The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-08
SOME WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
NOTABLE ADDITIONS TO THE
CORPS DIPLOMATIaUE.


Looking American Women In the
COrPs-And One Thinks Her Blood
Little Bluer Than AnOther's-The
Present Social Season a Gay One.
The Moody Dinner at the New
HOteI-Others Matters of Special
Interest.
Washington. Feb. THE arrival of
the new German ambassador, and the
Baroness Speck Won Sternburg, and the
new French ambassador and Mime
Jusseraud puts quite a different COM
plexion upon the gay corps diplo-
matique. Both the distinguished cou-
pies lately arrived and will be very
generally entertained, and the official
festivities in their honor will add
greatly to the closing days of the sea-
son. The Baron and Baroness Stern
burg are already well known in Wash
ington, where the former served as mill
itary attache for several years before
his marriage. He and his American
wife were the guests of President and
Mrs. Roosevelt at the White House on
French ambassador and Nine. Jusser-
aud took immediate possession of their
temporary embassy on Rhode Island
avenue. Perhaps we may hint at the
storm that is brewing in the upper
most circle of international society
without unkindnesS in our gossip. 1t
is common talk in Washington and
must soon get beyond the bounds of
the District of Columbia through the
newspapers. Jealousy is at the bottom
of the bitter feuds that have crept into
the erstwhile united and friendly corps
diplomatique, and the foreign contin-
gent stands aghast, hardly knowing
what to do in the premises. The truth
is that there are at present too many
good-looking and ambitious young
American women in the corps for peace
and quietness-more than ever before
at one time. The arrival of the Bar
oness Won Sternburg has stirred the
tempest in teapot to a crisis. She is
the daughter of an American mother
and an English father, whose family
has always been ''in trade" a
condition of life which is count
ed almost a crime in the eyes
of the British ariStocracy; while her
uncle Mr.. Arthur Langham-with
whom as girl she made her home in
tative of a London insurance firm.
These facts, which cut no figure at all
in America, have been greatly disturb
ing the mind of Lady Herbert, wife of
the British ambassador, who belongs
to the nobility by brevet, so to say.
She and her untitled friend, Mrs. Sid
ney Waterlow, wife of one of the Sec
retaries of the British embassy, have
been so unwise as to publicly depre-
IN
sue by reason of this attempted COM
mingling of commercial and lineal aris-
tocracy. The Baroness Won Sternburg
is a very handsome, cultured and am
liable woman, excellently fitted for the
high position she will occupy in Wash
ington. She was educated in London
and Paris and has Travelled the wide
word over. Her mother was connected
with the best families of Georgia, and
some of her ancestors held their an
cient patrimony under grant of the
British crown as gentry. Moreover she
is favorite in Washington society
from away back, before ever Lady
Herbert was heard of here; and her
many warm friends, especially among
the Southern families at the capital
have taken up the gage of social war
fare in her behalf. Lady Herbert is
herself a Southern woman on both
OA0CS Va iCI MI anu MIS-
Richard T. Wilson are both natives of
Eastern Tennessee. and Lady Herbert
was born in New Orleans. 1t is con-
tended by the Won Sternburg faction
that the wife of the British ambassa-
dor is unduly "set up" and should
have been very last to sheer at her
country women. The young Baroness
Moncheur formerly Miss Clayton of
Arkansas, wife of the Belgian minis
fAT is Cot ls..I-
matique who is involved in the social
war. Though, of course, received ev-
erywhere, on account of her present
position, she finds life here anything
but bed of roses, because, forsooth,
her blood is not considered so blue"
as that of some of her associates And
this is republican America, in which
the favorite boast is that "all men--if
not women-were created free and
equal"
Without doubt the present social sea-
son is the gayest that Washington has
seen in many years. with the constant
succession of entertainments in the
White House, its scores of large dane
ing parties, and it's elegant dinners in
such numbers that popular men and
women have a choice of several din
ners per night and are almost strang-
ers at their own tables; to say moth
ing of teas, receptions, musicals, ct
cetera, waxing more numerous and
brilliant as the season nears it's close.
Mrs. Roosevelt's last musicale oc-
CURED in the afternoon, instead of
being at 10 p. m. as formerly. The 200
or 300 guests were invited to hear Nine
Roget MicolS, who gave a number of
selections from Schumann, Chopin
and List on the new gold piano. Mrs
Roosevelt was becomingly dressed in
pink satin brocade. Tea was served
after the music. Invitations have al
ready been issued for three other
musicals in the White House, on the
evening of Feb. 10 the afternoon of
Feb 20 and the evening of Feb. "a.
The special feature of last week was
the evening reception, in lieu of after
moons at home. This pleasant return
of foreign custom is due to three am
bilious ladies of the diplomatic corps,
Lady Herbert, Baroness MongelmulIer
and Nine Mayor des Planches. 1t is
said that King Victor Emanuel and
his ministers saw the advisability of
advancing their kingdom in the
United States in a social point/of view,
and therefore selected Signor Edmonds
Mayor des Planches and his gracious
wife as Italys representatives, in
place of Baron and Baroness F'ava,
whose dislike for Washington was so
pronounced that they made their res
idence in New York, coming to the
capital only on state occasions. The
choice of the King and his cabinet
could not have fallen on more capa-
BILE shoulders. In addition to their
weekly dinner-party, followed by
i