The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-02-20
Uhe Merala and Ne,ra
THE PRESIDENTS INVITATIONS.
In Washington Society They are Commands
and Have Right Of Way.


President Roosevelt is creating Il
great deal Of commotion by his din
ners, and has already made heap
of trouble for the hospitable people
in this town. Those who give
fashionable dinners find it necessary
to send out the invitations three or
four weeks in advance in order to
get the people they want, and it is
not uncommon for some of the smart
set to fix list Of dates at the begin
ming of the season covering two or
three monts aud ask their friends for
those evenings. This is a great sat
isfaction to every body concerned,
and is becoming more and moro the
proper form. A popular society
woman can turn her engagement
book today and tell whore she will
dine every day next month.
An invitation from the White
House, like an invitation from an
emperor, is n command and must be
accepted, No excuse except death
or sickness will answer. Other Ell
gagements that conflict have to be
cancelled Hence when the President
s"nds ont his invitations only few
days in advance he sometimes crent
es great deal Of confusion by ask
ing people who have already prom
iS"l to- dine rlseW here. Quo night
last wiutrr n Scnntnr aud his wife
had invited twrlvr Of the most prom
inrht men in bnth Houses Of Con
gress, with their wives, to dinner.
The day before the he's; ess began to
receive notes, reading, 81 am very
sorry, bu' my husband has ust re-
ccivrd an invitation to the White
House, ard Will have to withdraw his
ncrrp,n'c" frcm your dinner tomor.
row night. 1t 50 hnpI cnrd that
the President had made ont a list Of
people he wanted to dine with him
which included aimo.t every man
that had wanted to attend the Sena-
t'r's dinner, including the host him
self. The Senator's wife anmmonpd
ever! available man she could get
hold of over the telephone in order
to ill the vacant places at her tnhlc.
Only f. W nights ago two NOM
h'rs of the cabinet were expected at
" dinner given in honor Of the Rus
sian ambassador, when the President
summoned them to dine with hlm
Onr OF them frankly told his predicu
ment and was excused. The other
withdrew his acceptance TO the first
invitation. 4 cartuin Seuator hai
promised to take dinner last Sundu,
afternoon with some old friends who
had invited half II dozen people to
meet him. Exactly three hours be
fore dinner time he received an in
vItation from the President over the
telephone, and was obliged to write
an explanation to his friends and ask
them to excuse him.
Not long ago one Of the new mem
hels of Congress- was requested to
select the guests and fix the date Ior
dinner given in his honor. .He did
both, but th" d.pneSr was given with
ont him. lie WAS invited to the
White House and had to go there
instead.
OF course the President does not
know anything about the embarrass
m'nt aud disappointments that he
causes, bnt if things get much worse
new rule will have to be adopted,
and he will have to include in his
invitations the words, "lf no previous
engagement prevents"
Nj. Cambon, recently ambassador
OF France, WAS the victim of tho
most serlons contretomps that was
ever caused by the Presidents din.
ners. He had invited about twenty
friends to dine with him at the em.
bassy one night, and on the morn.
ing of the same day received an in
vitation to the White House, Tho
members of the diplomatic corps are
naturally very punctilious in observ.
log their obligations towards the
President, and NJ. Cambon VIA
obliged to send notice to all of his
guests that his dinner must be post
poned.
Sometimes this thing is carried so
far as to be absurd. A fashionable