Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-11
THE SOCIAL WORLD
Questions Of Precedence Still
Disturb!
THE MANIFOLD CLAIMS
RECENT HosPITALITIEs AND
COMING ONES.
What the Future Has in Store-Inter-
esting Personal
Notes.
THE MANIFOLD CLAIMS

A Washington winter without a row over
precedence would be as unreasonable as
summer without a sea serpent story.
There are persons who take both seriously,
but there are a good many others who get
more fun out of the former. But those who
know say that the struggle for first place
at table, RACES in these first months of 1906
worse than ever before, one incident fol-
| lowing SO closely after another and be-
coming so widely known that timorous peo-
| pie are wondering what is to come next.
| The Supreme bench suffered little jar to
| It's dignity last year, but it has not been
caught mapping this. No matter how
| slight the disregard of the place to which
the members of the highest tribunal In the
| land consider themselves entitled, the Of
| fender will happen, and heaven only knows
| what will happen when the latter is on
| trial a second time.
| After a luncheon where a cabinet woman
| sat to the right and justices wife to the
| left of the hostess, the latter's husband
came around next day to see about it.
| Subsequent hosts about that time found it
was easier to reverse this proceeding and
| judges preceded cabinet officers; and wary
| ones, let into the discussion, concluded for
! the future to have these representatives of
| the government on different dates. The air
| has temporarily cleared over this particular
! other directions. One high parsonage who
! cleared out from banquet with his speech
undelivered because he could not be COM
| Portable in a chair two removes from the
| main guest of the evening, did not-startle
| that company any more than the action of
| another, who had himself excused from a
White House invitation because he felt I'M
der considerable obligation to stay home
| and entertain guests asked four weeks be-
| fore to dinner-and gossip over the wireless
maintains that the Presidents manner In
accepting excuses of this kind Is as gracious
and pleasing as his invitations are cordial
and sincere Just as there was no break in
our relations with other countries when the
President called at the British embassy and
lunched at the German embassy, two things
no other chief executive ever before felt
free to do. our atmosphere contributes to
| liberal views. Where there is no law pri-
vate Interpretation answers.
Nobody ever wants to disturb the I'M
written law that an Invitation to the White
House is command but there have
been many fine plans disturbed the present
| winter by the invitation to meet" the
President, etc, at the cabinet dinners. Only
a very few persons hesitated to throw over
everything else for the greater honor in
store for them, but all did not know that
with each list of guests submitted (before
being invited) there were often ten names
appended from which selections could be
made in case the originals were not able to
be present. Plenty freedom In this for all
concerned
A story is told of one grand dame who
went into luncheon table and before she
sat down changed the cards placing her
self in the post of honor, while her trem-
bling hostess looked on~tOO bewildered to
speak. great many others would like to
do the same thing, but lack the courage
and want the luncheon. There is one hope
full signhover the struggle for first place,
that no matter how fierce the fight, 1t
worry the problem out to a finish and the
faculty of keeping up smiling face not
being, as a usual thing, combined in the
| makeup Of any one individual. The fight
ers scare everybody off, as well as invi-
tations, willie personal popularity secures
the prize, irrespective sometimes of the
rights of the case.
A humorous person, who sees in this mad
chase for honors only the absurdity of hui
man ambition, suggests that the first place
at table might be built something like cir
Gus seats are, the guest who would really
touch elbows with the host or hostess hav-
ing no more distinction than the others in
the upper tiers, where, at least, they could
be seen best.
Seriously, though, official experts ought
to establish some rules that all could fol-
low. With the volumes written on the SUBJ
ject, and the experience of those qualified
to deal with the complexities of official ETH
quette the situation becomes no easier.
After the President and the Vice President,
dence established. Every other claim to
first rank is assailed by a rival individual
or body; every position is open to argu-
ment, and nobody shows any special heat
until his own place Is touched or his own
Importance lessened. Apropos of this SUBJ
jet, paragraph is taken from an excellent
article written by Commissioner West a
few years ago. 1t reads:
THE State Department, the arbiter of Of
fetal etiquette, would unQuestionably de-
eide that in cases where individuals are
concerned the order of precedence would be
as follows:
1.-THE President
1.-THE Vice President.
"Amba ssadors.
1.-The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
1.-THE President of the Senate.
THE Speaker of the House."
Followed In the order named by the JUS
tees of the Supreme Court, the Cabinet
the foreign ministers. the Senate and the
House.
The situation is exactly reversed by the
following, printed about four years ago,
and which is known to be generally fol-
lowed. A new cabinet position, the Secre-
tary of Commerce and Labor has been es-
tablished since its PRONUNCIATION and ac-
1.-THE official list made up by the Depart
ment of State, and which is used as guide
at the executive mansion, is as follows:
"First-Tbe President of the United
States.
'Second-The Vice President Of the United
States.
Third Ambassadors of foreign powers
IN the order OF their formal recognition by
the government of the United States.
CNote-At functions given by officials Of
foreign governments at the American capt.
tai the Secretary of State takes precedence
OF ambassadors. including the dean of the
diplomatic corpS)
"Fourth-The Secretary OF State.
"Fifth-Envoys extraordinary and minis
tiers plenipotentiary and charges d'affaires.
"Sixth-The Secretary of the Treasury.
"Seventh-The Secretary of War.
"Eighth-The Attorney General.
"Ninth-The Postmaster General.
"Tenth-The Secretary of the Navy.
"Eleyenth-The Secretary of the Interior.
'Twelfth-The Secretary of Agriculture.
"Thirteenth-The Chief Justice of the
United States
"Fourteenth-The associate Justices Of the
Supreme Court in the order Of their APP
pointment.
acknowledgements ofGstates in the or
der OF admission Of states into the Union.
Sfxteenth-President pro tempore of tha
United States Senate.
Observation-Disclosures
Eighteenth-The Speaker of the House
OF Representatives
nth-Representatives In Congress
Twentieth-The general commanding the
army.
Twenty flrst-The admiral Of the navy.
ty-second-Assistant secretaries Of
executive departments in the same order
as heads OF departments"
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