St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-20

MRS. BURTON HARRISON.
lion or more similar things. A successful
salon can never be established under these
conditions. For it must live and flourish
through the cleverness and the interesting
character of its members. The members of
successful salon must be drawn from the
brightest minds of all the walks of life-the
arts, professions, literature and politics."
"Do you know any American woman who
knows enough about political affairs to in.
tereSt our leading statesmen in the discussion
OF political measureS?" -rt
''Oh, pshaW the women are clever enough
they know enough about politics to iateres
any statesman in the land, and if they dom
they will make the statesmen believe tha
they do. Women are tactful; they are sym
pathetic listeners, and, when not familiar
with the subject in discussion, they can dis.
cretely remain silent and look wise, and
make the cleverest of the men believe they
know thoroughly the subject under discus
sion. Let me tell you an incident which oc-
CURED in the salon of one Of & the cleverest
women in France, and which was related to
me not many months ago by Count Ferdi-
nand de Lesseps. The mistress of the salon
had invited a wealthy man who was inter-
ested almost solely in the growth and culture
of the oyster, to her reception. Now, all
that Madame - knew about the oyster
was that the little bivalye was decidedly pal
atable. The gentleman came, talked oyster
with her all the evening, and when he had
departed, expressed himself as being charm
ed with his evenings entertainment.
Mad had ba,-
to say word. She was afraid of exposing
her ignorance, The next day the oyster
planter met Count de Lesseps What a
clever woman madame is he said why
she even knows as much about the oyster as
I, who have devoted my life to its study
When Count de Lesseps told her of the com.
pliment, madame exclaimed: ''Mon Dieu
all I was doing was concealing my ignor-
ance.'"
''There is another reason, an important
one, why the American salon has not vet
been established. I will tell it to you, but
please don't print it. 1t is, the American
man is not interesting enough. Yes, mean
what l say. Our men are good fellows, and
like them, that is, like some of them, bu
they are not properly trained to make
salon a success. They are not versatil.
enough, they plunge into one business, de-
vote themselves to it, and disregard the
study Of the arts, and other matters which
make them versatile and interesting in a
drawins-room. They are not familiar
enough with the small graces of converse
ton. They cannot begin to cope with
foreigner in the drawing room game of
battledore and shuttlecock, and it REQUIRES
all of these graces of conversation to mako
the effort to establish salon worth any
woman's while. The conversation should
sparkle as the sparkle of good champagne.
How many men in Congress can talk with an
artist on art, with dramatist on the drama.
with hnguist on languages, with a COM
poser on music, and make himself interest
ing. All, 1 am afraid they are few and far
between indeed. There are many reasons
apart from these whyth American salon has
not yet been established, but the conditions
are changing now. Our society is growing
more cosmopolitan. Our close contact and
constant intermingling with European
society is perhaps largely responsible for
this, but it is having its effect, and l shall
not be at all surprised to see a successful
salon established in this city at an early date
Our women cannot become hero worshippers
like the French women, like Madame Beau
mont and the Duchess Dues over BouIan-
ger for instance.
They cannot proclaim the worship of their
heroes from the housetops like these women.
for our cnnventionahties will not permit this.
but still, they can establish a salon on other
lines and make it success.
Mrs. Lille Devereux Blake, the President
OF the Woman's Suffrage League and one of
the veterans of the movement, does not
believe a salon will ever be successfully
established in America. sIf the National
capital was here at the metropolis, we would
inst do in
Paris" said Mrs. Blake, land would have
had them long ago, but our system of gov
eminent has located the capital at Washing
ton, while the center of mercantile, financial
professional, artistic and literary life is in
New York. Then the constant rotation in
Office brings SO many new faces into political
activity, and makes so many changes that a
salon cannot be established in Washington
When our National legislators come to New
York they have particular errands, their STAY
is short. and they have no time for social
affairs. All this is different in the European
capitals. This is permanent barrier to the
American salon. ..,,.f,..s-
sour women up to the present time do not
know enough about politics to make them
selves the heads of salons. Instead of being
framed to discuss in their social gatherings
and in their home lifo the political questions
OF the day, as are the women of England and
France, they have been trained to eschew
political discussions, and the result has been
that they are untitled to cope with men in
the discussion of political affairs. To change
this, and to educate our women in the affairs
of politics, is one Of the main objects of our
desire for woman's suffrage. This fact alone
is a sufficient reason why no American salon
has ever yet been established the other that /
have mentioned is a sufficient reason / think
why none ever will be-
GEORGE RUsKIN PHoEBUs,