MRS LANGTRY ON ENGLISH SOCIETY.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1591, 13 May 1887, Page 4

MRS LANGTRY ON ENGLISH SOCIETY.

Mrs Landtry, who ia now in the United States, has been interviewed by a reporter, of the Frets, of Philadelphia. The following are extracts from the interview:— " I have no love for fashion at all. I have had all I want of it. Society is dangerous ground dangerous for young women, I mean. The quiet, gentle life away from fashion and its selfishness is best for a young girl.*' "Do you mean that fashionable people are cold-hearted?" " No, not cold-hearted. It would be better for many of them if they were I don't know so much about fashion on 'his side of the ocean; but at home, I im sorry to say, our aristocracy is really 'ery bad. What the masses learn about it, too, is only what leaks out, for the aristocracy nas grown so fearful for the continuance of its own existence that the members of it do all they can to

shield each other's faults. Besides, too, they lay claim to moral privileges, and think they can do what other persons dare not. Ail of us young women in London felt that>ery much. If I did the slightest unconventional thing there was sure to be a storm of comment. ' But there is the Duchess of A.,' I would reply. ' See what she does.' ' But, my dear,' the answer would be, 4 you are not the Duchess of A.' Then, you know, it is quite impossible for an aristocrat to do; anything that will injure him much.with his order." " Perhaps, then, it is true that the Prince of Wales can absolutely make an dun make the position of men and women?"

" No, not exactly that. If the Prince fancy anyone, of course the aristocracy is likely to follow. And, if the Prince sees any new face, any youug woman who is bright and interesting and pretty and, and—" "Well?" " And young, he is likely to ask to have her introduced to him. Then all his set cast their favours on her. His set is, of course, the best of the fast sets. But I was in London quite a year before I met tbe Prince. It was the Conservative old s«t who took me up when I came from Jersey first intending to stay only a little time. Lady Rosslyn, the Duchess of Westminster, who is now dead, and other women of that coterie, were my friends, and Sir John Millaie, who was from Jersey, and was my father's friend insisted on painting me. After I met the Prince of Wales I was, of course a good deal in his set. When I was at Cowes I met the Princess and was, of course, yachting with her and the Prince, the King and Queen of Denmark, and the rest. It was nice for a while. But you know you never can become familiar with Royalty. The relation is much like that of servant and master. Even on the yacht, you know, one was constantly deferential, and always waiting for a glance or a smile from the Princess.

" The Prince has shown some liking for American women" " Yes ; I met some of them, Miss Chamberlain and Mrs James Brown Potter among others. Mrs Potter is hardly pretty ; do you think she is ? I met her at a supper given by Mr Irving to the Prince of Wales. The Prince asked me whether I should not like to bo introduced to the new American. ' Yes,' said I, 'lf you wish it' and we became acquainted. Ido not think it good for American women to be thrown into fashionable society in London. I am afraid it makes them less American in spirit, and that the title dazzles them." Miss Fortescue is also over in America, and as she has achieved some conciderable measure of success, Mrs Langtry asked her interviewer how the English actress succeeded in Philadelphia. She was told that Miss Fortescue got on well financially, badly artistically, and socially not at all. Whereupon Mrs Langtry, in her characteristically feline way, remarked : " Oh, dear. But, really, I don't see what she could expect to do socially. Nobody ever thought of her going out on the other side at ail. She isn't at all adapted to ahine in society ; now, is she ? She can't amuse men, you know. But when she first came out here they say she thought she ought to do all sorts of things in society. It's very amusing, you know. Really, I don't see what any actress has to do with society. It is none of her business, and if she attends to her art she won't have time to go out. But there does seem, nevertheless, to be great craving on the part of many actresses to achieve social success." " Not actressss alone."

« No, truly. Ail sorts of people. I mean hll sorts of people who have not been out in the fashionable world, and know not its hollowness. They have an extreme craving for the glitter and vanities of a fashionable lite."