Evening star., 1915-12-26
Special Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON December

LONDON. December Is, 1915.
- RITAINS prospective peerage is
IU being rapidly wiped out OF
ICS0 every 0Se casualties in Flan-
~ ders and Gallipofi one heir to
a seat in the house OF lords is re-
ported killed. Forty prospective wear
ers of the purple have already made
the. great sacrifice; have proved by
their examples that the aristocracy of.
Great Britain, in the supreme test, is
not degenerate. No other class in the
country, proportionateiy speaking, has
paid SO big price.
The house of lords, three years ago
distrusted by the nation, discredited
by Ythe politicians. humbied by the
hotase Of commons and threatened by
he-cabinet. has. on the blood-stained
fields Of France and Turkey. won
new charter through the self-sacrince
of,its sons. Today. -:he upper chamber
is stronger in the affections of the. peo-
ple than it has been for many. genera
tIons.
But what a price to-pay. Hardly
great family in the country is unvisited
6y the angel of death. The dignihed
house Of lords seems crowded with
noble peers who have TO mourn the
loss Of their first sons The personnel
OF the upper house of the next genera
ton is being made over. and in many
cases men who previous 10 the war
were three or four times removed in
succession to titles are now presump-
tive or prospective peers. And we are
apparently only at the beginning Of
the terrible war.
Engiand's sacrifice of the Immediate
past will be as nothing TO her con-
Iribution of the next few months. Al
ready her casualties. averaging about
1y.uoD per month for the first year,
have jumped 10 so. 900 every thirty
days In the early spring, when there
will surely be great fighting. casualty
lists of 100000 per month are not I'M
pToba BILE. That means, If the prospec-
tive peers are to maintain their aver
age, that every four weeks ten men
who looked forward to taking their
places in the house of lords some day
and succeeding to the broad acres and
The high distinctions of their families
will hay down their lives for their
country and their caste. Compare this
with the Boer war. in which in two and
half years only six heirs 10 titles
were killed
IL has been reckoned that no less than
200 heirs to peerages are serving with
either the army or the navy. When
il is realized that the peers number
only 800 It viii be realized how great
is their immolation. Yet a few days
ago, when Lord ST. Davids-who. by
tine way. has lost his only son-pro-
posed that record be compiled OF
these 200 men in the two services. six
peers Indignantly opposed the idea,
while Lord Parmo0r repudiated any
suggestion that the peers were doing
more than their simple duty.
Our sons are only doing their duty.
as are all other Englisbmen at this
time" he declared. We do not claim
to be doing more than our fair share.
The proposal was eventually with
drawn because many peers claimed that
N such return no mention would be
made OF the hundreds of sons of peers
who in other ways besides service in
either OF the active branches were
equally doing their duty.
Only one who knows English life in
timately adequately realize what
this revolution IN the 'peerage success
sion means. These eldest sons who
are dying have been trained from the
days they were born for the important
positions in life they were expected to
occupy In the ma jority of cases every
wish has been 2ratifed. almost unlim-
tied money has been placed in their
hands, from scores of attendants and
dependents they have enjoyed almost
servile services. over broad acres they
have ruled like kings, whole villages
have been under their control, religious
livings, in some cases BY the score,
have been at their disposal, and grad
ually but surely they have. been trained
- that natural attitude of class su