QUEEN MARY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 854, 28 June 1910, Page 3

QUEEN MARY.

HER PERSONAL • INFLUENCE. Queen Mary will, it seems to' bo generally anticipated, soon exert a marked personal influence of English society, says the London correspondent of tho Melbourne "Age"; or,:, at any rate, on that section of ii which, consists ol women of wealth and leisure. Her character, preferences, and inclinations are well known. A Londoner by birth,, and trained in London, she has been under constant observation from.' childhood. She is a woman of strong natural ability, practical in every detail of her own domestic life, a shrewd judge of others, patriotically ambitious, and possessed of a large share of what Mr Asquith namine it as ono of tho attributes ol tho late King) rails "tho genius of amnion sen<e" To what account will she turn the" great opportunity which has come to her in tho prime of life, and with tho prospect of many years' service before i her? Society women expect to hear bad news at any moment. Probably atioir tfears are justified: It is believed, for one thing, that Her Majesty intends to "encourage" them to a greater amount of useful social'service: To be encouraacd from such, u quarter is virtually tu be commanded. . A Royal fashionis scarcely imposed;'it'is usually accepted without cjuestion. In this case any in-convenierice-any curtailment _of wasteful frivolities or other denial of tho flesh—can be made incidentally to bear the appearance of feeing a natural growth of personal virtue. ..- ■ ' ■Unquestionably there is room; for;an exercise of Royal influence in this direction Thousands of Englishwomen who have means and leisure are nominally occupied with some form of social work, but investigation has proved again and again that the. greater part, of it is. too lacking in continuity and sound purpose to be 'of much real value. There is need of greater intelligence, energy, co-opera-tinn, and self-sacrifice. Hero is the nevr Queen's opportunity. She has the shrewdness and experience that come of wido travel. She has eeeu something of tho lif K of several other countries, and is fully acquainted with the social conditions—in many respects inferior—of her own. For . extravagance. and waste in every form she is known to have a pronounced, dislike. The life of "the Court cannot be revolutionised; that would be opposed to tradition, and perhaps unwise troiL tho point of riew ot Royal.'policy. But there can be innovations lit' the direction of increased simplicity, fragality, and a better sense of the power of example in social matters. . Queen Mary, has long been a.good patriot in respect of one not unimportant matter which she will now be able to bring under more general notice. Almost everything that she wears or buys for her ; children ib British made.' The protectionist system was adopted at Marlhorough House as soon as she went into residence- there. If only' half of the upper and middle-class women of England were to follow Her Majesty's lead, millions of pounds would annually be put into the pockets of British manufacturers and their employees.