Omaha daily bee., 1915-04-25
] hat Has
Bereaved Every
Royal House
in Europe and
Turned the House of Lord
the House of Mourning

Lady Juliet Duff, daughter of the late
Earl of Lonsdale has lost her husband, Sir
Robin Duff who was killed while fighting
with the Life Guards, the premier regi-
ment of the British Army. Lady Juliet,
who is very prominent and popular in
English society, is really very handsome,
but her very striking figure and strongly
marked features lend themselves rather
easily to caricature, as may be judged from
a well-known artists sketch OF her.
Mrs. William Lawrence Breese is an
American war widow, whose husband also
was an American, which can be said OF
very few Of the American women widowed
by the war. Her husband, who belonged
to a prominent New York family, strongly
sympathized with the allied cause and had
many relatives In England After the war
broke out he obtained q commission in the
Royal Horse Guards and was killed few
days after going to the front. Mrs. Breese
was Miss Julia Kean Fish, daughter OF
Hamilton Fish, and niece of Stuyvesant
Fish.
The Honorable Mrs. Percy wyndham 10
one Of the most beautiful young English
women widowed by the war. She is a
daughter Of Lord Ribblesdale. She was
only married last year and has become a
mother since her husband, who was very
young, was killed with the Grenadier
Guards. He was a half-brother of the
Duke of Westminster, who was his moth
er,S son Dy ner nrSt marriage.
Lady Levinge, q charming young woman,
has lost her young husband, Sir Richard
Levlnge, who was a great Irish landowner
and very prominent sportsman. He was
killed while serving as a cavalry officer
Lady Levinge was formerly Irene Desmond,
OF the Gaiety Theatre, and was one of
those rather numerous stage beauties who
have quite won English society by their
good-nature and tact.
Madame Simone LIE Bargy, one Of the
most talented and popular actresses In
France, has lost her husband, Casimir
Perier who was killed near Scissors re-
Gently. She should more correctly be
called Madame Simone, for she discarded
the lie Bargy" when she obtained d.
vorce from M. lie Bargy, who was an actor
of equal prominence with herself. II was
alleged that NJ lie Bargy could not en-
dure the presence of a wife at least as
talented and exquisitely dressed as him
self.
Young Casimir Perier was a son Of
former President Casimir Perier and
member of a very wealthy family. At
first society which is more conservative in
France than in England, was shocked at
the marriage, but the two lived very happy
together and Casimir Perier had won a
distinguished public position before his
death.
The Social Problem
of the Excess of Widows.
The existence of such an abnormal num-
Der OF widows must necessarily create pc
culiar problems in society. These are con-
siderably complicated by the fact that most
Of the widows are young. Army officers
themselves are, as a rule, young, and 1t is
especially on the young officers, the com
pany and section leaders, that the NOR
tally in war falls most heavily. Hence the
widows that are left must be, in the great
majority Of cases, young also.
There Is already considerable pecunIary
distress among the war widows. and 1t will
become more and more marked for some
time TO come. Women even Of the upper
classes in England are not very we'll sup.
piled with Incomes, tor most OF the money
In the family must go TO the man who has
the duty Of keeping up the family prop
erty. In many cases the woman widowed
by the war will see the property she has
enjoyed pass out of her hands, In some
cases to a distant relative.
The pensions given to the widows Of
officers are, OF course, very small and do
not suffice to keep anyone in good So
cial position.
1t is also to be noted that great distress
is apparently in prospect for all the noble
families OF England, whether men or
women. 1t is expected that those who
enjoy fixed incomes derived from estates
and other property will find them greatly
reduced by the enormous taxation needed
to pay for the war. Observers believe
that there will be more or less of a social
revolution and that the places OF the pre-
vious leaders of society will be taken by
newly rich families who have made for
tunes out Of war contracts or who have
been enterprising enough in some way to
make money during the period OF distress.
Tue experience Of the past suggests that
these people will, In turn, acquire titles
fafn Afatf aurtNAek .aA
as the preceding.