The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-05-29

turers all over the country directly af-
ter the birth of each child. As a mat
ter Of fact no such presents have ever
come to them; but the fancy of the
average Washington letter-writer runs
riot on occasion, and represents as
real happening what might have oc-
CURED if the whole guild of American
riage-makers had let themselves
loose in search of a great advertise
ment.
\ second class of letters arc those
in which Mrs. Cleveland is besought
to use her influence with the President
to procure offices or other political IA
vOrs for somebody in whom the writer's
are interested. Even the wives of
prominent Congressman have been
known to bespeak in this way the in
reference of the President to obtain
coveted committee assignments for
their husbands in one or the other leg
islative chamber.
To the third class belong letters ask
ing the use of Mrs. Cleveland's name
us a patrOness for some enterprise, as
a subscriber for book, or as subject
Of Il dedicatory paragraph.
In Il fourth class are grouped the
conventional engraved invitations to
take part in some festivity-a we'd
ding, Il reception, Il christening, Il birth
day party, the anniversary of a socie-
ty, the laying of Il corner stone
The almost unbroken rule in all
these cases is one of the executive
clerks to write Il stereotyped form OF
answer, consisting of a polite acknow-
ledgment and declination. Here and
there missive will have some distinc-
tive feature which causes it to be set
apart from the rest and brought to
Mrs. Clcveland's notice when she re-
tires rom the breakfast-room and seats
herself at her desk. A request that
she will allow herself to be named as
godmother for some building genius Of
new genera ion is rarely refused, an
autograph is given where the circun-
stances warrant the belief that the
courtesy will not he abused, and on
rare-very rare-occasions a photo
graph is added Now and then, at
long intervals, one of the other requests
receive Il favorable response; but when
the recipient is ungracious enough to
share the news of his success with the
public. the result is such Il delu9e of
appeals and demands from chronic
mendicants that the kindly feeling
which prompted the experiment is
turned to disgust, and the lesson costs
the next thousand supplicants a
prompt denial of their prayers.
As an example of the use to which
even the declination of an invitation
may be put. single instance may be
cited. From social climber of the
most self-obtrusive and offensive type,
who had been eagerly bent for years on
obtaining some personal recognition
from the Presidents family, came one
day Il card for the wedding reception
of his daughter. The sterotyped RS
ponse was sent by one of the d,rks.
expressing the regret of the President
and Mrs. Cleveland that they would he
unable to attend. The morning pa
pers on the day following the affair
contained full account Of all that
took place. ending with a list of dis
tin9uishcd guests and the recorded
procession of generals and commodores
and judges wound up with the an
nounccmcnt that "Presidcnt and Mrs.
Cleveland were to have honored the
occasion with their presence, but at the
last moment were unavoidably pre-
vented and obliged to send their re-
0rptS.