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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1906)
i . wmmmmmmmmmmmmamm. ' V' " 1 if'" WASHINGTON. D. C.. Jan. S. (Spe cial Correspondence of The Sun day Oregonian.) The social em pire over which Mrs. Roosevelt reigns su preme among her sex is divided into six principalities, each with 'a queen of Its own, now ruling and holding court In the brilliant capital of the nation. Socially speaking, there Is but one per son In the world to whom Mrs. Roosevelt need ever yield first place and he Is her distinguished husband. The President must, according to the unwritten law, take precedence of all others in the land, even of his wife. Many Presidents have emphatically protested against the iron clad rule which forbids their giving first place to their ladies, after the manner of all other well-bred men of the realm. Garliold, after thus protesting in vain, yielded with the remark: "All right, gen tlemen. I will do as you say; but I nevertheless fail to see why I can't be President without being pig." Ileal Imperial Prerogatives. Precedents handed down by. all of her predecessors give Mrs. Roosevelt many of the social powers of a real Empress. An Invitation from her like one from royalty obliterates any o'ther which the bidden guest may have for the same date, and only Illness or mourning can properly be offered as an excuse for declining her proffered liospitality. A newcomer in of ficial society who should decline Mrs. Roosevelt's invitation on the ground of a "previous engagement" would commit a social blunder irreparable in the eyes of any first lady of the land less tolerant than the present one. By virtue of a precedent established by the well-beloved "Dolly" Madison, woaularly known as "Queen Dolly," all Presidents' wives since her brilliant reign have, like old-world monarchs, been exempted from the neces sity of returning calls. Mrs. Madison profited by the uncomfortable experience of Mrs. John Adams, who found her time entirely taken up with visiting and who even then had to slight certain house holds and thus make political enemies for her husband. The only exception to this rule would require Mrs. Roosevelt to pay the first call upon visiting Empresses, Queens, Princesses, the wife of her hus band's immediate predecessor or succes sorat the time of a change of adminis trationor the wife of any foreign Presi dent visiting the United States. Regard less of lier exemption from calling. Mrs. Roosevelt's social duties are more exact ing than those of any of her subordinates. Each morning, from New Year's day until Easter, she must sit at her desk and pore over Invitation lists with Miss Hagner, her private secretary. She and her dis tinguished husband have surpassed all of their predecessors in the frequence and brilliance of their hospitality. Indeed, it is estimated that Mr. Roosevelt while President has spent far more than his sal ary. When he entered the White House it was estimated that his private fortune amounted to a quarter of a million, -and of course he -has realized handsome royal ties from his books. A poorer President could not vest his wife with nearly so much social splendor. Second Lady of the Land. Mrs. Fairbanks, who reigns over the first principality of Mrs. Roosevelt's so cial empire, is the second lady of the land. AH women of officialdom, save only the President's wife, owe her the first call, and, like Mrs. Roosevelt, she is exempted from the necessity of returning calls. There is one exception to this rule, in lier case. She must return the visits of all Senators' wives, her husband, the Vice-President, being ex-officio president of the upper house of Congress. The fact that he presides over the Senate estab lishes Mrs. Fairbanks as the social queen, of the entire Congressional set. Mrs. Fairbanks owes her rank as second lady of the land to President McKinley, whose predecessors permitted the -wife of the dean of the diplomatic corps to usurp that station. Mr. McKinley ruled that the wife of the Vice-President had the same relative social rank as the Crown Princess of a European court. Lord Pauncefote, dean of the diplomatic corps, protested In vain to his Foreign Office, and Lady Pauncefote had to yield her station to Mrs. Hobart. Mrs. Fairbanks social reign has been noted for its de mocracy. Girlhood friends whom she knew back in Marysville, o., when she was Miss Cornelia Cole, are Just as wel come to her mansion In Shepp&rd's row a 4? 0 as are the wives of the high cockalorcms of officialdom. She is proud of the fact that her husband was born In a humble log cabin and saw. his first labor as a plowboy. She has been his chum and confidante since the days when they at tended the. county schools together and wore follow-edltors of their college paper at Ohio Wesleyan. She has one son, a Captain in the Army, another the private secretary of his father, a third who has just been graduatcd'at Yale, and a fourth who is a sophomore at that university, also a daughter who is married to Ensign Timmons. United States Navy. Third In Social Rank. The third lady in. but not of the land, is the Baroness Hengelmuilor von Hon gelvar, wife of the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador, who, upon the retirement of Count Cassini last Summer, became dean of the diplomatic corps a title conferred at each national capital upon the Ambas sador of longest service there. The Baron ess" Washington principality Is the most brilliant of all the city's official coteries. It includes many personages of title who at state functions eschew our convention al evening clothes and don court cos tumes weighed. down with gold lace and brass buttons, swords and bejcweled or ders and in many cases knickerbockers. Of course L am speaking of the men. The Baroness is the ranking woman of the cnUre diplomatic corps, her husband enjoying each precedence over all of Its masculine members and being the channel of communication between that coterie and the Government of the United States In settling all questions of etiquette in volving Its members, also the spokesman for the corps in joint negotiations be tweon the "powers" and our republican court. The Baroness is a Greclc Catholic, having been born In Russia at Count ers Dunln Borkorsska. She is the daughter of Count Dunln-Brozowskl, at one time minister at Dresden, and from whom she , Inherits her title. When very young she was placed in the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Paris, and at the age of lfi married a terri torial magnate of Austrian Poland, but was left a widow when still a girl. She married M. Hengelmuller von Hengolvar in 1S93. shortly before he was accredited to Washington. Both have grown up in the atmosphere of diplomacy and are better trained to reign over the diplomatic corps than any dean and his wife residing here in several decades. The Baroness' fads are birds and dogs. Almost every win dow of the Embassy In Connecticut avenue Is hung with a cage, and the feathered members of the household Include canaries, mocking birds, red birds, caprichina, indigo and capu chins. The Baroness i considered to be the best dressed woman in official dom. She and her husband arc en thusiastic motorists, the latter adher ing to his monacle even while plough ing through the chill breezes of Wln tef. Whqn the doors to the blue par lor were thrown open to the guests at the President's New Year reception, it was the Baroness and her husband who led the line of official guests, the Vice-President and Mrs. Fair banks being among the receiving party. At the state dinner to the dip lomatic corps, the President will es cort the Baroness to the state dining room and give her the honor seat at his right hand, while M. Hengelmuller will escort Mrs. Roosevelt. Quecndonis Disputed and Anomalous As to which is fourth In rank among these social principalities is still a matter of dispute. While the Supreme Court circle is conceded that rank by many high officials, others reckon its standing as below that of the Cabi net. Presidents have always diplo matically refrained from a final rul ing upon the disputed point. But in the little Supreme Court circle, the wife of the Chief Justice takes social precedence and is immediately fol lowed by the better halves of the re spective Associate Justices In order of their seniority of service. Unhap pily the Chler Justice is now a widow er, but the reigning woman of the circle is Mrs! Harlan, wife of Mr. Jas tice Harlan, who before her marriage in 1856 was Kiss JMalvlna Shanklin, of Evansville, lad. Justice and Mrs. Hir- THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, JANUARY 14, 1906. Is. if lan will celebrate their golden wed "ding next December. Mrs. Elihu Root, who reigns over the Cabinet circle. Is, by virtue of a precedent established by Mrs. James G. Blaine wjicn her husband was Sec retary of State given immunity from returning calls except those of Sena tors' wives. The same immunity Is enjoyed by all other matrons of the Cabinet, save that they must pay first calls upon the wives of Ambassadors. Mrs. Root is the leader of the Cabinet circle only because of the fact that the State Department was the first executive department of the Govern ment created. The Secretary of State thereby became premier of the Cabi net. .While Mrs. Root yields to Mrs. Roosevelt, Mrs. Fairbanks, Baroness Hengelmuller and the wives of all foreign ambassadors, she outranks the wives of all foreign ministers, charges d'affaires, secretaries and at taches of the diplomatic corps. There is one occasion when ambassadors' wives even yield to her when they are entertained with her in any diplo matic residence at the capital. This abdication of rank Is by courtesy, houever, rather than by rule. While ranking below them, generally, Mrs. Root receives first calls, at the begin ning of each season, from ambassa dors' -wives. Thus, it will be seen, her station is somewhat anomalous. Until England sent over here the first ambassador ever attached to our cap ital, the wife of the Secretary of State preceded the entire diplomatic corps, whose dean was a minister. Mrs. Root will stand at Mrs. Roosevelt's right hand In the receiving line at all state receptions given at the White House. At the New Year receptions she will have to depart, however, as soon as the diplomatic corps has been re ceived, and then hurry to her own mansion and receive the corps after It, too, has hurried 'in court dress from the White Houee to attend the sumpt uous luncheon, which, at New Year noon, the premier always gives to the foreign diplomats. At the end of, the present season the President and ilre. Roosevelt will have dined at each Cab inet home. In turn: and it was Mrs. Root who, as prescribed by precedent, gave the first of these dinners this year. All other Cabinet wives, ex cept Mrs. Root, yield to the wives of ambassadors and pay them first calls. Officialdom's social queen of fifth rank Is Mrs. Dewey, wife of the Ad miral of the Navy. She reigns over the brilliant "Navy set," and Is -well accustomed to military pomp aai splendor, having been the wife of Gen eral Hazen. of the Array, before wed ding the hero of Manila Bay. Before entering the "Army set" she was ac customed to the splendors of the civil ian circle, her father, the late Wash- 1 -Hi ATS 1 K inton McLean, having been a million" aire. She owns considerable real es tate at the capital, one of her tenants being Secretary Hitchcock. Lesser Queen or Greater Kingdom. Mrs. Chaffee, who is ruler of the "Army set" by virtue of beln- the wife of the chief of staff, must always yield to Mra. Dewey when they meet individually. This is because an Army officer must be a full General as no one has been since Grant to. have-the relative rank of Admiral. Whereas the commanding officer of our Navy is an Admiral, that of the Army Is only Lieutenant-General Chaffee. But the reason of the fact that the Army was established before the Navy, the "Army set" outranks the "Navy set" as a body, as Is seen at the White House each New Year day, when the Army officers are admitted to the blue parlor ahead of the Naval officers. Mrs. Chaffee before her marriage was Miss Annie Frances Rockwell, and her wedding with the present head of the Array occurred in 1875, at Junc tion City, Kan., when Geneal Chaffee who had not been a West Pointer, but had -worked up through the- raafcs was c captain of Cavalry- ' In the 30 years of her married life she has moved 21 tlatee. iBdeed, the wife &f REALM, f i, EH 3 'Ski m an Army officer leads a career far more. nomadic than the spouse of a Methodist minister. Most Clannish or All. The Army and Navy "aets" are the most clannish principalities in our so cial empire. It is the ambition of eveo mother in either circle to marry all her daughter to officers, and of the fathers to send thcr sons to the Military or Naval Academy. To the dances and other entertainments of Army and Navy matrons, few civilians are invited. At the Array posts the ladles of each "officers' row" form a little community of their own. with its sewing circles, card clubs and regular round of dances. Of course, Washing ton Is the Mecca of all officers of botli services, who. are always silently praying that they will be detailed there or to one of the nearby posts along the Potomac Army women at the capital make It a. point to visit one another at least once a year, and every Winter the President holds at the White House a special reception for the Army ad Navy. While the Naval women are more widely s-cat- EACIf WITH A .lis i'4 :- tered during their sea service when 4they. follow close behind our war - auiys, irorn pon 10 port iney awcu in th& same social atmosphere as do Array women whenever collected in one community. In spite of Its frequent mov Ingg, Its perils and Its scandals. Army or Navy life imparts to its women a happi ness shared.' by few of their sisters. No matter how small her dowry, how meager her pedigree, the officer's wife is assured 5 we s V- -ft IS- if- 2S . social nrestlce and livniihnn,? nc inns J as her husband lives and behaves hlm- i seir; a pension for herself and children should he die at his post of duty; free medical attendance, free house rent, free fodder for the horse, and a free funeral,, with coffin- and headstone thrown In, when, each member of the family "passes in his checks." JOHN ELFEETH WATKINS. Copyright. 19d. hp