Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-19
Must the Ghosts Go Too Z?
BY Frederic ]. Hssksn

The Duke of Devonshire recently /
sold Devonshire House In the very
fashionable Park Lane, London, and
1t is reported that the old place will
be torn down TO make way for mod
ern hotel. Equally historic town and
country places have been abandoned
(at a high price, by the Dukes OF
Westminster, Rutland, MARLBOROUGH.
Grafton and Buccleuth, Lords Lecon-
field, Londesborough, Portman and
Camden, the Earls Of Denbigh and
Harrington, and many other noblemen.
In 1920 one firm of auctioneers alone
sold 349,695 acres OF country property.
and this year thousands Of acres Of
old estates are being sold weekly.
| The reason for this widespread par
tition of the hugh country estates Is
best explained by a speech made re-
Gently by the Duke Of Portland to
his tenants, in which he said:
A Dukes Farewell.
THE war has entirely altered the
outlook Of myself, as II must have
done that Of other large land owners
in this country. For centuries past
landed estates have in many instances
been handed down from generation to
generation in one family, and the
landlords and tenants have grown up
together and have lived, as we have
done, on terms Of mutual trust and
affection.
Il fear, however, that this state OF
things is passing away, for, with the
present enormous weight OF raxation
and the extremely onerous weight Of
future has become uncertain for all
landed proprietors.
With regard to my own case it may
or il may not be possible for me and
my family to reside at Welbeck. But 1
fear that there can be little doubt-I
hope am wrong. but 1 do not think
that l am that those who come after
me will not be able to do SO.
1T Is Of no use whatever blinking
the fact, however disagreeable II may
be''that there must, and inevitably
VIII be wholesale closing down OF
the large country houses: il not now.
at all events when the present genera
: tion has passed away"
Welbeck Abbey is literally supplied
with ghosts and is particularly famous
for its underground passages and Sc
Duke of Portland is said to have spent
! 81 ,O00,0O0,OO0 pounds. It contains an
: underground riding academy. 400 feet
. long LOG feet wide and so feet high
beyond that there Is an underground
! ballroom, 15S feet long, So feet wide
! and 2l feet high. and still further on
! are subterranean libraries. In fact. the
underground part of the estate is said
! to extend for Is miles.
II is estimated that there are very
) nearly 1000 huge country estates In
! Great Britain each requiring SO or
] more employees to work them. There
are 10 big places. each employing
more than 200 workers. while some a.,
the largest estates have as MANY as
! 800 employees each on their payrous
4 Before the war, for instance. Wnbeck
Abbey alone employed 20 gardeners
The total operating expenses of the es.
; tate were 1900 pounds. Today IN.
2 Abbey has fewer gardeners but il,
operating expenses are nearly trebled
The passing of the great English
estates means the last and hna
! triumph OF the new Industrial AK,
2 over the preceding agricultural one
england mourns il on the whole bnl
realizes that it is inevitable. som,
!. even feel that the change viii be ben
n eficial.
: The Dukeries scarcely doyetail Ia
e 70 the sentiment of more democuti,
e age, says the Pail Mall Gazette. 10,
& instance, and while the picturesque
+; ness OF the patriarchal regime will b,
?, missed, II is healthier life that 4
!; beginning to oyerspread the shire
n with It's more equal distribution o
e property and initiative"
1, None OF this. however. sheds an,
a light on what 4 to- become Of the man
: or ghosts so dear to the heart OF tn
: Psychical Research sociey. Is It pos
d sible that they will follow the exmpl
d Iof other disgruntled Europeans an,
iemigrate to America?