The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-01
Famous Actor Enlists As Private Because of His
 "COwardice"
ENGLISH FRIENDS OF
 KAISER IN TROUBLE
Life Being Made Very Unpleasant for Them At Present-German Ruler Gathered Many Valuable Hints
 While Visiting England
By F. l.. HEITKAM

DF H<. ffs IN fA VII
 London, February e.-(special. )-when. after the war is over American sight seers begin poking about old London again, they will look in vain for the fa- nous and. to lovers of the antique. beau- tiful house in Great Queen street. where James Boswell lived from 17s6 to l7Ss. and where he Is supposed to have written part at least of his great Life of Samuel John- son. This quaint old house with its pill been marked out for destruction for some time. It is the property of the Grand Lodge of F'reemasons, whose London Tavern is next door and who want the site for additional premises, but of late an influential attempt to save the old place has been made. It has failed, how ever, so it was stated yesterday at a meeting of the local government commit tee of the London county counsel in an- swer to the following caustic question of a member:
 ''Whether the conscience of the nation having been stirred by the destruction of beautiful and historic buildings in Bel gium and France. the council, being the sole statutory authority for the preserva- tion of historic buildings in London, had taken any action to preserve Boswell's s house in Great Queen street--a unique ex- ample of the seventeeth century archi- lecture from the hands of the Hun in our midst?''
 The reply of the committees chairman was to the effect that the Freemasons could not see their way to spare the old house, owing to architectural difficult ties." so it Is evident that 1t will have to go. A tablet on the house, No 56, in Great Queen street, announces to travel CTS that Boswell once lived there. but there is neither tradition or evidence to associate Dr. Johnson's biographer with any of the rooms now existing therein. The great Photographer first met this Scotchman, who was to become his great est admirer, in the back parlor of little shop in Russell street. Just round the corner from Great Queen street. After ward, when Johnson lived in Cough Square, Boswell, no doubt. found the Great Queen street residence more con venient to reach after the old coffee house sessions memorable for their brilliant con versation and severe demands on the tav- ern's bar.
 Famous Actor Enlists
 Here Is one of the most striking exam ples of real patriotism of which one has heard since the war began. The hero of it. though he would ridicule the imputa- ton of being one, is Herbert Grimwood, one of the best known character actors on the London stage. His last profes- sional appearance was in the role of the Witch Doctor in "Mamena.' "the stage version of Sir Rider Haggards novel, "Child of Storm" which Oscar Asche re- gently produced here.
 Grimwood fought in the Boer war. but for all that he consistently describes him. self as coward He was acting in Ma mena," in which he scored a big personal success when the war began, and wanted to quit at once and join the army, bui Asche refused to release him. In vain Grimwood pleaded. Asche was adamant but "Mamena," though put on regardless of expense, was not huge success. and | a few weeks later Grimwood was free tc serve his king and country, as the phase goes. Asche, it is true, was loathe to lei him go to the front, even offering to pay him a regular retaining fec until he should be putting on another production but this time it was Grimwood who re- fused to be moved.
 l Since then he has been offered com | missions in several regiments but has refused them all. He declares frankly | that she has not the courage requisite fol
 leading other men into danger and tha
 he is, therefore, useless as an officer. Ac l cordingly he has just enlisted as an ordi I nary Tommy" which is pretty fin, thing for a man of his breeding and repu | tation to do.
 Pity Kaiser's English Friends | Just now the Kaisers English friend
 in England are placed in a peculiar ant somewhat awkward position No one i'm agines for moment that the Kaiser friends ever acted or even thought of act ing as spies. but the fact remains that il perfect good faith and without ever con
 sidering the harm it might do in thi l country some of these people undoubted 1y give the Kaiser information which ha probably proved of much more use to tn German Emperor and his military an, naval organizers than any information that has been gleaned from German walters and other now "suspected' per sons in humble rank of life in England
 In was the Kaiser's hR5!t of late year I to stay in England as the personal gues of some of his friends. During the pas few years he did so in strict incognito. H was the guest in July. 1912, of a retire. English admiral with whom he has beel on terms of the most intimate and clos friendship for the past 90 years The ad miral has kept closely in touch witt naval affairs since his retirement and ha several intimate friends on the admiralt board.
 What was more natural than that n