Evening journal., 1893-03-24
MR.. BLAINE IN LONDON
HIS VISIT IN 1887 AND RECEPTION IN
ENGLISH SOCIETY.

-o AsS1ooh " 0c~Aa-Hbs
When Mr.. Blaine came to London, it was.
! think, with well settled conviction that
London would mean nothing to him so
cially. He imagined that he was disliked.
He knew that if he did not himself dislike
the English, the memories of the civil war
in America and of England's part in those
transactions were strong within him. He
had expressed his views in speech and in
print. Like many other Americans who
had less reason for holding such a view
than Mr.. Blaine had, he conceived that his
criticisms were likely to be remembered,
and remembered against him. You must
know the English well before you fully
comprehend the spirit of tolerance which
prevails here, and the spirit of indifference.
Mr.. Blaine knew them hardly at all, and
he misjudged them and their spirit and
their feeling about himself
There was then, and there has been ever
since, notion that the great American
hated England or at least was no friend to
England. Often and often one heard the
remark when he was seen in this London
world, "Your friend does not like us" Of
ten to be followed by the very character
istic and very English comment, I'VE like
him all the same" So little did he antici-
pate a welcome in London that he seemed
TO have planned his visit in the spirit of the
traveller and tourist, and in no other
There were few if any houses he expected
to enter, perhaps none he wished to enter.
His idea of London was the British muse
um and the Tower and the Jubilee show.
He arrived on the Friday before the
Queens jubilee, and the series of social
surprises in store for him began at once
An invitation was waiting for him to dins
the next evening with the lord mayor, an
other to party the same night at the
Duchess Of st. Albans and a third to the
ladies' night at the Gallery club, then one
of the smartest functions of London. Mr.
Blaine made what may be called decisive
appearance that evening. He saw in the
course Of a few hours much of what is best
in London and made scores Of acquaint-
ances There is in London, and among the
best people here a marked absence of any
thing like ceremony or stiffness in circum-
stances which in a society less sure of it
self might be thought difficult. Ceremony
is replaced by cordiality, and a distin-
guished stranger finds himself all at once
on the footing Of a friend.
Mr.. Blaine, to tell the truth, had hesi-
tated. II it was an agreeable surprise to
him to discover that such a welcome was
in store for him, it was none the less a sur
prise. What he accepted he accepted
frankly, but he did not accept everything.
He relinquished his preconceived notions
rather gradually, but he could have been
in no real doubt about the disposition of
London toward him after the first half
hour at the Duchess of st. Albans' party.
Everybody wanted to know him. 1t rained
introductions.
Such face and figure and manner as his
of course attracted attention. The ques
tion ran around the room, ''Who is he?" It
was put to a lady who was supposed to
know every person worth knowing. 81
don't know" was her answer, but he is
somebody, and am going to find out" 1t
does not take long for intelligence to circu-
late in drawing room. There certainly
were people in that brilliant company to
whom Mr.. Blaine's name meant nothing
for it was not by a knowledge Of American
politics or personalities that London soci-
ETY. even then was pre-eminently distin-
guished.
But if the name did not always interest
them the owner Of it did. The tall form,
the singular charm Of the face the distinc-
tion of manner, the intellectual power Of
the face and head, the refinement Of both,
the alert composure Of the expression, the
sedateness of feature with which the vivac-
ity Of the eyes contrasted and that indie
Unable air of being perfectly at home amid
a throng Of people whom he had never seen
before-all this was remarked with that
swiftness Of perception which the woman
Of society has in its most miraculous de-
gree and commented on with a freedom
characteristic of world which has, to say
the least, the courage Of its opinions and
little restraint in expressing them.
If Mr.. Blaine had wished to be lionized
in London, which he certainly did not, he
had chosen his moment i'll. This was the
last evening for week or two when any
private individual, no matter how eminent,
could expect to be the central figure in
London drawing room. The next week or
twowere given up toroyalties, and so aristo-
cratic, even in these democratic days is
still the society of any European capital that
any royalty is sure of his place. Between the
private person of no matter what rank and
any king or prince, etiquette still draws a
line, which the king or prince may cross if
he willard he often does-but the private
person never
Mr. Blaine had, moreover, a keen, per
sonal feeling and a sense of what was due
TO his political position at home, and both
showed themselves in very striking ways
When he went into the Gallery club that
night, it came out rather unexpectedly
Lord Harrington was there, and Mr. Blaine
was asked if he would like TO know him.
He refused. Several motives for the refusal
might be suggested, but will leave them
all to the ready imagination Of those who
like to speculate on the subject. He was
asked to the foreign Office party and re-
fused, giving as a reason that he could not
be the guest Of man whom he had at
tackled as he had attacked Lord Salisbury.
It was pointed out to him that it was
lady Salisbury who gave the party, and
that it was as wife of the foreign minister,
not as the wife of Lord Salisbury, that she
issued her invitations; that there was no
politics on such an occasion; that Mr.
Gladstone himselfwould probably be there,
and so on. Nothing shook his resolve.
After what have said in my book / can
not see how it is possible TO accept Lord
Salsbury's hospitality" / looked up the
passage afterward There really is nothing
in 1t which need have prevented Mr. Blaine
from shaking hands with his old opponent
OF from going TO Hatfield. But if the scru-
pie was exaggerated, it was an honorable
scruple.--London Cor. New York Tribune.
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