Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-07-17
TWO FAMOUS WOMEN
Personality Of Mrs. leaWitt and
Mrs. longworth Contrasted.
BOTH VISITORS AT DENVER.

Marked Points Of Difference Between
the Daughters of Mr.. Bryan and
President Roosevslt-Rsaehed Con-
vention City Almost at Same Time.
MRS. S. Holmes, Detective"
Two young women whose presence
at the Democratic national convention
lent TO 1t grace and beauty as we'll as
a measure OF distinction happened TO
reach Denver recently. as chance
would have it, within few minutes
OF each other.
One the daughter of presidential pos
sibility and the other a daughter Of
president, they are the direct antithesis
| of each other. From the west came
Mrs. Ruth Bryan Leavltt, primed for
the sensation of her life. the excite
ment Of seeing the power of her distin-
guished father, William Jennings Bry-
an, in the Democratic national cOnven-
tion. Olt of the east. for genuine
vacation and a good time. arrived Mrs
| Nicholas Longworth, formerly Alice
Roosevelt.
The trains on which the women trav-
eled almost met at the Union station,
but the distinguished visitors did not
| President Roosevelts daughter was
hurried In special cab to an isolat
ed corner OF the railroad yards to
await the arrival of an automobile to
take her away from the curious gaze
Of the masses. The daughter of the
commoner stepped lightly from the
train unassisted and walked briskly
to plain. everyday street car at the
nearest corner. In personal appear
ance they are as unlike as it would be
possible for two women to be, and in
character, in training, In ambition.
there are no parallels.
Mrs. Leavitt is taller than the aver
age woman, slender. dark, with the
brownest of brown eyes and the man
ners of diplomat. She is without af.
fectation OF manner, has plenty Of good
sense and is good talker. Her moth
er's gentle manner and her fathers
quickness OF repartet have given her
both charm and wit Apropos of this
gift a story Is told which states that
Mrs. Leavitt had never regarded Mr.
Bryan's political ambitions very serl-
ously. When he was defeated for the
presidency the first time she considered
ii rather good joke She was then
twelve years old. Racing one day for
street car. which she caught, she an
nounced to group Of schoolgirl
friends. who congratulated her on her
sprintins abilities, I'm a better run
ner than papa any time" However, in
her fathers second campaign she was
more OF partisan. She attended the
Kansas City nominating convention
and accompanied him on some Of his
tours.
Ever since she was fifteen years old
Mrs Leavitt has contributed articles to
her fathers newspaper, the Commoner
Her writings afford evidence of maturi
ty of mind and rare power of reason
ing.
According to her own statement, II
was during a vaudeville performance
in Denver playhouse that Mrs.
Leavitt threw up her hands and ex-
claimed to her girl companions:
"Pshaw, how perfectly foolish! Fcould
write a better sketch than that my
self"
1t so happened that one of the girl
companions rather liked the little skit
they had just witnessed. so she said,
II bet you couldn't, Ruth" The lat
ter, being the daughter of William Jen.
nlngs Bryan, who doesn't take dares,
went home and ratified off one act
playlet entitled Mrs. S. Holmes, De.
tective"
Ruth evidently won the bet, for the
playlet has been on the boards of a
New York vaudeville house, and the
to It.
Mrs. Leavitt does not like to be
called a politician. although she is
enough of the diplomat to be one. She
votes. as a great many Colorado wo-
men do. but there never has been any
especial activity in time of campaign.
1t is tacitly understood that Mr. Bryan
has given strict instructions to his
daughter to keep out of partisan con-
fiicts and to be as inconspicuous as
she consistently can be. Mrs Leavitt
is president of the Jane Jefferson
Democratic club, but while abroad and
In western Colorado she absented her
self from its councils for months.
Instead Of trading on the name of
her father, Mrs. Leavitt has battled
for individual distinction and has rele-
gated society to the background. while
she struggles to find her place in the
general scheme of things. Mrs. Long
worth. who has been called Princess
Alice by the orientals. is OF medium
height. plump. blond, with great ami
mated blue eyes and pretty ways. She
is the pet pampered child of fortune
not affected, because she Is first Of all
an American girl. but woman who
appreciates attention and expects II
by virtue Of being the daughter of hel
father.
5 About the same age as Mrs. Leavitt
she looks no younger than the daugh
I ter Of the commoner, but is the type
of girl on whom trouble weighs light
". She has all the light hearted gayety
> within her own nature to get pleasure
: out of everything that comes her way
| and not only to get it for herself, but
Il to extend it to others.
While at the White House before
her marriage Mrs. Longworth used t.
u amuse her girl friends immensely by
4 doing acrobatic stunts for them aftel
d;,por ,,-bfI, aitipr for tha mon n