Evening star., 1937-07-04
MARY KEEPSBUSY
'ASQUEEN MOTHER
Spurns Semi-Retirement to
Help George Over Early
Years of Reign.
BIZ the Associated Press.

BIZ the Associated Press.
~f LONDON, July queen Mary,
after a quarter-century of fulfilling
Britain's ideal of what a reigning
Queen should be, today is playing
the role of queen mother apparently
with even greater success.
She has not followed the example
OF Queen Victoria, spending her
widowhood pining in semi-retirement
Her coronation activities and her re-
cent attendances at the Wimbledon
tennis championships impressed the
Nation with her choice to play an
active part still in the life of her
people.
The days of mourning for her con-
sort, King George V. who died jan
uary 20, 1885, proved only a tenn
porary let-up in her manifold activi-
ties.
Familiar Sight Today.
Today, although white haired and
10. she is familiar sight at most
OF the countless events of the corona
tion season-still with the same stately
carriage and gracious smile, still
wearing the flowered tooues of the
style she made her own, holding a
tight-rolled umbrella or sunshade in
a whitegloved hand.
The Warmest cheers of the British
public still are for her.
Queen Mary'S return to public life
was done with the strictest regard
tor court etiquette. She made her
first appearances at art exhibitions,
flower shows and other quiet func-
tons. When the period of mourning
was over, she attended one or two
film premieres for charity, and thus
paved the way for her temperance
at state functions such as courts. gar
den parties, palace balls and finally
the coronation itself
The eve Of the abdication of her
son, King Edward VIII, saw the Queen
mother at her best While curious
crowds thronged TO the gates of Marl-
borough House and pictures of the
then Mrs. SlmpSOn-noW the Duchess
OF Windsor ana her Jaw
stared from front pages of nearly
every London newspaper, Queen Mary
drove out in the spirit of business
as usual" waving and smiling to the
crowds as if she could not guess any
special reason for their presence there.
Takes More Engagements.
With King George VI on the throne
she has been taking on even more
engagements as if determined to help
her second son through the difficult
early days OF his reign.
Her splendid health-for Years she
has not suffered anything more seri-
Gus than an occasional cold-has
brought her through ordeals which
might gravely have affected most
women of her age.
Recent weeks have seen Queen
Mary buster than ever. From be-
hind smoked sunelasses she has
watched the tennis at Wimbledon and
congratulated the new champion, Don
Bulge of California. She nearly fell
down the steps at the end of the
royal box at the end of one DAVIS
play, but just smiled and remarked
to attendants, They do keep it dark
here, don't they?'
Appeared at Opera.
She has appeared at the opera at
CoVent Garden in a shirnmering ice
blue gown and tiara blazing with
'JeWels-and let herself be stared at
right through the intermissions in
stead of retiring to the suite behind
the royal box.
AT numerous flower shows and ex-
hbltions she has welded her lor-
gnette and passed critically apprais-
1ng comments on what she has seen.
Being Queen mother has one COM
pensation she formerly did not have.
While Queen Elizabeth must accom-
pany the King on fatiguing tours of
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
this Summer, the Queen mother is
planning quiet holiday among the
flowers Of her Norfolk garden at
Sandringham,