National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-06-15
ENJOYS EXTRAORDINARY.

American Ministers in London-Good
breeding and Politeness Coptrasted
with Bocrishness and Punctilio.
Gen. Badeau's "Arstocracy in England"
contains chapter on "American Minis
tcrs," from which the following extracts
are made:
suppose n man can hardly be American
minister in London without contracting some-
thing of the aristocrato feeling. The disease
is in the air. Everything fosters the dclusion
that he belongs to the oligarohy, His prece.
denCe is defined; he has his place in every
pageant or parade; he is called "IfIs Excel
iCncy;' his carriage need not stand In the rank
at balls but drives magnfcently by all the
lesser nobility, who fall back TO let him pass.
The sturdiest republican soon gets used
to the Difference, and comes 70 think 4 appro-
piinte rs well MS agreeable IT'S
Strange the effect the cOntactlhas. There.haye
been American ministers at London aspunctil.
ious, as exacting, rs regardless of courtesy
when mere etiquette was In question, as any of
their colleagues IN the corps. l have known
them TO wear kncc-breoohes at church when
every one else was I'm plain clothes, and insist
on their precedence With all the pertinnclty Of
pCcrCssCS or pnrVCnus
! have tnid ihft the ministers became pune.
tilllOus. one OF them was dining at an Amer
lean house, aud ~ he took his hostess down
to dinner she asked HIM II hc would consent
10 sit on her leit at the table so that she might
arrange her guests, only eight or ten in num-
Der, more agreeably. But the inlexible 70.
publican replied: "Do you know that / out
rank n duke9' A supererogatory illustration,
Tor there were no dukes at dinner, SO the
poor little lady's table was disarranged. but the
American minister maintained his place. The
worst of twas he was wrong In his etiquette.
by express determination of her majesty, for
egn ENJOYS follow dukes.
But not every American representative Is so
absorbed In the sense of his own consequence
as TO forget or neglect politeness for punctiilO.
While Gen. Schenck was minister TO England,
Mr, Rpyprdy Johnson, who had held tho same
| position not very long before, was visiting
| London, and both gentlemen dincd with me on
| the same evening. Before wo went into dinner
Gen, schenck particularly requested that l
decessor was old, and had, Of course, been used
TO taking the first place. and the general wished
| to show him Difference. This graceful act was
| prompted by sheer good breeding, not indiiler.
| ence, for had expected TO invite n cardinal
for the same evening and inquired OF Gen.
| SChenck about the precedence. He said that
| as American minister, he could not waive his
| rank in favor OF prelate who, though prince
| in the Church Of Rome, had no recognized
| place according TO English rules. ........
Mr.. Piefrcpont, also, always waived his rank
| in favor of Gen. Grant, and this was not en-
tirely work Of fmpererogation, Many, English,
| representative of the United States before the
| ex.President AT dinner at kensington
Palace, where Lord Lorne WAS host, he In
| were arranged, whether he waived his rank in
favor of Gen Grant.
For in the country to which he Is accredited,
| diplomatic representative takes precedence
serves Mr.. Motley told me that, when he
was minister AT Vienna, before the days of the
| German empire, he once had Bismarck and the
| Prussian ambassador both ut dinner. Bismarck
| was chief of the foreign Office In Berlin Mt the
time and the question of precedence was
raised, but settled in favor OF the ambassador,
and Bismarck followed his own subordinate.