The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-05-03
wa.n,ur,en Letter.

centuries ago. dark, aff2ble, szuye, plzus-
lille. skilled in fence and restless as q Gag
ed eagle, has gone w~oiully out Of style.
Now We expect diplomats merely TO be re-
representatives. OF social life. 70 go cut 70
great dinners, and return them ifpossibie-
Therefore, the first question asked regard
ing q newly appointed minister to a hrst
class power is. how rich is he2 That ques-
zion satisfactorily answered. all the rest Is
smooth sailing. ard We feel really only
amusement ~hen men like James Russell
Rowell and Mr. Phelps come back from
England as English as the most exaeting
Anglo. maniac could wish.
Ii il he then that the position Is a purely
social one in every element, the diplomats
wife Is Of scarcely less national Importance
than the diplomat himself. II Secretary
Blaine and President Harrison had selected
the corps abroad wi.h sole regard 70 the
female representation, there eoala hardly
have been a greater success.
Mrs. Lincoln, wife of the minister TO Eng
land, has lad a long and brilliant social
experience, as the budding daughter of
the then Senator Harlan during the war
and the reconstruction, and later as . men,
Der of the Cabinet circle, when her nus
band was Secretary Of War. Few women
are more genuinely and uneo%nsciously
American in every thought and action.
Her social stains is SO well defined and her
-. r-.oI 49, the = ~ n rgor
that she viii be overwhelmed or socially
bullIed by London society. \ grown
daughter, a sol aged sixteen and a younger
daughter accompany their parents.
Younger thar Mrs. Lincoln by many
years, is Mrs. Thitelaw Reid, daughter Of
d. @. Mills. the millionaire of California
creation. She is very attractive in appear
ancc, Of the blonde order, above the me
dunn height, and is notable in dress for
subdued colors. Mr.. Reid will rent a mag
nifieeDt hotel in Paris, and it is safe to say
that his own thousands, ably assisted by
the Mills millions, will create a respectable
sensation even at the French Capital. They
will take with them their son of seven and
daughter. a tot of five years.
To the land Of Andalusla, where We have
sent more gifted literary men han to any
other court. Mr.. Palmer il accompanied
only by his wife, being childless. Mrs.
Palmer is a native OF Maine, and was an
heiress when she met and married Thomas
". Palmer. While her husband was in
the Senate, Mrs. Palmer was a notable fig
ure in Washington society and proved her
self a very clever society leader as well as
a kind and genial personality.
The wife Of Col. Fred Grant was Ida
Marie Uonorc. at the time Of her marriage
the recognized belle of Chicago. She is a
very fine musician and somewhat of a lin
guist. There are several young children,
including a daughter bora in the White
| House in 1876.
IN time of peace, the sIowest thing known
to man is the War Department, not only
on account Of its red tape. but also OF ac-
count Of its desire to be eiIatory. 1t is a
striking illustration Of this fact that the
army is always having trouble with the
Government Printing Office. When every
other excuse for delaying reports has been
worn tbreadbarc. the officer always fall up
on the time honored charge that it is the
fault Of the Public Printer. Other depart
menfs are satisfied and their reports appear
promptly. after waiting four months it is
discovered that tic Army Register even
wien issued has been wrongly indexcd,
and II alil take another month TO correct
that defect. The work OF arranging the
Army regulations has occupied the expen-
siye attention Of d board Of officers for
nearly ten years and on the eve that an
anxious world breathlessIy awaits its
positive appearance, it is discovered that
Several important errors GA the part of
tie printer" Will delay the publication.
And yet the people wonder that the Public
Printers sometimes stray from the narrow
paths Of virtue and long to jump the fence
aud vigorously toy with the Army with an
axe.
Secretary Proctor regards Major Lydeck-
er's disregard OF duty in the inspection of
work on the condemned Washington aque-
duct as an offence which q whitewashing
board should not be allowed to e~xtenuate.
He has returned TO the court martial the
papers in the case, with the opinion that a
sentence Of two years suspension is not ade-
qaate. II it probable that the court will
not reconsider tie sentence and therefore a
new court may be ordered. Major Lydeck-
er's reckless neglect and selfish inattention
70 the commonest duties entrusted to him
haze cost the Government and the District
Of Columbia thousands and thousands Of
dollars, and people not specially interested
il Of belonging to the Army deem dismiss
al as tie most suitable sentence in this
case. WEsToy.
Ia order to reduce The time between New
York and Washington, tie Pennsylvania
Railroad will B~traIOhteu it's track IN A