Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-25

ors to follow their own pleasure. Mrs.
Frye tells story of her that shows her
sweet thoughtfulness. Her little daugh-
ter was home from school and the mother
took her with her when she called upon
Mrs. Fish, introducing her by name,
| Alice, and mentioned that she was home
for a short vacation. The next week the
little maiden was overioyed to find by the
side of her father and mothers invita-
ton to a large reception card, bearing
the words, "For Miss Alice.'' A few
years later when that little Alice died,
the heart-broken mother met Mrs. Fish,
and there was no word spoken but only
q gentle touch OF the hand that made the
tears come to tine eyes of both. That is
sweetness, and surely the perfect lady
must have this kindly thoughtfulness of
children.
| Mrs. Frye says that the thing most to
! be criticised in Washington society is
something that people have complained
of ever since society originated; that of
an invited guest taking the liberty to
take one or two or a dozen friends with
her to reception or entertainment. She
says this same Mrs. Fish once said sadly
that should she invite 5000 people to her
house there would certainly be Is, 200.
1t is fact that women who entertain
third more guests than they have in
vited. ''It has grown to be the GUS
TOM, said she, "and hostesses expect
to hear ~ just took the liberty to bring
my friends who were only in the clty for
few days. Another thing for which
society has been criticised is certainly i'm
proving and that is the unseemlv be-
havior in the diningroom. 1t was said
that at an entertainment at the former
Mexican minister's the wine bottles were
piled up under the tables aud men did
not wait for corkscrews but taking two
bottles broke the necks by striking them
together. There was an instance of this
q few years later where woman eagerly
held out her glass for the wine that her
escort was preparing for her in that way
and in her haste she leaned too far over
and the wine spurted the length of her
elegant train. I think every one was
glad that she had on dress that it would
completely ruin and since the mishap
there has not been such haste in the mat
ter. -
MRS. CLEVELAND Is MRS. SENATOR COCK
RzLL's IDEAL.
Mrs. Grover Cleveland IS the ideal,
according to Mrs. Senator Cockrell, the
wife of the Missouri senator, and she
gives the best of reasons for her choice.
"Mrs. Cleveland g simplicity of manner
was what made her the perfect LADY,"
she said, although 1 think even that
would not have made her so dearly loved
il she had not had with 1t a gentle dig
nifty which kept her from being confused
in the most trying situations. A woman
who is easily fiustered, no matter what
her other charms, can never appear the
wellbred woman. l saw Mrs. Cleveland
in society, where she was both guest and
hostess; saw her in the privacy of her
life at Oak View, and l think never,
no matter how familiar L became with
her qualities, missed expressing to nv
self or whoever was with me my admira-
ton for her uniform affabilitY and gen.
tleness. People seeing her just once
might have thought it assumed for the
time, but 1 know 1t was natural. Did
you think that that woman in the whqle
time she was constantly before the pfb-
lie never said one word that Mr.. Cleve-
lands enemies could turn in the slight
estdegree to his ill2 That is marvel to
any one who has been in Washington So
oiety for any length OF time, for know |
have pItied in my heart men whose |
wives had SO little tact that they would |
openly say things which would endanger |
their husbands prospects.
THE MOST TACTFUL WOMAN.
''Tact is a great thing, anyway, and
especially necessary in the wife of sapnb-
lie man. If L was saying what was the |
first thing girl should be taught in or
der TO make her lady, would say this |
very quality which Mrs. Cleveland had |
in such marked degree. Kindliness has
to be inborn, and 1 will not deny that it /
is the foundation stone of the perfect |
lady IS character; but tact can be taught |
and every lady should teach it to her
daughters. Do think that Southern |
women are better bred than Northern? /
Well, no. 1 agree with Kate Field that |
there viii soon be no comparison |
possible between the two. OF |
course the daughters of the South
have q charm OF manner that is an inher-
itance with them, and that their whole
educstion il of the kind to foster. There |