Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-03-06

SATURDAY, M Al
tersp Mr.. Sherman once appeared be.
tore Napoleon III in knee breeches He
wore an evening suit, knee pants, black
silk stockings and pumps ana he says
in his book that it seemed very awkward
at FIRST until he saw that all the other
parties at the reception were dressed as
he was. Clifton K. breckenridge, our
present minister TO ST. Petersburg, ap.
pcared at the court of the car with his
shapely shins clad in silk stockings.
Nov in these days of bicycle suits there
is no reason why some such dress might
not be adopted 'as the ordinary dress
OF the American citizen" 1t was so in
the past When John Adams was pre-.
scented TO King George III he wore
coat embroidered with lace, his tat cal
YES were clad in silk stockings and his
shoes we're ornamented with silver
buckles. Benjamin Franklin at his pre-
sentation to the King oil France wore
plain suit OF black velvet, with black
velvet knee breeches, white silk stock
ings and black shoes. He had intended
TO wear a wig but when it arrived the
hair dresser could not squeeze it upon
Franklin's big head. The man worked
and stretched and Franklin finally told
him that the wig was not large enough,
whereupon the French hairdTesser
angriiy threw it upon the floor saying:
"Monsieur, that is impossible 1t is not
the wig which is too small; it is the head
which IS too large
SOME QUEER DIPLOMATIC STORIES.
Most OF our American ministers do
good service. They labor under The
greatest disadvantages. and have to
| compete with men who have spent their
lives in the school Of diplomacy. They
| have no money, and are under the sha'
| dow OF probable removal at the end OF
| tour years. The method OF their APP
pointment is such that it is not strange
| that many inefficient men find their way
70 the head Of our foreign legations, SO
| that every now and then one OF them
does something which IS disgrace to
| the United States. | have heard OF a
| number Of such instances, and the
| stories OF the adventures and mistakes
| OF American ministers abroad, could
| they be collected, would make book
more ridiculous than Artemus Wards
| travels. One OF the diplomats whom
| Cleveland sent to Italy lived, it is said
| over a dairy stable, and appeared at
| court in a frayed collar and sole d
| shirt. | was told in Cairo how one oil
| our former consuls general, used 10 go
| to ismail Pasha and whine about The
poor salary his government gave him.
He reminded the khedive that his
| majesty was rich, and asked him for aid
out OF the Egyptian treasury, The
khedive gave this consul general money
again and again, our government never
knowing how much II was being dis
graced. 1t is no excuse for this man to
Id that he was usually drunk at the
times he made such requests
AN AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT.
have heard stories OF the queer acts
| of some OF our South American minis
| tiers OF the past. One of them lived in
| Buenos Ayres for years in small room
| over the shop which he had rented as
our legation. He gave no functions
| whatever, until at last the outcry against
his parsimony became SO great that he
rented skating rink aud sent out print
ed circulars asking the distinguished
| people of the Argentine Republic to
come to an American entertainment.
| When the president, the diplomatic
corps and the res, OF Buenos Ayres
sweldom arrived they found the Amer.
can minister sitting on a platform with
| the stars and stripes iestooned above
| him and tigers skin at his feet.
About him were thirty-elght women,
| dressed in all colors OF the rainbow, to
represent the thirty eight states which
our country then had The minister did
not rise to greet his guests. They
| wandered about the room to the music
| OF brass band, and waited in vain fer
the dancing to begin. There was moth
ing to eat and nothing to drink, and the
| occasion passed of as the social curios.
ity OF the year. Another South Ameri
| can minister took rooms in an humble
part Of the capital at which he was sta
| toned. He got an Indian woman to do
| his cooking for him and did his market
| ing himself Shortly after he arrived he
applied tor position for his daughter as
| a teacher in one OF the schools, but the
superintendent Of education told him
that public sentiment would not approve
OF the employment OF the daughter oil a
man OF so high rank for that purpose.
SOME OTHER SHINING DIPLOMATS.
| could tell lot Of queer stories
about some OF our ministers to the far
east. How, for instance. one OF Cleve-
lands ministers to Japan used TO come
in person to the front door OF his lega.
ton to answer the bell. At such times
he might possibly be in his shirt sleeves
and without collar. This man was
the laughing stock OF the far east for a
time, and his popularity at the court OF
the mikado was not increased by his let
tiers, which were published in the Ameri-
can papers. In one OF these he wrote
that he was having high old time
among the Japanese, and informed the
| people OF his town that it was the GUS
tom Of the ladies OF the empire to battle
in the streams without bathing suits, and
that the sight oil them was worth the
| journey to Japan. This man was one OF
Cleveland's worst mistakes. Speaking
| OF him makes me think of another.
refer to Bayliss w. Hauns, who was ap-
| pointed minister to the Argentine Re-
| public. Shortly after arriving at Buenos
| Ayres he sent home a letter which was
published in the local newspapers, of
which the following are extracts:
This is a wonderful city OF 800, 600
souls, revelation 10 me. There is
more money here than in any place
ever saw, but Just now they are having
our greenback days over again, gold be-
ing worth 5IIs. 1t is the most exirava.
giant government on earth, | will send
I