Evening star., 1915-05-17
ENGLISH CLAIM LONDON is
SAFEST CAPITAL in EUROPE

Europe which is considered reasonably
safe from the ebb and flood of the titanic
struggle While their husbands cross
| swords, fisuratively and possibly literally
| speaking. with the Germans. the titled
women Of Russia, France, Belgium and
the lesser allies wait in London for
| tidings
Among these women is Baroness Pierre
Graerenitz, who has Just given birth to
a daughter. The baron. who is a Rus
.spLenD ssIoH eul W .isoWo us pur ugrs
, is fighting somewhere in northern Pola nd,
helping to parry the thrust of the Ger
| mans against Warsaw. and has not vet
heard the news OF the addition to his
family
The baroness. who is an Englishwoman
one Of the comparatively few examples
of EngliShwomen who have married into
the Russian aristocracy-is in the habit
of spending each summer in her native
country. She is intensely fond Of horse
racing and. before the war. took an in
innate interest in the magnificent racing
stable of her husband, situated near LODI.
In their first sweep across Poland to the
line Of the Nistua the Germans captured
the scores Of fine animals in the Graeve-
nitz stables and promptly turned them to
war use.
One would like to know how the pres
ent drink agitation has hit the mem
bers of the cabinet itself There was
a time. just after the king succeeded
to the throne, when there were many
stories told of his excessive drinking.
but these seem to have been exploded
by the public declarations of num-
Der of his close friends, such as Lord
campaign.
So the public is not a bit surprised
by his action in abolshing drink in the
royal household during the period of
the war. What is of perhaps more in
terest is the possible action of a few
of the leaders in politics and admins
tration. House of commons gossip,
usually, on a matter of this kind, par
ticularly well informed, tells that at
least two of the more prominent mem
berS OF the government front bench
are excessively fond of the bottle, and
high official of the war Office is also
reported to have been severely hit by
the implied necessity of following the
kings lead"
However all this may be, one may
rest assured that the government will
be mighty careful in dealing with the
liquor interests. All this talk about
total prohibition is only SO much threat,
in order to reconcile the producer and
less drastic restriction of the industry.
The liquor interests are tremendously
powerful in Great Britain Further
more. the public is by no means ready
for or willing to submit TO total pro-
hibition even for the period Of the war.
And. finally, the tory opposition is
ominously silent. when it was hoped
and expected that it's leaders. at least.
would publicly rally to the support of
the government.
The Prince Of Wales is at the front
in France what time he is not carrying
special dispatches to England. Prince
Albert, the kings second son, now re
covered from an operation for appendi-
citis. is once more with the grand fleet
wherever it may be, while Prince
Henry, the third royal scion, has just
missed German measles at Eton. The
last named is now safely with his
parents at Windsor, where he has cele
brated his birthday, but when the pres
ent vacation is over he will return to
the English school on the Thames to
defy even the dangers of Hunnish con-
tagion
Prince Henry is even more popular
than is his older brother, Prince Albert.
Among his fellow-students at Eton he
is known as III. r. H. There was
Prince of Wales while he was at OK
ford. For instance, it was said that he
was treated like any other student. AS
a matter of fact, as he was heir to the
throne, none Of his fellow students, ex-
cept those friends whom he knew be-
fore going up, were brought into con-
tact with him. and he was the object
of more demonstrations of pure snob-
berry than the ordinary Englishman is
willing to admit exists in his whole
Oxford University.
In the case Of Prince Henry. however
it is possible to say that beyond an
equerry, or personal attendant of ma
ture years. who watches carefully over
him. he leads the normal life of the fa-
nous school which he attends. He
mixes with the students. plays their
games and participates in the work of
the Officers Training Corps. He is.
moreover. credited with more natural
Intelligence than is either of his older
brothers. and is said to have shown
great aptitude for languages.
Few Of the younger women OF London
have had the war brought home to
them so poignantly as has Lady Belper.
She is the second daughter Of Lord
Aberdare. whose late son and heir. the
Hon Lyndhurst Bruce, husband Of the
former Camille Clifford, the American
actress. was recently killed In action
in addition to this sorrow. Lady Bel
pers husband. while serving as a cap
tain In the I'd Life Guards. one of the
crack London regiments which have
suffered so terribly since the early days
OF the war. was severely injured inter
nally when his horse was shot from
under him. Lord Belper is now re-
covering from an operation. and hopes
soon to get back into the firing line.
Lady Belper is typical Bruce 1t
was said at the time of Camille Cliff
lords marriage that Lady Belper, who
was passionately attached to her eld-
est brother. interceded with the father
and reconciled him to the marriage
However that may be. she was the first
TO acknowledge that the former Glib
son girl made good as the wife of the
heir to one Of the most famous of Brit
fsh peerages.
strain OF plebeian blood runs through
the veins of the man whom Lady Bel
per herself married. He is only the
third baron The founder of the family
fortunes was small farmer, who an
prenticed his son to wheelwrjRht
This sons son. Jedediah Strut, became
a hosier and invented the machine for
making ribbed stockings. Ultimately
he became associated with Richard
Arkwright. and with him developed the
spinning jenny. one of the most famous