The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-20
Rat Skins May Become
 Neu British Fashion
By LAD MARY

summer. During the past four years nat
 urally tennis courts have been practical
 ly deserted and many of them have been
 neglected and have run wild. But now
 that the actual peace-time is within dls- tance, digging and rolling and plant
 ing and smoothing are going on at a great rate on all the famous club courts, while the list of members at all the be- ter known out -of-door clubs is increas- ing of a rate that is distinctly em- barrassing to secretaries and others who have charge of the executive running ot these organiZations One of the mostN famous places of the kind in London is Queens club, which is situated at West Kensington, suburb sufficiently near to the center of London to be very popular with people who have not time enough to spare every day for the more distant Ranelagh or Birmingham. Prince Albert, who is very busy these days at the air board, makes a point of going out to Queens club twice week, and I hear from experts that he is shap- ing very we'll as a tennis player. His ground strokes are specially good, and his style is altogether excellent. The Prince of Wales is not very keen about tennis, but Princess Mary is a great en- ! thusiast and has been coached by Mrs Lambert Chambers, who is the lady chs mpion at Queens club. The King, 1 when he was Prince of Wales, was very keen player and some years ago
 presenteS'/a challenge cup to the Lawn Tennis association of which he is the pa
 tron. Among royal players, however the ! King of Sweden is counted as the best 1 living exponent He plays regularly on
 the covered courts at Stockholm which i are famous meeting places for great ten I his players, and he is also quite star I card" at the Riviera meetings which are ! to be in full swing again very shortly
 By the way, as I am walking along l Shaftesbury avenue this morning, H block in the traffic caused a neat little horse drawn brougham to halt almost exactly in front Of me. l noticed the royal cypher on the panel. and looking inside discov- cred Princess Mary in her nurses uni form with a white nurses handkerchief banded across her fair hair. Her cheeks | were rosy, her eyes bright and the folds
 of the clean linen about her face immense
 ly becoming. I have always thought our Princess" a nice wholesome looking girl,
 but I certainly never regarded her as
 pretty until this morning when she looked
 positively charming. She takes her duties at the Great Ormond Street hospital,
 where she is working daily. very serious ly, and she is treated without any par
 tiality or formality of any kind. This is done by the desire, and indeed com
 nand, of the Queen, who is immensely | sensible in these matters I hear that by
 special request of the young princess
 herself, she is addressed as Sister py tker co-workers, and nothing distresses her more than to be reminded of her exa.te,
 position.
 And while on the subject of royalty,
 fancy that the most wonderful ana eil- during act that Queen Mary has ever
 accomplished in her very useful ana com l nonsense life has been her recent pro
 gress on foot through the slums of Lon don. Here indeed, she has shown her self as a real and fitting helpmate 10
 King. The fact that the queen Of Eng l land, quite unattended, without any sus' gestion of regal state or heralding, mas walked with her people through the py- ways that are inhabited by the poores and meanest of her subjects isNa thine 1 that raises her higher in the esteem ol the nation than any other act or her ca reer Aside from the fact that It shows l ] a real womans heart, this progress ol the Queen through the darkest spots O her nations capital is one of those wlse acts of superb diplomacy and tact tna
 lean only ema nate from the brain oi a woman who does the right thing at the , right time.