The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-18
DIPLOMACY AT THE : ASTOR TABLE HAS
 ITS AMUSING SIDE
Lady AstOr Favored Auck- land Geddes for American Ambassador for
 Good Reasons
nr MARGAREr wALrER


 London, March s1.-(Reciprocal Nets
 ce.)-Partly because she is an Amer jean and partly because she is a woman. 4sviscountess Astor is introducing start ling changes into that seat of strongest tradition, the House of Commons.
 For one thing, her speeches have not a remnant of that suited convention which
 has always marked the most simple statement made by member, and when she is impeled to say anything she goes catch the speakers eye, plunginz straight irto the middle of what she has to say and getting her idea before the house in the fewest possible words and the short est time. She does not hesitate to point straight at any person she wishes to m
 dicate in the house. Tn her first speech she shocked and delighted everybody by suddenly pointing her white-gloved finger straight in the face of her opponent on the liquor question and saying, What did you and your friends do in the great war?'
 But it is not only in the House of Commons that Lady Astor is introducing g new ways and showing people that oio matters can be approached in new light.
 When a new ambassador was to be ap- pointed to represent Great Britain in the United States, Lady Astor privately took upon herself the task of finding yle proper man. She began systematic yss earch which long before his name was rbiblicly mentioned in that connection { ended in her conviction that Sir Auck- land Geddes was the man for King George to- send to Washington.
 In order to get to know him she made a point of watching him at his woTk ; she never missed an opportunity of hear
 .f. Axrnr nr~x~ft7 wrote; she made a trip to France to see how he conducted himself at the peace conference, and was finally satisfied that he had the right ideas about America.
 Then she got introduced to him; she met his wife and asked her to come round for the afternoon and bring tneir five children to play with the little Astors who live right with their parents hfN American children do.
 Busy as she.is (she gets up at 6So every
 morninG, Lady Astor has plenty or time to give to her children. The way she manages this is by having them all ways about. They have important duties in the house. Her little daughter sees to the flowers in the morning room, ana it was she after lessons, dressed Tn blue wool jumper and serge kilt, who received us before her mother came m for lunch. She gravely walked round ", company shaking hands and puttlng everybody at ease just as any well-bred little American daughter of the house wculd do. When her mother appeared she left the room and returned in moment with her little brother, David, to announce lunch The children with their governess took their places at a little side table, but when three guests failed to appear, Lady Astor. who waved aside all formality at table, called to the children, Come over here with us, .aoung 'uns; there's plenty of room" The F youngsters rushed to the vacant seats beaming at their mother as they unfold ed their napkins
 Now. children, listen to all we say, for it interests you deeply" Lady Astor bent forward toward her daughti< We are talking about America and Engl,sid; it's a very important question. Each one of us is telling what we think 1t is that separates these two countries, our coun- tries.'
 Do you know what think is stand ing in the way of American was her table comment. "Dress-and food. l know American women are the best dressed in the world. tell my sisters so every time they come over her to visit me. But. goodness, what a time 1t takes, what money, what brains! I'd rather get more for the money. And the food Why, when you think of the people over here, contented and happy on the same
 
 out, without flavor, without variation how they enjoy it, mind you, and thrive on it, too, much better than Americans do on that endless variety of rich stuff that takes so much time, so much lntei- ligence and so much labor to get ready. f"I think''-Lady Astor is fond of begin ming her sentences like that-"I tninh the thing we want now is for just sim rle people in all countries to get to know one another mighty well; not just the fer traits, but everything.
 |As sWhen it came to Davids turn, Sir ! Auckland Geddes turned to the boy, who | stared back an instant and then like a ! gopher suddenly disappeared with his blushes under the table The little girl in the presence of that circle of serious grown-up faces dropped her eyes for an instant and then looking hard at her mother, she murmured with great con viction, Why mummie. it's the ocean, isn't it?'
 Long before the lunch was over the two children were excused and we could hear them overhead racing about in their stocking feet preparing for their after l noon rest. They shouted good-by to | tf cir mother dozen times. Anything to defer that hated rest
 Lady Astor does things in a simple, ! middle-class motherly way. She doesn't | know what diplomacy means and treats | people, no matter. who they are, as if | they were plain human beings. Well, | you're crazy, she remarked to her dln- liner partner the other day, As for titles |.and court courtesies, her manner with . these is entirely original. She knows exactly and precisely what to do and l what to say, what titles to use and when to courtesy or bow but she merely indi- cates that she knows it by half woN or a little nod and leaves it at that Tn speaking of her husband she nearly always calls him MT. Astor. He is equally familiar, even in public. At a big lunch at their house, the guests crowding around Lady Astor to say l rfI<by were startled to hear loud voice Ibscrn the lower hall shouting, Nancy, ! Nancy Don't you know it's tsne for you l to be at the house? Come on.'
 Nancy glanced at her wrist watch and kwas off to get her hatDvith a rush and . last friendly wave. Before her guests had reached the landing she was with l them, pinning on her little velvet tri- ! ccrne and smoothing the collar of her coat as she ran downstairs. As a Fast Irecaution she felt in the ample side pocket of her skirt for her notes neatly folded and numbered and the last we saw of her was boring over these as she took her seat in her very unpreten- tious family motor car off to Westnun- ster.
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