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Alarmed by their
transatlantic cousins'
captures of British
hearts they are adopt
iii the methods of
their successful rivals
ROM now on the Amerlcnn heiress who goes
F forth to pluck the flower of the English no
I bllity will find that she has a rival who Is
I equipped with the weapons for which she
herself Is famous. The English girl has care
fully taken the measure of the ways peculiar
to the fair American who has made such
inroads on her matrimonial market ; or what
Is more to the point she has had It taken for her by her
pretty, alert, and ambitious young English mother. The
result of the young and modern English matron's Inventory
of the American girl's charms Is o bring her to the deter
mination that the American way of bringing up girls Is the
best, and that the English mother with daughters to marry
off cannot be too quick about taking advantage of it.
As might have lieen expected, she who has thrown down
the gauntlet by coming boldly forward and expressing her'
self upon this point Is Lady Algernon Oordon-Lennox, who
comes from a family of sisters noted for being clever, pro
KreBslve, and decidedly democratic, ns well as extraor
dinarily beautiful. Both the countess of Warwick and the
duchess of Sutherland, who Is " Lady Algy's " half-sister,
are noted for their advanced views and general freedom
from the rut of English prejudices and their liking for
erylhlng American.
"Lady Algy" Lauds American Girls.
Lady Algernon has Just returned home after a visit In
New York. She has announced that more than ever before
has she been Impressed with the ways of the American
society girl. "The straightforward, easy, and fearless
ways of the younger girls," she says, " when they meet
strangers, and especially when they meet men, are In
charming contrast to the shy, stiff, and awkwnrd manner
which Is generally sen upon the young English girl."
Now, this Is the first time any English mother has come
out and said anything so radical. It is not the first time
she has been thinking of It and acting upon It, however,
as a glimpse Into the ways of some of the newest debu
tantes and the prospective debutantes will show.
To begin with, there Is Miss Ivy Oordon-Lennox herself,
who has Just been presented at court. During her whole life
she has had the utmost freedom. When she was sent away
to boarding school she made her own friends with the un
questioned freedom of im American girl. When her father
and mother were In this country a ye-.r or two ago they
were entertained at Chicago by Mr. and Mrs. Martin Ryer
snn, with whom they had become acquainted through the
intimacy which their daughters had struck up at boarding
school. Refore she was 17 she had attended a drawing
room at Dublin. And all through her life she nd her
mother have been decidedly " ohummy," and have shared
the same pursuits and consulted each other about their
clothes, In true American fashion. Lady Ivy already Is
showing the Influence of her training, as she Is noted for
her fearless, direct manner and frank ways. She Is tall,
slim, 'and blue eyed, with a wealth of lovely golden hair.
She and her mother look like sisters, they are both so
strikingly alike, and so young looking.
-
Noble Girls With American Habits.
This family throughout has taken kindly to things
American. Another debutante who has always had her
freedom In the same wiy-largely because of the Influence
of her sister-in-law is Lady Helen Gordon-Lennox, sister
to Ixird Algernon. Her mother died when she and her
sister, Lady Muriel, were babies, and both of the little girls
have been the pets uf their grandfather, the duke of Rich
mond and Gordon. Lady Helen, In particular, has spent
much of her time with Ijidy Algy, nnd In the free and
easy atmosphere which prevails at Houghton castle. When
Lady Hi len was only 17 she was called upon by her
grandfather to come to Gordon castle to help entertain
the prince and princess of Wales, who made a visit there,
and she did her part with great honor to herself.
The duchess of Sutherland also has a pretty daughter,
Ijtdy Rosemary Leveson Gower, who In a few years will
be old enough to be presented. She Is already a fearless
and Independent horsewoman and lately was brldematd
to her cousin I.ady M irjorle Grevllle, known as the " milk
maid peeress," who was married to Viscount Helmsley.
Rear Children as Democrats.
Roth the countess of Warwick and the duchess of
Sutherland have brought up their children In the most,
democratic fashion. They have gone to the common schools j
In the village, and made and brought home what friends
they would, where they were made welcome to the great
hall and gardens of whatever country seat they happenec
to be in.
The duchess of Sutherland Is a socialist, and her beauti
ful city home, Stafford house, for many years has been
given up to charity concerts and bastars, but It Is now
to be opened for a great ball which she U to give to her
niece. Lady Ivy I-ennox. She Is not only bringing up her,
daughter in the American fashion but sl.e and her husband
have openly expressed themselves In favor of an American
wife for their son. She has noted that the proudest title
bearers In England have crossed the water to lay them
at the feet of American brides, and not long ago, when she
and the duke were in America, it was an open secret
that they had a more thin passing Interest In the young
America girls whom they saw here, because they consid
ered that among them might be a pouitble parti for their
on. , -!
While the duchess Is planning to wed her son to an
American heiress, she Is equally keen about giving her
daughter, Lady Rosemary, the kind of freedom which will
'develop her along American lines, and which will make her
as capable of making a brilliant match as the American
girl has proved herself to be.
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The fact that American blood has already been Infused
to such an extent In the English families has also a good i
deal to do with the change In method. which is constantly
growing more pronounced. Nobody has surpassed the
countess of Essex, who was Adele Grant of New York. In
the original and charming way in which she has brought
up her little girls. Caxslobury park Is the family seat, and
for several years the little daughter who bear the dis
tinguished names of Lady Iris and Iid Joan Capt 11, have
lived here in a small nouse of their own.
It was a cottage of more than ordinary size, which was
left tenantless, and which the counters had fitted up for
the children and their governess, so that In her absence
they could live a simple and free outdoor life, without the
restrictions of that pasted in the great hall. Here they
had their own frienda and sirvants, and did as they liked.
In much the same fashion as their original and independent
mother, who has ben notorious for 1 1 r original ways of
adding to the family Income. ,
Another mother who Is exceedingly American In sIe
and PMthods, if not In birth. Is the countess of Cairns,
whose husband was engaged to AdtiQ Grant before fche.
became the couuieso of Eusi x. She was extremely young
when she married Lori Culms, and three years later she
was left a beautiful wldjw with one little girl. She valued
her Independence highly, not marrying again until after
ten years, and has been in turn a bar.jo player, a skirt
dancer, a cyclist, and a fckater, and an expert motor driver.
' Her daughter. Lady Rosemary Cairns, who is now l
is exceedingly precocious, and has all tht aplomb of her
mother, though her special Interests run In graver chan
nels. When she was only 13 the little girl was consid
ered an exception illy clever chess playr, and she Is known
as one of the best women swimmers In London.
far of Minto's Girls Fearless.
The children of the tarl and countcsj of Mlnto already
havi shown the result of their American experience, though
It was only a Canadian one. The dlffeience between Lady
Ruby, who is the latest debutante of the Elliott family, and
the more shy and quiet manners of her older slater. Lady
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Eileen, is strongly marked. n the education of her
younger children has shown a great change of policy, and
It will not be surprising If Lady Violet, who Is the youngest
of the thrf e girls, will eclipse both of her sisters when her
time comes to be presented. Lady Ruby Is one of the most
admired of the late debutantes, and has chic, and style,
and ease in a quantity usually undreamed of in English
girls. ,
Lady Lettice Fairfax, the only daughter of the marquis
of Cholmondeley, Is also one of the younger set who has
been brought up bo that she will be able to give a good
account of herself among her transatlantic rivals. She
is only 10, and has lived both In the country and In the
atmosphere of courts, the Is a good musician and a clever
amateur actress.
The name of Lettice has been In the family for 500
years, and the present Lady Lettice haj a full share of the )
family beauty. She is a fine horsewoman, and is a fearless ;
rider to hounds, from which sport she has not been ex
cluded as a young girl when great parties were being
entertained by her father as lord chancellor.
. J
Liberality of Training Increases.
Lndy Muriel Ersklne, the pretty daughter of the earl
'and countess of Buchan, is one of the younger English
girls who have succeeded In mixing Into things long before
they were presented. One of her ambitions when she was
quite young was to beoome a trained nurse. She entered
a hospital, but It had become so noised about that the
friends and acquaintances called so often upon trivial
pretexts that her usefulness was seriously Interfered with,
and she proceeded to take her place In society by being
formally presented.
The marchioness f Granby Is another brilliant and
talented English woman whose beautiful daughter, Lady
Marjorin Manners, testifies to the liberality of her bringing
up. !ady Marjorie's brave stand In attempting to move the
king and to win him over to her way of thinking In regard
to her marriage with the duke of Connaught Is well
known, and her courage In trying to move the heart of
Edward, which can be stony at times, was deserving of
better results. She Is pretty and extremely popular In
London society. She has carefully followed her mother"!
artistic training, and has a partiality for esthetic styles of
dressing. None of the girls of the present generation has
been more painted or tefore the public In every way than
she. Her mother has made pastel sketches of her In every
possible position, while Shannon baa painted her In half a
dozen ways.
Enter Society Much Younger,
Many of the other English buds who are coming out
this year show signs of the difference In their training,
especially In the fact that they come out much younger
than formerly. Lady Viola Talbot, the daughter of the
countess of Shrewsbury, is an accomplished whip, and
drives her turnout to perfection, albeit she Is one of thei
youngest of last season's debutantes. She was seen a good '
deal In society before her formal presentation. Miss
Muriel and Sybil Corkarnn are two extremely pretty bru-
nettea who are Immensely popular, and who were more or
less out before they were presented at the last drawing
room.
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