Lady Selborne, too, is a keen agriculturist.

In fact, before duty called her to South Africa, she was instrumental in starting an association which had for its object the encouraging of farmer's wives to raise poultry for the home market. It is easy to understand how such a practical-minded woman would appeal to the wives of Colonials and Boer settlers. Then, again, Lady Selborne is a keen politician. The elder daughter of the late Marquis of Salisbury, she was reared in an atmosphere of politics, and she strongly resembles her gifted father. Her husband was Viscount Wolmer, son and heir of Baron Selborne, the famous Lord Chancellor, when she married him, in 1883.

A Champion of Woman's Rights

Lord Selborne remembers with pleasure that the late Mr. Gladstone attended the wedding and afterwards proposed the health of the bride and bridegroom, and it is certainly a curious coincidence that the son of the " G. O. M." should succeed his lordship in South Africa. When he was at Winchester, by the way, Lord Selborne had the curious experience of seeing his headmaster, Dr. Ridding, afterwards Bishop of Southwell, fall in love with and marry his sister, Lady Laura Palmer.

The year following her marriage, Lady Selborne had a most exciting experience. She had accompanied her father, who was making a series of political speeches in Scotland. After a speech at Dumfries, the carriage containing Lord Salisbury and his daughter was being driven from the hall, when it was mobbed by hundreds of riotous mill hands. A heavy stone was hurled through the carriage window, narrowly missing Lady Selborne's head. She took the missile back to Hatfield House, where it was kept for some years in a cabinet with a card containing particulars of the incident.

Like her husband, Lady Selborne possesses deep convictions and earnestness of purpose. She is a woman who not only has the knack of making friends, but also of making herself indispensable to them. A short time ago the writer came into contact with a lady who has spent several years in South Africa, and who frequently had cause to consult Lady Selborne. " Her ladyship's concern for her own sex," she said, ' is really remarkable. Her interest in any movement on their behalf is at once aroused." Which reminds one that the advocates of votes for women have an enthusiastic supporter in Lady Selborne. Some time ago she wrote an article in support of woman's suffrage, and stated her views on the question with clearness and moderation. In the world of politics there have been several women who are reckoned in the front rank of statesmanship, and from this she drew the conclusion that women are more fitted for statecraft than art. From this argument it is clear that her ladyship would not be satisfied with giving women the franchise. She evidently looks forward to their being admitted to Parliament and filling the great offices of State. She is not, however, a militant. "We are not impatient," she says, "and we are willing to wait for success."

At the same time, however, Lady Selborne considers that the Press do not treat the non-militants fairly or justly, judging by her curious action a short time ago, when she sent a letter to the "Times," signed "Lady Constance Lytton," purporting to show why the latter thought her militant methods were far more effective than peaceful methods, and con-t a i n i n g the fol-lowing passage illustrating the argument

"You hold a crowded meeting in the centre of London, with an ex - Cabinet minister as chief speaker, and you get a short paragraph in on a back sheet in most of the papers. Now, if 1 threw a stone at the Prime Minister's carriage I should get a column on the front page."

Although Lady Constance Lytton did not write this letter, and Lady Selborne after-wards explained that she " borrowed her name for the moment, as I wanted to make your readers understand how hard it is for women like myself, who have no inclination to adopt militant methods, to get our views reasonably set forth before our fellow - ountry-men," Lady Lytton accepted complete responsibility for the letter, which, she said, was written "with my full approbation."

During her residence in South Africa, Lady Selborne spent a great deal of time travelling about the country making herself acquainted with the natives and settlers. At first the Boer women were inclined to view her with suspicion, and at times adopted an unfriendly attitude towards her. On one occasion, for instance, Lady Selborne stopped at a Boer farm belonging to a widow, whose husband and son, alas, had fallen victims to British rifles during the campaign. The woman's bitterness was shown in her refusal to allow Lady Selborne to rest while one of the horses of her carriage, which had cast a shoe, was being attended to. Shortly afterwards her ladyship learned the reason of the Boer woman's bitterness, and paid a special visit to the farm to express her sympathy. And this she did in such a kindly, tactful, womanly manner that she completely gained the friendship of the Boer widow. It was by such acts as these that Lady Selborne assisted her husband to earn the title of "Peacemaker."

Viscountess Gladstone, wife of Lord Gladstone, Governor-general of South Africa, son of the great

Liberal statesman. Lady Gladstone, who before her marriage was Miss Dorothy Paget, daughter of Sir

Richard Paget, is a most popular hostess and a woman of rare charm, and under her tactful regime the union of Briton and Boer in South Africa has been more firmly established

Photo, Reginald Haines

It is, of course, somewhat early yet to speak of Lady Gladstone and her influence in South Africa, but there are signs that the wife of the first Governor-general will prove quite as popular as Lady Selborne. For Lady Gladstone is an exceedingly clever hostess and a woman of rare charm. She is exceedingly popular in this country. Her marriage to Lord Gladstone - he was then Mr. Herbert Gladstone, being created a peer in 1910 - was the surprise of 1901. His lordship was then forty-seven years of age, and was generally regarded as a confirmed bachelor. The story goes that his engagement to Miss Dorothy Paget was brought about through their mutual fondness for music. Lord Gladstone's love of music amounts almost to a passion, while his wife is gifted with a sweet voice and much musical talent. Indeed, before her marriage, she was a member of the Babingdon Strollers - an amateur operatic society which has raised hundreds of pounds for hospitals and other charities in Somerset.