The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-06-13
SOCIAL. PRECEDENCE.
n Question That Has A.itated Oni-
ciai Circles Settled by the Mar.
riaue

Ns"> E''tth ny tu' Wal
riase
The nuptial ceremony in the Whit
HOUSE among other happy RESULTS ha
ss,t AT rest that atetrtI>,' problem IN III,
social economy If the Executive, hauS.,
hold which has been agttltinS WaSh,ns
ton since the installation at the witlavrl
President Arthur in the place Of ia,
murdered Garfield. There hal iA,er
widowed Presidents before. Tie wifi,
of Jefferson had dIe,i nrariy twenty
years before her husband tscame nres
ident. Their highly cultivated ami beau
tiful daughters. Mrs. Randolph AMI Mrs
EppsS, divided the honors of the socia
regime, relieved when absent by Doll,
Payne Madison, the hnxnm, bustlins,
somewhat rollicking Quaker wife of In,
Secretary OF State. Mis-. jackson. a del
iclte, sensitive woman, was overw helm.
ed INTO eternal sleep just before her huS.
bands Inauguration hy the foul ISLANDERS
oorn oi partisan malice and heape,l
upon the idol of her heart. the brave old
hero of Pensacola and New Orleans.
Her two neices. Mrs. Andrew Donelson
and Mrs. Andrew Jackson. Jr.. did the
hcnors OF the White House during those
stormy times of politica, antlgunismI
and social and domestic scandals. An.
gelica Singleton Van Rurrn, a dark
eyed beauty Of South Carolina, the wife
Of the son Of Martin Van Hnren, WAS al.
vanced to the place Of presiding lady,
the rightful occupant Of that place hay.
ing hcen dead fully twenty years when
/ that scion OF knickcrbncker hinol en-.
tered upon the duties of chief maris.
trate. The death Of the ti,st Mrs. TYLER
IN the White House cansrd The sexual III.
ties of the early part of the administra.
ton to deeolve upon the wife of the
Presidents son. That high functionary
later conferred that honor uInn Julia
Gardner, Of New York. 10y maxi ing that
pueenly lady his wife. That superb
daughter Of Pennsylvania, Harriet
Lane, a neice. adorned the social cnvi
ronments Of James Buchanan in his
high Office Of President.
In those days of elegant manners AMI
regard for social conventionalitics and
proprietics among the high.horn and cul.
tured ladies north and south. who were
the leaders of society at the capital, this
question Of the first lady of the land
the President not having Il wife. was
never mooteh. Noone doubted the right
OF the President to invest some lady
memb,r of his family a daughter. n
sister or niece with the domestic and
social prerogativcs Of his high station.
II was during the captivating reign Of
Mary Arthur McE'rov, the petite and
pretty sister of President Arthur, that
Rlue Grass statesmen and DANES under
took 10 force this hrrctical doctfinc into
the social forms Of official life. The
wife of the Speaker was exalted ~ the
lirst lady of the land and held a rump
cou,t at one Of the hotels.
The Inauguration of Grover Cleveland
revived tins vigorous contruycts, in a
more formidable shape In the admin.
istration Of President Arthur there was
simply u President pro tenn. Of th" Sen.
ate, then IN the line of succession to the
executive office, but whose wife was an
invalid AMI upon which frail assumption
the wife Of the Speaker aspired To- the
honors III reigning queen The election
WI ~ NV ItN"
dent PLACED the wife Of that officer next
in line in the van of the aspiring fashion
of the feminine world Of ,he seat of
government. Mrs. Hendricks had made
the appointment Of the rugged ".joc"
Mcdonald Il political impossibillty, and |
when Miss RI" tlrvrl mi took her
place as the pr, siding lady Of the White /
House notice was served against her rs.
sumng social precedence as first lady of
the land.
President Cleveland, with an exhlbi. |
ton Of sagacity in fine points of etiln, tie
tiles displayed in his love. rourtship and
clipped the wings Of this
rebellion in the social world
by giving to the late Miss Katharine
I.ayard, the daughter Of his SECRETARY Of
State. the place of precedence next 10
Miss Cleveland ut the initial l",cc held
under the auspices Of his administration
The wife Of the Vice President was IL.
nored ~ claimant not only to tlI" post
of first lady, but even Of th" honors Of
the first social Entertainment.
The act Of January ~. 1855. the first
act on the American statute books to lay
down distinct order of official prrce.
lcnce, designating the Secretary Of
State and after him, in specified order.
the Oher members Of the cabinet IA the
respective SUCCESSORS to the Presidential
office, in event Of the demise of the
President and Vice President. dlsposes
Of all pretensions Of the wife Of the
Speaker to the social honor Of being the
First Lady in the Lanl The marriage
Of the President has settled new prob
lem as to whether the rule Of precedence
applicable to the cabinet successors to
the political prerogatives Of the Preslipn-
tlal office in event Of a vacancy. would
not extend to the ladies' of their fam.
lies. lad the President not married,
the Secretary of State being a widower.
Mrs. Manning. the wife of the Secretary
NJ the Treasury. would have had claims
TO social recognition which the wife Of
The Speaker never had by statute. rus.
tom or common sense. RANDOLPH in
Times.
Amateur actor twho has taken the
part of Hamlet We'll. tllarlie. what
was the verdict in regard to our enter
'ainment last night; Charlie 'To be
frank with YOU, old man, | heard some
II the audience say il was deuced stu
pd." Amateur Stupid That
iivine tragedy Why, Charlie. Shake
,pearr never wrote stupid thing in his
ife. iIarTers Bazar.
.
Saved Ills Life