New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-12
THE sWALLoW-TAIL.
sos,s ACCOUNT OF ITS FUNCTIONS IN CON-
su1sR AND DIPLOMATIC LIFE

London, April 81,
Tn Enalish papers, which never prihs ",
tea. have published approvingy ell' 49, 900,
-, tha. he pseforrcd the Consnia oe-"ehoe%,
:. Ta,An, "a = Foreign Mission, because ne "ou"
-. -. 20 hive in q swallow-tah coat hr'
-. ~. 1880 a, the social obligations OF the
T,s..nt General IA accurate. II not exhaustive
-. viii mot have TO live in swalo",eai' 0O%'O
a, ,imss. fear, be win be expected 70 nas~r
M. snt;psthies TO this garment 20 I"e a
=. ,vc.r A. @ few hours In the evening" ne "lI'
hs asked 70 dine with the Wossolpiui Nonp"n'
ss.h,.opvers. a, the Goldsmiths, or perchanee
MIR that awful functonary' the Loro mayor
r.s~.sr II he should appear on such occasions
-. che suallow-tail he would find himself
snoye oonspicuous, and therefore more uncomror'-
$50 th.n ~ he oonformed to the custom OF
.,s.s hanou,,s. and would be thought ss he
,,nu,s in fact he: singular. He would he alone
t h,s iaclyet or froek' coat for at none OF these
hanonets. even In ire city, would he see any
rsex,s not m evening dress, or In uniform or IN
caur. dress. During business hours, and lndeeo
an dav long down TO the dinner hour, Whatever
a NAV ne. and It varies greatly, MI New wiz
ha a, Hbcrty 20 dress as he likes or, more Strictly
,onattna "a wear anything he likes, the swallow
tail aycepted Nor will the eagle eye OF tne
sociaI inouisitor follow him, even as NohSu'-
cs,eral. into the domestic circle, nor care 70
know in what kind of raiment he takes DIS ciop
at restaurants There is even in this precedent
,,ddon country a coed deal Of individual hoerV'
IL the individual cares 10 take It, N,
There Is safety in q swuIlow-talL' saId rei-
h.m-I mean Buiwer's Pelham. There Is "o''
screamed Carlyle In his heated way; 40 NOV 20
Iicve Balwer" whom. again. horu
nyson, in controversial momen"
scribed, not too amlapy' n
nadded man who wears the stays" fef'
hans il j. we'll to believe neither buiwet "O-
o.,hle II IL all a question Of circumstances OF
- 80 ~ dav Not even rs Minister or
Ar,,.ss,do,-should we ever think the Uniueu
s,a,es had crown big enough for An Ambassador
,x.o,,d Mr. New be required to live In swallow
toup The lows Of the swRllow-tail axe in LONDON
definite and well understood. so sNlctiy hni'eu
q tho us. OF IL that it were better for man
% ba without &c when he ought to wear u tnan
"a wear il when he ought 10 be without 10 Inc
swallow-tau before dinner, though IL mlgnh 10
cart. cow, mis- nskedncsS, would cover MN WIN
dcrision II Is one of the convenienccs OF Lonooh
civilization that these high natters-ior 'here "io
ro.py other DEGREES Of etiquette not less absolute
,h,, tbis--are so we'll settled, so accurately Or
da,ne1 regulated with such beautiful precision,
that the wayfaring mainly which / mean the
arriving stranger-nccd not err in the mihutesV
particular He con get thc law Of swaliow-u'iis
by heart in half minute. He does not always
and for want Of this slight effort Of memory or
eesy effort of attention to the customs OF the
countrr, has been known TO appear OF On siter-
noon reception in the swallow-taiL by the IL"
~ contraries, tho same enighted being might
10 10 dinner in a jacket: as scores OF the hnghsh
st,stocracy are said to have done at Newport in
ct hon enormously,
He should not even, If he respect himSlf and de-
sire 70 be respected By others, go TO the theatre
In the evening otherwise than in evening dress.
tbinI, il NAV be said that but two excuses will
avs,l the man who should be seen during the day
IN the costume which NJ New dislikes. He might
IA irving on at his tsilor's or he might be an
American dipiouatist attending a Levee, or pres
emu az some ceremony like, for example, the open
ing az Parliament by the Queen, when Leve@
dress-or Court dress-tS prescribed In This ht
ter case, he will have long and arduous struS-
Gle to convince doorseepers and ushers that he
has a right 20 come in, and he may have to get
one of his diplomatic colleagues TO certify 10 ms
identity. But will not proceed further with
these TOO elementary truths.
NJ, New will, hope, excuse the liberty take
in discussing what he is likely 10 wear, even IN
this nv pcthetical way. lie spoke Of toe swallow
tail. no doubt, metaphorically, and signlhed In
this picturesque way that he accepted consular
rather than diplomatic post N order TO escape
tho solemnities OF diplomatic etiquette and to be
free from the social restFictons-s0me men wonh
call them opportuuities-which are supposed 70 be
ino,dcpt 70 Diplomatic hfe. Again l say his
view 10 . perfectly accurate one, which Is moro
than can often be said OF any view OF life abroad
by one who has not lived it. Broad Is the line
drawn in England and oil over Europe between
the two services, and between the Consul on the
one hand and the Minister on the other, and not
the Minister only, but the Secretary and Attache
ana whoever has any official connection with Lega-
,,on or Embassy. The functions of the Consul are
r.;marilv commercial: those Of the Diplomatist
are primarily diplomatic, and Taleyrand Is re-
sponsible for the maxim that the most important
work. IN Diplomacy is often, If not always, social
society ia of no consequence 70 the Consul as con-
xu,. IN the Minister IL is of great consc
onenne. and no IN retuyn is of some consequence
70 society.
To 20 into the origin OF thng'
would carry us too far. Let us ne con
tent with them as they are, and as they are, u u
"a he onid, that the American, II such there De
who has social ambitions in England mas 'aSeh
ssen seward gratifying them, when he has gC
o diplomatic appointment Ho oV.P ~ -
uent DO consular II be has TO do with the leg"
ton he has to do with the Court goes 10 ieNee'
o,5 dravine-rocms: is invited to such grea
CO., f,pc,ions as State balls and State con
..,.. the nbrase is odd, but is used officially-a
pnolt, cham palace lie is asked to the srea
or.saI nar,ies az the Foreign Office, the Admiralty
the Speakers, and elsewhere. lie is asked
the great parties at the Embassies; sl these soieI
h~osuse he is on the staff of the Legation. IL
comes IN this way to know many people outSld
tho Court and official and diplomatic worlds, an'
,hev too ask him; a diplomatist, however lowl!
be hi. diplomatic rank, !. recognized as some me
boav They ask him to big parties first, per
nan n n bir dinner also. II, in addition u