The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-01
SOME WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
FEATURES OF THE UNWILLING OF
THE ROCHAMBEAU MONUMENT.


count of Some of the Beautiful
Gowns Worn at the Various RO-
chnmbeau observation-disclosures
Recalled Because of the Death OF
Lord PauncefOte-Fhe Late Ambas-
sadOr Was Much Liked in Wash
ingtOn-The Diplomatic Corps Will
BE Widely Scattered During the
Summertime Date When Mrs.
Roosevelt VIII Leave for Her Sum-
mer HOme-Other Matters of Gem
eraI Interest.
Washington, May 30.-The splendid
tribute of our nation to a man so long
dead as the Comte de Rochambeau
proves the error of that old cynic who
insisted that Gratitude is a lively
sense of benefits to come" The teIe-
graph has already brought you minute
accounts of the unwilling of the mon
ument and attending ceremonies.
Every detail of the function en-
phasized the affection that has existed
between France and the United States
ever since General Washington and
the Counts de Rochambeau and de
Lafayette fought together for Amer
lean independence. Everywhere flags
of the two countries were intertwined;
the French band played THE Star
| Spangled Banner" while our Marine
| band Numbered out the soul-stirring
''Marseillaise" American marines and
| French Seamen stood shoulder to
| shoulder; and the streets of the CAPT
/ tai W6r6 full of marching trOOnS Of
the two greatest republics, again COM
rades-in-a arms, as they were a century
| and a quarter ago. At the base of
the pedestal on which the statue stood
lay three immense wreaths. One was
| from the Colonial Danes, who had
| been holding their biennial meeting
| in this city and many of the MEM
| bers remained after adjournment to
witness, the Rochambeau ceremonies.
Another was from the Daughters of
the American Revolution; and the
third, which bore a red, white and
a blue ribbon, lettered respectively
Fraternity Liberty" Equality"
was presented by the American-Irish
| Historical Society of New York and
| New England which sent $50 of its
| members by special train. Meanwhile,
| far down in the White Lot, doomed
| the twenty-one guns of the salute 10
the statue from a battery of artil-
lery. thousand people occupied the
three stands that had been erected in
the park, and tens of thousands
crowded the streets, and even the
pouring rain could not dampen their
| ardor. 1t was worth coming to Wash
| ington merely to gaze at the galaxy
of greatness in those reviewing stands,
to say nothing of the beauty and gor-
| geous dressing. The President and
| his cabinet, the distinguished gentle
men and ladies of the French mission,
| all the representatives of foreign gov
ernments, judges of the Supreme
| Court, officers of the army and navy,
senators and representatives and ev-
| erybody who is entitled to wear a uni
| form, wore it adorned with all his
| decorations and medals of honor. The
| smart gowns and gay millinery of the
| ladies' matched the glitter of the brill
| liant garb of the French officers. But
| alasl the stands were not rooted and
when the rains descended and the
| floods came. great was the wreck of
| the millinery. 1t was notable, how
| ever, that nobody left or even finch
ed during the baptism. The Countess
| de Rochambeau, to whom was assigned
| the pleasant task of pulling the string
which unveiled the statue, proved TO
be a very sprightly and democratic
specimen of the French aristocracy.
Among the many beautiful gowns she
wore during her weeks visit with its
constant round of entertainments, per-
hapS the most admired was a yellow
satin, covered with old, yellowish Irish
lace Each dress had it's special hat,
all big and picturesque and extremely
Frenchy, with dropping plumes and
wreaths of roses. Her wraps, too
wonderful, trailing combinations of
silks and laces-bore the ear-marks of
Paris in every line. She will find her
way to Boston and Chicago literally
strewn with flowers by the patriotic
women of America, who, as Daughters
of the Revolution, claim an especial in
terest in this representative of France,
who is the only woman accompanying
the French mission. This attention to
her has been arranged by Mrs. Fair
banks, president-general of the nation
al society of the D. A. r. While in
this city, the feminine representative
of the old Count de Rochambeau re-
ceived many graceful attentions in the
name of the society. She says that the
most gratifying experience of her stay
in Washington was the visit, just be-
fore her departure, from a company of
Daughters" who presented her with a
superb basket of La France roses. The
delegation included the president-gen-
eral, Mrs. Fairbanks, and two of her
predecessors in that office; several of
the founders of the society the vice
presidentsg general from their respec-
tive states; Mrs. Quarles, wife of the
senator from Wisconsin,; Mrs. Burn
ham, wife of the senator from New
Hampshire; and Mrs. George NJ. Stern
berg, wife of the surgeon general of
the army, president of the Society of
the Children of the American Revo-
luton.
The unexpected death of Lord
Pauncefote at the beginning of the
Rochambeau festivities made consider
able change in the arrangements. OF
course nothing official, like the White
House dinner or the reception at the
French embassy, could be abandoned;
but those functions were shorn of all
unnecessary display and merely pri-
vate functions were given up. Mrs.
Letter, who was to have given lawn
fete in the afternoon of the day on
which Lord Pauncefote died, immedi-
ately recalled her invitations; and thus
the nations guests lost their only OPP
portunity of being entertained by a
private resident at the capital. This
one unofficial function was to have
been in keeping with the brilliant hos
pitality for which the Letters are ia
nous. The guests were to have been
received in the garden, which, though
small, is one of the most beautiful in
Washington. A square of lawn
smooth and green as emerald velvet, is
bordered with wide stone walks. on the
outer side of which are luXuriant