Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-08-20
TWO FAMOUS WOMEN
Personality of Mrs. Leavitt and
Mrs. LongWorth Contrasted.
BOTH VISITORS AT DENVER.
Marked Points of Difference Between
the Daughters of Mr.. Bryan and
President RooseveIt-Reached Con-
vention City Almost at Same Time.
"Mrs. S. Holmes, Detective"


President RooseveIt-Reached Con-
vention City Almost at Same Time.
"Mrs. S. Holmes, Detective"
Two young women whose presence
at the Democratic national convention
lent to it grace and beauty as well 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 a
president, they are the direct antithesis
of each other. From the west came
Mrs. Ruth Bryan Leavitt, 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. Out of the east, for genuine
vacation and 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 Roosevelt's daughter was
hurried in a special cab to an isolat
ed corner of the railroad yards TO
await the arrival of an automobile tc
take her away from the curious gaze
OF the masses. The daughter of the
commoner stepped lightly from the
train unasSisted and walked brisllIy
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 a diplomat. She is without af-
fectation of manner. has plenty of good
sense and is good taiker. Her moth
ers gentle manner and her fathers
quickness of repartee have given her
both charm and wit Apropos OF this
gift story is told which states that
Mrs. Leavitt had never regarded Mr..
Bryan's political ambitions very seri-
ously. When he was defeated for the
presidency the first time she considered
1t a 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
sprinting abilities. I'm 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, 1t
was during vaudeville performance
In a Denver playhouse that Mrs.
Lcavitt threw up her hands and ex-
claimed TO her girl companions:
"Pshaw, how perfectly foolish could
write 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.
Il bet you couldn't, Ruth" The lat |
ter, being the daughter of William Jon- |
nings 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 Il |
New York vaudeville house, and the
critics were kind and even indulgentI
to it.
Mrs. Leavitt does not like to be |
called politician, although she is
enough of the diplomat to be one. She
votes, as great many Colorado wo.
men do, but there never has been any
especial activity in time of campaign
It is taciuy understood that Mr.. Bryan
has given strict Instructions to his
laughter to keep out of partisan con
iicts and TO be rs inconspicuous as
she consistently can be. Mrs. Leavitt
S president of the Jane jefferson
Democratic club, but while abroad and
n western Colorado she absented her
elf from its councils for months.
Instead of trading on the name of
Ter father, Mrs. Leavitt has battled
or individual distinction and has rele-
,ated society to the background, while
he struggles to find her place in the
General scheme of things. Mrs. Long
Alice' by the orientals, is OF mediuml
leight, plump, blond, with great ami
mated blue eyes and pretty ways. She
5 the pet pampered child of fortune
iot affected, because she is first of all
n American girl, but n woman who|
attention and expects It
y virtue of being the daughter of her
ather
About the same age as Mrs Leavitt,
he looks no younger than the daugh-
er of the commoner, but is the type
f girl on whom trouble weighs light
:. She has all the light hearted gayety
7ithin her own nature to get pleasure
ut of everything that comes her way,
nd not only to get 1t for herself. but
} extend 1t to others.
While at the White House before
er marriage Mrs. Longworth used to
muse her girl friends immensely by
ding acrobatic stunts for them after
inner while waiting for the men to