The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-02-26

friend to dine with him, but he is not per
mitted to accept an invitation to dine in re
turn.
An exception to this rule is in the case o
Il member of his own cabinet, whose boarC
he may sit at if he likes, though he coult
decline such an invitation without offense
but when dining out the tradition, the un
written law, is plain and distinct, that h,
goes as private person and not as tn,
president. Hence it is manifestly as i'm
proper to place the president at the heaC
of his hosts table as it would be to plac,
any other modest and humble citizen there
OF course President Harrison does mo-
Conine himself strictly to the letter o
what is known as the unwrtten law, anC
takes unto himself the right to depart il
some measure therefrom, as did most Of
his predecessors. If he did not he would b(
to great extent so far as his social inter
course in Washington is concerned, almost
like a prisoner in a magnificent state Jail
| President Harrison occasionally dimes with
senatorial friends, or with old friends who
are in private life, and two or three weeks
ago he was a guest of the newspaper cor
respondents of the capital on the occasion
of their annual dinner. All this is violation
of the code of etiquette, but the president
probably feels that he has as much right as
other people have to get little fun out of
life as he goes along. An odd feature of
the social code governing presidents of the
United States is that they may go as much
as they please while away from the capital
to dinners and parties and everything
that attracts them-but in Washington
they must be sober and stately.
One of the pretty presidential traditions
is that as the chief magistrate walks about
the city all men who meet him should
salute by uncovering their heads Presi-
dent Harrison, for instance, is fond of
walking, and frequently is seen pacing up
Connecticut avenue
Not all the men who meet him sa-
lutte, am sorry to say, but a majority of
them do, whether they have personal &C
quaintance with him or not. This is not
an acknowledgment of sovereignty or any
thing of that sort, as in the case of giving
him the head of the table, but mere cour
tesy, a polite mark of respect to his high
office and his exalted character as a citi-
zen. Another pretty custom that is grow
ing in general use in Washington is for the
mothers of young ladies who are Just
about to come out in society to present
them to the wife of the president by ap-
pointment before they make their debut.
Of course there is no ceremony about this,
and it does not at all correspond to being
presented to the queen of England, but it
is mark of respect to her who is conced-
eddy the first lady of the land.
In some respects the unwritten law gov
erning the social phases of the presidential
Office is modelled after the English model.
For instance, an invitation to dine at the
executive mansion may not be declined ex
cept in case of death in the immediate
family of the invited guest. In this event
the reason should be stated in a letter of
regret, or in a subsequent communica-
ton in case an acceptance had already
been signifed. Any invitation of a social
nature from the president is regarded in
Washington not only as a courtesy, but as
command not to be lightly set aside or
treated.
A large number Of people who ought to
know better persist in speaking of the
president, or in addressing him through
the mails, as "Your Excellency," or some
thing equally high sounding. The chief
of the United States is not en-
titled to any such appellation. In CONVEX
sation he is always addressed ''Mr. Presi-
dent In official documents he is always
"The President" and the superscriptions
of communications from congress, from
the departments of the government or
from the supreme court are invariably ITO
the President" Even in the informal re-
lations of personal friends he is properly
MIR President" and any other form of
address is presumptuOuS. To members of |
his own family in conversation with others |
he is "The President" He is neither an |
honorable nor an esquire, not an excel |
lency" nor yet a "highness''+-he is in the |
in law, in tradition and So |
cial precedence simply "the president" and |
nothing else.
The proper relations of the president and
his household to other officers of the gov
eminent and to the people are now well
and if Mrs. Noble had stopped
to think of the difficulty our forefathers
had in bringing order out of chaos in these
matters it is not likely she would have en-
leavored to change the custom of a cen
Jury all by herself. When Washington
became president the social customs of the
new government had to be created along
with the government itself There was
neither rule nor precedent. The people
we're to great degree unaccustomed to
jhe conventionalities of official station
himself related how for a time
lfter he assumed the presidential Office
lis house was thronged night and day by
people who had no business with him, and
Who were for the most part actuated by
mere curiosity. The eager crowds forced
heir way into the private apartments of
he president, and even Mrs. Washington's
was invaded
To relieve himself of these and many
ther embarrassments, Washington pre-
jared large number of queries which he
ubmitted to Vice President Adams and
he members of his cabinet for their ad-
ice. The president wanted to know
whether he should exclude himself from
II sorts of company; whether one day
7eek would suffice for visits of compli-
lent; whether the president should or
hould not receive persons on business:
nd he asked advice as to the number of
inners he should give each year. whether
r not he should go out to receptions and
cas- in an informal manner, and, finally,
neither it was not his duty during the =,
ecesses of congress to make tour of the
Ountry so as to acquaint himself with its
eeds. 1t is worthy of note that Vice Pres
lent Adams thought the president should
rule have nointercourse with the pub
C except at his levees, and that public
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