The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-08-02

wise. in furtherance Of her sponsorship
Of Mr.. Astor, added the names of william
| Waldorf and Miss Astor to the list.
This submission Of the names Of tn,
g-ests 70 be present, either at the ball, q
| dinner or house party. to a royal per.
| sonage who Is invited is the inevitable
| custom in the old world. Usually the dis
tinguished person make no alteration
AS rule he or she merely writes to the
hostess that the composition of the party
Is admirable. Occasionally the royal per.
sonage will add names of one or two
more persons, but very rarely indeed will
he erase any name from the list submit
ed to him, thereby expressing his disin-
clination to meet the person in question
The object Of this arrangement, OF
course, is to avoid meetings with the
royal parsonage which might be in them
selves personally disagreeable, or which
might give rise to undesirable political In
fluences. 1t is taken for granted that no
matter how great may be the knowledge
Of the world possessed by the hostess,
she cannot always be sufficiently in the
political secrets of the day to know whe-
Their it is judicious for the distinguished
guest to meet this or that particular per-
son whose stay under the same roof with
royalty might give rise to misinterpreta-
ticn.
political grounds that the royal guest ever
bars person whose name is in the list
submitted to him, makes the snub report
ed to have been given to Mr.. Astor the
more cutting.
When the list Of guests whom the Ouch
ess of Buccleuch had invited was SUBJ
mitted to the Prince of Wales, His Royal
Highness merely glanced carelessly over
them in his easy amiable manner and was
about to pass than as being persons
whom he would be charmed to meet,
when ne happened to notice toward the
end Of the list the name Of William Wal
dorf Astor.
In an instant as the London story has
it, the royal blue pencil slashed through
the name and obliterated 1t.
mot Mr.. Astor," His Royal Hlghness
is reported to have said decisively. "Mr
Aston bores me-"
There was no social objection to Mr.
Aston and politically he did no threaten
any complications. 1t was not because
he was or has been an American, because
he is man without any country. And
besides, the Prince Of Wales has too often
shown his high consideration Of Ameri-
cans by marked attention to them.
He has excluded, according to the Lon
don version Of the affair, on the broad
general human principle that he was
bore to the Prince Of Wales. Thata was
all.
That represents the sum total Of the So
cial achievements No Aston has won by
renouncing his country and countrymen
by the purchase of princely Cliveden, by
millions OF money lavished in destinations
entertainments, and by persistent social
campaigning backed by unlimited money.
When the list with the name OF Astor
erased by the royal hand was returned
to her there was nothing left for the un-
fortunate Duchess Of Buccleuch to do save
take upon herself the disagreeable task
Of notifying Mr.. Astor of the calamity
which had befallen, and Of recalling her
invitation. Personally she assured hirn
she would be delighted to welcome him
but the Prince did not feel equal to 1t.
and had especially objected. That is the
story as it is now being told in London
clubland.
There is no record of Mr.. Astor's ex-
pressions OF opinoin on the subject, and
1t is even doubtful IL he gave vent to any
such expressions. The only thing known
about the effect of the snub upon him is
that Immediately after receiving 1t he
suddenly departed from London In the
midst OF the season, and soon issued his
gratuitous announcement with regard to
his own distribution Of invitations to en-
tertainments at his various houses.
That the Prince Of Wales is fond Of
many of the Americans he has met is well
known. The reason he is fond OF them
Is because he has usually found them
bright, witty and sparkling. and he appre-
ciates these qualities. There is no one
fonder Of humor than the Prince, and with
him as with many others in the English
society, a dull American Is an anomaly.
But Mr.. Astor Is always serious in his
talk: sometimes even ponderous. It Is said
also that ne has lost rather than gained
favor in London by his remuneration Of his
country.
There Is IN Great Britain now a genuine
and hearty admiration for America, coup
led with a rare pride which has made in
the minds OF many the achievements Of
the great Republic in a way the achieve
ments of the English people. Just al the
time when this sentiment was strongest
in England Srr. Aston published over his
own name a TRADE against his country.
and then sclrried over 20 New York to
swear of the taxes on the property from
which his princeiy revenue is derived.
There was one thing lacking to complete
this master stroke, and that was TO pub
fish over his own name an account of his
ancestral glories from the house OF Astor-
"a to the great man and good American
who traded for furs with the American In
iians. and thereby laid the foundations
Of a great fortune.
English society only eniied at Mr. As
tora's rumored pretentions to the hand
OF the Princess ictoria Of Wales. but the
unwisiom Of his AstOrga ancestry article
put the climax 10 his performances. After
that /; was admitted that he was doubt
full propositionh. and the recent snub
which. so the story has il. was gixen him
by the Prince OF Wales has only fxed an
official seal upon the general verdict
There is no manner Of doubt that soelety
viii take its cue from the Prince OF wales
in the case Of oIr. Astor as It does in
practically ALI other matters ~ Tx n.