The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-11-26

is exempt from all first calls, excep
upon the wife OF the President and the
wife Of the Vice-President. She take.
precedence of all congressional hostes.
SEES, and may, if she chooses, decline t.
return all visits except in the Supreme
Court, Cabinet and diplomatic circles
Miss Cannon, being young, healthy
amiable and fond of society in its best
sense, may not avail herself of the ad-
Vantages of her new position, but being
an experienced woman of the world will
be keenly alive to the same. It will be
the duty Of the wives or daughters Of
her fathers associates in Congress 10
call on her.
! In official society the etiquette OF
visiting is the reverse of that in most
communities, the newcomer making
all the advances and the junior matron
or maid calling on her senior, the order
! of precedence being established by
seniority in Office of the husband or
father of the visitor. Therefore, the
wife or daughter of a new Member of
Congress arriving in Washington must
call promptly on the wife, or in the
present case. the daughter of the Speak
] er 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 energetic, she may
call on any other woman of the Con-
gressional circle.
! The order of calling on the wife of the
President is variously interpreted, a
safe rule, according to the most con-
sentative authorities, being to leave a
card AT the White House before making
visits elsewhere. In every case the
visitor should leave the card of her hus-
band or father with her own, the state
from which the congressman comes be-
ing on his card and the Washington ad-
dress on that of the feminine head of
the household.
A practice INDUCED in several seasons
ago of not having the local address ON
a woman's card is not considered cor
rect or sensible, as on the busy days of
a Washington season few women have
time TO inquire or remember the adj
dress of the scores of people who enter
their doors. In the absence 0 ia Vice
President, and the presiding officer Of
that body being a widoWer, there is no
feminine leader in the senatorial circle.
The wife of a. senator has certain
privileges not enjoyed by the wife of a
Representative. For example, the Cabi-
net women must call on her. while the
only persons on whom she calls first, in
addition to Mrs, Roosevelt and Miss
Cannon, are the wives of Justics of the
Supreme Court.
In regard to first calls on the wives of
Ambassadors and Ministers, there is no
fixed rule, the various efforts to es-
tablish one year or two ago having
been SO badly promulgated as to result
in humiliating failure to It's promoter
and much embarrassment to the ladies Of
the diplomatic circles. ~.
In the time of the late Lord Paunce-
fote who was dean Of the corps, with
Lady Pauncetote the recognized leader
of that body on all social questions, the
wives Of the different ENJOYS an
nounced, through the newspapers, that
they would be at home to their friends
on certain afternoons, the inference
being that only such persons as already
CAJSySA IA1S Lie LOTGlRn
hostess would present themselves.
AS the Ambassadors and Ministers oc-
cupy the position OF guests rather than
residents of the capital, and are
naturally supposed to have their own
preferences in making acquaintance.
most persons, even in official life, wait
until their presence is known to be de-
sired before presenting themselves at
embassy or legation, and at no time are
the receptions Of the diplomatic hostess
to be considered as public functions.
The old-time Cabinet reception, to
which all the respectfully clad were
welcome, having passed away, there are
no real public receptions left In WASH
ington. and the visitor to the capital
who wishes to include a round OF calls
IN his or her sightseeing will have to be
accompanied by some member of So