Evening star., 1923-02-13
BY THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.

BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.
Herbert Pike Pease, assistant post
master general in the Lloyd George
administration-that is to say. from
1915 until last fall-who has Just been
raised to the house Of lords, bears a
name that is familiar on this side of
the Atlantic. not only because OF his
connection with one of the principal
banking and mercantile houses in
England, having extensive business
associations in America. but also as
scion of an old Quaker family that
has many Affiliations among the
Friends in the United States.
The founder Of the Peace family may
be said to have been Edward Pease.
the old Quaker father of railroads.
and the most intimate associate and
partner of George Stephenson in the
construction of the Stockton and
Darlington railroad. the first in Eng
land. His son Joseph was the creator
of the now important industrial town
of marlborough. AS the first Quaker
member of parliament. his objection
to taking the oath OF allegiance prior
to assuming his seat in the house of
commons led to many acrimonious de-
hates in tnaI CHdU1pcT III loos Ills
eldest son and namesake, Joseph w.
Pease. was created q baronet on the
nomination Of Gladstone In 1882 for
his numerous philanthropies and for
his thirty years of service in parlia-
ment
He came in for no end of criticism
in England. as well as among the
Ouakers here, for, accepting this
baronetcy at the hands Of Queen Vic
toria-not only because all titular dis
tinctions are contrary to the spirit
and doctrines of Quakerism, but also
by reason of the fact that baronetcies
specifically entail the obligation to
furnish the sovereign with q certain
number of men fully armed for serv-
ice in .war-an obligation compounded
for by the payment of q certain lump
sum to the throne on the registration
of the patent. This was held to be
diametrically opposed to the prin-
ciple of peace at all costs, which is
one of the chief articles OF the creed
of the Society of Friends. However,
old Sir Joseph turned a deaf ear to
these remonstrances, and today the
Pease family possesses no less than
two baronetcies, and now a couple or
peerages.
Tne DuS1HoSS OIL OLE JOS6pH "dS
extensive one. comprising banking,
coal mining. iron works, limestone
uuarrieA eto, and it's collapse in
1903 created a worldwide sensation.
Sir Joseph was crushed thereby. In
deed, his death may be said to re-
suit therefrom, since 1t broke not
only his spirit, but also his health
His sons and grandsona however,
have completely repaired the dis
astera and the fortunes of the con-
Germ, and today the firm OF Pease &
Partners is stronger and more pros
porous than ever.
Ono of Sir Joseph's sons is Sir AL
fred Pease, the inheritor of his
baronetcy. and who divides his time
between Pfnchinthorpe, his country
seat In Yorkshire, and his huge and
widely known KilimA ranch in Brit
ish East Africa Tho ranch extends
over some thirty to forty Thousand
acres, and while a portion of 1t is
devoted to ostrich farming, the
greater part is maintained as a pre-
serve. literally swarming with game.
II is there that Sir Alfred Pease en-
tertained ex-President Roosevelt on
the occasion Of the latter's trip to
Africa, and certainly no visiting
sportsman could wish for a more
hospitable and prince1y host or for
a more experienced fellow hunter
than Sir Alfred, who has shot big
game in Asia, in Algeria, in the Tu-
nisian hinteFiand. Somaliland, Abys-
eiAia, South Africa and India. He -