The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-04-26
SIR JULlAN'S PLACE.
From the Washington Post.

From the washington POST.
1t pains us to observe that in this mat
ter of Sir Julian Pauncefote and his
proper precedence at all functions and
ceremonies, private, public, political, fu-
nereal and diplomatic, there is a disposl-
ton in certain quarters to take on tone
of levity and, sometimes, even Of irrever-
ence. We wish to wrestle with this
spirit. to rebuke it, and, If possible, to con-
vert it to the ways Of humility and defer
ence. The American people do not seem
to understand that an ambnssador is an
awful and peculiar parsonage. He Is not
like a mere minister, or envoy, simply rep
resenting . nation. He stands for the
sovereign personally He is. IN fact, the
sovereign's alter ego. We all know how
much greater and more august the king,
queen, or emperor is than the millions
of people over whom he or she may reign.
Why, then, can We not recognize the
majesty of his or her personal represent
ative?
Thi rings us, naturally and easily, to
Sir IN Pauncefote, the British am
bassaLor, and to those frivolous and dis
respectful persons who make light or
his claims to preference over vice-presi-
dents, cabinet officers, supreme court
justices, senators, etc. We should like
to ask them whether they have seriously
turned this question over in their minds
and, If so, what they mean by speaking
of II in their ordinary voices. So far
as concerns the Grant Monument cere-
monies, which have been made the occa-
sion of a fresh outburst of precedence
excitement, it seems to us that the man
ayers thereof are in sad need of enlight-
enment. Not to put too fine point on
it, they are muddling the whole business.
In our opinion, so far from objecting to
Sir Julians walking in front of the vice.
president and the rest of the official rab-
BILE, they ought to put him in front OF Mr..
Mckinley himself. If Sir Julian is, in this
country, more important and august
person than the vice-president of the
United States, he is a more important and
august person than the president. III
he can turn down the secretary of state
at dinner parties, why does he not rank
| at funerals and the like with the person
whom the secretary of state represents
quite as eXtei sively and legitimately as
| Sir Julian does the queen of England? AS
| we see the matter, Sir Julian should be
put at the very head of the procession,
| Immediately behind the drum major and
| the band. He should be surrounded by
| the young gentlemen of his official staff
| all of them-and should thereby instruct
| Mr.. Bayard's rude and turbulent fellow
| citizens in a true sweetness and light. Any
| old place will do for Mr.. Mckinley and
l.
all that sort of thing. but Sir Julians s
| position should be at the head of the col
| umn. What are we here for save to
| testify our recognition of the queens pre-
cedence and pay tribute to her personal
representative accordingly?
| The trouble with the American people is
that they are too rude. They do not real
| ize their duty to etiquette as 1t Is fur
nished us by foreign practice and observ-
! ance. They do not seem to understand
that we have no right to make rules fol-
! ourselves, but are bound by every obliga-
| tion of decency to get our rules from Eu'
rope. Some of them go so far as tc
imagine that Sir Julian ought to be
placed in accordance with their mis-
guided estimate of his importance-whict
would bring him in along with the mem
beTs of congress. But they are all wrong
and we here notify them Of their error
Sir Julian is easily the most magnificent
parsonage on this continent, and the rest
of the ambassadors, ENJOYS, secretaries
and assorted thingabobs OF the diplomatic
corps come after him in the order Of thei!
rank and beauty.
Let us hope that these remarks OF ours
| will close the incident.