In view of the fact that Sunday was the anniversary the Queen's birthday, It is particularly appropriate now to publish the following intimate details of Her Majesty's life, habits and characteristics, written for the "Spectator" by One who has been in close touch with her for many years. We have read 2 good deal about the members of the Royal Family during the past few weeks,. and perhaps less has been related of the Queen than any of the others, comparatively speaking. This," as the following story will show, is due in a great measure to her' Majesty's extreme shyness and aversion to publicity in any form. She prefers to "do her [good deeds in the dark."
Queen Mary is a modern. As a girl she was always trying to educate herself, and it is said—with what truth T do not know—that even after {to stop all luxuries, and Jong before food control was imposed she instituted a system of rationing in her own household which, of course, applied to her and the King as Jeveryone else. Tt was inevitable that with all the dislocation of trade Jand manufacture women's employ-Jment should suffer. The moment the plight of the women workers iwas brought to the Queen's notice she took action, ahd arranged for the formation of the Central Committee for the Employment of JWomen which still exists, Funds Jnad to be raised and the Queen became President of a powerful "Collecting Fund." Now it was that her previous study of the conditions under which women often had to work and her intimate knowledge of their hardships stood the strain. She followed every detail of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.