The Washington times., 1937-03-17

should the man
Mrs. simpson who was King of
England, accustomed to the pomp
and circumstance of courts since
the day he opened his infant eyes
in Buckingham Palace, want to set
tie down in the provinces of Mary.
land? For howeve agreeable
Maryland may be-" add the unim.
aginative, little scornfully, "it is
still the provinces. Now if it were
Long Island
"Your arguments all wrong"
protest those who know about the
psychology of Marylanders, and
more particularly of Baltimoreans.
There's good chance that the
former King and Wallis Simpson
will select the stability of a Mary
land setting as permanent home.
Undoubtedly Wallis Sim son
would like to come back to her own
State to live. And it would seem,
judging from the way her romance
rocked the world last December,
that what Wallis wants, David will
have"
Unless you do understand the
Maryland state of mind you can
not comprehend why Wallis War
field Spencer Simpson Windsor
would want to return to the place
where she was none to happy as
a child and young girl. But if you
do know about Maryland or Balti-
more, you realize that it is like no
place on earth and that it has a
never dying pull on its native sons
and daughters.
Baltimore is completely satisfied
with itself. And II you don't en-
joy its ways, its entirely insular
attitude-it is your bad luck, Not
Baltimore'S misfortune.
It is you who are the loser, not
Baltimore. Because Baltimore likes
itself the way it is. 1t likes its own
leiSurely life, its unmodern ways
and is completely content to live In
the self-contained Maryland Free
State manner, inherited probably
from its feudal beginnings when
the Lords Baltimore and the
Lords of the Maryland Manors
ruled their acres as small prin-
palities. ..,..
Baltimore people-and Mary
landerS generally are the sweet
est, friendlieSt people in the world
If they like you. But if they
don't happen to like you, you may
be more fascinating than the
Queen of Sheba and more powerful
than Roosevelt, Hitler and Musso-
lini mbined-they will pass you
by with cold good morning.
That's all there will be to your
acquaintance, because in the words
of Ethel Barrymore, there isn't any
more-in Baltimore.
You seldom see Baltimoreans
in Washington. Why? Princi-
pally because BaltimoreanS think
Washington. is a stupid striving
place, inhabited by itinerants
who put the wrong emphasis on
life and get excited about pecu-
liar people, some Of whom might
be vaguely, but most devaStingly
described in Baltimore as "ordi-
nary" Baltimore is not concerned
with political celebrities as we in
Washington are. It generally
regards persons in politics as
outsiders. Unless, of course, in
the case Of some one who, like
the late Governor Ritchie, "be-
longed" before he went into poll
tics. Who was accepted" not
because of his office, but in spite
of it.
A Baltimorean, who did not
'ebelong" in his or her youth, may
move away from the city on the
Patapsco and live in the bright
places of the world. May be
brilliantly successful in interna'
tional society. But if ,he-or she
was not one of the crowd, ne
may return to the quiet little
home town not as a "boy or girl
who made good" but still an
outsider. Baltimore will show no
sign Of excitement over his tr1
umphs in Europe, Asia, Africa OF
Australia, The right people
will rush no faster to call than
If the returned prodigal were
still obscure and unknown.
Mrs. Simpson though extremely
well-born in Baltimore (no shrewo
old lady will be able to ask in the
chilling way old ladies sometimes
have "And what was your nader
name, my dear?'O did not have
an easy life as a child and young
woman. She was often dependent
on the uncertain generosity o1
relatives. Keeping up with hel
crowd was a frequently ernbarass
ing struggle.
Therefore, it is logical to anyone
who knew her and who knows
Baltimore that the future Duchess
of Windsor will want to come
back and show the old crowd what
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