WHY IS it that people don’t say nice things about you until you are too dead to hear? ’ For a change, and instead of an obituary some day down the road, here is something nice about the old Queen Mother while she lives. She is a great lady, and let's all say it now, out loud, My feelings for the Royal Fammi- ly are considerably less than in- tense, | have always pitied the menibers of the House of Windsor for their cruel and unnatural im- prisonment in the cage of gold. That's about as far as it goes. ’ To this day I don't know how many brothers and sisters the Prince of Wales ‘has or whether Princess Margaret has remarried, and Lam unlikely to spend much effort finding out. I wish them all well, but feebly. They are far from my home and heart, Allexcept the Queen Mum, She is someone special. She is one of those people who try to make this world a better place than they find it. She was a commoner, which may have something to do with the way she always appealed to ordinary people. They had a sense that she was one of them, One of my favorite stories about her was when, shortly after she became queen, little Princess Margaret grew petulant when a courtier said ‘stand over here, lit- tle lady.”” “lm not a little lady, ’ma princess,’ she said. The Queen overheard. “That's right,’* she said, ‘She is a princess. Her father and I are trying to turn her into a lady.” ' “Those were little things. There were big ones. Our winning the Second World War was a big one. She contributed much to that. Like Winston Churchill, ske was a symbol the British people loved and trusted. Her husband ‘was a decent fellow, but he had - neither her charm nor Churchill’s pugnacity. He could never make so indelible a rnark on the public’s soul, - Like many great women, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was far shrewder than she cared to reveal to the public or even, perhaps, to her husband, We are now told that during the crisis of Edward VII’s abdica- tion, she was the one who cleverly manipulated the English press into writing stories about how ordi- nary, how sane, how safe were she, her husband and their children. If so, she should not be condemned for it. Hers was a safe, sane family. We're also now told that the fact that Wallis Simpson had once served as a hostess in a Shanghai house of dubious repute was not the only and perhaps not the main reason the British government forced the abdication. They wanted to be rid of Ed- ward. He was handsome but thicker than two planks and far too cosy with the German Nazis, so much so that when war came the gov- ernment whisked him away to the Bahamas, where Hitler’s gang KEN BAXT could not casily snatch him and convince him to play a puppet role, Back among the bombs, Queen Elizabeth soldiered on. She was never glamorous and, alrhough clever, she did not permit her cleverness to shine out and throw others into shadow. She projected the simple image of a hard-working wife and mother, even though, like any hard-working wife and mother, she must have sometimes had to bite her tongue until the bload ran, When the king died, she seemed to turn herself overnight into everybody's favorite grandmum, one who happened to wear funny hats and go to horse races. Like other grandmothers, she had her crotchets. She kept her hatred of the Duchess of Windsor alive long after it didn't matter who the duchess had been or what she had _ done. We do not know if she approv- ed of ruining Princess Margaret's first great romance, but it must be .said that she was not seen to come to her daughter’s aid when a mother’s aid was most needed. Like al! women who have coped with the strange and difficult task of being wife, mother and grand- mother, the Queen Mother must have made mistakes she lives to regret. Surely, the Royal Family has brought her a full share of disap- pointments and heartbreak. But on her, no sorrow ever shows in public, She smiles. She has never lost her cool. More important, she has never . lost her courtesy which she bestows on every person she meets without the slightest regard as to their rank in society. _ , One is reminded of a tribute Henry Bogart once paid to his wife Lauren Bacall. (Movie actors are like royals, they never escape the relentless glare of the public eye.) Bogie said, ‘‘My wife has a strong sense of duty, which hap- pens to be one of the things which distinguishes ladies from tramps.” Elizabeth Bowez-Lyon has never forgotten her duty to the public. All the disap ,0intments, frustrations and griefy she has kept private, as great ladies do. Long live the Queen Mum! NEW! Multi-Function Desktop Communication Centre. by Panasonic C'S Hittltes 100% U.V, protection. Gigantic distributor authorized clearout of discontinued styles! °; Hundreds to choose from! | NN le Va\alevet a De Oe Det Sa Huge savings on this discontinued style (Pharoahs), Ground and polished glass lenses. Amber tint or polarized. lle loletate a DTD SEP Sel el Ta Ce oD Popular “Cateye” and \ ‘Eastport’ styles are on sale this weekend! ' Save $10. Reg. 49.95 BeBe Save $20 on the world’s most popular sunglasses! Check out the ‘lowest prices’ on our incredible selection! 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