BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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of Cinderella, her Knight, a Prince Charming.
The neglected fourth
daughter in a household containing five siblings, she serves as
handmaiden to her elder sisters.
Her brother, Joshua, who is
sympathetic to Radical policies, is chosen as a Liberal candidate for
the district.
The family resides in "New Hall" since Phoebe's father,
Erasmus, made his fortune in manufacturing.
the "new wealth" infusing modern politics.
They serve as symbols of
The family is portrayed as
participating in the "fast life," engaged in an endless round of
parties and noncharitable dinners, the elder daughters arrayed in
extravagant clothing and elaborate jeweled accessories to match their
opulent life-style.
Phoebe, a waif of a child, simple in both mind and
attire, is left to catch and fetch.
The local Conservative candidate, Sir Newton Sneade, is
depicted as reflecting the Tories of the old school, reclusive and illequipped
to assume the methods and manners demanded by modern politics.
One day prior to the official announcement of the Conservative
candidate, he dies.
This enables the Primrose Knight, Sir Douglas
Wenmore, to assume his position.
Wenmore, a local baronet, has been campaigning on behalf of
Sneade.
He had spent a number of years abroad and is consequently
unknown by local residents.
Distressed by five years of gross
mismanagement at the hands of the Liberal government (1880-1885), he
resolves to work incognito as a Primrose Knight in his local district
so as to earn, rather than receive, his countrymen's affections. An
ardent Conservative, "a Radical would pull down the Throne, and the