New Britain herald., 1919-02-01
By Helen K. Macdonald
London

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 0N>. Aears a lot about the mantle of O the father falling upon the son. To have the fathers mantle falling } upon the daughter is less usual. There fore. i'll many respects the position of EjsCountess RhondGa in Britain today is unique.
 She has inherited her famous fathers title. By birth she is Mar garet Haig Thomasj by marriage she is Lady Mackworth and by heritage , she is Niscountess Rhondda. Her father having had no son the King conferred upon the daughter the right to bear his title, She has in hcrtted her fathers privileges, one of wh.Ch is the right to sit as a pecress ln the House of Lords. She has in- hefited his business genius and or can.zing ability. She has inherited lis place in the confidence and esteem of her fellow men and of the British Government
 But more than that has been handed down to her To organize a min istry of health was one of the late Lord Rhondda's most passionate dreams To that end he gave much thc1ght spent time formulating, con- sidering and drafting proposals. But wral25 for the dreams! Death stepped between the vision and the reality
 Niscountess Rhondda is one Of Britoin's most outstanding women. In America you have your Wall NTnk oJJ country. Between the leisured and the working classes there is a great gulf fixed. The ladies of the leisured | classes are rarely, if ever, to be found Interesting themselves In business. To he sure there are a few exceptions. Tngland's aristocTacy before the war used to lead the lives of society but terhies or else dabbled greatly in social work.
 Therefore Viscountess Rhondda's ac tive participation in the affairs of the great business world places her in rlane apart and above the heads of many of her countrywomen.
 During the war Lady Rhondda was called upon by the British Govern rent to occupy an important position. She was made the Directrix of Re cruting for Women's National Serv- Vice, a tribute surely to the trust in which the country held her when she, young and pretty woman just little over thirty. should have been asked to take charge of the whole develop nent of women's corps for work in the navy, army, air and on the land. Just a Jolly Big Girl
 When I called upon Lady Rhondda I found her at the offices of the Min instry of National Service, Westmia- ster. had never met her before, and as I was swished in the elevator up to her rooms on the third floor remembered all the things I had read about her in the newspapers and +magazines. had heard her described as "a mistress of industry" the keenest woman in England" and "Britain's leading business lady" Men tally visualized her as a precise, formal person, severe in expression with a calculating eye, a firm mouth and a dictatorial manner.
 But when 1 CdIlle ldte LO lace WILL ., her as she came forward to ereet me, with outstretched hands and a very kind and friendly smile on her face, into thin air vanished all those pre- conceived ideas of mine.
 Precise, calculating! None of these things
 Just d tall, well-made, jolly big girl with gray eyes and brown hair. Very ."human and lovable is this business woman; and she looks as though she had an instinct for friendship and for all the fine and sweet and sane things or life.
 T want to talk about my fathers great scheme. the ministry of health she said after little preliminary chat. ''But first let me say what feel about tho position of women in the world to- day. People always talk as if it were