The New York herald., 1921-11-27
Aristocratic English Face Poverty Now
Former Leaders Of Society Have Turned Trade and Numerous

to find the vacancy is for a student-once
again, to qualify Where positions are
wanted Twill do anything" appears so fire.
quently as to have lost it's first sting to
even the sympathetic reader
The long and continuous list of great
estates and homes sold by families who have
held them for generations registers a de-
plorable fact for the parties concerned.
When a man such as Capt. w. A. Stirling
Home Drummond- Moray, related to Lord
Queensberry. parts with two more large
estates after having previously sold Blair
Drummond almost as soon as it came to him
the situation is not so bad because he still
retains Abercairney, his home. but to a
family with a single property this selling
off marks the beginning of the end. 1t
sounds the tocsin Get to work." or, failing
that go to the wall"
The way to the wall is along a rough road
past stringent economy want and grim de-
spair and once against it the selling off of
useless objects then treasured small pos
sessions, beginning with the proverbial Vic
torian paperweights and back-combs, goes
on through the wardrobe to furs and jewels
and ends with the cut steel Georgian ear
rings which bring but seven shillings. This
pitiless poverty is hardest on the women of
a family-when they are incompetents.
They wiring their hands-hands from off
which they have taken their jewels one
after one to surrender to a dust-licking
dealer for a dole.
The "interminable visit" system is in
augurating ITSELF although it has, rather.
been forced upon the hospitable by the
guest who came for a week but stayed on
for many, with no visible means of getting
away, and, moreover, no place to get to.
The truth leaks out-they have let their
own homes If homes they still have, in
order to make up some appalling deficit.
Other unfortunates have been letting away
their remaining residence and moving into
a cheaper one for which they plead mot re-
sponsible" when friends have sought them
out.
Some time ago when Margot, en- poser,
allowed herself to dangle at the back of
buses all over London town Ca charmngly
quaint silhouette in hustle, as well as an
excellent publishers ADJ she created an i'm
preston of the tail end of a useless aris-
tocracy-the breakup But It is lingering
These things pull themselves together
sometimes. The end may have seemed more
imminent than it is.
1t is far more important to comprehend
than to predict or pity. Bitter though this
slip backward Is to the English sufferer, and
deplorable as II may seem to an outsider.
the group most affected know themselves
that they have lived superlatively. They
were born into the most charming of homes,
reared WITH the greatest care, educated IN
the best schools. introduced into the most
engaging society since, perhaps, the Golden
Age; they danced. dined sported and chat
tered; they fitted from town to country:
they sailed to Norway to enjoy summer and
to the Riviera to evade the winter they
tripped to Sheppard's in Cairo to meet a
friend at tea. But they cannot do this any
more.
Are we consumed with pity? The wealthy
the world over have had their innings; they
realize IT; but there Is no evidence that they
will lose out now; they are rather finding
themselves.
Among a good many who have come out
openly and honestly "n trade" and stand
by what they are undertaking are Lady
Henry Bentinck, whose hard painted furni-
ture is view at the Canal Workshop
Lady Henry is the daughter of the Countess
of Bective. Paul Caret" Of Orchard street
Is directed by Lady Egerton. The Hon. Mrs
John Russell, Lord Ampthill's daughter-in-
law, designs and executes frocks at studio
in Curzon street. Mrs. c. F. Leyel directs
the enjoyable "Poussin" at the sign of the
green wig on New Bond. where "follies" are
sold-the French might call them fdntdsies-