The New York herald., 1920-11-07
Calls Book Mischief Maker.

Lord Northcliffe Ia particularly bitter
against IL In the Times, declaring that
the book will sell only because Il Is
great scandal The Times asserts 1t viii
create great mischief, leading the silly.
underpred to believe that the manners
and customs described in II are the real
manners and customs OF the leaders or
the British nation. and says 1T Will be
cited by our domestic Bolshevikt and ac-
cepted by many ignorant workers as
proof that our statesmen and politicians,
and the circles In which they move. I've
lives Of philandering frivohty. 1t will
be jeered at on the Continent and in
America as a revelation on highest au-
thority OF the corruption and Hypocrisy
In British manners"
The Morning Post calls II Malice IN
Blunderiand" and says It is "all a mir
age Of falsities and fallacies created by
q, blazing egoism unique In the history
Of British literature" The most chari-
table plan It says sis to regard the book
as a twenty-five shilling shocker."
Winston Churchill. who is rather
roughly handled In the course OF Mar
gots" prickly peregrinations, handles the
book rather handsomely, considering.
After sketching O not overdrawn portrait
OF "Margot" herself he says:
Eve must not take tho stories too seri-
ously. 1t Is better TO leave them IN those
regions of light and pleasant reading
where gossip, anecdote, inventiveness,
self-revelation---and particularly femi-
nine self-revelation--9houl rightly re-
side"
And it vas asked in tho House OF
Commons the same day no said this
whether Mr.. Churchill hadn't better busy
himself with Ireland than to pass his
Al sk0
Despite all this. the book is series OF
pictures painted By that ldnetic person
atty who broke almost every one Of her
bones riding difficult fences, who dared
to turn 10 Downing street over 20 a
French dressmaker for an exhibition OF
gowns because sho liked him, who dared
IN 1914 20 say goodby TO the German
Ambassador for the Same reason, and
who. according 20 her own account,
dared beard" even tho dreaded Queen
Victoria in her own den.
Looking behind the Scenes,
rt IN .the story OF a woman who
throughout her own generation has been
a sort OF an cnydnt tsr7IoIe, not only In
tho society In which she moved. but TO
tho great British public itself. or course
II 10 what every one loves, purporting, as
IL does. 70 look behind great scenes 1t
undoubtedly possesses literary charm,
swift movement. deft expression and
technical excellence In the difficult task
OF autobiography, which Ia hardly 70 be
expected In the writer OF II. This. per-
hnps, moves A q. Gardner to write:
BOLD and honest self -portraiture such
as this 10 too raro TO dia But II Will
1.-Two for another reason. For this Is
something moro than q treasury OF wit,
q panorama OF personality: It 10 the
obituary OF system Of society"
Every ono is asking what Mr.. Asquith
will say. and bots are that he will say
nothing. His wife trotted of 10 France
on the eve of the publication OF the
book II was stated that Mr.. Asu1ith
had not read the serials and then saw
the book for the first time.
Tho book II dedicated 20 Mr.. Asduith,
with the following excerpts from Epic
tetus:
"whati Have you not received
powers 20 bear all that befallsP
Have you not received magnaniTn-
ity7 Havo you not received couroge2
Have you not received enduraneeT
Apparently. Mr.. Asuuith had received
Gil thie, for despite the revelations OF
tho most intimate details of his reia-
tions with his first wife and frank dis
cussion regarding his children and step
childron, among whom is the Princess
Bibesco, now on her way to Washing
ton as tho wife OF the now Rumanian
Minister, he went north after reading
the book 90 make a speech on the Irish
question,