Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-22

"Reverdy Johnson house, then adjoin-
ing a part of the Arlington Hotel.
AT the requeat of President Arthur,
John W. Foster, who had been the
! American minister to Mexico, and Mrs.
Foster went to St. Louis to meet Presi-
dent and Mrs. Diaz and accompany them
to Washington. While in Washington
they were handsomely entertained by
President Arthur and members of the
cabinet and by the minister of Mexico
and Mrs. Romero. Mr.. and Mrs. Foster
also gave a brilliant dinner party follow
ed by a reception and the visit was SO
pleasant That it has always been remem-
bered by President and Mrs. Diaz.
Mrs. Diaz is not only the first lady
of the country of Mexico but she is also
the most popular woman in the republic.
"Carmalita," the people a~ffectionately
caY her and she is known as Carmelita,
"Our Little Garment from the mansions
of the rich in the brilliant capital O the
humblest hut on the frontier. Her popu-
larity ever increases for each year has
seen a larger number of good works dis
pensed by this generous woman III has
always used her power as the. wife of the
president. to improve the lot of a long
oppressed and unhappy people and there
can be no question but that the popular
ity of the president and the desire of the
people to keep him in office are due in
part to the general e steem i n which his
lovely wife is. held.
The 10Th of July, the Saints day of the
wife Of the president, is almost a nation
al holiday in Mexico. In Mexico, as In
other Latin countries, it rs the custom to
hold the yearly celebration in honor of a
persons birth on the day dedicated to the
Catholic saint after whom Carmen is the
demi-deity for whom Mrs. Diaz was
chriStened, so on la Santa Carmen's day
all the people in Mexico do honor to the
woman they have learned to love so
dearly
On that day all the people, whether
they be rich or poor, a re admitted TO the
presence of the president and his wife
and as there are no regular days of pub
lie reception, as there are at Washington,
this occasion is highly appreciated. Each
year Mrs. Diaz is the recipient of hum
dreds of gifts from the people of the
country but nOne of these tokens of love
and esteem are more highly appreciated
than the flowers that are brought to her
by the poor who are unable to make a
more costly present. A few years & the
government made her an official SAINTS
day present. 1t was a train of private
cars. fitted out most e~laborately with
everything that would tend to add to the
comfort of q railroad journey and 1t will
be in these cars hat the president and his
wife will come to this country this sum-
mer.
The favorito residence of Mrs. Diaz IS
the great Palace at Chapultenec, the
splendid apartments OF which Maxfmll-
ian and Carlotta had fitted up in the
style of Pompeii, and from the broad
terraces of that mighty fortress the wife
of the president can look down over a
wide stretch of country where the happi-
ness and prosperity is largely due to her
efforts and influence.
Among the great reform measures In
which Mrs. Diaz has k a personal IN
terest is that of education and oday
there is not a hamlet of one hundred peo-
ME where there is not a free school where
both English and Spanish are taught as
compulsory branches. She has also
been actively interested in the recent eff
fort to place the Mexican girls upon a
plane Of industrial independence and her