SPACIOUS DAYS

Evening Post, Issue 51, 2 March 1931, Page 5

SPACIOUS DAYS

A VICTORIAN REMEMBERS

ENTERTAINING PICTURE

Major George Comwallis-Wcst, married first to one remarkable woman. Lady Randolph Churchill, and then to another, Mra. Patrick Campbell, gives a very entertaining picture of social life in the Edwardian period in a volume of reminiscences, "Edwardian Hey-days. " Tho wrapper of the book, a reproduction of a'William Morris wallpaper, helps to recall that gay, transient period, says the "Daily Mail." As the author says, those were wonderful 4ays:— "Taxation and tho cost of living were low: money -was freely spent, and wealth was everywhere in evidence. Moreover, it was largely possessed by the nicest people, who entertained both in London and in the country. "Dinners were gargantuan affairs, far too long, but although there wore innumerable courses the foreign fashion of serving innumerable wines had disappeared. Champagne, port, and old. brandy were tho order of the day, or rather night. One or two hostesses had wondorful cooks, but on tho whole the cooking was indifferent and meretricious, though the same could not be said of tho wines. FREE AND EASY. "The champagne vintages from. '80 to '87 were infinitely superior^ anything since produced. They wore also considerably more potent. "Life was free and easy up to a point, but there was much more attention paid to the idea of what people might say; perhaps, therefore, we were a little more discreet. Possibly owing to their upbringing, tho young men and young women of that generation had less self-confidence, and, in consequence, less individuality; but we hadn't that cold-blooded wish to experiment with life in all its aspects that is so often seen now. Major Cornwallis-West tells an amusing story of a men's dinner party given by Lord Rothschild, at which, though the junior member of the company, he was given the place of honour on his host's right: — "I noticed that in front of him were placed a plate of biscuits and a tumbler of milk. When we came to the fish, which was one of his chef's famous dishes, he asked me what it tasted like; and as I proceeded to do my best to explain, he took a bite of biscuit and a mouthful of milk with every sentence, saying: 'Ah, yes, I know exactly.' "I then realised why I had been placed on his right. Poor man, being | on the strictest diet himself, he was i eating by proxy, and I was his taster!" ( "r.E.'s" LOST JOB. How the late Lord Birkenhead lost his first job, the secretaryship of a local branch of an Evangelical Society, I of which Lady Wimborne was the head, is the subject of another story.— "Always a'lover.of art, 3?. E. one day came across an old Italian painting of the Madonna and Child, which he promptly bought ana hung up in the office. In duo course Lady Wimborne called upon F.E. and noticed it. 'Young man,' she said, 'what is the meaning of that?' " 'Oh, that!' said F.E. airily. 'Bather nice, isn't it? What do you think of it?' " 'What do I think of it?' she answered, fixing her lorgnette upon him. 'Don't you realise that you are an officer of a society specially ordained by Providence to suppress all images and pictures of an idolatrous nature?' "For, I imagine, one of the few occasions in his life, F.E. was speechless, and lie lost his job." In his discursive pages, Major Coin-wallis-West™covers every branch of Ed-wa-dian London and country life, and provides glimpses of a great n«mber of celebrities.