The Washington times., 1922-03-07
MRS. ASQU|THIs
DRINK;
. FORT At FIRST
Finds Tipping overdons Among
Young Peopie-Likes U. S.
Men Best.
Nv Cosmopolitan News Service.

AsQutth Ii against ptohipieoh' eAe
announced here yesterday on her re-
turn from a lecture tour about the
country.
Chicago conditions. she indicated.
were at least partly responsible for
her present emphatic views on the
question OF drink.
ct was much In favor Of prohibi.
ton at first" she said. because I
thought It might stop drinking
among the poor and the poor
woman would receive her husbands
"But q little experience Of tho 40
tual working Of II quickly changes
ones views. The drinking by your
young men and maidens Is shock
ing" The drinking among young
women was apparently worse In
Chicago, according to Mrs. Asquith.
When asked IL the drinking
among the women was worse here
than in England and on the con-
tinent. Mrs. AsQuith held up her
hands and said:
"I never in all my life saw q young
woman intoxicated at a ball or party
or any public function in England.
Such q thing would be unheard Of.
1 did not see any young women In
| toxicated in Chicago or elsewhere In
this country myself. but was told
Of Il on every side"
ct saw it," said her secretary. 81
saw many young women under the
influence of liquor at q large party
which we attended in Chicago. They
were not completely drunk. but were
quite perceptibly under the influ'
ence."
prohibition il unquestionably a
very bad thing as 1t 10 admins.
tered" said Mrs. Asquith.
1.-THE only sensible thing. II seems
to me, Is to return to light wine and
beer. One Of the noticeable things
about your life in this country is
the way you are being interfered
with by the Government. This Is
not a free country. like England"
Mrs. Asquith Is not satisfied just
to read about herself in American
newspapers, she said today. She
is eager for news from home-Eng-
land.
1T am missing a political crisis in
England" she said, because your.
papers don't give enough informa-
ton to keep me in touch with the
situation.
Front Pages Arc Bad.
your newspapers are all right,
in the way they have treated me,
but the top Of them is abominable.
never read the first sheet, which
Is usually filled with murders and
suicides. Charlie Chaplin's pants, or
Mary Pickford's dogs. They screech
and bellow"-the front pages. not
the dogs.
Between puffs on her cigarette.
leaning forward eagerly from her
divan seat in q beautifully appointed
hotel suite. Mrs. Asquith displayed
an eager interest in everything she
said in a rapid-fire interview in
which she gave her views on inter-
national affairs. the British cabinet
crisis, American prohibition. Ameri-
can cities and American traits in
general.
There will be an election in May.
undoubtedly" she said. Lloyd
George may weather the storm, but
the coalition is doomed, there Is no
doubt about that"
In forceful language, she char
acterized the Versailles peace con-
ference as "fruitless." the Cannes
conferences as fatal"
Your Washington conference was
the conference" she declared. That
conference accomplished something.
We were well represented by Mr..
Balfour. don't you think? And
your Mr.. Hughes must be a won
derful man."
Likes New York Best.
New York Is her choice Of Amer
lean cities she has visited, Margot
confided.
ut was good to get back here"
she said. Boston and Chicago
were wonderful to me, but some
how in New York everything is
more alive. like it."
American life is too fast and
furious for her English sensibili-
ties to grasp, Mrs. Asquith said.
You are too fond Of money"
she charged. You work too hard,
much harder than we do in Eng.
land. over there we take our time
and try to enjoy life. We don't
live so strenuously and we take
more and longer holidays and go in
for sports"
Then Mrs. Asquith said a startling
thing. she said IL a little wistfully
as IL she knew that she was breaking
fond delusion OF the numberless
women who are not fair:
Beauty is a thing in itself. The
Almighty Is a mighty Handicapped,
and when he gives visual beauty, he
does not always give marvellous in
tellect or soul. The two things are
separate. One does not make the
other.
LONELINESS II perhaps. A plain
woman can be lovely. Many ugly
women are lovely. But beauty is
beauty. I carry no illusions.
Springs Up Anywhere.
1T does not necessarily need
patrician blood to breed 1t. 1t can
spring out anywhere. I have seen
many fair women here, women with
the lovely expression of human in
terest and sympathy that I love.
But II you ask me for really
beautiful women, I'll have to tell
you that l have seen very few in
my lifetime. Queen Alexandra OF
England is a beautiful woman: she
is old now. but she was beautiful.
Lady d'Abernon, wife of the British
ambassador to Berlin. is a beautiful
woman. Mrs. Langtry, Of London.
Yes, I've also met one in Canada
Mrs. Lawford. OF Montreal.