The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-25

be expected to do more, except perhaps, procuring a few extra pounds of sugar In spite of all these tales, and they are true ones, of privations and perils
 that even our most distinguished citizens undergo, there is still a portion of Lon don's populace that apparently recks nothing either of economy or carefulness. am told of a wonderful new club called The Kashmir," that is being started in { the West End of London about the end of this month. AS it's name implies, the clubhouse has eastern tendencies in
 regard to furniture and decoration both
 of them being, I believe, more wonder | ful than anything seen before on this l side of the water. It has cost some
 thing over $200,OO0 to furnish and fit up
 in style meeting the approval cf it's
 directors, and I am informed that it has
 attached to it's premises a bijou theatre
 where will be produced the most sump- | tuously staged and dressed entertain-
 ments and revues.
 1 One room to be used for smoking is furnished entirely in red, black and gold l lacquer It has divans and deep seated reclining chairs, and everywhere on the l flcor as well as on the seats are huge
 cushions of the most gorgeous colorings | in satin brocade and embroidery. The | lighting is all obtained through the ceil- | ing which is arranged like a series of I dle of the floor, which is strewn with the 1 thicllest sort of Persian rugs, there is
 a sunken marble fountain which plays 1 in a miniature lake on which float water | lilies and within which swim gold fish, ] I hear that the list of members is re- markable for it's entirely democratic char 1 acter. Dukes, one or two duchesses, a l large number of earls and countesses, and
 positive riot of well known ladies and
 gentlemen lon the fringe of society, are
 among it's hundreds of subscribers.
 1 It seems a curious enterprise to com-
 mence at this particular period of tE
 worlds history. Where does the money
 come from, and how on earth is it pos
 sble to think that London can supply 1 sufficient visitors tn it's expensive enter
 tainments in thes . mes, when we are al
 being put "on our ,lonor in regard to the economy with which we live our daily lives?
 l One of the most earnest and faithful ad- mirers of the drama as represented by l various ''movies' in London is undoubt- edly his half-American grace, the Duke l of Manchester. I have rather a weakness for cinemas myself, and am apt to wan
 der into one or other of the West Enc palaces devoted to flicker shows when ] ever I happen to have on hour to kill. l have found recently that on nearly every occasion one of my neighbors in the theatre has been the Duke of Manches- ter. or Kim" as he is usually called by his friends used to hear him spoken of in other days as 'the young duke, '
 but time, alas, has wrought it's changes ] upon his aristocratic features. His iron grey hair and somewhat rubicund coun- 1 tenance certainly do not show many signs of that juvenility which in other days led one to look upon his little fobles with considerable tolerance.
 I have always felt certain amount of sympathy for the son of the beautiful | Consuelo Yznasa. who was perhaps one of the most brilliant and successful | American women who ever filled greal position In England. Kim was never really fitted to be duke. He would have done better if he had gone to America and lived a free, happy -go-lucky existence on ranch in the northwest. The posi- tion has always irked him exceedingly l and as he has never had enough money to- keep up his position as a duke shoulc do he ran throug what he had after fashion that has never commended itsel
 very well to people of his own position | in Great Britain. I fancy he tried te do his best when the war commenced. anc 1 he took up q commission in the Royal Ma
 val Volunteer reserve, but to man o1 his years and his way of living the re- strictious of such life were difficult fol him to fulfill, and with various other equally selious matters, had good dea to do with his disappearance from ac' tive service. I heard him say once that 1t was "a