The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-26
DAUGHTER OF TYLER
Chat With Mistress Of White
House Fifty Years Ago.
NOW N 4 CHARITY HOME.

UOW ~ OSo0ttt 00UGe
Her Msnssiss Of webster, Clay and
Cslhoun-stsries Of Lincoln and the
War-stonewau Jackson's Youth.
WASHINGTON CrrY. April z0-fSpecial
Correspondence Nellie Arthur, Fannie
Hayes, Mollie Garfield Brown and Nellie
Grant Sxrtoris are the four daughters Of
presidents with whom the public is fanil-
lar and whose histories lie entirely within
the last generation. Frequent newspaper
maidens serves, as it were, to keep their
lives in touch with the world, and TO
arouse in their fortunes . kindly interest.
There -, however, another, nth living
daughter of United States president, but
one whose days of social prominence lie
beyond the shadow of the great rebellion,
and the stream Of whose quiet life il
fast approaching the shoreless sea. This
lady, between whom and her youthful sue
cessors nearly fifty years of history were
made, is Mrs. Letitia Tyler Sempie, the
daughter of President John Tyler and
the widow of the late Purser Semple.
OF the United States navy. This
aged. but still proud and elegant,
woman is prominent in the group of aris-
tocratic old Southern ladies who live in
the Louise Home at the capital. Though
nearly 50 years of age, Mistress Semple is
neither old nor enfeebled. She not only
retains much of the beauty of fifty years
ago, but expresses herself with the same
vigor and exhibits the same constitutional
conservatism as did her father before her.
She is rather above medium height, and
carries herself as erectly as woman of
half her years, and her fine, strong face,
lighted by keen, but kindly brown eyes,
and softly framed in loose silver waves,
certainly bellies the years with which his
tory credits her This lady who has gone
upon the record as among the charming
young mistresses of the White House, is
representative of another time and gen.
Grafton. She is the faithful adhcrent of
the old regime. and as one born and reared
in the traditions and creeds of the Vir-
ginian ante-beilum glory, regards with
distrust and disfavor the so-called progress
Of these uneasy latter times. Since the
death of her husband and her entrance to
the Louise Home some eight or ten years
ago, Mrs. Semple has been quite lost to
the gay world in which she once reigned,
the gay official world which she now
placidly contemplates from the window of
a cory apartment overlooking the broad,
clean sweep of Massachusetts avenue, and
the quiet elegance of Scott's Circle, where
the fashionable equipages continually roll.
Here, however. IL the warmth and COM
fort Of her'high-up, sunny, CHEEKY retreat,
she receives the very small circle of old
time friends and the younger ones who de-
light in the reminiscent pictures Of her
girihood days and its environment of
great persons and events.
To hear lady chat Familiarity OF Daniel
Webster, of Dolly Madison and of Clay
and Calhoun, clothes these intellectual
factors of history with flesh and blood
personality, and enables one, as it were, to
shake hands with her forefathers and to
realize her relationship to history. Her
recollections of an era when society was
'.dignihed," when slang was unknown as
drawing-room accomplishment, and
when principle and honor were the first
tenets of q gentleman's creed" are most
interesting, and her comparisons between
then and now are never in favor of the
present giddy age.
WASHINGTON SOCIETY FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Referring to official society at the capital
during her fathers administration, Mrs.
Semple said:
Society was then very different thing
from now. Women leaned upon men as
their protectors and guardians, and q
gentleman of those days regarded as his
first duty the care Of his wife and children
and his mother and sisters. The progress
sive woman, that dreadful outgrowth of
the war and the upheaval of society, had
never been heard Of Women then desired
to be good wives and mothers, and were
not men, either in thought or doing mems
work, and disobeying their Bible, which
admonishes woman to silence in public. !"
Progress Is not always advance
ment, concluded this lady, with
emphasis, and passing from this she COM
pared the women Of today with those of
former times, spoke derogatorily of the
modern methods of fashionable entertain
ment, and deplored the crowded, ill-regu-
lated and purely SNOWY character of the
present fashionable reception, tea or lunch
con. IN those days, said she. IA drawing
room entertainment was something more
than crush OF people. 1t was planned to
give pleasure, not merely to cancel obiiga-
tons. II was a cordial and orderly affair.
The young gentlemen were called upon to
usher and look out for the pleasure of the
guests, and when supper was announced
the eldest and most important persons
were nrst led into the dlning-room. OF
course" added Mrs. Semple, Tin those
days you must remember there was but
one railroad into the capital, that from
Baltimore. and there were fewer states,
and consequently fewer to entertain
Then the prevailing element was South
ern. with the repose of manner and gener-
Gus hospitality which characterized plan
tation life in the old times"
HER LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
"When my father was made president
and called me to the White House." said
Mrs. Semple, who it will be remembered
was mistress of the White House until her
fathers second marriage, "he gave me no
other instruction or bit of advice except
this: You must remember, he said, that
in your new position you must treat all
alike. You must have no .avorites nor
make any distinctions / endeavored to
meet his wishes, and, following on,
his suggestion, had none of the
usual intimate friends among youns
ladies, and maintained the strict neu-
trality he advised. The code of ETH
quette regulating the White House has
of course changed much since 1910
At that time the lady of the White
House returned all of her FIRST visits in
person. To this she devoted three DAYS o,
each week, while the other three were
spent in receiving visits. Every two
weeks the president held levee, and
Spent every evening in the drawinc-raor,