Lord Dudley, Peacemaker of Brf tain
EARL OF DUDLEY.
One thing Is pirlaln, While Lord Dudl"y
remains nt the head of affairs there Is not
likely to bo any serious trouble in Ireland.''
Lord Dudley, the great peace-maker, Is a
remarkable man In many ways. He Is one
of the richest psers In Great Brltiun. Ho
has no need of his salary of $1W,0J0 a year
as lord lieutenant of Ireland. Indeed, the
cost of maintaining hli viceregal posh ion
far exceeds that turn. His collieries in the
"Ulack Country" alone return Mm over
KMO.OO a year, and he also owns large de
posits cf minerals in Staffordshire und
Worcesternhlre, large Iron works, big agri
cultural estates In various parts of Ens
land and plantatljns In Jamaica and other
West India Islands.
At first sight nobody would take him for
the thoughtful statesman and clever ad
ministrator ho has proven himself to be.
He is Just a Jolly, bluff, good-natured
country sciuiro to all appearances the
typical M. F. H. whose principal worry U
the heal i h of his horses and hounds. There
li, indeed, no better sportsman in England.
His word is law in the Jockey club, thj
Kanclaugh club and thj ltoyal Yacht
squudron three of the most exclusive
sporting clubs In the world.
Yet this wealthy peer, who has all the
money and titles a man can wish for, and
every inducement to live a life of idle
luxury, works as hard at the difficult tr.do
of government as any professional poli
tician. In 1I9 ho was electcj mayor of Dudley,
a grimy colliery town from which he takes
his title. He proved himself such a good
chief executive that ho was rewarded by a
second term.
Week after week he punctually attended
the meetings of the town council and its
committees, gravely debating with butchers
and bakers and candlestick makers the dry
del" '.Is of sewerage extensions and build
ing regulations. No public business was
too petty or tiresome to receive his personal
attention. Ho would give up a house party
or a yachting trip In order to check the
vouchers cf an usslstant surveyor or at
tend a meeting of the subcommittee on
street cleaning.
Once, In 1895, the House of Lords had to
decide a momentous question and Lord
Dudley was asked to attend and swell the
vote of the conservative majority, to which
he belongs.
"I'm sorry I can't," he said. "Our town
council meets the same night and I must
be. there."
"Hang your parish pump!" exclaimed the
conservative whip in dispute. "This Is a
national question. Parliament is more im
portant than the Dudley town council."
"I don't think so," replied Lord Dudley.
"The British empire is big enough to get
along without mo, or without the House of
Lords, either, for that matter. Hut the
town of Dudley needs a lot of looking after.
Municipal administration is far and away
more Important than anything one can do
In Parliament. It's better to mend one
sewer than to make a hundred eloquent
speeches about preserving the unity and
dignity of the empire."
Lord Dudley made a strong stand for
honesty in municipal affairs while he was
mayor. He left no loopholes for "graft."
Once he discovered some defalcations by a
subordinate clerk, a young man of good
character, who had Just been married. lie
ordered his arrest.
Tho wife begged, even with tears, for
mercy; but the mayor was implacable,
"Your husband must be punished for the
sake of the example," he told her.
Ixrd Dudley, tho mayor, was Just Lord
Dudley, the man, was merciful. He spoke
strongly In the clerk's favor at the trial
and got him a light sentence. While the
embeszler was in Jail his wife received a
check for his former salary every week;
from Lord Dudley.
As soon as he was released tha man went
to Wltley court to thank his benefactor.
"Glad tb see you, Jones," said Lord Dud
ley, cutting his words of gratitude short.
"You're Just tho man I want. Oicn to an
offer, aren't you? Would you care to go
abroad? I want a man to take charge of
some of my business affairs In the West
Indies. Do you think your wife would
mind living in the troplcsT"
"My lord, H Is too good of yon." B
claimed the man. "But how can you trust
me after"
"Pshaw! That's past and paid for," was
the answer. "Don't you know the best
cricket bat is the one that's been broken
and spliced?"
And Lord Dudley sent the man ot to the
West Indies on a salary more than double
that which he had got from the town
council and trusted him with tho handling
of large sums of money. The man proved
himself to be worthy of the confidence.
This Is only one of many conspiracies of
kindness hatched between Lord and Lady
Dudley. They are continually helping lama
dogs over stiles. Their single aim In life
seems to be to make other peop'e harpy,
and the amount of thought and ingenuity
that they spend in doing so is by no means
Lord Dudley is the patron of no fewer
than thirteen church livings and has to
support the Incumbents of all of them.
This system of patronage in the Church of
England is bitterly denounced even by
Anglicans themselves, but If all patrons
were like Lord Dudley there would bo no
complaint. He chooses his clergymen most
conscientiously. Mere scholarship or social
Influenco has no weight with him; he wants
a man who loves his fellow men. The lite
IHshop Creighton once said at a puhlio
meeting that Lord Dudley would have
iniide a model bishop.
Lord Dudley owes much of his succe a
to his wife. Lndy Dudley is a beautiful
woman, but not half so beautiful as she It
clever, and not half so clever as s'.ie 1st
kind.
She Is the youngest daughter of Charles
Gurney, the great Quaker baker. After
his death she was adopted by the duko
and duchess of Bedford. Tho philan
thropic duchess taught her to love an.l he'p
the sick, the destitute and the miserable.
She made her word a warm-hearted, be
nevolent woman like herself.
The duke of Bedford Is one of the largest
landlords In London, and owns a great
deal of slum property. His marriage w-s
one of the romances of the peerage. Wiku
he was 30 Lord Herbrand Russell, us ..u
then was, served In India as a major in
army and an aide-de-camp to Lord D.--ferln,
the viceroy. The heir to one of n.a
greatest titles and largest fortunes in Ki.t
land, he was naturally a mark for do..e. s
of match-making mothers. Had he cues...
he might even have won the hand oi a
royal princess, as the marquis of Lcrna
did. But he fell in love with a clergyman s
daughter In I.ahore and married her.
The duchess took the responsibilities of her
rank seriously.
"It Is not right," she told her -friends,
"that we should draw large revenues from
the poor and never trouble ourselves about
how the live and how they get the money
which they pay us." So she set the fashion
In looking after the welfare of the poor In
the East End of London, and many woo.. en
of title followed her example.
Before her marriage Miss Gurney always,
accompanied the duchess on these visila
to the homes of the poor. She has a beaut. -ful
voice, and Is probably tho best singer
among British peeresses. Often she would
sing for hours to please sick or aged folks,
while the duchess Inquired Into their
material needs.
Since her marriage Lady Dudley has
spent a great deal of time and money
helping children's hospitals and orphanages.
She is a devoted mother to her own three
young children, but her mother love Is
great enough to overflow for the benefit of
any child who is sick, lame, blind or poor.
The greater part of her pin-money is spent
buying toys, books and flowers for chil
dren's hospitals.
The duke and duchess of Bedford are
Ixrd and Lady Dudley's closest friends.
Those who are in a position to know say
that they have done much to encourage
and inspire a new and better Irish policy
which bids fair to place the name of
Dudley on tho roll of Britain's great
statesmen.
Gleanings From the
(Copyright 1508. by T. C. McClura)
HEN King Edward nnd Queen
Alexandra visited Ireland the
other day they wero warmly
greeted, but the crowds cheereil
Just as heartily for LorJ tnd Lady
Dudley, who piloted tho king and queen
around Dublfn. And with good reason,
Ixml Dudley U the man who Is making
poaco between England und Ireland.
"He Is the most popular viceroy Ireland
bos ever had," Is tho verdict of an Irish,
nationalist. member of Parliament "Vice
roy after viceroy have come here with the
notion that they are tho heads of an Eng
lish garrison in a hostile country. They
tiavo stayed In Dublin castle, surrounded
by old-fashioned, prejudiced officials, and
have learned nothing about the people of
tho country except through official reportg
and minute. They havo allowed them
selves to be swathed like mummies In red
tape, and then they have wondered why
their administration was a failure.
"Not so Lord Dudley. As soon as he was
'kiado lord lieutenant and took up th
reins of government In Dublin the officials
warmed around him and expected him ra
Simply 'O. K." nil their proposals like an
automaton, an his predecessors had don!
liut he politely de lined, saying, In efTe. t:
" 'I'm going among thi people to find out
things for myself. I won t do anything
blludfirided. When I come back I'll con
Shier your pcheme on their merits. I am
going to make a tour through Ireland la
my automobile.'
" 'Alone?' Iho officials gasped. 'It is mad
ness, my lord. You will he ns issin ito.l.'
" 'No. not alone. Lady Dudley is going
With me."
"In vnln the officials Implored him to
give up the Idea. He s:ihl that ho was
going among the people ns n friend nnd
be wa puro they would rec? ve him ns one.
"So they did. That nu'omolille trip wo
triumphal progress. Ixird and I.aily Dud
ley both possofs tho golden urt of making
friends. They m ;do themselves so popular
that anybody who had ever lnsultd them,
much less harmed them, would havo run a
good chance of belnj mobbed.
"Often they would stop their automobile
at a peasant's cottage, beg a glass of
tnllk and chat for hours with the family.
X.ord DudU-y would get the hu 'band's vi '
about pollt'cs and tho land q istion, while
Lady Dudley would find out from the wife
all about tho womai.'s s'd ; of Irish
life and the need for reviving tho laco
maklng craft and other old Industries
VhJch would give employment to the girls.
"They didn't go to the blj; country h iurc3
Cf their acquaintances, for they knew th-s
landlord's views already. They gathcrtd
Information from tho blacksmith, tho vil
lage tradesman, the rural constable, th3
postman and the cottager. Lord Dudley
would sit up of nights drinking whlFky
with the parish priest nnd getting to know
the truth about Ireland as no lord lieu
tenant ever knew it before. He would even
dance with the country girls at the cross
roads on Sundays, and go around the cot
tagos expressing learned opinions as to
tho value of the family pig. When he ro
turn Poblln he had m ide hotn of
frletsW everywhere, and there was hardly
a pTs2 f Irish life with which he was
jnfnrsXbr.
"Then," continued the spenker, "he hor
rified I8 officials by bursting all tho bon is
of red tape und reject ng thrlr s -hemes for
mart coercion. In a hundred different
directions he Initiated a pence-making
rlcy which culminated eventually In the
great Irish Land Purchase Bill. Most won
rlerful of nil, he-a great lar.dlord went
imong his friends, the lrh landlords, utul
talked to them like a Dutch untie until he
convinced them that It was fo "y to remain
In open warfnre with their" own tenants.
XJeorge Wyndhi.m, the Ir!h secretary,
bas aided this policy of p?ac, and so h'lve
others; but we Irishmen are convinced that
Iho cred.t Is mainly due to King Edward
and thi lord lieutenant. We believe that
the king, who is an intimate personal friend
of Ixrd Dudley, Inspired his appointment
and backed up his policy from first to lust.
1IAHLES FBOHMAN was dis
cussing the morals of the aver
age p'ay.
"I believe In a clean stage," he
said, "and I think the stage.
pretty generally. Is clean enough. Here
and there, to be sure, you can find a pit
of black, but you have to look for It. Yoj
have to nose for It In the corners and re
tnoto recessf-s.
"Some of us can find uncleanllness any
where. A woman found uncleanllnesH once
In Dr. Johnson's dictionary,
' 'I nm sorry, blr,' she said, 'to see In
your work o many naughty words.'
' 'So, madame, you wero looking for
them, eh?" the old lexicographer retorted.
Lord D , a proverbial hater of America
and Ameilcaiks, was dining lately In Paris
with the British minister. Next to him at
tho tab'e was a noted Newport belle,
Miss X.
The conversation had drifted to a dis
cussion of tilings American, and Lord D.
made soma disagreeable remarks about
some Americans he had met and some
Yankee customs he abhorred.
"Why, d'ye know." ho continued, with
an unpardonable want of tact, "that nt
seme of tho places I dined In America I
saw people cut with their knives und spill
their soup on tho tablecloth."
Miss X. was thoroughly provoked by this
time, but she replied with apparent un
concern: "What poor letters of Introduction you
must have hsid, my lord."
There was no more unpleasant talk
about Americans that evening.
Representative Sibley of Pennsylvania
went to Mexico a time ngo to look after
some Interests he has there. Being a vig
orous and er.ergetic man, he was worried
by the shlft'ess habits of the natives.
One day in the City of Mexico he saw an
Imposing funeral procession.
"Whose funeral U that?" he asked of a
Story Tellers'
man passing.
"No eabc," raid the man.
"Good!" shouted Sibley; "now if they
will bury manana, too, this country will
amount to something."
4
A lady from Alexandria, Va., visiting in
Philadelphia quite recently, told an anec
dote of her retiring cook whicit Is good
enough to be told again:
Myra, the colored cook, gave notice to
Mrs. lUchardson of her intention to leave
at the end of the week. Mrs. It. highly
prized tho cook's abilities in the culinary
line, and proceeded to Interview her in an
effort to learn tho reason for her departure.
The following conversation ensued:
"Myra, are you not satisfied with the
wages and the home I glvo you?"
"Yea, Mis' Kiehurson, I alius bin happy
wiv you all."
"Well, why do you leave?''
"Say, Mi s' Rlchurson, don't you all in em
ber d&t fun'l la de next block Ua' Friday T
Pack
"Yes. But what of that?"
"Well, I dono gwlno to tell you all da
whole trufe. I'se gwlne to marry de hus
band ob de corpse. He 'low as I was de
life ob de fun'L"
Booker T. Washington, in his arraign
ment of those of whom he disapproves, is
so sincere, and frank, and earnest as to be
sometimes unconsciously amusing. The
last time Mr. Washington was In New
York ho met an old friend, a strong fellow,
begging.
"Well, Erastus, I'm surprised at this,
said Mr. Washington with a frown. Tha
other, confused, tried to explain.
"You can't explain to me. You are big
enough and btrotg enough to work, and
hero you are begging. You can't explain
that." said Mr. Washington.
"Well, Ah's got to live," said tha other,
humbly.
"There's not the least necessity far
that," sold Mr. Washington, severely.