BRITAIN'S PRIME MINISTER.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17814, 13 July 1923, Page 11

BRITAIN'S PRIME MINISTER.

LEAF TO FAME. SOME FACTS ABOUT HIS FAMILY. raoi: oira own roaEEsrosßEnT.) LONDON, June 1. I; w only natural that the- life history <i tht' new Prime Minister, and the iif, history of his relatives should be ::::i'!o public at this important point of i;;s career. The memoirs of the family '.: /.is mother's side have been written, .i::u they concern four ■•luMi'ii, one of whom was the wifo of ilurik'-JoNo. and she- it was who promodel and inspired her husi«2!id in tho painting of that saintly iyj.c oi woman that la known the world "•vcr as the liurun-Jones woman. AL tliu Jlu'jtionuld uirlfl were beautiful. TiK'ir father had a modest living as a .Mtili'KiiM, preaccer in London. He «:i-> the tutor as wed as the lather of ha children. His wifo, too, was a reluarkamy energetic and able woman, 'ill- children were strictly brought up, to use tile language of their day. Their iat her taught them painting and music ami a good deal al>out literature. The Lune uas a notable meeting place for artists and men of letters and affairs in tuo 'sixties. Of the daughters, Alice married Mr Logwood Kipling, a young designer of lottery. At Hu.yard in Staflor'lsluro, the holiday resort of the district, he proposed to her. Then he was eft-red a pest in India, anil she went <»ut there to marry hi in. In memory ui the place of their meeting tiiev christened their son lltidyard. The fiu&hand became a distinguished archaelogiit and designer; his fame is lost >a that of his greater son. Mrs Kipimg, say tboso who knew her in India, Kuolyard. fc>u« was a brilliant wwaan, extraordinarily witty, one of the most amusing talkers at the dinner ««ic-s of Bombay. - The Family Fortunes. Agne* became Lndj Povnter, wife of we nainter. Georgina "became Lady fume-Jones, and the was regarded hi Wr own liousc- as a saint as well as a «M»ty. Louisa, the Prime Minister's awtiw, married an engineer who was £> s*come a millionaire, but she worked «*.-< i, none the less; and she has writMas nov-el, •'Richard Uarc,'' a volume, /BJH.'re Town and Country Meet," a »«* oi fairy tales, '-The Pedler's ***,'' and one of the mo.>t noteworthy •Wit* of ghost stories, "The Shadows ** the Blind." •Jr. Baldwin's fnthor, for ono, had *> ■iiiflu.-nco" to set him up in l.fe. : ™> when ho was a more hid of sevonff 81 a* went to tho manager of a "Wcester bank and s<- much impressed *™ *ith his engineering and ironprojects that the bank backed |» Uuougli and through. Mrs Kip7*. I*My Poyntor, and Lady Burno**»*aro dead. Mrs B.ddwin has lived r," 9 her son r.chievo tho grontos* *™"jou triumph that a Commoner can A Business Man, fi.^ 01 * •"Wring Parliament, Mr f" fl «in had been connected with his W* r . Mr Alfred Baldwin, in Baldwins, ■j«*., too great, .Midland iirm known for products, of which ho became •Ui ;l r,naa - Ik was also director ■■JW» Great Western llailway. Alert, and quiet in .-peech, his r*** on the Treasury Bench since hcZ** 3 to tho fn>nt has been that of a. *3f, *i? ,al his ! ' r ° ]l:,s realised tho ** J .w time. His replies h.ivo been X*™* as possiblo compatible with Ja*" 1 * 6 ?- Ho has always known how tW 3 ! j °'' ) ""hen to remain silent, i**° to develop *ui answer. When beho leans forward to jT^ 1 "K <iuc*tinnor with keen eyes, Pa-vnng t ji o jKjJnt of the quesr"» Wforo it, i. s half , )Ut nnd nnsvverWhen ho leaves the and enters tho Lobbv he rarely UtSj° t ? lk - He waliis" with long <g*" J !r -d head slightly bent ami tJ* 1 ' jonvard, like a man engaged IS * horned mission. *Ufj>. appreciation of art and litera-•tt-rarf-* 1 , t,on nro among the most Mgr* qualities about Mr *»'*J2i 5 i lrnour is yenen.llv div; he - about the fluct "° in America, nnd ;ttst it ' wu '» a twinkle in his eye.-,, %; " ?'« the dollar that fluctuated P" wt the pound. '-. Acquiring Confidence. j his earlv education at | J** o *, «ul later went" to Trinity C*^

lego, Cambridge, where, like Mr Austen Chamberlain, he was an undergraduato under the famous Dr. Montagu Butler, then master; hut it is not on record that he greatly distinguished him.self in the schools. His mathematical rather than his classical ability is his most marked characteristic today. It is maintained that from the moment the Prime Minister made hisi successful Budget speech there was a perceptible change in him. He was likei a man who had suddenly won his own confidence, and because of that he won the confidence of others. His speeches took on a new note of assurance. His dry humour was given more frequent play. Ho began to forsake his practice of sticking closely to the notes of a. set speech. Ho "let himself gp." in his native Worcestershire he is very popular. Ho is essentially a family man, and has two sons and four daughters. He has been compelled t> sacrifice much of his home life to "'he claims of business and politics. In five years Mr Baldwin rose from a Parliamentary Private Secretaryship to the Chancellorship of the Exchequer. That is the measure of hia high capacity. What the Press Say. What is thought of the new Premier may be seen in the following quotations ironi the London dames: — "His friends know hint tor a man of simpie tastes and sterling integrity. He is said to prefer a country lire to Vv estininster, and iii'st editions to modern Blue Books. He has clearly no passion for olhce or for Parliament —a very rare and attractive'detect —yet he has succeeded during the last few months in winning a hold on the House of Commons wluch is conn>arable only with his predecessor's." —"The Times." "Mr Baldwin has many excellent qualities. He is a very good, man of business, as his father was before him. Finance, indeed, is his strongest point, and finance in these days is of paramount importance. He has led the House of Commons with marked ability during Mr Bonar Law's absence, and has shown that he possesses the gift of handling, not only his own party, but also the House itself."—"Daily Telegraph." "x\lr Baldwin is a statesman whom the country lias learnt to trust. Ho conducted the financial negotiations with the United States, and managed the great affair or the Budget in a way that showed him a master of finance. But more than that, he is respected as a representative Englishman, and none understands better the greatest prooiem of the day, the problem, that is to say, of setting our industries and our unemployed at work again."—"Morning Post." "As Chancellor of the Exchequer, and as Leader of the House of Commons during Mr Bonar Law's periods of absence, he has already won golden opinions, and proved his strength " "Daily Mail." . ' "Few men have arrived at the highest position after a shorter apprenticeship than Mr Baldwin, but few men have found so jnauy opportunities of distinguishing tnemselves in so brief a period He may rest assured that he lias the confidence alike of the Party and of the country."—"Daily Mirror. New Hostess at No. 10. Mrs Baldwin, the new hostess at No 10 Downing street, is the daugnter of the late Mr E. L. J. Bidsdale. She is a grandmother, for two of her married daughters. Mrs Munro and Mrs H. Whiteiey, each have sons Another daughter is married to Mr Arthur Howard, son of Lord Strathcona. Her sons, Mr Oliver Baldwin and Mr 'Wyndham Baldwin are unmarried, the latter being still at Cambridge, and her youngest daughter is Miss Bettv Baldwin. Mrs Baldwin is a dignified woman of middle height, with brown hair, dark eyes, and a pleasing smile, and she possesses a charming, gracious manner. The new dignity placed upon her husband brought many interviewers to Mrs Baldwin. "I always take my fences as I come to them," was one of her remarks. She is, naturally, delighted at the honour that has come to her husband, and very appreciative of the good wishes and congratulations showered upon them both. "It's the very last thing we ever expected," she said, "and when my husband first entered politics nothing of the kind over entered his head. I was not surprised when he went to the Board of Trade. He had business experience and a good head for figures, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, too, seemed quite the hind of appointment for him. But the Premiership! The most important political office m England." Strong Convictions. Talking with a "Manchester Guardian" representative, Mrs Baldwin admitted that she held very strong co"i v-iutions on all Eorts of questions, and

it was for that reason that she never spoke at any political meetings, 'through all her married life she had been accustomed to take part in publio functions, but she steered clear of politics because she always realised that the wife of a politician was supposed to be expressing her husband's opinion, and she was not prepared to commit Mr Baldwin to her opinions on matters that greatly interested her. "My husband," she said, "has never been out to make enemies. He has always had a definite aim in life. His chief concern has been his work, and people have always treated him kindly. He has an extraordinary faculty of seeing both sides of every question. I suppose it is because I am a woman that I usually take sides, but sometimes when I have been expressing a strong conviction he has laughed at me and said, 'I wish I could bo as sure of anything as you are of everything.' " ' "I think on the whole the social reform nearest, is the provision of maternity homes for poor women," said Mrs Baldwin, referring to matters of special interest to women. "I have had this question in my mind for a long time, but these are hard times, and the difficulty would be to raise the money for the kind of homes that are so badly needed, where women of the poorest.' class go, and' where there, would be rooms also for women who could pay. I realise what the heed is, for I have always taken an interest in district nursing." Domestic Service Problem. Mrs Baldwin has a practical knowledge of general hospital work, for during the war she had her own hospital for soldiers, where two of her daughters helped her. This was opened four days after the declaration of war and was not closed till January, 1919. Thf domestic service problem has also engaged her attention. She said that ohe had been constantly asked by her friends if she could find them girls from her village, and the mothers of the girls used also to come and ask her if she could place their daughters in service. Sometimes sne placed them satisfactorily, but she found that most of the girls needed a traininE that their mothers could' not give them at home, so before the war she started a school for domestic training. The girls used 'to come there on leaving school and remain for one or two years. They went through a regular curriculum, and had a month's holiday m the summer, and when trained got good situations.