Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/240

 LADY OF QUALITY
 * i8

debutantes. Some wag has it that par- ticularly pretty debutantes were made to pass the dais a second time. Amongst the special functions which demand the State attendance of the Vice- reine are the ever-popular Punch^stown races, the Derby of Ireland, when the national spirit of fun and froUc is seen in a delightful aspect. The Dublin Horse Show in August is a more fashionable function which claims her Excellency's attention and gives great opportunity for attractive toilettes. If the Vicereine be a lover of horses and a good horsewoman, she has a sure passport to the heart of the Irish. The late Lady Cadogan endeared herself to the Irish because, at the beginning of her Viceregal reign, in spite of torrents of rain, she accompanied : the Lord-Lieutenant to Baldoyle races on St. Patrick's Day. When the seventh Duke of Marlborough reigned at Dublin Castle, his daughters, all excellent horsewomen, and his son and private secretary. Lord Randolph Churchill, and his lively, charming wife, delighted the local gentry and the peasantry by their inde- fatigable hunting. There was scarcely a pack of hounds that they did not go out with at some time or another. Wearing o* the Green The popular Vicereine makes the " wearin' o' the green " her sacred duty. Every Viceroy ought to present his wife with a new set of emeralds to celebrate his appoint- • ment. It still remains for a Vicereine to go yet further back in the history of Ireland and adopt the ancient national colour of saffron. When the Castle season closes in March the Mansion House season begins, and the position of the Lord Mayor of Dublin has ancient rights and privileges which place it sometimes in rivalry'- to the Viceregal court. All depends upon the political bias of the Lord Mayor. The Vicereine can do much to bridge over these difficulties by entering heartily into the ciyic festivities, and showing due regard to the etiquette of the Mansion House. Phoenix Park In spring, when Ireland is truly the Emerald Isle, the Viceregal Court leaves the Castle for the Lodge, in Phcenix Park. To use an Irishism, " the front of the house is at the back," and commands a delightful view over the pleasure gardens across the Park, where deer stand in picturesque groups, to the Dublin mountains and the snow-capped heights of the Wicklow Hills. The view from the Vicereine's boudoir is delightful, and all the pretty chintzes and draperies are of Irish manufacture. The Park and grounds of the Lodge afford her Excellency a charming place for al fresco entertainments, whether garden parties or philanthropic fetes. Unfortunately, Irelanc| has Ipng beqn a distressed country, but there are many ways in which the Vicereine can minister to her needs. When the seventh Duke of Marl- borough was Viceroy, the duchess won great popularity, during the terrible famine time, by starting the Irish Relief Fund, which reached the figure of ;^i35'00o. Queen Victoria, in a personal letter, conferred upon her the Victoria and Albert Order in recognition of this work. A touch- ing story is told by her daughter-in-law. Lady Randolph Churchill. On her dying bed the duchess gave directions to her eldest son that the Queen's letter should be kept in the archives of Blenheim, adding, " I may seem a useless old woman now, but this letter will show you I was once of some importance, and did good in my day." Lady Aberdeen Lady Aberdeen is prominent amongst the Vicereines for promoting Irish industries. To her the Irish Industries Association owes its inception, but, owing to the defeat of the Gladstone Ministry, her husband's first term of office, in 1886, lasted only a few months. In that brief time, however, Lady Aber- deen won a secure place in the hearts of the Irish people. " Better lo'ed ye canna be ; Wull ye no come back again ? " and " True friends of Ireland and her indus- tries " were among the farewell mottoes to be seen in Dublin when Lord and Lady Aberdeen left the Castle. The ex- Vicereine did not cease her efforts because she was out of office, and continiied an active interest in promoting the Irish Industries Association. She also organised the Irish Village at the Chicago Exhibition, and travelled with a party of helpers through the wilds of West Ireland, visiting the lace- makers and other workers in their cottage homes. No place was too remote, nor the cabin too small, for Lady Aberdeen to visit. When, after the lapse of nineteen years. Lord a.nd Lady Aberdeen returned to Dublin Castle in 1905, their welcome was very warm. The memory of their first brief triumph augured well for the future. Her Excellency is still pursuing her policy of Ireland for the Irish, for she loves the country, and the blood of the O'Neils mingles with her Scottish ancestry. It is understood that ladies who attend the Dublin Drawing Rooms and other functions are expected to wear dresses and lace of Irish manufacture. Her Excellency has also extended invita- tions to sections of Dublin society not before included in the Castle invitations. She has visited in the outlying parts of the country, and is devoting herself to the extension of the nursing scheme started by Lady Dudley. The death of her son, Lord Archibald Gordon, threw a sadness over the viceregal family in 1909, and the death of his Majesty King Edward has also affected the Castle gaieties. But when public social duties are lighter, Lady