The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-05-15
SCANDAL WAVE:
BRITISH SOCIAL
LIGHTS SPUTTER
Courts Say Cases Are Not
Typical - NoveIists.
Say They Are.

BD Times Special 4
LONDON, May 15.-The philander.
ing, booze-fghting and dope-taking
dragged into light by the recent
succession of society divorce trials
.-are they typical Of British aristo-
cratic life?
Yves, yes, yes" shouts a chorus of
novelists, playwrights and critics at
large.
mo, no, no." bushes the dignified
pronouncement of several high
courts.
The question is agitating virtually
the entire public now. and particuy
larly the smart set, the ultra smart
and the near-smart. It began to
make conversation during the Rus
sell and Dennistoun cases, and in.
creased In volume as the details piled
up. The mud that was thrown
seemed to stick. The papers were
full Of It, and then along came
several clever dramatists and pre-
scented savagely cynical plays in
which the same society was held up
to scorn and ridicule for its utter de-
generacy.
Babylonian Tales
Adding to the tales of Babylonian
misconduct have been new series
of sensations revealing that one
home after another has been broken
up, because people in exclusive
circles Just cannot get along with
each other.
Such a case was the divorce suit
Of Lady Kitty Vincent against Brig.
Gen. Sir Berkeley Vincent, center
Ing in the very holy Of HOLES of
social prestige.
Sir Berkeley once commanded the
9Th Inniskilling Dragooons and was
distinguished in both the Boer War
and the world conflict. Lady Kitty
Is the daughter of the late Earl of
Airlie, end her mother was one Of
the ladies' Of bedchamber to the
queen. At the Vincent wedding one
of the handsomest gifts came from
the queen. And that marriage now
Is wrecked.
Gort Divorce
Another bad shock for the upper
crust was the divorce suit brought |
by Viscount Gort. The viscount has
won more immediate awards of deco
ration for heroism than any living
British soldier. EIe succeeded to his
title while schoolboy at Harrow,
entered the army and was a subal-
tern at the outbreak Of the war He
was wounded nine times and finished
as lieutenant-c colonel.
Viascount Gort won the Victoria |
Cross by leading an attack Of the
first battalion of the Grenadier |
Guards. Although seriously wound.
ed, he had himself carried forward |
on a stretcher, directing the combat.
He did not collapse until after they
had captured 200 prisoners, two field
batteries and numerous machine
guns. Lady Gort, while he was
away, operated a millinery shop and |
gave all the profits to the Red Cross
They have two children, Is and II.
Shaken Confidence
AS these cases one by one have
shaken confidence, in the structure
of society, judges hearing the testi-
mony have gone out of the way to
utter reassuring dicta. Neither these
real life cases nor those in current |
literature were anything but abnor-
NAL instances, they declared.
Arnold Bennett and other we'll |
known writer's are fighting back in
defense of their craft. Not only were
the plays and novels an accurate
mirror of goings-on in modern Lon
don they say, but the authors have
under-stated rather than over-stated
the case.
IF you don't believe it," say the
authors, visit the big hotels, exclu
sve restaurants and expensive night
clubs and use your own eyes and
ears