Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/126

 WORLD OP WOMEN io6 N Miss Christabel Pankhurst Caswell Smith MISS CHRISTABEL PANKHURST o one can deny the courage with which Miss Christabel Pankhurst, the originator of the " fighting tactics," has forced the question of votes for women to the front. It was she who helped her mother to found the Women's Social and Political Union. It was really the official refusal to admit her to the Bar, after taking her degree with honours at the Victoria University, Manchester, in 1905, as Bachelor of Laws, wh ich made Miss Pankhurst determined to devote her time to the "Women's Rights " question. An eloquent and polished speaker, she has every reason to feel proud of the success which has so far attended her strenuous fight. THE DUCHESS OF BEDFORD A LTHOUGH the quiet little village of Stock- ■**• bridge, in Hampshire, claims the Duchess of Bedford as a native — for it was there that her Grace was born forty-five years ago — she lived for several years in India, her father being the Ven. W. H. Tribe, Archdeacon of Lahore. It was while the Duke of Bedford, then Lord Herbrand Russell, was acting as A.D.C. to Lord Dufferin, Viceroy of India, that he first met Miss Tribe, and they were married in the same year. In spite I of the fact that she is the wife of one of the richest peers in Great Britain, the duchess cares little for society. Occasionally she is seen at the Opera, and sometimes at Prince's Skating Rink. Sport and country life, however, are her great passions. Shooting and fish- ing are her favourite recreations, and that she knows how to handle both rod and gun effectively is evident from the fact that her shooting record for a day is 200 pheasants, while on one occasion she landed eighteen salmon weighing 200 pounds. Riding and driving, too, appeal to her very much. The duchess's town residence is in Belgrave Square, but she much pre- fers the delights and pleasures of Woburn Abbey. THE COUNTESS OF ABERDEEN Asa girl the Countess of Aberdeen interested ■**• herself largely in social questions of the day, and it was shortly after her marriage, in
 * ■ Ztt, that she estab-

lished the Onward and Upward Society, an association which be- gan on a small scale among the servants and poor people be- longing to her hus- band's estate in Aberdeenshire, and which ultimately spread until it had over 9,000 members throughout the world. Since those days the Mrs. Madeleine Ryley practical manner in which she has helpea tc develop their home industries. The countess, like her husband, is a firm believer in children being taught some useful occupation, no matter what their station in life may be, and that is the reason why her son. Lord Haddo, was brought up to be a practical farmer, while her daughters are trained housekeepers who could dispense with a servant if necessary. MRS MADELEINE RYLEY IV/Irs. Madeleine ^^^ Ryley is a de- lightful and interesting woman, and the writer of over forty plays, which include those delightful productions " Jedbury Junior" and " Mice and Men.". The story of her career is a veritable romance of the stage. Until she was fourteen she acted as nurse to several brothers and sisters. But even at that early age the theatre fascinated her, and after her fourteenth birthday she suc- ceeded in securing an engagement in the chorus of a musical play. Three years later she went to America, where for eighteen years she sang in- operatic companies and played in comedy. Then, to while away the time on the long, tedious American railway journeys, she began to write lyrics and songs for the operas in which she was engaged, and magazine stories- Then she tried her hand at a play. The result was " Jedbury Junior," which was successfully produced at Terry's in 1896, after it had taken Mrs. Ryley three years tc get it read, and four years to get it produced. In 1890 she married an American comedian, Mr. J. H. Ryley. Her leisure time she de- votes to horse-riding and golf. The Duchess of Bedford Lafayette The Countess of Aberdeen London Ne-ws Agency countess has interested herself in many move- ments for the benefit of the masses, and she has endeared herself to the Irish people by the MISS MARIE TEMPEST LJer mother once told her that she could sing ■* '■ before she could talk, and it was her success as a singing student at the Royal Academy of Music which led her thoughts stagewards. It thus came about that at eighteen years ol age she made her debut in a small part at the Comedy Theatre. That was in 1884, and until 1900 Miss Tempest devoted herself to musical comedy, her greatest successes, per- haps, being scored in such plays as " The Artist's Model," "The Geisha," and " San Toy." Though she excelled as a singer, however, she was pre- eminently an actress, and during the last ten years has demon- strated by her clever- ness in such plays as " Becky Sharp, ' ' " Caste," " The Free- dom of Suzanne," that her forte is real comedy. Beyond a fondness for Pekingese dogs. Miss Tempest confesses to no hobbies. Miss Marie Tempest Lallie Charles