He May Be A Lord

Kngland continúes to speak of William Waldorf Astor as au Americau, and America anglas at him as an imit&tioa Englishman, but the truth is hc is so mach anEnglisbman thathe is actnallyslated for the peerage. This may seeiu incredible in America, and yet it Ib a f act. You are probably aware that Mr. Waldorf Astor has already become a British subject, and since he natur&lized himself here he has enjoyed preferential election to that select circle of Englaiid's territorial magnates, that politieal holiest of the holies, the Carlton club. A further step in bis upward flight was his no:nination for the bench of the eounty of Middleeex, and he will bo forthwith gazetted justice of the peace. That is an honor conf erred by the lord high chancellor, acting for the crown, on the nomination of the lord lieutenant of tho eounty. It entitles the holder to rank as jnstice of the quorum and is an inevitable preparatory step to higher rank. So far so good, but the half has not yet been told. He has been offered a baronetey, but, not quite content with that, stipulates for the rank of a baron at least and will undoubtedly succeed. Let me explain the differenoe in rank between a baronet and a baron. The f onner is the lowest order of hereditary rank and entitles the holder to be addressed as sir and his spouse as lady. It is in point of procedure rank 65 and permits the holder to git in the honse of commons, whereas that of baron entitles the holder to the rank, title and digniry of my lord and a seat in the house of lords. The style of address to the spouse of the holder of the title is still my lady. The rank of baron is the lowest of the flve orders of peers and entitles the family of the holders to be known and addressed as honorable. Lord Beaconsfleld once said that there was "a certain moral forcé in a name and a dignity in a doublé barreled name. ' ' Mr. Astor is of the same opinión. He writes and styles himself Waldorf Astor. So in books of reference look onder W and not under A. Mr. Waldorf Astor, however, is doing well and is appreciated here. He has always been in good hands, having from the first been chaperonedby that fine oldEnglish gentleman, that sturdy old courtier, Christopher Sykes. Success in social life in England depends entirely on whose hands one gets in, and it is not always that the most written about are the most desirable. In the case of Mr. Waldorf Astor, his chaperon is not much known outside, but Christopher is a man of rare jndgment and unsullied character, and, what is more, one of H. R. H. 's set, high in the favor of Qneen Victoria and socially a power behind the throne. From the standpoint of practical politics the giving of social rank to Mr. Waldorf Astor is brilliant. It will tend to attract other multimillionaires, and when we get the Astors, Vanderbilts, Havemeyers, Rockefellers, Goulds and others our London season will blossom like a rose, and when the few remaining coronets of British aristocrats now in pawn be redeemed then the plebeian government of the United States may devise some means of social demarcation to keep her millionaires at home. Meanwhile a