New-York tribune., 1921-12-11

ord Of conversations overheard or
shared. It is safe to say that at least
fhree-fourths of them would have been
concerned with the coming marrisge
Of Princess Mary, only daughter of
King George V. to Henry George
Charles, viscount Lascelles.
And rot only in conversation has the
subject been an cngrossing one The
middle class father of family, who.
with income tax at six shillings in the
round and with the price of coal what
it is, is moved to declare grumpily
ever his shilling lunch that he doesn't
see Why more fuss should be made over
the wedding of princess than over
that Of any other English girl, will
then proceed to take up his paper and
read from beginning to end what Lady
has to say about "Our Royal Ro-
nance"
The woman shopper going home in
the Underground, who thinks that the
attention paid the Princess Mary in
the newspapers Is just sickening, new
ertheless has under her arm weekly
pictorial in which photographs Of the
engaged princess, "exact reproductions
Of copies mounted on stiff paper, ready
for framing, which may be had at the
business Office for sixpence each,- pre-
dominate.
And through it all golden-haired,
fair-complexioned young woman, who
but for her royal blood might be any
one of thousands of English misses of
type that is usual enough, sits in
Buckingham Palace and dictates gra-
cious replies to the thousands OF mes
sages of congratulation that come in
from all quarters of the empire. Or
she drives down PiccadiIly with her
hance, and traffic is held up as the
crowds cheer her. Or she attends a
theater and finds that the audience
pays but little attention to the stage,
but persistently focuses it's eyes and
opera glasses upon the royal box.
Engagement of Prince Only
Could Draw More Interest
Only one other event of similar
nature could hold the atte ntion of the
British public as this one has done
That would be the announcement of
the Prince Of Wales's engagement. But
thus far the prince has shown a de-
cided disinclination to select a bride
who will be England's future Queen;
and 1,c -,
will last until next spring, any an
nouncement of his own romance must
needs wait awhile.
One reason for the immense popular
interest in the princess's wedding is
that Princess Mary is the first daugh-
ter Of a British royal house who has
ever been public figure in the sense
that many British princes have been.
Up to and during the Victorian era the
position of q British princess corre-
sponded much more closely to that of
the heroines of innumerab1e legends
and fairy tales than does that Of the
Princess Mary. The daughters of the
sovereign lived the greater part of
..
1t would not have been thought seemly
Tor them ever to mix in the slightest
degree with the populace. For one Of
them to have danced fox trot with an
unemployed ex-soldier Gas Princess
Mary did at a charity bazar not long
ago) would have been not only impos-
sible but unthinkable. Princess Pa
trlcia Of Connaught was long pron,i-
nent in the public eye as princess
Fat,' but she was not the daughter of
aking.
IL was the war which brought Prin-
cess Mary from her secluded position.
ohs worked for a time as volunteer
nurse, passing on foot each morning
across the Green Park to Devonshire
house, the headquarters of the "V. A.
", or Voluntary Aid Detachments.
one rolled bandages and she collected
aor war charities; and, accompanied by
only a few personal attendants and
"itnout great state, she went to France
On an inspection tour of base hospi-
tails.
Inc war also, once and for all, put
stop to the generally held idea that
royalty must marry only royalty. 1t
true that Queen victoria's daughter,
arincess Louise, was married to the
marquis OF Lorne (afterward Duke of
Afsyll), and that later the Oldest
laughter of the then Prince Of Wales
i aAing Edward viz married the Earl
', FIFE, a scotch nobleman, who was
a'so elevated to dukedorn. However
sasse things were exceptions; as wit
ueas the far greater number Of British
p'.ncesses who have married foreign
princes or kings.
o" Britain as q whole had never
ea'o much of viscount LasceIles (the
~me' by the way, being pronounced
,, a0l with the accent on the second syl-
s''s' nur to rhyme with "castles") be-
II was announced that he was to
,s tne princess. Other names (and
s.sicuiariy that of young early had
sea mentioned as possibilities. So
as any one knew, this tall young
san with the lined and rather serious
- ss mad not even been a suitor for
princess's hand.