Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-17
SOCIETY N SADDLE
Complex Etiquette of Washing
ton a Pitfall For the I'm
initiated
BIG QUESTION OF PRECEDENCE
Relative Rank in Roosevelt Admins
tration - Hard Problem for the
President Effect of Society Life
on Women of the Capital = Wash
ington Gossip.

{. Washington, Jan. 17.-Capital socie-
" is now in full swing with dinners.
dances, receptions, luncheons, teas and
theater parties galore every day and
every night. There are two kinds of
society here-real society and official
society. If you are a member Of the
first it means you are in society
whether you have an official position
s or not. unless you happen to be mem
Der of the presidents family, or are
ION the supreme bench Of the United
States, or are member of the cabi-
net, - are d member Of the diplomat
&c corps If you are any of these you
are a member of real society here and,
for that matter, a member of real So
ciety anywhere.
s, II you are member of official So
ciety only, it means that your position
and not yourself is member OF So
ciety in washington. This does not
entitle you q expect any social consid-
GRAFTON in any other city. If u are
not in real society, but are senator.
you will nevertheless be given great
social recognition here on account OF
the position you fill. You will hardly
know the difference in Washington.
But il you go to other large cities you
will have it made plain to you and
your eyes will be widely opened.
Members of the supreme court are
always looked upon here and every
where else as members of society. so
are members Of the cabinet and, OF
course. members of the diplomatic cir
clesS 1t is generally assumed that II
you are good enough to haze been CIV
en- a diplomatic appointment you pos
esss good claims to social recognltlon.
Society doesn't go behind the diplo-
matte returns.
These are the features that make So
ciety in washington such pitfall for
the unwary. It's complex formation
renders necessary a complex etiqutte.
Many of the social entertainr are
cosmopolitan in the extreme, 1T Is
no unusual sight to see men al WON
en- guess. whom you would never have
t1oughta find in drawing rooms rub
binR elbows with the great and the
near-great.
Some members Of congress and their
families from rural districts r rose Sc
chief social diversions in the past
SOCIAL bees" and husking parties, are
ant to be at a loss for small talk" at
large social affairs and formal state
dinners, where they 5neet distinguished
Americans and foreigners. They are
there only because of their Official po-
sition.
How She Cut the Knot.
At one large state dinneyrTglven
wear ago the hostess was in doubt as to
the order in which her guests should
70 out to dinner and, as members OF
the diplomatic corps, justices OF the
supreme court and senator's We're pres
ert, very pretty wrangle followed.
Suddenly the pretty wife Of naval
OFFICER turned to the chief justice and
said:
LET US go out together y.
them to settle tho VI THIS
question" =.
And smilingly she took his arm and
walked on, leaving her hostess and the
>pther guests stupefied with amazement
80 her laWless cutting of the gordian
knot.
Some years before this country be-
came a world power the diplomats re-
siding in Washington at that time
complained bitterly of the rudeness
they said they met with at receptions
and other entertainments.
what kind Of a country IL Amer
aca?" asked a young diplomat, who
had Just arrived in Washington Of one
OF the foreign ministers who had often
criticised the lack of manners in
Washington society.
1T is a country where everyone who
CHOOSES can tread upon your toes; but.
then, they give you the same privilege,
1 only you are too well bred to avail
yourself Of it," was the answer.
Precedence All Important.
The question Of precedence is an all
i important one. An error may offend
not only the representative of foreign
government, but that whole govern
ment and nation, and embroil us in a
diplomatic war, If nothing worse.
At first sight 1t seems absurd to
think Of great literary genius like
Ambassador Bryce, of Great Britain,
x
typical American product as the speak
ser OF the house, and yet such things
have been for generations, they are
now and they will be for years to
come.
The etiquette Of official rank in
Washington is a thing which cannot
be neglected. Sturdy democrats from
the backwoods and the uncompromis-
4ng socialists from the city slums come
to Washington to revile, but they in
Svariably end up by recognizing the fact
that so long as we have an official
class we must group them according
to the offices they occupy, and that
grouping must be carried into the So
cial life OF the capital as we'll as into
its political existence.
Problem for the President.
The greatest presidents of the United
States have had to struggle with this
with 1t just as much as was Cleveland,
and the ultra democratic Roosevelt
has been obliged to establish social
code, under the direction of the state
department, just as surely as If he
had never led his Rough Riders up
tile HILL He shakes hands with the
engineer Of his train, but if that en-
gineer were invitedd to dinner at the
White House. he would surely go in at
the tail Of the list.
There is list of relative rank which
must be promulgated by every admin
tstration. 1t requires serious consid-