Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-07-23
Mrs.. Douglas Tea-Cups

st. Louis Letter: A story has been
going the rounds of the press lately at
tributed to Mrs. Senator Bingham-if
any historian can remember such sena-
tOr--that infringes too closely upon an
incident in the life of Mrs. Stephen A.
Douglas to be let pass unmolested. The
tradition-teliers and the legend-lovers of
Washington have always remembered
the pretty and graceful ways of Mrs.
Douglas, and never ceased to hold her
up as the model OF statesman's wife.
Her tact and her amiability were bound
less, and although when she married the
Little Giant She was very young and
much his junior, she adapted herself to
the position from the start so thoroughly
that no wife Of twenty years experience
in public life could equal her. For every
friend, for every constituent, and for
every enemy of Senator Douglas she had
just the right thing to say, and with her
wonderful memory of names, faces and
places, she was never without some per-
sonal inquiries to make of each stranger.
Her social instinct was as marvellous as
the gift of her second sight, and when
she accompanied Mr.. Douglas on his ia
nous journey through the south to visit
his mother there was not person en-
cOuntered in all that tour that she could
not have recognized at sight and called
by name had they entered her parlor un-
announced a year later. Mrs Douglas
popularity was wonderful at that time.
and her face and winning ways made
friends right and left for the senator. at
that time candidate for the presidency.
AT one OF her receptions in Washing
ton, great shy, awkward constituent
from the most rustic region of Illinois.
presented himself in Mrs. Douglas door
way, sent up there from the capitol by
the senator, who had assured him that
his wife would be delighted to see him.
The visitor was anything but parlor
ornament--a rude, unpublished son of the
prairie, unused to any of the ways of So
ciety, but power in the politics of his
home, and man whose influence could
be of vast assistance to Mr. Douglas En-
tering the room gave him nervous chill.
Mrs Douglas pretty greeting threw him
into fever, and her inviting him out to
the refreshment room completed a case of
palsy. Ignoring his trepidition she chat
ted away to him herself, paid no atten-
ton to his stammering refusals. and
poured out the tea into some miraculous
little cups of eggshell Sevres. Grasping
the fairy calyx in his fingers for a first
sip, the delicate bit of Sevres was crushed
to pieces and the hot tea poured in a
stream over Mrs. Douglas silken train.
With gay laugh the lady said, ssHow
brittle they are! just look at mine," and
with mighty effort she broke another
cup between her fingers. Reassured,
the constituent drew his breath and
found himself at ease, while the incom-
parable hostess talked to him, asked
about his mother, his wife and his chill
dren, all of whom she remembered so
well and called by name. That man
went home to work for, vote for, and
swear by Stephen A. Douglas, and way
back of his political convictions Law the
pieces of those two broken teacups.
Some ladies were discussing the incl
dent at lunch party the other day, es-
tablishing Mrs. Douglas right to fame.
and routing the mythical Mrs Senator
Bingham, of whom the perverted story
has lately been told. Said one pretty
woman: 81 wouldn't break my best tea
cups for any constituent in my husbands
district" Out of the group there was
one who courageously said: s'I'd break
my whole dinner set if 1t would send nv
husband to the senate-and buy new
ones when l got to Washington" she
shrewdly added.