The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-05

Strange to say, everybody is satisfied and
the usual chickering's and strained rela-
tons are not apparent. Mrs. Charles ].
Bell, of course, gets little raking over.
But on the whole she is to be congratu- |
lated on providing for people the worth |
Of their money, something which all the
fashionable women Of Washington do
not consider necessary in asking patron
age for charity.
One cannot fail to admire the independ-
ence of character which the British am
bassador shows. His action in taking a
pew in st. Thomas church, contrary to all
traditions which hold that every British
diplomat must worship at st. Johns, is
praised Or blamed just as one views the
case. The worthy vestrymen Of st.
Johns have moved heaven and earth to
alter this decision. They showed Sir
Mortimer the records of the church, prov
ing that st. Johns had been the place of
worship for all foreigners Of the estab-
Ished faith Of England, and that he was
doing a great injustice to change the al
legiance. The ambassador calmly replied
that he could not view the matter in this
light. He preferred st. Thomas and
should be allowed to consult his personal
taste. Then Rev. c. Ernest Smith
is a native born Englishman and his style
of conducting services and Of preaching,
was preferable to all true-blue Britons.
Thus st. Johns loses its main attraction,
that 1t Is the place Of worship for the
members Of the British embassy.
Which episode reminds me Of certain
troubles which Catholic diplomats have
had with the pastor Of st. Matthew's, Rev.
Thomas S. Lee, a relative Of all the Lees,
CAROLS and other bigwigs Of Virginia
and Maryland. st. Matthew's is the place
of worship for the foreigners connected
with the Roman church and many gov
ernments, for instance, Austria Hungary
France and Mexico, make an annual ap-
preparation for the rental Of pew. Sew
eral years ago, Father Lee decided that
1t was all glory and no profit to have these
diplomats as Pensioners and he began to
treat them exactly as he did other men,
bers of his congregation. There was a
great hubbub because he declined to have
"a solemn memorial service for President
Faure, unless the choir, organ1st and
minor functtonaries were paid In advance.
The French embassy transferred Its ale
glance to st. Pauls, after this, but thru
the mediation Of Mr.. Cambon peace was
restored. The embassy keeps pew at st.
Matthew's, but few Of it's members occupy
it. Many Catholic diplomats go to St.
Mary's. whose pastor, Charles Warren
Currier, Is a noted scholar and lingu1st.
Mr. du Martheray, the Swiss minister,
Is to be congratulated on having proposed
| the first really new feature in the social
intercourse of the winter. He is to give
a dinner and dance on April 9, and the
affair will be of the leap-year surprise
variety. He has achieved this combination
| by asking three young women, Miss
Roosevelt, Countess Marguerite Cassini
! IL. -
has empowered to invite escorts and other
young women and their escorts to the
number of thirty for the dinner and fifty
for the dance. He will not know the
names Of his guests until the evening Of
the function and there will be a gay dis
missal of precedence in arranging the
seats. Mr.. du Martheray is one of the
. bachelors Of the corps and has been an in
defatigable diner Of the season. He is
author Of the epigram that the most pop
ular man Of the season is the man who
has the best digestion. The overwhelm-
ing number Of dinner and supper parties
which have been rushed into the socia
calendar make this attempt at persif1age
pardonable, II not laughable.
Robert A. H. Collier who arrived II
Washington last week, adds another
bachelor to the corps and adds a mos
eligible member to the British embassy
|
a member of the house Of lords and frs
baron Of that name, who was created a
the time of the diamond jubilee Of Queer
Victoria, and Is a rich commercial maj
Of London, at present representing Hag
gerston in the London county council. Mr.
i Collier makes another Of the minor diplo
mats, interesting mainly because Of re
lationship to great people. He is tn
nephew of the eminent scientist, Huxley
and Of the distinguished portrait painter
John Collier, known to fame thru hi
many delineations Of Gladstone.
Mrs Cornelia Grinnell Willis, widow O
the genial poet, Nat" Willis, died at he
home in Bancroft last Sunday. Mrs.-Wil
lis was one Of the notable women Of tn
older school, whose ranks death is 8
rapidly depicting. who made Washingto
their home. Her son, Bailey Willis, /
we'll known here thru his connection wit
the Carnegie institution. Few Of tn
women who made Washington famous j
the sixties are now alive, and the young
} er generation does not seem to keep u
. the tradition for brilliancy and politics
8 SAVIOR faire. No one can take the plac
> of Harriet Lane Johnston in establishin
} the semisocial and literary salon.
The arrival Of Senior Cecilio Baez. til
: newly appointed minister from Paragua,
will be welcomed by the South America
t contingent as well as the entertainin
members Of the corps diplomatique !
i general. Aside from the interest whic
i attaches itself to Senior Baez's comm,
owing to the fact that he is the first rel
resentative his country has maintaine
$ at washington for many years. he is po!
: sessed Of considerable fortune and antic
p pates entering into social gaieties wit
:. Zest.
I Mrs. Roosevelt will give a small &c;
n home on Friday afternoon. The affa
9 will be informal no cards having been /
IL sued. On Easter Monday she followed Il
8 usual custom Of White House mistress
,. and invited the leading society matrol
: and their children to watch the fun of II
. egg rolling in the grounds The Roos
Il Velts did not take part Mrs Rnoseuf