Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
QUEEN MARY SURE
OF PART IN REIGN
New British Monarch ReIi.
ant on Mothers Wisdom
and Influence.
BY JAMES WALDO FAwCETT.

SAutN ututuOStuVOs
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.
What, many are wondering. will be
the part assigned to Queen Mary IN
the reign Of her son. King Edward
VIM? A. the moment, of course. she
has the sorrowful role of the widow
Of the new monarch,s father. But
that will be only secondary position.
The fact that the former Prince OF
Wales is unmarried suggests that she
will be granted a primary place IN
his reign.
Certainly. the Queen enjoys enor-
nous prestige The British people
know that during the several illnesses
Of King George she was, in effect,
sovereign regnant. They also realize
that she was her husbands trusted
adviser for no less than - years,
and that she is familiar with the un-
written history Of the empire through
out the entirety of that period OF
time. Her knowledge and her ex-
perience should constitute an in
valuable asset to King Edward.
And it is expected that he will
make the most Of the advantage.
His close friends all are aware that
the new occupant of the throne re-
spects his mother to the highest
degree-not only as parent, but
likewise as clever, intelligent,
talented and marvelously competent
woman. He has leased her. differed
with her, possibly even quarreled with
her on occasion: but he has said,
"Follow my matters lead and you will
keep out Of trouble"
Little Understood in U. S.
The Queen. naturally enough, is
better appreciated in England than
she Is in America. At home, thou
sands have had opportunity to see
her, meet her, hear her voice; here,
she is known only through photo
graphs-most of which utterly fail
to represent her faithfully.
Her austerity Is legend with little
actual foundation. Rather. one finds
her gracious and courteous in the
extreme. Even in repose. her coun-
tenance is kindly. The lines of her
face are not manifestations of inward
pride. presumption or pretense. In
stead. they signify good humor.
tolerance and Astounding charity.
Two minutes of conversation with the
Queen would suffice to convince
any one of her innate gentleness. She
Is, beyond all question. one of the
most definitely and truly charming
women in Europe today.
Retirement, 1t may be surmised
would sadden the Queen. because she
has been active so long that q
crowded calendar has become a
natural routine for her. Yet she Is
essentially. a retiring type of person
The notion that she is ambitious and
pushing" is contradicted by hel
usual manner and custom. Certainly
she is queenly, upright and reason.
ably prim in carriage. But any
American who has seen her at a
public function will be ready te
testify that she is personification
Of thoughtfulness for others, while
those who have had the privilege Of
meeting her at Windsor gladly will
witness to the devotion with which
she provides for the comfort and
convenience of her family and their
guests. The Queen is genius as
housekeeper, fully and completely
mistress of her home and conscious
Of her duty as hostess.
fundamentally TactfuL
Her tactfulness, by the way. is
monumental. To illustrate its char
acter, a story hitherto untold may be
cited. At a garden party gentleman
of generous proportions and somewhat
ungainly department accidentally
dropped a teacup. Her majestys
gown was splashed with the contents.
The offender. as might be imagined.
was in veritable transport of en-
embarrassment. His face Redeemed to
the hue of Winter sunset as he
etammered apologies. But the Queen
merely smiled. IF such a thing
never had happened before" she said.
II should have been as disturbed as
you are. But accidents are frequent
enough in my experience to teach
me what to do about them. Please
do not worry. I never do"
Mary Of England, however, has
known the torture Of heartrending
worry often enough. The World War
was agony for her. Especially when
her youngest child, Prince John, was
dying and when King George and
the Prince of Wales were at the
front in France, she suffered terribly.
Only her wonderful courage kept her
"up to" her task. Yet it was never
Of herself that she thought during
air raids and channel fighting.
Rather. it was for her men-folk and
the men-folk of the other women Of
the empire.
Her affection for the poor is deep
and real. Visiting the slums of London
soon after the armistice, she said to
her escort: "Why did no one ever
tell me that human beings live like
this?" Tears stood in her eyes as she
answered her own question: Il suppose
I should have guessed without being
told"
Inherits Mothers Energy.
It is from his mother that Edward
VIII inherits the energy which he has
displayed in his travels. The Queen
Is tireless. Her program for an aver
age day includes IA hours Of effort,
much Of it latterly spent in an endless
variety Of charities. She has been in
strumental in raising millions Of dol
lars for philanthropic purposes. But
she also has contributed the fruits of
her own personal labors-hundreds and
hundreds Of garments knitted by her
own hands, even jams and jellies made
under her own supervision.
The Queen personalities her interests
In Q curious way. She selects people
60 help, and then consistently watches
avar them nrnfAct& them and enccn,r.