3
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAS, PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 6. 1910.
y II c
41
TH E obligations or an Empress are
as nothing compared to those of
the Wife of a President of the
"United States. Every duty if laid down
tor the former, every convention pre
irribed by written or tin written law;
1 er ias are planned from the moment
she awakes in the morning until she
ffoe to bed at night, and to attend the
;ood will of the people, to achieve
popularity, she has only to do the du
'ties allotted to her graciously and
' amiably. if an i occasion arises for
which there is no fixed rule, the court
t hanrerlain ferrets through the reourt
jecords, finds a precedent on which
to base her conduct or, guided, by tra
jdltion and custom, makes a. new rule
' from which there is no appeal. More
over, an Empress is trained for her
'.position from the day she is born, for
her guardians are aware that she will
'one riav occudv a throne, and she is
IdiBciplined and educated with this end !
iin view.
There are, on the contrary, no set j
ru Les, no prescribed conventions, no '
tabiished tribunal to which she can
appeal In aoclal dilemmas, for the wife
of the President of the United States,
and, as a rule, she has had only the
Education and training- that the average
American girl receives. supplemented
oy some experience, large or small, as
may be, in official life, for a. man has
never yet been taken direct from the
plough to rule In the. White House,
tout has previously held office. A few
unwritten laws, a few traditions are
all that the wife of the President has
to go on when she takes up her duties
as the first lady In the land. There Is
not even a permanent secretary in the
White House or the Department of
State to act as a coach. She must
alone and unaided master the duties
frhat pertain to the position she as
sumes, unaided save for the advice of
friends, who are as unlnstructed in the
mynteries of the position as she Is and
know It only as lookers-on or occa
sional quests at the White House.
Tt happens now and then, however. !
that a woman called to this high post j
iias had unusual training for its duties (
as In the case of Mrs. Taft. who was j
Introduced to life at the White House I
when she was a little Kirl. and her ;
'lather's .former law partner, Mr. Hayes, I
was President. In laters years sne has
been a Cabinet hostess, at the head of I
The Oovernor's Mansion In the Philip
pines, and had a training and experi
ence surpassing that of most and equal
to that of any of her predecessors, and
'to this she adds a sound education in
ptterature. music, along domestic lines
lnd wide cultivation.
Mrs. Taft's Inspiration in her present
Jrole Is obviously Mrs. Hayes, who was
("Aunt I,ucy" to her as a little girl,
fund -whose character she came to un
i dTstand and appreciate when she vis
ited the White House as a very young
j woman when sjie had the privileges
'if a child of the family and, with the
;iteen perception of a young woman, saw
Ins workings from the inside. Mrs.
'Taft has too independent a spirit to
Fet up any one as a model, but her
liiitiniiicy with Mrs. Hayes has suggest
ed many things to her. and there is no
better source from which she could
j-iraw. In the Hayes regime there were
the most elegant affairs that have ever
taken place in Washington. The state
TV formality, the dignity which marked
the President's liouie in Washington's
time, was recalled, but it was teni
"peroU by the cordiality, the hearty hos
pitality that were among Mrs. Hayes'
most noted characteristics. On these
occasions the whole house was thrown
open. The guests took off their -wraps
In dressing-rooms upstairs, where cour
teus. well-trained maids were in at
tendance, and there was no "behind the
line." no court circle, no roped-off
spaces, for the reception was held in
the Fast Room, where all were wel
comed on an equal footing-, and the re
ception was as elegant as the greatest
stickler fur ceremony could wish, vet
democratic enough to suU the most ar
dent advocate of Jeffersonian sim
plicity. In rearranging the card receptions Mrs.
,Taft. whether intentionally or not, has
made them sinsrulurly like the Hayes re
.rcpiions. which were delightful, enjoy
able yet dignified affairs- and for the first
time in years it is a real privelege and
yU-MRure to attend a reception In the
White House. a pleasure not les
iid by tlic fact that, as now or
dered, the duties- of the hostess are less
onerous ami irksome. Not only in the
hiatter of tlies-. receptions, however, has
Taft made acceptable innovations.
f he whole socJal life at the White House
as been improved and simplified in the
mv months sin.e the stepped across its
threshold. There have been mistakes, it
5s true, under the new regime, misunder
Handmgs and miscarriages of orders and
ome criticism but the general feeling is
lhnt a large advance forward has been
made in the administration of the social
JiTsirs of the Whlto House for which Mrs.
Talt dwtrvfs ail the credit and applause,
'he more that she was for sometime
iisndicapped by ill health and a long con-valej-ren
o.
It must not be assumed that Mis. Tart
..lisiesards the traditions and unwritten
laws of the White House. Her own per
sonal conduct is governed by about the
t-ame r-.iK-s as those that controlled her
predecessors: she holds informal recep
tions for her intimate frelnds. she makes
tio calls, she is prompt in answering her
.holes ami she goes about town walking,
riding, shopping with as much freedom
snd independence as do . other American
women. At the theater, concert." and other
lHiblic entertainments she Is usually ac
companied by one or the aides at the
White. House and by one or more women
Jliends. Her interest outside of her of
ficial duties Is broader than those of most
women who have been similarly placed,
for she is a thinker, a reader and a
trained musician. Music, indeed, has been
the passion of her life, and she has spared
no effort to promote a wider interest in
tt in this country and her work, both in
rnusic and for music, has been widely
appreciated.
Kntlrely unspoiled by ofTicial life, Mrs.
Taft is the same simple, xmaffected ap
proachable woman that she was when
"icr husband waa a struggling young law
yer and she the inspiration of a large
.nusical and literary circle in Cincinnati.
Those who meet her for the first time
.ire Impressed by her deep knowledge of
affairs and wide interests. She is a culti
vated conversationalist, a fluent linguist,
peaks several languages well and has a
complete mastery of Spanish, which site
Warned while she lived in Manila, when
ambitiously tried to master the na
tive dialects as well as the pure tongue.
...
It is pleasant to think of the wife o the
President as able to converse with her
roreign guests In their own tongues, and
t j&r x aiyF'" '
wASt JMGTOlw : : f iM? X " 1
Why Mrs. Taf t, Mrs.Sherman
and Miss Cannon, in the Order
Named, Are Leaders in Social
Life atthe National Capital
- Mil : r-vl:-. -
I 'FA'S - - ' ' ' 1 If v' , I i -il Wl f - I - - "
wU&- nM'fr , ri?-' -U v. ?:. -i- -.4. '-.-. --O ttt-t
mi,JH ., - :.?a S k lit-- J-tmcT .-
feiSS tf" ?" C'f ' . '4 fr-tft. h J i - , " V V - t , in the midst of them i,. as unusual a.
frf.l . m'J IS HL..... --i ... r V U j is delightful.
'XF S " "" ' c-;f ' ' T;l AAr73. JAMES SHERMAN,
I l?:-.".v5;;:; :vr.5'i-..!.v:;ti,' - .... . -J T" I .
II," " i7 J'' -11 II I strictly observed. 1ut she is able to ac- l
I If , - . " "urn I II I compllsh this bv asking with hej- of-
I 9 ' ' ft " ""!' I I ' Ilr'a' quests interesting people from '
I It - " r9f kV IJW I I I private life, and the recent dinner she
I l . - 3 I stave In honor of the Piesident was one
I l " , - . ( ?'jf JVftj fVli of the most successful affairs of the
III' ...-.- ' . ili Fir-Uina on record. -
AAR6.TAPT AJMO
few of her predecessors possessed this
accomplishment. Mrs. Grunt, for ex
ample, knew no language but her own.
She was, however, a. woman of broad in
telligence and srreat common sense, often
clever and adroit at repartee and quite
able to give a Roland for every Oliver
she received. A little snob attached to
one of the legations once addressed Mrs.
Grant In ITrench, and when, she explained
to him that she did not speak that lan
guage said, rather Impertinently:
"Oh. Madame, your husband at the head
of such a great Nation and you do not
speak the diplomatic language of the
world. In Europe it is imperative for a
woman in public life to speak several
lanpruagres."
"Yes," replied Mrs. Grant, "in Europe,
which is divided up into many little
states, at war most of the time, but in
America, while we are also divided into
many states, we have one aim, one pur
pose, we all speak the same language: no
other Is necessary, for we understand
each other. "Would it not be well to intro
duce a common language !nto Europe?"
The position of Vice-President is often
regarded as a sinecure and less is per
haps required of him in actual work than
any other high official of the Govern
ment, but the social side of his 'office is
exacting, and his wife has as difficult a
post as any other woman in official life.
She must receive occasionally at the
White House, she must hold receptions
of her own, she must entertain and be
entertained at official dinners, and she
must return hundreds of calls, and she
must do these things as though they were
the things in all the world that she likes
most to do.
Mrs. Sherman, fortunately, has. lived
In Washington for a part of each year
since her husband first came here as a
young member in long enough to be
counted a Washingtonian if she could
ever be persuaded to give up her al
legiance, to Utica. which would hardly
be possible, for her home, with all its
associations, is t;he first, place In the
world to her, the first and the dearest,
but Washington has the second place in
her regard since she ha been happy
here and has made a large circle of
affectionate friends; the word affec
tionate Is used advisedly, for one can
not know well the sweet and gentle
wife of the Vice-President without feel
ing an affection for her. Mrs. Sher
man is a tiny , woman, extremely pretty,
with lovely gray eyes and the complexion
of a girl, which seems the more ra
diant because of the white hair that
frames It. Her manners, are pleasant
and cordial, one is impressed by her
sincerity, and if she does not have real
pleasure In greeting the hundreds of
people who rail on her during the sea
son she is wonderfully clever at con
cealing her feelings.
Every now and then the question is
discussed as to whether it is incum
bent on the women who have thou
sands of calls made upon them in a
season to return those visits in person.
This Is a question Mrs. Sherman does
not regard as debatable. Her point of
view is that if people do her the com
rlrment to call upon her, she should
show her appreciation by returning the
call la person, a ad she ' does this
promptly and cordially anfl Is Immense
ly popular in consequence. Mrs. Sher
man was Miss Carrie Babcock. of East
Orange, X. J., and was married to Mr.
Sherman in 1881. She has three sons
and two grandchildren. Her mother is
still living, and follows with deepest
interest her daughter's doings In Wash
ington. Not all of their predecessors
have been hospitably inclined, and some
of them have not had the means to en
tertain, but the Shermans have both
the Inclination and the means and have
been frequent hosts since theopening
of the season. They have chosen for
their home in Washington the big
house In Sixteenth street that was for-f
merly occupied by Senator and Mrs.
Alger, in which there is abundant space
SAN FRANCISCO'S MAYOR PROVES HE'S
REAL POWER OCCUPYING "THRONE"
- . .- . . , l , - - : ..... . . ,m ,
P. H. McCarthy Has Strenuous Week Ousting Officials of Old Regime and Placing liquor and Union Men in Their
Places Fonnd to Be Fighter of No Mean Ability and Finds Only One Rival in Tom Dillon, Hatter..
BY HARRY B. .SMITH.
SAX FRANCISCO, Feb. 5. (Special.)
P. H. McCarthy, Mayor of San
Francisco by the grace of the
laboring, vote, has been holding the
center of the stage and the attention
of the people this week in no uncertain
fashion. Unless you except Tom Dillon,
the hatter, who has been telling what
he knows about being turned down as
a fight promoter, McCarthy has had no
rivals.
San Francisco figured there would be
something stirring when he was elected
to the office, but It decidedly underesti
mated the size of the "stir." McCarthy,
just after he was elected, announced
that he would be the whole show, and
this week he has been giving a demon
stration that has convinced even his
worst enemies.
Some 10 days ago the Mayor ad
dressed letters to the various commis
sioners of the Board of Education, Po
lice Commission, Board of Works and
the like, that he wanted their resigna
tions. He said there . was nothing
against the gentlemen, but as long a-s
he was to be held responsible, he want
ed to have the appointment of the men
who were doingthe work.
One by oe he called in these com
missioners, who nad been appointed by
former administrations, and asked for
their resignations. Each and every one
of them listened to the words of wis
dom and said nothing.
The Mayor gave it out that he would
act when he saw fit.
Xor did he delay long. Just before
the weekly meeting of the Police Com
mission, he told the members of the
board, barring Harry Klannery, whom
he had already appointed, rbat their
services were no longer required. He
saw to it also that friendly police offi
cers were in the meeting hall to throw
out the discharged men if any such
course became necessary, and to uphold
the new appointees.
Then lie called Chief ot Police Cook
i th Br -e -"jvv mi i .
for any sort of entertainment they
might feel inclined to give.
Mrs. Sherman prefers dinners to any
other form of entertaining, because
perhaps she is such a thorough master
of the art of dinner-giving and has
been such a successful Amphitryon.
There Is an old recipe for Brunswick
stew which oeglns "first catch your
hare." Mrs. Sherman follows this
canny advice in preparing for a din
ner. She first arranges her list and
looks to it that only congenial people
come together, which is a difficult feat
where official precedence must be
Into his private sanctum and demanded
his resignation; The latter wrote it
out forthwith, doubtless because he
preferred to go back to his job as a
detective sergeant, from which he had
been elevated, rather than have no job
at all.
The new commissioners organized,
and Captain John li. Martin, for the
last two years on the retired list, was
appointed Chief of Police. Captain
Martin resigned from active service,
chiefly because of rheumatism. He is
a man with plenty of money, so only
the honor and privileges that come with
the exalted position would bring him
back into the service.
Chief Martin has not announced all
the changes that are to be made, but
It is known that there is a genera!
shake-up and that the pets of the Tay
lor administration will be moved out
into the districts where the sand blows
and the fog hangs low..
One Board Fight? Back.
McCarthy s trouble with the Police
Commissioners, however, was easy com
pared with his differences with the
Board of Education. He tried to throw
the educators out bodily, and they bared
their teeth and showed fight. All
three of them and one is a woman
declared that the Board of Education is
supposed to be out of politics, and that
they do not believe "the Mayor has au
thority to cause their removal. They
hare secured a temporary injunction,
and the case will be fought In the
courts.
Other boards have threatened the
same action, and there is going- to be a
world of fun for those on the. outside,
just watching the developments.
McCarthy, you know, is a fighter, and
not afraid to clash. The Mayor ap
peared last Sunday at the laying of a
cornerstone of a new school building,
and proceeded to toast the Board of
Kducation to a fare-you-well. It was a
sarcastic tirade that he let loose.
The Tom Dillon Incident was Tjuite a
sideshow la itself and has already fur
When he relinquished the gavel, Mr.
Reed said that the Speakership was
an office second to only one other, the
Presidency, which is indisputably true,
but why the President of the Senate
has not equal power with the Speaker
of the House is a question not to be
dealt with here. In power, certainly
the Speaker ranks next to the Presi
dent, and the same position has been
claimed socially by some of the men
who have held this office, but there are
no hard and fast rules of precedence In
America; they vary in different de
partments of the Government and in
different administrations, for to quib
ble over and discuss the question of
precedence is considered so undemo
cratic by the rank and file of the men
and women In public life that It never
has been settled and probably never
will be. In the meantime, people of
small minds and small natures bicker
over the subject, those of big minds
and big natures adjust themselves to
the conditions as they are, and tactful
people meet with, no misadventures.
There has, perhaps, been no more wide-ly-discuesed
question than the exact place
the speaker should occupy, and the posi
tions accorded, to him are a? many and.
various as the people who have writte-n
on the subject, but as the chief of a
nished a world of gossip. Dillon, It
should be understood, was an earnest
worker in the cause of McCarthy, before
the election. Like the others. Dillon was
promised something good, and when it
came to a showdown, he decided that he
wanted a prizefight permit.
Dillon claims he was promised the per
mit, and he went ahead in conjunction
with Sid Hester, of the Mission Club, to
bid for the Nelson-Wolgast fight. The
new promoter or his friends sent 91000
advance money to Kelson, and then was
stricken to receive the word that Johnny
Herget had the giving out of the per
mits. The upshoo of it all was that Dil
lon was turned down.
It made him sore, and the more he
boiled over, the more he talked. He told
his friends, and then bis acquaintances,
and finally the newspapers took it up.
They induced Dillon to talk, and the
things he said about McCarthy set the
whole city to laughing.
Dillon explained that lie was turned
down because they wanted too much
money for the permit. He said the ad
ministration expected to make enough
out of one fight to pay a deficit of $12,
000 incurred in the campaign, and he in
timated strongly that the Metropolitan
Club Is an administration organization.
The Idea of the city officials of San
Francisco paying their campaign ex
penses by running a fight club was what
tickled the fancy of the people. Since
then Dillon has been busy trying to ex
plain that he never said it. and denying
also that he was through with McCarthy.
Others, who know of the details, admit
that the story is true in the main, and
they are blaming Dillon for talking too
much.
When the 7os Angeles Chamber of
Commerce men came to San Francisco
last week, they brought at their head the
man they are grooming to succeed Frank
Flint as United States Senator. Flint
says he can't afford the place. He is not
rich, and h feels he is wasting the best
years of his life without laying up any
thing for the future.
Of course, the South, wants- a --Senator,
great legislative bodv ne If popiuarly
considered to be the third ranking officer
of the Government, and in societv, unless
tiie Anhacisador9 and Cabinet are pres
ent. Miss Cannon Is given the third place.
The wife of a voung member on coming
to Washington for tne first time asked a
woman who had grown gray In official
life what was the chief element of suc
cess at the Capital: "First, tact my
dear," was the replv, "second tact, and
third tact." and she was right, for the
only tlung that assures a person s suc
cess in ashmgton Is tact. No matter
how clever she mav be, how intellectual,
no matter whr.t good Intention!? she may
have, how earnestly sne may try, if she
was not born with, or has not cultivated
tact she is destined to be a failure. If
any one should sum up the reason for
Helen Cannon's success, and she has
been more successful than any other wo
man who ever held the same position, it
could be expressed in that one small
word, for no one could have to a fuller
degree the understanding, sympathy,
sense of proportion, fine perception and.
intuitive sense that go to make what we
name tact than she has, nor could any
one put theae qualities to more effective
use. To thif tact she adds real kindli
ness of heart, a thoroughly democrat
spirit, grace, eaee of manner and a
keen knowledge of social history and so
cial traditions at the Capital which give
her a certain poise and dependableness.
There Is so much shilly-shallying, so
many changes, such constant social
eruptions In Washington that to find a
hostess undisturbed by such changes and
such eruptions, but assured and serene
and Joseph Scott, president of the Tob
Angeles Chamber of Commerce, is the
man after the job. He Is a lawyer who
has not held office except as head, of a
non-partisan school board, which place he
now occupies, but he has always taken
a hand in public questions.
Scott has a good presence, and made a
good speech at the St. Francis.
AVas Ir. Stein Paid Money?
There is an interesting story being told
about Dr. E. B. Stein, the young Vienna
specialist, who wanted to marry a San
Francisco girl. Several months ago he
was engaged to be married to Miss Flor
ence BreckenrMge, whose mother is- the
wife of Frederick Sharon, of the Palace
Hotel Company and the ghnron estate.
Miss Breckenridge jilted him and short
ly after married Thomas Hesketh, of
England, the oldest son of Sir Thomas
Hesketh. After hie fiancee had broken
the engagement; it was announced that
Dr. Stein had engaged attorneys to sue
the beautiful and rich young woman for
breach of promise.
Now the story is being whispered about
here and In Paris that Mr. and Mrs.
Frederick Sharon did pay the doctor some
money, and thought it quite proper to
do so. It was not to ward off a suit
Quite the contrary. As the tale runs.
Dr. Stein had made some purchases,
which he had no use for when his brlde-to-be
deserted him. It was to reimburse
him for these outlays, so it is alleged,
the money was paid.
Suburban Homes Now for Wealthy.
Some magnificent new suburban
homes are going up in the vicinity of
San Francisco. One of these is the
mansion the William H. Crockers are
building near Burlingame, and the
other the one Mrs. Winchester is spend
ing a lot of money . on near Santa
Clara.
Workmen have been employed on the
Winchester country place for 10 years,
and it is not yet finished. Thousands
of dollars have been expended in tear
ing down and rebuilding parts of the
structure. Nothing seems to satisfy
this wealthy woman, and there Is no
telling how long she will continue to
carry out her building whims and fan
cies. The Crocker home was com menced
three ypars ago, and considerable of
the hardwood and other material has
been brought from Europe. It is told
that after several of the rooms had
been finished with European material,
the Crockers became dissatisfied. Im
mediately ayerirtfaing; was torn, -up,
It
But, like Mrs. Taft and Mrs. Sherman,
Mis Cannon has had a long and excellent
training for the post she holds, and since
her fattier was first elected to Congress
In the early 70s and she came to Wash
ington as a little girl in short frocks ehe
has been in touch with public men and
affairs. This early initiation Into Wash
ington life was followed by a course at
Wellesiy, then study, travel and a long
residence abroad, whence she returned
when her father was elected Speaker to
assume the direction of his household, for
a Speaker willy-nilly must entertain and
submit to being entertained.
When after her long absence ahe joinod
the official circle at Washington, Mlsw
Cannon felt no uncertainty as to the work
expected of her. but, knowing exactly
what was required, set about doing it in
a simple, direct and cordial 'way. and
she has pursued this course serenely, un
influenced by the changes that other
official women have subscribed to. An
edict went forth at one time that the
women in the high official circle
should not return visits, but Miss
Cannon went quietly about making her
calls according to the old-f ashionei
custom; another edict declared that of
ficial hostesses should not offer re
freshments. This did not cause Miss
Cannon to wheel her tea table back i 1
a corner, but she continued to off.r
tea to her callers as formerly, and.v in
all that she has done, what was the
most practical, kind and hospitable hai
influenced her. and she has been unaf
fected by the fads of the moment or
transitory fashions, with the result
that no woman in the official circle
has been so little criticised and no one
has made a more enduring place for
herself. Miss Cannon's health is seem
ingly radiant and her manipulation of
the social machine makes one think of
a capable craftsman who knows his
work thoroughly and does it with a
firm hand, a clear brain. The main
reason for her popularity is, without
doubt, the joy she nas in her work, the
real interest she feels in the people she
meets, and the appreciation she has oT
the hospitality offered to her.
packed and shipped back to Paris to
be exchanged for other material.
Temper oT Mrs. Jjouln James Seen.
Those who attended a performance
of "The Merchant of Ven Ice recently
at the Van Xess were treated to a bit
of stage realism which was as unex
pected as it wan exct tin e. It was an
impromptu act behind the scenes, dom
inated by Alphie James, the wife of
Ljouis James, in which she made it ap
parent that, in addition to her blond
temperament, she also has an auburn
temper.
The act was pulled off when the cur
tain descended on the first scene rf th
fourth act, concluding the beautiful
casket scene In which Portia melts
with sentimental tenderness for the
fortunate Bassanlo.
For some reason the orchestra did
not play during the wait. First of all,
a masculine voice was heard. It ma?"
have been the stage manager Or It may
have been Louis James. But whoever
It was, the response was swift, lengthy
and sensational.
The unmistakable voice of Alphie
James rang out, and her tones were of
indignation. She stamped her foot so
vehemently and so violently that
everybody In the audience could hear.
Her harangue lasted for two minutes,
and It must have burned the ears of
the unfortunate person to" whom it
was addressed. Mrs. James, realizing,
perhaps, that the orchestra was not
playing, brought the most thrilling
specimen of her dramatic power to a
close.
Husband and Ex-Wife Meet.
Two of the most-talked-of guests at
the St. Francis these days are Emila
A. Brugiere and Mrs. Vesta Shortrldge
Brugiere, who were recently divorced.
The former husband of the attractive
Mrs. Vesta is now a wine merchant,
and appears to have plenty of money
to spend with his cronies.
The ex-wife has by no means gone
Into retirement. While not a poner.
she is frequently to be seen with this
or that admirer. From all appear
ances, Brugiere and his former wife
are delighted over the freedom the law
has allowed them.
They speak to and visit each other,
and with a $500 a month allowance,
Mrs. Brugiere is apparently the hap
piest of women.
It i" stated that large mills are to r Kutlt
In pennmrk, which are expect to consume J
abnut :;o,kh t.ns of beans annually la that
.manufacture jx, akc