The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-14
Sir Hugh Bell Admits Points of
Superiority Possessed by
Other Nations.
ny Ia MARoUIsn DE roNTENoY.

G 1R HUGH BELL who mas just ar
y rived from England with Lady
Bell. to visit the British ambas--
sador and Lady Spring Rice at Wash
and travelled Englishmen who are will
ing to admit points Of superiority pos
Isessed by other nations over Great
Britain.
Men" he declares. "are wealth. and
lsincc the United States has now e
population OF over 9o,000.oo0. and Ger
many Il population Of over 60,0o0.0po,
whereas Great Britain can boast OF but
if".OOoooo. there Is a greater consurn
ing power. greater power of eX-
change. and consequently greater
wealth In America and Germany than
in England He insists that the lat
ter has not been idle that she Is not
to blame, but argues that there arc
some forces against which neither
people nor governments can fight.
AZ ono OF the leading ironrnas ters
OF England. Sir Hugh points out that
formerly Great Britain was the fore
most iron producing country on the
face OF the globe, the rest being no
where. Now the United States Is FIRST,
is not Englands fault. 1t merely
means that these other two countries
have more resources.
Sir Hugh Bells wife, Lady Bell, in
an aunt Of Lady Spring Rice. IA {.
daughter Of the late Sir Joseph OlliiTe.
Lady Spring -Rice's mother, the lat.
Lady Iascellcs, who died as British
ambassadress At Berlin, was Lady
Bells elder sister. Their father. Sir
Joseph Ollne, was the Irish physician
OF Napoleon III. played n notable role
in Paris throughout the reign OF that
monarch 1T whose personal instance he
was knightcd by Queen Victoria. and
In conjunction with his intimate friend.
the first Duo de Morny, created the
now so popular seaside resort OF
Deauvilie. Lady olline was Miss
/ Cubitt, and belonged 10 the same fam
/ lily as the now widowed Lady Paunce-
fotc, formerly English ainbassadress at
Washington.
The Bells are northumberland peo-
pie. although Sir Hugh Is lord lieu
tenant of the North Riding OF York
shire. He is the second holder OF tho
baronctcy, which WAS bestowed by
Queen Victoria In 1885 upon his father,
the late Sir Lothian Bell, who fN-''
the great ironworks TO which the
family owes It's fortunes. Lady Bell is
Sir Thomas's second wife, by whom he
has "a son, who Is a clergyman. and
two married daughters. 1t IL his son
By his first wife, Major Maurice I.o-
THAN Bell, OF the Yorkshire Regiment
who served In tho South African Wa
who Is heir TO the baronetcy ana TO
the estates. which are situated in
! York shirc.
! Has Lord lIaidane become n convert
| to the Roman Catholic Church" The
treason for asking this question Is that
in the latest issue Of VaChcrs Par
| liamentary Companion, which has Just
/ appcared and which In tho oldest
standard work OF reference Of this
kind ana the wade mecum of every
member of both houses of the national
/ Legislature at Westminster. prints. for
/ tho first time. Lord Haldane's name in
those italics which have always been
reserved for tho enumeration or the
I Roman Catholic peers. In order to dif-
fercntiatc them from the others
Nachcrs has such "A reputation for the
absolute correctness OF its Information.
and .or its amazing freedom from
errors Of any kind. that IL is almost
, uncomfortable that IL should have made
I n mistake In this particular instance.
on the other hand If the rumor Of
J the conversion of LORD lialdanc were
true. he would ipso facto. forfeit his
! place on the woolsack az Lord High
Chancellor. and rs Keeper OF the
Great Seal OF tho Realm: for by ,he
/ Catholic emancipation act OF 1929 IL
was particularly provided that these
Offices could moi he held by Roman
! Catholic, although there is no legal
obstacle to their being held BY Jew,
/ "a Moslem or an agnostic. II is .
| questions, even. whether Lord faldanc
would in that case he accortc t.e
! pension Of $4,000 n year for tie re
! mainder OF his life. to which Lord
! High Chanc"llors are entitled on tie
| retirement from Office, even if their
tenure has only lasted a few days or
hours. The salary of the chancellor
/ ship is $4,000 a year.
81.
vent a Roman Catholic from becoming
] Prime Minister of England. But he
cannot hold the Office OF Niceroy OF
Ireland. or even act in his behalf In the
case OF the absence Of that dignitary
| from the Emerald Isle.
Some time ago | related in these
letters that Plus Y. had decided TO open
the ranks of his Noble Guard to for
eigners of birth and breeding. instead
! of restricting its membership to scIons
of the old Italian aristocracy. Those
appointed from now on Will receive no
pay; and among the first foreigners to
Join the corps is young Irishman Of
! the name of Luke feeling, son of Cap
| tain Iiartle feeling.
The captain is one OF the fcw sur
viving veterans of the battle Of Men
! tana, and has filled the Office OF cham
berlain to the present Pontin, az we'll
! rs to Plus IN. and Leo Kill, making
his residence at Rome. lie was but
nineteen when, as Il Pontifcal Iouavc.
he took part in the battle of Montana,
! III 1867. and won tho Montana Cross,
afterwards joining the English army,
and serving in the Rifle Brigade, and
! in the Royal Irish Rifles. from which
! he retired with the rank OF captain.
! One OF the best known foreign resi-
dents of the Eternal City, he has for
tho last thirty years or more been IL
familiar figure at the Vatican, and Is
iineally descended from Hay feeling.
abb" Lord OF Suydan, who in the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries gave
large grants of land to the church in