The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-07-08

, of 1t. Edith Brownells latest account of the great reception in honor of the Pres idents daughter at the famous old Dor chester House, now the residence of the American ambassador. is unusually inter esting.
 | Last week was the very top pinnacle of the height of the season in London" writes Miss Brownell in the Washington Post, and the two entertainments given by Ambassador and Mrs. Reid in honor of MT. and Mrs. Longworth were really, so it is acknowledged everywhere, quite the most superb that London has known in a very long time. Indeed, all during the evening at the reception we heard the English people murmuring their ad- miration over the beauty of the house and it's decorations. and 1t pleased us very much, too, in view of the recent sena- toriaI criticism, to have the Times make a special tribute to MT. and Mrs. Reid and the addition they have been to Lon don society, and express also the gratif
 cation of Londoners that through them 1 Dorchester House has again been made available to the people, after having been closed to society for so long The house i is really one of the most magnificent in London, with it's rare old paintings, its priceless damask hangings, and it's noble sweep of rooms, but Captain Holford, it's owner, has been able to entertain only his intimate friends. and so, except for an occasional wedding or debut in the family, it has remained shut away from the social world
 "To us, on the night of the reception and the decorations were the same as the | night before-it resemblfd nothing so much as one of the beautiful varicolored | stage pictures shown in some of the l spectacles of the day. The stately mar ble columns in the hall and balcony and | the ruby rcd of the damask walls made beautiful background for the masses of roses orchids, poppies, and lilies, the colors hanging in each room like dif- ferent scenes, and the shifting crowd of beautifully dressed women and very much decorated men making the stage effect quite complete. We learned that the King the evening before was espe- cialy enthusiastic over the lavish deco ration In house and gaIden, and made tour of them for the purpose O? seeing 1t ali more pe1fcctly.
 We were very glad to find out, by the way juss how an affair which the King honors with his presence is conducted In the first place. whenever he visits private house he IS met upon the portico by the host himself never by any ser wants. In this case, MT. Whltelaw Reid, when the royal carriage was heralded by the guard riding before it, advanced to the great stone steps, and personally escorted his majesty into the great mar ble entrance hall. Here the other mem bers of the embassy waited, lined up in a semicircle, and the King approached and greeted them all in turn. From here the ambassador conducted his majesty into the large reception room on the right, where the dinner guests were assembled also arranged in semiciree
 Mrs. Longworth stood at one end of this line and Mrs. Reid, after greeting the King took her place at the other end The ambassador then presented Mrs. Longworth to his majesty. She made very low, graceful, and deferential bow, and the King, shaking her hand very warmly, welcomed her to England, and made inquiry regarding the President, for whom he expressed the deepest admira- ton. He was very gracious indeed and as he Is said to have the most perfect manners imaginable. and to be master of graceful expression, his greeting must have been very happy. Mrs. Longworth was equal to the situation, as we all | knew she would be. She was dignhed and well poised meeting the King with the difference due his royal rank, yet preserving her characteristic naturalness and merriment.
 After this was over the King passed around the circle of guests. shaking hands with each; and this brought him back to Mrs. Reid to whom he gave his arm to take her into dinner. It was one of the prettiest sights imaginable, so one of the guests told us, to see the long procession winding up the great marble stairway the widest stairway in all London-be- tween the rows of pink rose trees which | lined both sides of 1t.
 When the dining hall was reached. which was entirely decorated in orchids, his majesty escorted Mrs. Reid to the seat of honor on his right while the Duke of | Marlborough. who took Mrs. Longworth | in, conducted her to the seat at the Kings | left, which she took at his majestys spe- | cial request We, in our ignorance have
 been wondering why Mrs Longworth
 was not given the seat of honor at the l Kings right, and perhaps, others as un-
 enlightened we were upon court eti-
 quette. will be glad to have this explana-
 tion, too. It seems that since this was the
 American embassy, or the home of the
 ambassador, Mrs. Longworth was on | American soil. In other words, being an | American, she was at home, and all the
 English people present were her guests
 as well as Mrs. Reid's In a way. There fore, while the seat at the Kings right
 was occupied by Mrs. Reid, as his hostess, the seat at his left would, according to ! etiquette, have gone to the Englshwoman
 of the highest rank present. and the other
 seats would have followed, to English | women in the order of rank. It was only
 by special request. therefore. that eti-
 quette was waived and Mrs Longworth
 was placed at the left of his majesty
 During the dinner the King and Mrs | Longworth chatted voluoly. and more
 than once the King threw back his head
 and laughed heartily. He expressed him.
 self afterward as having been charmed
 with her, and this apparently was not
 merely a courteous speech for the little
 sign which always betrays the fact that
 he Is bored-the dropping of his heavy
 lids-when his interest is perfunctory,
 did not appear once during the evening l Indeed, while his carriage was ordered
 for early In the evening-since he rarely
 remains long after a dinner--it was 1:3O
 when he left Dorchester House Not only
 this, but he broke his usual custom of
 remaining away from the informal sup
 per following the concert-which that
 night was one which would have filled
 the largest theatre. including as 1t did l Emma Flames, Caruso, Kirkby- linn