The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-11-27
MINISTER'S WIVES.
Not Clergymen's But Wives Of
Our American Diplomatists.
THE ETIQUETTE OF POSITION.
Adam Bsdsau On the Standing Of the Wives
of American Ministers PIenipOtentiary
nj the Court Of ST. James.


in London is next in precedence to a duke
in ordinary society or at court; marquises,
earls and the lesser mobility all follow the
American representative. In the diplo-
matte circle ministers come after ambassa-
doris, and among those Of the same degree
the relative rank is determined by the
length Of time they have remained at the
same court Thus MIR. Motley used to fol
low the Haytian minister, q burly negro,
because the latter had been longer at St
James, than the historic envoy. The wife
Of diplomatist has the same rank and
precedence among women as her husband
among men, so that our minister's wife fol-
lows duchess and precedes a marchioness
or a countess. Even Lady Salisbury, when
prime minister's wife, had to give way for
Mrs. Lincoln, for the premier as such has
no precedence.
The minister's wife must pay no visits
and go to no parties until she has been pre-
sented to the queen; but the presentations
are made Of drawing room, for, unlike an
aRbassadress, an envoy's wife has no claim
TO special audience, now the drawing
rooms are held in the early months OF the
year, and when minister arrives at his
post later, his wife would be excluded from
society if the rule was strictly enforced.
Her maissty's own absence from LONDON
makes etiquette intolerable. and il is quiely
ignored General Schenck's daughters
were presented al a garden party al Buck
ingham palace, as indeed he was himself,
aud Mrs. P4errepont was nearly year IN
London before she saw the queen.
Many minister's wives never speak to
her majesty or are admitted TO her pres
ence during their entire stay in England
81 fla.
queen goes 10 no state balls or concerts and
has not attended private party in thirty
years; and not moro Than one or two
Of these ladies has ever been hon
ored with an invitation 10 dine
at Windsor. The diplomatic body is part
Of the court, ana should be invited on all
state occasions, but the queen has deviated
from this rule aud given great offense at
all the marriages in the royal family since
the death Of the prince consort. On these
occasions she invites only ambassadors and
The minister of those courts with which
she is allied by blood or marriage, and of
course the American envoy is excluded.
During twelve years that was in London,
Motley, Schenck, Welsh, Pierrepont and
Lowell were ministers in succession, and
not one OF them dlned with her majesty,
except Pierrepont, and he was only invited
TO accompany General Grant. When one
remembers that the British minister dimes
always once year al the White House,
and frequently receives other atten tons of
3 personal character from the president,
the royal courtesy melted to our representa-
tive seems a scant return. And this can
not be explained by the prolonged mourn
ing Of the queen, for the ministers of other
courts are often honored with the invita-
tons not extended TO Americans.
Even the Prince and Princess Of Wales
rarely ask the United States minister or
his family TO dinner, aud not always 10 their
balls. When Mrs Paran Stevens first
went TO London she was anxious to go to
the queen S ball, but the drawing rooms
were over for the year, and none but royal
personages or people of official Importance
are ever asked to these balls, unless first
presen ted at court. The Prince OF Wales.
however informed Mrs. Stevens that if
the American minister would apply for an
invitation the etiquette would be waived.
The minister was General Schenck, aud he
hEd learned that Her Majesty was always
dlspleased at these Irregular requests He
therefore wrote TO the lord chamberlain
that at the instance OF the Prince of Wales
be had the honor 10 request an invitation
for Mrs. Stevens. The card was sent
but Her Majesty was wroth, anu
court gossip declared that the
prince was severely snubbed by his
royal ma nma. He took his revenge, and
Mrs Stevens was asked and General
Schenck and his daughters omitted-a
very palp6be slight, and so intended
Had they been left out at queens ball
or positive state function the affront
would have been international; but the
prince maintained that his party was &
private one, and he could ask whom he
pleased.
The minister's wives, however, receive
all the attention they desire from every
one below the royal family. They must
gay the first visit to duchesses and 70 the
wives OF mem bers of the government, but
every body else calls on them, ex-
cept the wives OF ambassadors and
of foreign ministers senior in office
10 their husbands. / accompanied Mr..
Motley TO England as secretary Of Legation
IN 1869, and On his arrival his wife was in
undated with visits from the most i'm
portant people in the kingdom. Motley,
however, had passed q season in London as
e private individual, and his history of the
Dutch republic made still greater i'm
preston in England than in this country;
he was extremely popular personally, and
people like the Duke ana Duchess of Ar
CYL, Earl Russell, LORD Houghton and Mrs.
Morton were glad to welcome him back in
his new capacity. The queen had even in
viteo him TO Balmoral, as an historian,
which is more than she ever did for him as
a minister, She apparently dislikes the
representative of the great democracy, as
such, which is perhaps not remarkable in
queen, and granddaughter of George III.
The American ministers families have
always held their own in London society.
They have seldom had great fortunes TO
spend, and have usually lived in plain
houses; their diamonds could not compare
with ducal ornaments, and their entertain
ments hardly ever rivalled those of the
hr,r rhnw hnn
Of dignihed manner and character of
taste IN dress, and once or twice of great
personal beauty. 1t has happened that
seven of our ministers were unmarried.
Mr.. Buchanan was q bachelor; General
Schenck and Mr.. Welsh were widowers,
and Mrs. Lowell was great invalid dur
ing part OF her husbands term. Miss
Harriet Lane, Mr.. Buchanan's niece, pre-
sided over her uncie's establishment, the
Misses Schenck and Welsh over those of
their fathers. In general society these
ladies received the recognition and pre-
cedence that a wife would have enjoyed.
but at court the rule was different. The
queen decided that unmarried daughters
had no official rank or place, even when
they represented or accompanied their
fathers. They could not present their
country women at court they could not
take precedence of the wives of other rep
resentatives, even Of lower degree: they
could. only go to court like other .oung ls-
dies, With chaperone aud as part Of the
suite OF an ambasssdress or q minister's
wife. But the queens own unmarried
daughters enjoyed the rank inherited from
herself and she even insisted that they
outrank the Duchess OF Edinburgh, a mar
ried woman, and the daughter Of car; in
consequence the duchess seldom goes to
court The rule does not work both ways,
and we know the adage.
The decision crested great feeling, and
was very generally disapproyed; it cer-
.7,fo he