Evening star., 1923-09-20
BY THE MARQUIS DE FoNTENoY.


Capt. Oswald Mosley, one OF the
youngest, and assuredly the freshest.
members of the house CT commons,
whose shafts of satire and ridicule
aimed at his stately and terribly dig
nified father-in-law, the Marquis of
curzon, are a source of unfailing joy
to his fellow legislators irrespective
of party. shares the distaste of his
own father, Sir Oswald Mosley fifth
baronet of his line for Rollaston. the
large family estate in Staffordshire
which has been sold. The late Sir
Oswald Mosley, who was the typical
John Bull of caricature in appear
ance, manner and particularly in his
readiness to use his fists, spent the
greater part Of his life either in
lighting or in bestowing well meant,
but unwelcome philanthropy upon the
authorities and people of Rollaston.
\ His quarrelS with them became a
subject for never ending litigation,
SO that, with all his generosity, he
was regarded as foe rather than
| a friend of the people of the district
where his ancestors had made their
home ever since Sir Edward Mosley,
attorney general of the duchy of
! Lancaster, in the reign of James I
had purchased from the ancient fam
lily of Rollaston the lorship of the
manor of Rollaston and the extensive
Rollaston estates.
Whereas the late Sir Oswald was
known in his day as the most tur-
bulent and pugnacious member of the
house of commons, his grandson and
| the eventual heir to his baronetcy
and estate, Capt. Mosley, is an equal
| ly disturbing element in parliament
and, although he is soldier by pro-
| fession who distinguished himself
during the war as particularly gal
(, liant officer of the 18th Lancers, his
favorite weapons nowadays are his
gibes and his quips and his ire
preSsible sense of humor at the eX-
pense of others. rather than his fists.
He is married to Lady Cynthia Curz-
i on, second daughter of the Marquis
of Curzon by the first of his two
American wives, the late Mary Letter
Iof Washington. Lady Cynthia in de-
| fault ofmale issue to her elder and still
unmarried sister, Lady Irene Curzon,
Twill eventually inherit her fathers
tbaronetcy of Ravensdale and will be-
come a peeress in her own right. She
has a little girl of the name of VII
Wan. But the latter by virtue of the
unusual provisions of the royal pat
\ ent, has no share in the succession.
which is limited to the male issue
lonly of the three daughters of Lord
Curzon oy Mary Letter. Therefore. il
Capt. Mosley and his wife, Lady Gym
thia, have little boy. he will, on his
mothers death, inherit the Ravens
dale peerage. Otherwise it will pass
ION the death, in turn of the un-
married Lady Irene Curzon. and of
Lady Cynthia Mosley to the latter's
youngest sister, the now nineteen
lyear-old Lady Alexandra Curzon, to
whom King Georges youngest son,
Prince George, who is about to be
promoted to a lieutenaney in the roy
al navy, has been paying a sufficient
amount of attention during the past
season as to excite comment.
x = y x
| Lady Cynthia Mosley is a great ia
vorite of the King and Queen of the
Belgians, and 1t may be recalled that
they took the trouble to come from
(! Brussels to Hackwood Park. near
| Basingstoke, one of the country seats
of Lord Curzon, especially to attend
| her wedding. She shares her hus-
bands high spirits. Indeed. they are
| a very lively couple, and have a tend
| everything and of everybody, even
of her father, and, while he is devoted
to her, there is no doubt that he finds
both her and her husband exceeding
ly disconcerting at times. Thus 1t is
difficult to conceive Lord Curzon as
| relishing his son-in-law's frequent
diatrlbes against age and his eulo-
gies of youth. THE world" Capt.
Mosley insists, has, since the war,
learned to distrust old age and to be-
lieve in youth" and he contends. both
in and out of parliament, that the
British empire would derive enormous
advantage from "scrapping the lot of
it's present old-fogy rulers and by
substituting in their stead gov
ernment of all young men," 1t Is
unnecessary to point out that, among
the present old-fogy rulers" whom
he proposes to "scrap" is his father
| in-law, Lord Curzon. On almost every
issue that drops up, either in political
or social life, Capt. Mosley takes a
diametricalfF opposite view to Lord
Curzon, andNdoes not hesitate to pro-
claim his feelings with the utmost
assurance anf impetuosity. Lord Cur
zon is popularly credited with being
1 far too serio1s-minded and pompous
TO understand bumor. But that he
possesses a Quiet sort Of saturnine