The Washington herald., 1906-12-16

iuence she exerted.
After Mr.. Douglas death. his widow
married Gen. Williams, and 20 the day of
her death retained much of her earlier
loveliness. Gen. williams died shortly
after his wife, and left three daughters,
the result Of this union. One Of the girls
had already married. and not long after
the death Of her father Mildred Williams
became the bride of Walter Farwell. of
Chicago. a son Of the late Senator Far
well and a brother of Mrs Reginald de
KOven and Mrs. Chatfield Taylor Mil
dred visited Washington not very long
ago, and, despite her long illness OF last
summer, when she suffered the fashion
able operation for ppendicitis-sometines
/ feel quite out Of II, never having had
that operation performed-loOked remark
ably well. and recalled distinctly her
mother. whom she very greatly resembles,
though she is not as handsome, or. per-
haps, she is handsomer but not as beauu-
ful, if you can understand the distinction
/ want 10 draw. She has too her moth
er's wit, which flows spontaneously and is
so sparkling that she can put a whole
room full of people into parOxysms Of
laughter and keep them in a state of meT-
riment for an indefinite time. Mildred
Farwell has a glorious future before her,
blessed as she Is with both wit and beau
ty. and with great wealth at her control
One of these days she will become an i'm
pOrtant social factor. Why does not some
public-spirited person persuade her 10
move her Lares and Penates 10 Washing
ton, whose fashionable people are am
bilious 10 make it a social Mount
Olympus?'
Il have just had an amusing note from
the wife Of one OF the new Senators"
announced madame. Il knew her inu-
mateIy years ago. when we happened to
be neighbors in a far Western town, and.
as you win never find out vino she is. I
may as well tell you what she waRts-no
less than definite instructions as to what
to do, how TO act, what to say, how 10
dress, when she makes her advent at
the Capital. She asks for a treatise, in a
word, on the proper conduct for a Sena-
tors wife. Now, IL you tumble about in
an old library, you viii find books of the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with
such titles as these: The Perfect Gen
tleman, The Perfect Lady a Guide TO
Perfect Department Why wouldn't it
be a good idea for some one TO write a
book called The Perfect Official Hostess
don't laugh-as a guide to the poor be-
nighted ladies who, having had no pre-
vious experience. are suddenly placed In
the glare of the public fOOtlights and call
ed upon to play an important part In the
official world? This friend OF mine. for in
stance, has never been east OF the Al
leghenies. She does not know giddy New
N-0r int 81 l.
phia, or elegant WashingtOn-for I insist
upon it that Washington is the most
elegant city from every point Of view
that we have in America; she does not,
in fact know anything about the social
life Of a great city, her experience being
confined to the small town where her
husband made his money and his political
fame Fancy how handicapped she VIII
be on first coming here. yet because she
has wealth. and fund OF common sense
which she inherited from her New Eng
land ancestors, and is the wife Of a SeRa-
tor. she will one day occupy a leading
position IN society; but the road TO that
position is apt to be a stony one.
What did I advise her 10 do? I ad-
vised her to employ a social coach. Don't
turn up your aristocTatic noses and look
shocked To have a coach is the most
practical way for the wives Of new Off
cials to meet the problems that confront
them. As 10 my friend, of course, I could
and would coach her: 10 do so would be
most entertaining. and all of my expert
ence is at her disposal, but I could not
keep her visiting list, write her notes,
supervise her wardrobe, receive her beg
gars, and the seekers after her patronage.
To insure social success one must start
right, and when she has engaged a com
petent person to teach her the ropes, she
has gone a long way toward that goal.
a good coach is difficult 10 find.
Obviously so. yet they exist-women Of
wide social experience who, for one rea-
son or another. must become wage
earners, and are competent and willing
to take such a position. Such a person
and should receive, a high sal
ary, and my advice TO a newcomer TO the
official world who can afford the luxury
Of a coach and refuses TO do so is to stay
al home, look after the farm. take care Of
the children. and send her husband TO the
CAPITAL alone. He will get along very
we'll. A man does not have TO know as
much as a woman about social affairs 10
succeed. His duties are less onerOus. and
his mistakes receive more charity. Then,
too, there are plenty Of unattached
women who will be glad to help a bud
ding statesman along, and under such
tutelage the blunt backwOOdsman of to.
day often becomes the accomplished man
Of the word tomorrow.
"Of course, you think I am a Philistine,
lions Of ancestors who had proper train
ing, YOU see no reason for teaching those
things which you think should be a BIRTH
right Keep your own snug ideas, but
let me assure you that times and cond-
tions have changed. Great wealth gives
almost any vulgarian a certain social
position. and q coach who teaches these
people how to behave is a safeguard TO
the aristocrat against the gaucheries of
the newly arrived.
Bert Hagerman. that dear and de-
lightful young man, who is as attentive
TO his mothers old friends as he IS to the
seasons debutantes, sat with me for half
an hour the other day. I should, per-
haps, have said. Gov. Hagerman, but one
cannot call a man by his first name all
his life and then suddenly give him a
handle At any rate, he is far
too young for such an exalted title not
too young in wisdom, capacity. or digni-
ty. but in years. am quite sure. he is
still under thiTty-fve. Only think Of a
young man OF his age being the chief
executive of a big State Ike New MexicoT
But in the year since he was appointed
he has made a splendid record. and am
proud Of him. From all I can learn his
path has not been strewn with roses, and
he has had to keep a stiff rein over a
rather fraetious community. The ma
chine politicians, it seems, prior to Gov
assumption Of the chief Of