The Arst photographs of Lady Anne Howard, three-weeks-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, making her first appearance in her perambulator in Hyde Park, are in today's papers. She appears to be a well-nourished likely infant and of course everyone flocked round to see her. There is a function at Arundel Castle next Wednesday when the, Princess Royal goes down to inspect 800 men and women of the Sussex_
Red Cross and will lunch with the Duke and Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, The Duchess will not be there, preferring very wisely to take things Quietly for some time.
Is it in unconscious reaction against the falling birth-rate and increased number of divorces that the news-Papers seem to be giving special prominence to babies and golden weddings? Several pictures have appeared this week of young society wives taking their babies to be christened, and of people who have run happily in double harness for 0 and even 60 years. Among the latter are Lord and Lady Lonsdale, She has been described as "the perfect wife." Attheir golden wedding there was a big reception, with presenta tion of an address in a golden casket from 10,000 sportsmen all over the world; and Lord Lonsdale was beginning a speech in praise of his wife, but suddenly stopped and just kissed her. Could anything really have been prettier? This year there was no reception as Lady Lonsdale has been rather an invalid latterly. But she is better and the reply to many telegrams was that they are both extremely well. Another diamond wedding this week is that of Mr. and Mrs. Read, in Dorsetshire, both now 78. My arithmetic is weak but 1 think they must have married at 18, T wonder how many people speculated on "How long will it last?
These events are, of course, news. Yet the interest in them, joined with other signs of the times, points to something deeper than the sporting interest in, say, a cricketer who Scores 100 not out. The increase of juvenile crime has brought out many, praises of the teaching of Victorian virtues, including the discarded Church catechism, at the age when "the mind is wax to receive and marble to retain." In fact the wheel is turning as always. The hard metallic materialism, inevitable after math of the war, cannot for ever dominate the finer instincts of, humanity,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.