The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-12-19
MISS CANNON NOW A LEADER
IN WASHINGTON SOCIETY

With his prospective honors as speaker
| of the house. Representative Cannon has
abandoned his hotel quarters and taken
a handsome house on Vermont avenue.
where he is now, established for the sea-
son, says the Washington Post. Miss
Helen Cannon, who evil be the head of
her fathers household. is eminently fitted
for the role of leading lady in congress
Sional circles. place that will be hers
by right and precedent. Miss Cannon,
although unmarried, will have the same
rank enjoyed in past years by Mrs. Reed
and Mrs. Henderson.
The wife of the speaker of the house is
exempt from all first calls, except upon
the wife of the president and the wife of
the vice president. She takes precedence
of all congressional hostesses, and may.
If she chooses decline to return all
visits except in the supreme court, cabi
net and diplomatic circles. Miss Can
non, being young, healthy. amtable sand
fond of society in its best sense, may not
avail herself of the advantages OF her
new position, but being an experienced
woman of the world will be Keenly alive
to the same. 1t will be the duty of the
wives or daughters of her fathers as
sociates in congress to call on her.
In official society the etiquette of visit
ing is the reverse of that in most COM
munities, the newcomer making all the
advances and the junior matron or maid
calling on her senior, the order of preced-
ence being established by seniority in OF
flee of the husband or father of the
OF new member of congress arriving in
Washington must call promptly on the
wife, or, in the present case the daugh-
ter, of the speaker of the house the
wives Of the senior representatives and
senators from her own state and also
the wives of the cabinet officers. After
that, if she is socially inclined and en-
ergetic, she may call on any other Wo-
men of the congressional circle
The order of calling on the wife of the
president is variously interpreted; a safe
rule, according to the most conservative
authorities. being to leave d card at the
White House before making visits else
where. In every case the visitor should
leave the card of her husband or father
with her own. the state from which the
and the Washington address on that of
the feminine head of the household
a practice INDUCED in several seasons |
ago of not having the local address on |
a womans card is not considered cor
rect or sensible, as on the busy DAYS of |
time to inquire or remember the address |
Of the scores of people who entered their /
doors. In the absence of a vice presi- !
lent, and the presiding officer of the SEN |
ate being a widower, there is no feminine
eader III the senatorial circle.
The wife of a senator has certain priv /
leges not enjoyed by the wife of repre-
For example. the cabinet WO-
men must call on her, while the only per-
sons on whom she calls first, in addition
o Mrs. Roosevelt and Miss Cannon. are
he wives of the justices of the supreme
,ourt.
In regard to first calls on the wives of
ambassadors and ministers, there is no
liked rule, the various efforts to eStab-
ish one a year or two ago having been
lumiliating failure to its promoter and