The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-29

ample, we of another strata of social
 life, are also 'up and at it' and
 fin gallant trim the glided vessel
 goes
 Youth on the prov, and Pleasure at the helm"
 Everywhere there is evidence of the re-
 sumption of entertaining dancing, dining and wining. I am told that the first court since the war is to be held late in January, 1919, and I should think that there would be record attendance Of
 belated debutantes, among them being Princess Mary herself, who, despite her
 nea.-ly 21 years has never yet come out" in tho official sense of the word It is obvious that everybody desires to throw off as soon as possible the miasma of war; and in spite of the general elec- tion, and the food and fuel control- lers, they are giving a willing spirit
 and an eager heart to such merriment as may come their way.
 The restaurants and hotel dining rooms are crowded at lunch and dinner time, and at those restaurants where danc- ing has commenced once more, the floor space is scarcely sufficient to hold the many~couples desirous of obeying the call of Jazz bands and other orchestras. Never was. there such a feverish de- sire expressed to get move on" every where. ! the renaissance of social life, is the re- appearance in London of that stately and beautiful dame. the Duchess of Port | land. Before the war this tall. slim peeress was practically unknown to the general London public; in fact, except as sort of ''rumor.' she was quite an unknown quantity even in her younger days. But now that her daughter, Lady 4lx 11aa ! married-the event occurred the other l day--she seems to have suddendly come out into the light of publicity. and in ! person and in photograph has become 8 l very interesting unit in the great world I of London society. The Duchess of Port land cannot be In her first youth. for I the honest and terribly direct pages of the "Peerage'' give her away-but this 1 fact matters little, and she is amazingly youthful, both in figure and face.
 l I saw her the other day standing close to the Duchess of Marlborough al l bazar. and certainly it was difficult to | tell which of these two tall and graceful | women was the elder Yet consultation with Burke and DeBrett tell very plainly | the tale of the ages of both these charm l ing ladies. Duchess Consuelo'' certainly has the advantage over her English sis ter of the strawberry leaves! The Ouch | eSS or aROTItdIu was IiidiitCu " eAS St~>>' duke of that line in 1889, while 1t was not until 1895 that Miss Consuelo Wander bilt married Charles Richard John Spen- cer Churchill. Duke of Marlborough.
 | I believe that these two duchesses l are the tallest women of this. particular rank who adorn English society; cer- l Italnly they are the most slender. The Duchess of Portland has become parti- jcularly thin during war time, and it Is iher invariable rule to wear black vel lvet in the evening. Her gowns of this sonbre material are specially becom- ling and characteristic. As a rule, she lweais few ornaments. and her dark lhair, which has scarcely a streal, or sil-
 ve- I'll it, she wears very simply dressed land slightly shadowing her brow.
 l The Duchess of Marlborough cn the lcontrary has recently affectel snort 1 ''bobbed" hair. She is quite gray, and ithe effect of the pushed edge If haii auout her abnormally long, thin throat lis distinctively attractive and quaint She is looking much better and hap l pier nowadays. Whether the conditions lof her life are more congenial thar I they useu to be. I, of course, do npt know, but certainly this youthfu locAlng mother of a grown-up son, Las
 much more juvenile appearance now than was the case four or five ,ear' lago f < Z
 Like the Duchess of Portland. hel
 kra1s of Marlborough has also a dis