The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-29
LADY CURzoN A DIPLOMAT.

Thinks to Inquire
An old school friend of Lady Curzon
who reminisced about her the other day
states that every one of little Mary
Letters playmates recognized even ther
that the pretty Chicago girl was des-
tined for brilliant career.
1T was not so much because the Lett
ers were wealthy and their daughter a
deliciously beautiful creature" said
this ex-schoolmate of Lady Curzon
but chiefly because, when she wore
her hair in pigtail and her skirts at
her shoetops, Mary proved her gifts as
a society diplomat She had a gay, ca
ressing, persuasive, yet perfectly digni-
fled way with her that quite enchanted
all those on whom she cared to exercise
her charm.
AS early as thirteen years she had
definite ambitions, and if anybody Won
GERS that the vicerine knows how to
bear herself so irreproachably under
her almost regal honors in India, the
mystery is explained when / assure you
she was literally trained for society by
a lady of royal birth.
INSTEAD of putting their eldest and
Mr.. Letters favorite daughter at fin
ishing school, Lady Curzon's parents Sc
cured as her tutoress Frauein Elise
Won Rotch Moewis, who comes of the
royal Prussian house, and lived all her
youth in palaces.
From such a gove1ness Lady Cur
ION learned the sort of lore that has
helped perhaps more than anything else
to make her welcome at Buckingham
| Pogno nd of H.
stanchest friends No duchess ever
came to court better equipped than
Lady Curzon to make her way success
FULLY, and, though she is in no sense
learned lady, she has all the accom-
plishments necessary in brilliant socia-
ty, while, of course, her looks serve as
a powerful lever in her favor.
Not one of her pictures does her JUS
tice because they fail to show her color
ing, her faultless hands and the poisc
of her lovely head She is slim and
tall, a full five feet seven inches, blue
eyed, brown-haired, and, like a sensi-
bic woman, she gives lots of attention
to clothes"
After establishing herself socially in
Washington, when Miss Letter appear
ed in New York, even women of the
smartest society we have in America.
and certainly the most luxuriousy cos-
tuned creatures in the world, opened
their eyes very enviously at the new
bellies toilets.
1t was not jewelry this young lady
spent her tremendous allowance of $50,
900 year on, but the most perfect and
artistic studies in color and drapsry
that Paris could provide. What fur
thermore opened the eyes of New York
ers was the quite royal methods Miss
Letter adopted in considering her COM
frot through gay. season.
She had nothing to learn in the way
of blissful luxury, or the machinery of
social duty from English, German or
even Russian princesses. From her
earliest youth Miss Letter enjoyed the
mnistrations of her own body of SER
wants, the use of her own carriage and
to see her attend as many as five enter
tanments in a night was simply les
son in how to accomplish the most enor-
nous amount of fashionable duty at the
least loss of nervous energy, spirits and
physical vigor.
To go to dinner, the opera, appear
at a musicale and at least two balls
was often an evenings diversion for
this young lady, and it usually took
three persons to help her do 1t. An
accomplished maid always stood, wraps
in hand, at the dressing room door when
Miss Letter wanted to leave, a footman
gave her his arm to lean on down the |
stairs, her carriage, warmed and pill |
lowed was exactly at the moment at
4 I,n as I1 ct nd
about on rose leaves, she was able to |
accomplish twice as much as the aver
age society woman who does not study |
her comfort or Is not able to afford such |
Injuries.
OF course, by these means Miss Lett |
er got through most arduous seasons |
with never the loss Of a tinge of color. |
and yet in spite of her great income she |
never had quite enough money to spend. |
She cherishes a passionate love of flow |
ers and her rooms are always redolent |
Of the freshest, handsomest roses. She |
has princely disregard of the value of |
things.
When she shops, whatever pleases her
she buys and bears off, superbly indif-
ferent to its price. Then, too, she is
absolutely generous, delights to have
lovely, artistic, unique objects about
her, and is as carelessy impatient as
child. On occasions when a half-dozen !
are on her card in a |
lay it will require two maids to accom-
plish the task of merely taking off or
putting on a gown with celebrity to suit
he wearer.
Conservative, critical, proud and re-
served, as titled Englishwomen are,
rom the queen to a nights wife, they
ave only words of praise for this par
ocular young American woman and
nave accorded her the most unusual
privileges.
Lady .Curzon is the only American
girl whom the queen ever saluted with
he royal kiss on either cheek; fur
hermore, she Is the only woman of our
nation who has ever been admitted to
he queens bedroom, and after whose
veil being her majesty thinks to in
Iuire.
Perhaps a more emphatic sign of her |
popularity was the cordial interest and II
,ood sistership showed when Lady Cur {
on began openly to court at her table |
nd drawing room the favor of great
powers for her husband,
nd when she went about soliciting |
oteS.
Influencing votes is one thing the
considers her special \