. Then he
became commercial traveller, and at
twenty-five made his arrangements
With II soap maker To produce for him
"a soap according TO his own ideas. and
called Levers Pure Honey Soap This
ne pushed on his own account, while
hcttn5 us drummer for otlicr firms.
Lever did so we'll that in 1856 he es-
tablished soap works OF his own at
Warrington, and Two years later at
fort sunlight. in Lancashire, and now
has other works at Mannheim, in Ger
many; near BRUSSELS, in belgium; near
Alien. In switzerland: at Sydncy, In
New South Wales: near Boston in the
United states. ut Toronto, in Canada.
and on The Congo. where no has Il vast
tract oil territory on the upper part OF
the river, where Il number of towns
have been created by MIN, tho prin-
cipal one of them being known rs
lcvervilie. Sir William Lever like
wise has a twenty-one years monop
oily from: the English government for
setting up palm oil factories over an
area of 3li square miles, in tho Island
of Sierra Leone. and owns two islands
in the middle of the Pacific, known ro-
spectively as Hull Island and Flint
Island.
Port Sunlight. the headquarters OF
the concern. is now large and thriv-
ing town. occupied exclusively by Sir
Williams employees. many thousands
in number. with churches, public IL
brariCs. gymnasiums and theatres OF
its own. all provided by him, and which
was visited by botn the King and the
Queen on the occasion OF their stay
with Lord and Lady Derby. ut Knows
ley Park. at the beg ginning OF last
month.
Last year sir William purchased for
very large sum OF money the lease
OF Stafford House, for close upon 100
years the metropolitan homo OF the
Dukes OF Sutherland, and presented 1t
to tic nation. for use as a museum for
the exhibition OF relics and objects oil
interest connected with the near 1000
ycar-old history of London. Owing 10
the severance OF all connection between
this mansion, OF rather palace. anu
The Dukes Of Sutherland, ii was de-
c!ded TO give II some other name than
;hut Of Stafford House, and il is un-
dorstood that Sir William Lever, whose
wonderful success in life has been due
10 his perfect genius i'll the matter OF
advertisement. was anxious that the
new museum should be known aa Lever
House.
This old not quite meet with the
views of either tho royal family or OF
the government. For, on the cXpiri-
ton OF the lease. about twenty years
hence, the palace and tho grounds on
which it stands will revert To the
ground landlord. the crown. 1t was
held that SIR Williams munincence in
granting the use OF the building 10
the nation, free of cost, for Il couple
Of decades, that is. for the remainder
OF tho lease. was not sufficient 10 saddle
it with his namc in perpetuity.
So It was automatically suggested
to him that il would be a delicate
compliment TO the monarch IL he were
TO ask that the new London museum
We're TO be Known from hencctorth as
Lancaster House, in View of the fact
that King George is extremely proud
of his ancient dignity of Duke of Ian
caster, OF the marked interest which
the monarch has ever since his acccs
sion displayed in everything connected
with Lancashire. and that he himself.
Sir William, is 4 Lancashire lad. This
appealed to Lever. and that is how
the new Museum of old London. form
erly known as Stafford House, is now
officially styled Lancaster House.
Something very much akin to con
stcrnaiion has been created in Aus
tria and Hungary by the appearance
in print-perhaps through an indis-
cretion--of = remarkable report by
several OF the leading military experts
and authorities o? the dual empire, In
which the utmost stress Is laid upon
the necessity of at once rearming the
entire infantry and cavalry with new
rifles and carbincs. 1t is shown In tho
report that the rifles and carbines with
which the Austro- Hungarian army is
now armed arc inferior in every re-
spect TO those OF Russia, Servia, France
and Germany, and that. IN the event
of war. this condition OF affairs would
place the Austro- hungarian infantry
and cavalry under a very serious dis
advantage.
The report does not hesitate to recall
the fact that the crushing defeat OF
the dual empire by Prussia in the war
OF 1866 was entirely due TO the i'm
mensc superiority Of tho Prussian So
called nccdle-gun rifle over that vi
which the troops of Emperor Francis
Joseph were armed. and which pei
mitted The Prussi;tn infantry 10 fire
abou: ten shots to one OF their Aus
trian adversarics. the Prussian bullets,
moreover, having Il far larger range.
In order TO understand the constcr-
nation crcatcd ir the domiu:ons OF