Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-25
THE PERFECT LADY.
Ladies of the Capital Tell Who She Is
and How She Acts.
BELLIES AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
Mrs. ingalls, Idea of the Southern Girl and
Her Qualities.
WIVES OF LIVING EX.PREsIDENTS
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH. ,

L nnd tnat eacn mas ner IDEAL, ana tnat tnell
talks are full of good points of advice to
the young women of the land. I first
chatted with Mrs. Harrison. Said she:
"Girls should imbibe good manners with.
out much teaching, but there is one quality
that mothers should impress on their daugh.
ters, and that is that they should always
consider other peoples pleasure before their
own. am sure that this is the one thing
lacking in the well-bred girl, and have
been panied beyond measure by seeing girls,
when they were introduced to any person
who for some reason they did not consider
their equal, bow coldly without one kindly
word of greeting, and turn the head to con-
tinue their interrupted conversation with
some friend. That has happened at nv
receptions, and it occurred once or twi ce
when Pmyself have made the introduction.
Disrespect to any caller at the White House
is disrespect to me, and 1 have decided
never to officially recognize girls whom l
have seen guilty of this breach of kindli-
ness, if not of etiquette. I am fond Of
young girls and like to see them winning
and cordial in their manner to the most
| humble person who comes into their pres
ence. They can find ample time to enjoy
their friends society in their own drawing
room, but when they are in any home to as
| sist the hostess they should make courtesy
| to their guests the first consideration.
WASHINGTON AND HIS SERVANT.
"I always think when see any one dis
dainful Of those whom they meet of the
story of Washington when he met his col
| ored man servant, and raised his hat in re-
eP t0 Some
said to him:
is it possible, General Washington, that
you raise your hat to your slave"
"'Yes, always, for will not have slave
Guido me in polteness.'
"To me-" continued Mrs. Harrison, "that
is the most essential lesson q girl can learn,
and if she remembers that story we'll, older
people will never have to blush Tor her,
and, with little laugh, 81 will not have
to debar her from the White House."
"Do you not think Washington society
open to criticism on other points,"
No" replied the Presidents wife, 81 do
not think of any special things, for think
the Capital deserves its claim to being the
most friendly and courteous of cities. There
is one custom that / have some time re-
gretted, and that is the fashion which has
arisen in the last three or four years OF not
introducing strangers to your friends or
course do not mean making general intro
ductions for that has all the faults Of the
other extreme. But it surely makes any
caller feel more at her ease to have the right
to speak to at least one person in the room.
1t is understood that it is lady's privilege
to recognize any one she has met In this
way, but at the time it is certainly more
kindly and more American to introduce.
Then, too, as a rule a hostess invites very
few people to her house whom every lady
present canrot recognize"
SHE IS ENGLISH, YOU KNOW.
One OF the bowling swells of this city is
the wife of rich man, who is also a Sena-
tor. She is woman who has always had
wealth, and she is elegant looking. Every
thing about her position makes her q leader.
But her drawing room is not popular. and it
is easy to tell the reason. She has tried to
introduce English customs into this plain
American country A lady whom every one
has learned to know and like describes call
at her house in the following manner:
''I called upon Mrs. Blank because my
position demanded that 1 should make the
first call, and then had heard that she was
such brilliant woman that was anxious to
meet her When the butler announced nv
name she turned face of the kindliest well
come upon me.
I hope you are enjoying your first win
ter in Washington said she, and then
turned to a group of ladies and gentlemen
at her right and began talking in laugh
ing, witty way which they all enjoyed more
than 1, Tor I could not hear word, and
evidently was not expected to. She knew
all her other guests we'll and 1 was per-
feet stranger, for she made not single in
PRODUCTION. I was just meditating a de-
parture for felt forlorn, when she turned
upon me with winning smile. such as she
had first vouchsafed rue, and said: Wont
you go to the dinning room, Mrs. -,
and have a cup of tea? You will find Miss
at the table
"a great hope sprang up in my heart that
I would find friend as well as cup of tea
in the dining room, and 1 passed on
through crowds of people whom I had never
seen, but who seemed to be intimately ac-
quainted. think never be ore saw other
people having quite SO genial time.
CHILLY IN THE DINING ROOM.
Reaching the dining-room I saw a girl |
who was presumably Miss -, for she was
seated at the tea urn, but she was engaged |
in a most piquant parley with dozen men |
who were evidently foreigners. ] waited |
patiently for the cup of tea which had |
been led by the hostess bland words to be- |
lieve only awaited my coming, but it was |
not until every foreigner had bowed himself |
out that my lady turned to me and drawled: |
Have you had tea?'
"'No, but 1 should like a cup yery much.
said, cheer ully, all the time cherishinp a |
hope that she would at least pretend that |
she was as.glad to see me as the gentlemen |
who had just left. But, no, she only said: |
'Une lump" as though she was giving me |
my choice of hanging by the rope or death
by electricity. 1 slipped tea and she looked |
weary until a pretty girl and half dozen
you dear old duck, you knew 1 would be
bored at this wretched tea table. Why
didn't you come be'ore?' I never found
out why the duck had not been on time. for
1 left chagrined and homesick."
Mrs. Reed, the wife OF the Speaker of the
House, is another lady who agrees with
Mrs. Harrison that the unkindliest custom
in Washington is that of not making any
In talking of it she related
a little incident oil how, when she first came
to the capital as members wife, she took
a friend with her to call upon iady high
up in the official scale and who had Just re-
turned from abroad. They entered the
room, were received winningly by the host
ess, who soon had to give her whole atten-
ton to some new arrivals. The ladies who
we're receiving with her looked at them
,oldly, chatted among themselves, and
hey drifted through the rooms fairly ostra-
used because they chanced not to know
lnyone.
1--WE soon took our departure" said Mrs.
Reed. She paid pretty compliment to
Mrs. Window, the wife of the Secretary of
he Treasury, by saying that she came near
st to her ideal of a welkbred woman.
MRS. SENATOR INGALLS, IDEAL.
Every woman has an ideal xnman uhnrn