The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1919-11-06
OLD ORDER PASSES
Today Is the Twilight Of the
Belted Earl.
British ArIstoeraey. for So Many Cen.
turtles Secure In lts High Place.
10 Feeling the Ground Slip
Under It's Feet,

In one Of the old Plantagenet houses
Of England the belted earl and her
ladyship live In one corner of the cas-
tie. The rest of the fine old mansion
Is closed, William Allen White writes
In Golfers. The servants needed to
run the house are no longer available.
Money will not hire them. Their men
have been commissioned In the army
because the earl's sOn-who had a
right to sit at the foot OF the throne
and who had also the blessed privilege
of hearing the king by ancient right
address him az cOusn-the enrl's son
lighted one cigarette too many on the
parnpet, and when he and his kind
from Eton and Harrow went out. com
missions In the army fell to the cooks
son and the housekeepers son and the
parlOrmaid's brother and chamber
maids sweetheart. who. being COM
mlssioned. promptly took their women.
kind out Of service. They are feeling
what they never felt before, these do
nestle servants Of the nObility-the
spur Of ambition.
So they have left the castle. and
such of the servants rs stay have be-
their self-respect. "Whatever you do"
said her ladyship to her guest. don't
ring bell!" To the question In the
visitors face the hostess replied: "lf
you ring bell the servants will leave.
I have only three. They have an
nounced that they will do their work,
but they forbid interruptions by
bells!" The hot water appeared on
schedule; the service flowed into the
guestroom In its regular channel. ex.
cept that fires were 80 low that the
visitors feet were frOstbitten; the
meals were served on time and were
well cooked. But the servants were
efiicient shop assistants. no longer
feudai serfs. And the earl chopped
the trees In his own forest with his
own hands for his own fires. The
meager household allowance of coal
that the fuel controller gave to the
earl from the mines under the carts
own lands was barely enough to heat
the servants' rooms. ~
And a. for the broad estate over
which the earl ruled M an agricultural
overload six years ngO-an agricul.
tural overload and industrial entrepre.
neur through his coal mines-the e..
tate Ia all crumbllng. The land Ia pass-
Ing into the hands OF smnii farmers |;
the old yeomnn farmer. fairly well.tO-
do. OF good old yeOman stock. going
hack to the COnQuerOr-he md his
kind are taking the ownership Of the
land Of the belted earl In lOO-acre lots,
and the nation. having taken charge
OF the carl's coal mines. may now re-
lIeve him Of the burden Of mine own.
crship rs well. For the parliamentary
committee by a large majority has re-
ported In favor Of the government
ownership Of al, mines Of every de.
scriptiOn.
And because the earl's son sleeps
under the peoples Of Flanders and his
daughters are married and gone. the
earl Is weary. confused old man.
chOpplng wood In the forest to keep
his old wife warm. He cannot fight
the new order. No leadership IL cali
Ing him. lie knows that the end In
coming for him and his kind. lie real.
lies quite definitely that In II few years
the custle Of the Plantagenets. who
were royal In the last Hcnry's days.
probably will fall into the hands Of n
brewer or II draper or II stock broker.
who will put In centra, heating plant
to defile II. iebase the privacy Of every
bedroom with hot and cold water. and
degrade the place with n wilderness
Of bathrooms. so that four servants
Gun run the place on two eight hour
shifts where 100 rcininers once served
the baron under Elizabeth.
The millions the old earl received
from the yeOman farmers for his land
lnve been divided with the state In
yearly income taxes: and now on the
horizon he sees n parliamentary bill
gradually npprOnch which provides
that capital ~ well ns income shall liz
henvily taxed. So the old man In the
forest sees even his capital unsafe.
and he wonders curiOusiy how the IN.
tie gray mum NJ Windsor feels n,,Out
the prospects NJ succession for the
fat