ious Majesty, Queen Mary of 106. land, who was born on May 2 a OF the Empire, [she came out she always tried to secure six hours' reading in the day. T think it was the Select Committee Jappointed in 1888 to inquire into Jahe abuses of sweated labour which first roused that continuous interest Jin industrial questions, and especi-fally in those that concern women, which has been one of the dominate Ing influences in her life. She was lonly a girl of twenty-one when the sorry procession of East-end workers came up before the Committee and G|xave evidence about the details of their wages, their hours of work, the conditions under which they lived. The Princess was deeply moved as she followed the evidence published from day fo day. It was her first personal realization of the depths Jor human misery and cruelty, and it horrified her. She was distressed at her own inability to help, and the lonly thing she felt she could do was to study the questions involved. She plunged into reports and blue-books with characteristic thoroughness. When the Sweated Industries Exhibition was held in 1908, the Queen, jzhen Princess of Wales, only just fock from the tour in India, insisted jupon visiting the Exhibition' at once, Jand surprised the social workers by. her knowledge and captured their admiration by her sympathy. She also took measures to see for herself, and visited many a poor dwelting where work was done in the home. She followed the great struggle against sweated latour unflagging interest and read every, book about the subject which could possibly help her to more knowledge.
Economy in the Palace When the Great War broke out Jone of the frst things she did was work, was constantly consulted, and jarly of the women who worked' with her at that time would testify to her practical ability, her wisdom, Jand her unfailing ' sympathy. She formed personal relations with some of the labour women serving on the committee, notably with Mary Macarthur, the Trade Unionist from JAyz, who as a young girl had jour-Ineyed to London some years before, determined to do away with sweating. One could tell many stories about the friendship between these two women, made possible in the rst instance—and that is my point—|2% by the Queen's Knowledge and understanding.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.