t
S) fiver 'Jkrinlwv&.ti wW
n
Ehlnd ;. Wf evident Id
Taf ts Now to Follow That of Grant and Hayes
Coincident Binding' Tafts and Hays Both
Celebrate Cincinnati Nuptials President
and Mrs. Taft's Father Both Guests at Hayes
Celebration Courtship of Taft Began in Cur
rent Topics Club Long Engagement De
cided to Build His Own Home Before TaKing
a Wife The Wedding WeeK a Gay One in
Cincinnati The Bride-Elect a Bridesmaid
for Friend What She Got in the Wedding
CaKe and What It Augured Details of the
wedding Honeymoon Abroad.
POR the second time In latter-day
history, the llTer anniversary of
a Cincinnati wedding U to bo Ob
served by a President of tha United
States and hi honored consort.
New Tear eve. 18". President and
Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayea. with a mem
orable levee held at the White House,
celebrated the 15th anniversary of their
. wedding, held In Cincinnati the lat
day of the year 18 3Z. and me men 01
Jane, 111. President and Mrs. Taft. In
the manner already at .forth In the
news columns of the paper, will ob
serve the passing of an eren quarter
reatnry since the time of their nup
tials, solemnized In Cincinnati, la 1S.
A coincidence or biooa as wen mm i
scene attaches Itself to those two
ITMtdentlal wedding anniversaries. At
that of the Hayes" the only Invited
truest outside of the President's offi
cial family, were persona cloeely asso
ciated with his and his wlfe's-early life
and by Tlrtue of this process of selec
tion one of the chief guests of honor
was John Williamson Herron. ex-state
Fenator. former District Attorney, one
of the few witnesses of the Hayes wed
dlna before the war. and aloo the law
partner of President Hayes. A third
of a century later this same, John W.
Herron cave the hand of his daughter.
Helen, unto William Howard Taft. In
trie course of the nuptials whose silver
anniversary Is now about to rail. An
otaer name upon the list of guests bid
den to the Hayes silver weddlns; was
that of Alphonso Taft. the father of our
present executive.
Courtship of the Tails.
Soon after the graduation of William
If. Taft from Tale and while he was
both studying- law and dolna; court re
torting for Murat Halstead's Cincin
nati paper, at f ( per week, he helped to
organise a literary eoclety. the "alon."
which met each Saturday evening st
the Herron residence. t Pike street.
This small coterie of young men and
women most of them Just out of col
lege for two year wrote essays and
discussed current topics. Mis Helen L.
Herron. known among her intimate
friends as "Nellie." had lately finished
her education at Cincinnati University
and was about thta period improving;
her time by teaching a few terms at a
private school. She waa not only In
tellectual, but musical an accom
clop
Here is a Tip to the June Brides Mrs. YorK-Miller,
England's Laura Jean Libbey, is out with the state
ment that the world needs more elopements Mrs.
Miller affirms that in many instances if lovers wait
for a conventional wedding their romances fre
quently end in parting before the wedding bells.
Moreover there is no romance in a regulation mar
riage, she says.
!sr E6FITE the) old adage of marry In
I 1 hast repent at leasura, young peo
pie suld not have long engage
Wrneots. according to Mrs. Tork-Mlllcr, a
famous English writer of sentimental,
perhaps some might say "mushy,"
aerials.
What tho world seeds, according to
England's Laura Jeaa Llbby, Is more
elopements. la many Instances If lovers
wait, their romances end la parting and
perhaps a suit for breach of promise
To use Mrs. Killer's own words. "The
time of the engagement Is a trying
period, that wears out tho patience. It
Is supposed to be a probationary period,
tmt It Is against nature, and results In
boredom and separation. The engaged
people hare no way of consolidating
their interests and getting to really un
derstand one another. They live at a
high tension, always trying to be on their
beet behavior, and they get tired of each
ther. and begin to aeo each other's de
fects. But If they get married soon they
have all sorts of things to counteract
those defects.
U X had a dacghter who was engaged
to be married I would never let her be
tied to a nxaa tmleao she was to marry
him within six months. The danger o
long engagements Is that on or both of
tho parties are apt to become bored by
liavteg so real common Interests beyond
thai fact tlzat they are suppoeed to bo la
love with each other, and chat they are
always on sbow.
"Again. If oas seems to give the other
cause for Jealously there are constant
bickerings, whloh. In case of married peo
ple, ar- always settled because they
have their homo and they know how
they are placed.
"Then there are the relatives: the
girl's are given to criticising her
choice, and vice versa. She hears that
John has been talking to a girl, and he
hears that she has been to a ball, of
which he knew nothing. All that at Irs
up trouble. In nine cases out of ten
It Is tho relatives that are at fault.
-They sag her because ho is not able
to marry her at once, and they say he
cannot get on In the world. He begins
to feel sorry for himself because he is
ltd up and Is sot married. He is
cutter married no unmarried.
ften and often I have seen en
casements broken off because tho en
teased pair were watting for a little
juvre muney to com alone and could
plished plsnlst who wae later to organ
ize the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra,
and for a long time serve as Its presi
dent. Fathers Taft and Herron approved of
their children's literary club, for theae
old friends and neighbors were them
selves members of the Cincinnati Liter
ary Club, organized by Alnsworth R.
t-'pofford and several others, and of
which the elder Taft became President
In the course of his career. Hla son
William was also Initiated Into this
exclusive club of his elders, whjle sttll
an active member of the Junior society,
which met those happy Saturdays In
Miss Nellie Herron's parlor.
William Sat Thra Out.
It Is said that William. following
these meetings, systematically "eat
out" all of the other young literary en
thusiasts of his sex who 'chose to be
laggards after the meetings had ad
journed, and that during this time he
asked Miss Nellie the fatal question,
which waa later to make her the first
ladr of tha land.
The engagement waa a long one, for
the young law student did not regard
himself as worthy of a wife until he
had built hla own home In which to
ensconce the girl of his choice, so con
genial to him In Intellect.
Must Build House First.
Before hla wedding date waa aet be
finished an apprenticeship as clerk In
his father's law office, and served suc
cessively as assistant prosecuting st
torney. collector of Internal revenue
and assistant county solicitor. By this
time. In the Spring of lis, he saw his
long-antlctpated home the "Quarry"
rise to crown a pretty bit of highland
on East Walnut Hills, whence could be
enjoyed, as a paper said at the time,
"one of. the finest views of the Ohio
(river) to be obtained about the elty."
Hla fiancee elected to become a June
bride, and Saturday, the lth of that
month, waa chosen as the day of days.
William H. Taft was then twenty-eight
years and nine months old. while Miss
Herron was but a few weeks past her
twenty-fifth birthday.
A prophet employed upon one of the
Cincinnati papers that month cast this
horoscope for the bride and groom
elect:
"W. H. Taft Is a man who has made
not strnd the strain of the many little
annoyances which engagements always
bring. The engagement time Is sup
posed to be the happiest time of one's
life. In my opinion It Is perhaps the
most annoying of any experience, after
the first week or-two.
Why Engagements Are Broken.
"It Is no use telling me that broken
engagement is better than an unhappy
marriage. I am perfectly aware of that
reasonably obvious fact.
"But most engagements are broken,
not because people get tired of one
another, but because they cannot be
together and face together the annoy
ances which must come. In many cases
the simplest way is to elope."
Doubtless there is much trouble In
what Mrs. Miller says even If It does
seem almoot like heresy to our moth
er's faith to agree) with her. Moreover
there are many American girls who
are Independent enough fully to agree
with Mrs. Miller's remarks. Elope
ments) and very romantic ones are by
no means uncommon In this country,
and engagements are much shorter
with us as a rule than with the young
people In other countries.
The eloping habit with Independent
young America, is not confined to any
particular class of society, but attacks
the entire body politic. This statement
la readily demonstrated by a brief re
view of the recent marriage of the
young people In some very well-known
families.
Take that of 6eeretary of State
Knox. Both of the Secretary's sons.
Reed and Philander C Knox. Jr.. eloped
to wed the girls of their choice on the
zith of January. 107. Reed Knox,
while his father was still a United
States Senator, was married to Miss
Elizabeth McCook. of Washington.
The young couple, without notloe to
relatives or friends, except for a tele
phone message to the grandmother of
the bride, went to Alexandria. Va.
and were made man and wife. The
ceremony was performed by tho Rev.
William J. Morton, rector of Christ
Church. '
So carefully did the elopers cover
their movements that none of their
mends knew definitely what had be
come of them for many hoars. It Is
said, however, that they returned from
the quaint Virginia town, the Gretna
Green for Washington, and had a wed- ,
!kp ' ' ' 'V; :"" ding, had "since been the ministering w v. t ji
,f . i.".;- i'V".U.';:t;x?V.i;v';' angel, so to speak, of the Herron family, 7
jv .;. ; ;. ' ' v' lVV' .S --; having spoken the words that made all -t& A
fgl : '. . t : j . - ' s, ; -v . . the daughters one with their husbands. 'jjr
H-' I ' i 1 ' Quiet Weddlns. ' ' " "S '
; i ''V ' -y ' Although receiving first mention In tho f ' '3 -
A ' -' ': 't-.'h social columns. It was a quiet wedding, j"" w ' i '
.'' :v'-r' ! -l' ' and the same poircy of withholding tho , , f ' j
. - :"' - 'c:.H , 'yVK:''!:: I list of guests which the couple were to E ' , 'v, - ' ' i
his mark already In legal and political
circles. Those wise In such matters
predict f r him a brilliant future. To
no position, political or social, to
which American citizens may properly
aspire would the grace, culture and re
finement of his bonnle bride be found
Inadequate. 1
"The past week has been an exceed
ingly gay one and society haa been
kept wide awake and moving. Wed
ding bells have rung out on tho hum
mer air rich with the perfumed flow
ers and many a merry maiden has
made her choice for better or for
worse and with music's crash and
diamonds" flash have entered into the
holy stato of matrimony."
In two social functions of that week
Immediately preceding her nuptials
Miss Nellie Herron was a conspiouous
participant. One of these was at a
brilliant dance at the residence of Mr
and Mrs. William Howard Neff on
Price Hill, and the other was the wed
ding of her friend. Miss Agnes Davis,
whom she acoompanled to the a'tar of
Christ Church as bridesmaid a few
days before she was to play the stellar
WTsat Was Found la Wedding- Cake.
At her friend's wedding Miss Her
ron's bridesmaid gown was of "white
embroidered mull, with a white moire
1S
Jerez wox -
ding supper with a few chosen friends
at the W 11 lard Hotel.
According to the story current at
the time there was quite 'a romantio
Instance back of the elopement. It
seems that Mr. Knox had been paying
attention to the young lady for some
time and their engagement had been
expected. They had a tiff end he
stopped calling at the house. He did
not see her again until the day of
the wedding, when Miss McCook went
to a Washington theater to a vaude
ville performance. There she met Mr.
Knox and they were reconciled. Miss
McCook called up her grandmother and
said she was going to take dinner with'
Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Schults. She
did. but not until after she had be
come Mrs. Knoxv She and Mr. Knox
visited tho Schultses and the whole
party of four went to Alexandria,
where Mrs. Schnltx acted as matron of
honor at Miss Mccook's wedding.
The Course of True Love.
Not to be outdone in the matter of
romance by his brother. Philander C
Knox, Jr.. in the early Spring of 1910,
eloped with Miss May Boler, of Provi
dence, R. I. The wedding created con
siderable gossip at the flme. particu
larly because the Secretary, after the
wedding, refused to receive his son's
wife, and. according to rumor and
young Knox' own statement, acted the
part of the "cruel parent."
Aftar the wedding young Mrs. Knox
had this to say about the elopement:
"I married Mr. Knox because I loved
him and know that he loves me. I
do not regret it and have never been
happier In my life, despite tho fact that
to tho world In general we seem to be
having our troubles. Of course, I re
gret the fact that Tip's father Is not
willing to forgive us and accept us
Into his good graces, bat that is some-
ft- k - f; . yf Ill SV . (A TlVj
': 'V. h w 'V'l
sash" and it is also related that she
wore a itraw hat and carried a bouquet
of "Cornelia Cooks."
This wedding at which Miss Helen
Herron was a bridesmaid, was cele
brated "after the early English style,"
and after the knot had been tied the
bridal party and guests hurried from
Christ Church to the Davis residence,
there to sit down to an elaborate wed
ding breakfast sorved at a damask
covered, vine-decked table made ii the
share of a good luck horseshoe.
To Helen Herron's horoscope another
chapter buf a false one was added
during this sumptuous repast. Into a
great cake set down before the bridal
party had been baked a gold ring, whoee
finder would be the next bride; a gold
dollar, auguring riches, and a gold thim
ble, predicting perpetual splnsterhood.
The bride-elect of William Howard Taft
drew the slice of cake containing the
thimble and then repudiated the proph
ecy upon the following Saturday.
To Join his daughter In wedlock with
the future Moses Mr. Herron selected
his cousin by marriage, the Rev. D. A.
Ho re, a Presbyterian divine of Zanes
vllle. who bad married him to the bride's
mother S3 years before, and who. accord
ing to the reporter assigned to the wed-
'est msy:
"1 I I , " -'r--- ":.,. ,J 111; ' S'S! r ..71 inv
thing which -' we cannot help. Tip
will go out and make the best
of It. I am sorry that the parents
have stated that I waa a shop girl. I
never worked and have always been
brought up In the comfortable circum
stances, going to school when I was
a little girl and receiving private
tutoring here at my apartments. The
department store story came from the
fact that I have a cousin by the same
name in Providence.
"I am sorry that we were put in
such a wrong light, for it will hurt
Tip. I was Introduced to Tip at a
football game at Morris Heights School
f-and he has kept company with me
ever since. We have loved each otner
from the very start."
The young people of the family of
the present Mayor of New York have,
like those of Secretary Knox, shown
a particularly romantic turn of mind.
Three of Mayor Gaynor's children up
to date have eloped. The first to adopt
this romantic means of wedlock was
Rufus W. Gaynor, who ran away with
Maria Gluffi, the daughter of a barber
of New London, Conn, and on Decem
ber 10. 1908, was married In Chicago.
She gave her name as May Queen.
Rufus d'scovered later that she had
one husband living, and a year after
ward the marriage was annulled.
A little less than a year ago Edith
Augusta Gaynor, second daughter of
the Mayor, was married In Wilmington
to Harry K. Vingut. a New York
broker. While on May 19 last. Miss
Gertrude Gaynor. 22 years old. and
William Seward Webb Jr.. 2 years
old. a son of Dr. William Seward Webb,
of New York, eloped and were married
In the First Presbyterian Church of
Wilmington, Delaware, by the Rev. J.
R. Stonedfer. the pastor. The pair
Qulet Wedding.
Although receiving first mention in the
social columns, it was a quiet wedding,
and the same policy of withholding tho
list of guests which the couple were to
adopt for White House hospitalities was
observed. No wedding presents were d
scrlbed, not even the Inevitable "gift of
the groom," nor was the public taken
Into the family's confidence In regard to
Items of menu or trousseau. As one
chronicler put It, the bride was "to the
manor born." As a favorite of the Hayes
family, she had participated in White
House hospitalities. In Washington, as
had tho bridegroom, whose father as Is
well known had served In Grant's Cabi
net as Secretary of War and Attorney
General, before he had gone abroad, as
our minister to reside at the courts of
the Emperor of Austria and Czar of
Russia.
The Herron residence was "very pret
tily decorated with plants and flowers,"
and a quarter before 6 o'clock was the
hour set for the ceremony, which was
witnessed by only members of the Her
ron and Taft families and a few Intimate
friends.
The Wedding Gown.
The- bride "was attired in a superbly
fashioned robe with embroidered front
and veil caught with sprays of white
lilacs." And Cindnnatlans were the
next morning further told that "a bou
quet of white sweet peas and lilies of
the valley rested lightly In her gloved
hands."
For his best man the future Presi
dent chose his younger brother, Horace
Dutton Taft. then a young bachedor of
24. who had been admitted to the bar
only the year before. Put who was the
8i . sr iw?",
was accompanied by Harry K. Vingut i SjLV j'' tr v"
and his wife, Edith Gaynor Vingut. I " ' -v
was accompanied by Harry K. Vingut
and his wife, Edith Gaynor Vingut,
both of New York.
Following the marriage the party
went to the office of the Attorney-General,
and when the latter entered he
was greeted by Vingut, who said:
"Well, the marriage of Edith and my
self here last June set a good example
for the Gaynor family. This afternoon
Gertrude Gaynor and Mr. Webb (point
ing to Webb) also came to Wilmington
and were wedded."
The Attorney-General offered con
gratulations and the party adjourned to
a nearby soda fountain, where the
health of the bride and bridegroom was
drunk.
One of the most popular matrons and
social leaders In New York, Philadel
phia and Baltimore society today, Mrs.
Moncure Robinson, began her married
life by a romantic elopement.
Even though Cardinal Gibbons Inter
fered, the love which laughs at lock
smiths triumphed when Mr. Robin
son and Miss Sarah Slsson Abell, both
prominent and wealthy members of
Baltimore society, eloped to Chester,
Pa., on January 27, 1904. and were mar
ried on that day by the Mayor of the
Pennsylvania city.
The marriage was only accomplished
after extreme difficulty had been con
quered, and it was barely completed,
and the young couple had Just left the
City Hall, when Mrs. Philomena Abell,
a widow, the stepmother of the bride,
accompanied by several friends, arrived
In Chester. They were only about five
minutes too late to catch the bride and
bridegroom.- '
Edward Croser, a resident of Upland,
friro QrrdMTz r t .
FRESH) EL ATT STACX) JRS TVRTff
next year to become tutor at Tale and
later founder and principal of the boys'
school in Watertown, Conn., of which
he Is still the head.
"All in White."
And one of the bridesmaids was the
youngest of the Taft children, Miss
Fanny Louise, a young lady of 21, who
Boon afterward was to marry Dr. Will
iam A. Edwards, of Los Angeles, with
whom she visited the White House
only a few weeks ago. She and the
bride's sister, Miss Maria Herron. the
other bridesmaid, who, still unmarried,
now lives with her aged father In Cin
cinnati, were "all In white, one carry
ing pink sweet peas and mermet roses,
the other Marechal Nell roses and
daisies."
Good Dr. Hoge, having kissed the
bride and given the young couple his
blessing, "the handsome home with its
burden of floral decorations was the
scene of a brilliant reception from 6
until 8 o'clock."
. Few American -couples have enjoyed
a more Interesting honeymoon than
that of young William Taft and hla
Pa., who married a sister of MCncure
Robinson, championed the cause of the
eloping couple, and It was only through
his good offices that the marriage was
performed.
Love Laughs at Locksmiths.
Upon leaving Baltimore, Mr. Robin
son and his wife-to-be went directly to
Mr. Crozer's Summer residence at Up
land and dined there. About 8 o'clock
the carriages were called, and the party
All r $ f ' i-J,
I It Jt A Z. r l III
TMfT
frig srmjzuciJ&
bride. After running the gauntlet of
their Wedding gueat.s, they "left on tho
limited express for New York," whence.
Just a week following the marriage,
they sailed for Europe on the City of
Berlin. '
After enjoying the sights of the land
of their forbears and of the great con
tinent across the English Channel,
they returned to Cincinnati in the Fall
to welcome their friends at their new
home, the Quarry, upon that plctur
eque hill that commands such an ex
cellent view of the Ohio Valley.
A year later the young husband was
to succeed Judson Harmon as Judge of
the Superior Court, from which new
rung of the ladder he was to step up
ward to those of Solicitor-General of
the United States, Circuit Judge of the
Federal bench. Governor of the Phil
ippine Islands, Secretary of War and
Chief Magistrate of his people.
Honeymoon an Augury.
Jn their employment of their honey
moon days there was much augury, for
the Tafts, as to how their married life
was to be spent. Although as devoted a
"family man" as ever lived in our land,
his various duties were to call him to
circumnavigate the globe and visit
nearly all climes and all peoples. Bat
wherever he has gone, whether Vladi
vostok or Porto Rico, Panama or Rome,
Manila or St. Petersburg, his devoted
wife has shared the pleasures of travel.
Those of the Tafts and Hayes are not
the only silver anniversaries falling to
Presidents and their consorts. Presi
dent and Mrs. Grant celebrated theirs.
Informally, at their cottage in Long
Branch, August 22, 1873. For the dual
reason that the General had but re
cently lost his father and that Mrs.
Grant's father was critically ill, no cards
were Issued, and those friends who paid
their respects called "sans ceremonle."
(Copyright. 191U by John WatklnB.)
proceeded to the residence of the Rev.
James Tlmmons, rector of St. Michael's
Church, Chester. Mr. Crozer had Inter
viewed Fattier Tlmmons, and the latter
had agreed that he would marry the
young couplo, provided Cardinal Gibb
ons granted him a dispensation. It Is
against the rules of the church to mar
ry persons from another parish.
W hen the bridal party arrived in tha
parsonage they found Father Tlmmons
Concluded on Page 7.