The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-04-03
The Presidents Dinners.

Inc HreSlueUtS DluneTSs
The New York Times praises Presi-
dent Arthur's dinners, receptions and
| other forms of hospitality as the finest
OF the kind since Buchanan's day and
eGualed only by those of the early Pres
idents, who had only the etiquette of the
Old World to guide them.
1.-The usages of polite society,"" says
the Times, shave right in the White
House. If we are willing to consider
the mere pecuniary aspect of the mat
| ter, we must see that the handsome sal
airy of the President is partly estimated
on the presumption that he is expected
to entertain many people handsomely.
| He is given fine house, furniture, fuel,
a portion of a household force and
other things, in order that he NAV fill
his high Office with the dignity and ele-
gance be6tting the Chief Magistrate of
great, generous and good-living Re-
public. a stingy President is cordial
" disliked. What we may call the Of
fetal hospitality OF President Arthur S
Administration is without flaw"
But, referring to the abuse which the
! Germans are heaping upon United
| States Minister Sargent at Berlin for
doing his duty and warning his fellow
citizens that Bismarck's prohibition of
! the American hog was made in the in
tcrests of protection and not of
health, tie Times says that it eill prob
I ably hasten the day when all our diplo-
matte service will be overhauled and
the missions to foreign powers, being
superfiuous and mere relics of time
when diplomacy had a meaning, will
be abolished.
But if ministers and missions are be-
coming superiiuous because it is no
longer necessary to the good under
standing of two nations that they
should cultivate social relations at one
another's capitals, then, for the same
reason, 'White House hospitality" is
becoming superfluous.
Missions and ministers mean that
two nations can not deal with one
another unless their representatives eat,
drink, parley. dance together and call
| tremendously upon one another So
in order to keep up this business an
ambassador is sent to "entertain" and
be entertained ut the European capitals,
and the President is expected to zen
tertain" European ambassadors at
" ashington. This is the basis of
"White House hospitality" 1t is true,
it includes others besides foreign min
listers, but this originated it, and this
is its central notion.
The relations of this Nation with
others are mainly business relations
and not political; hence, as the Times
says, Consuls-General can attend to
them. For the same reason, white
House hospitality" SO far as the inter-
eSts of the people are concerned, is a
mere ornament. The people are not
interested in it except as curiosity
mongers. Their dignity and hospital
ity are not representative, hecause the
only use they have for President is to
Government.
There is certain romantic notion
that because the President stuffs HIM
self and his guests with elegant viands,
and drinks seven kinds of wine, and
covers his table with flowers, and knows
! how to Use napkins and finger-bowls
and is accomplished in the litany of the
dinner service generally, the people are
somehow greatly honored. So far, Of
course, as they have a gentleman in
stead of boor or skinilint in the Of
flee they are honored; but there is a
vast deal of humbug in thinking that
his gormandizing and his inviting 9TH
ers to eat and drink with him in the
highest style of art reflects glory upon
the people who elected him.
AS matter of fact, the White House,
as the social center of the Nation,
should be abolished. 1t should DC used
merely as business Office. where the
President is expected to do his duty and
serve his fellow-citiz ms. For the rest,
he should go his way like any private
person; give dinners, receive company,
or rest in family retirement, according
to his tastes. There is no reason for his
giving dinner as part of his official
duty, or even of his important station,
than there is for his going to the choic-
est kind of plays and tos.e the very best
of actors at the theater. But for the ira
dition in the matter, newspaper would
as soon think of praising him for the
one as for the Other.-DetrOI Free
Press.