The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-17

IT
 sspsrated fin college when all theil lives they had been trained together I she suggested that the wisdom of CO., l education in the lower schools might also be open to question.
 You know they have no such thing in England." she pointed out. "Wher was over there I met c man wht thought of opening . school for both sexes and he questioned me very earn estly If we found 1t safe and wise tc follow this plan in America"
 MRS. TAFT AND WHITE
 HOUSE SOCIETY
 The inaugural fuss and feathers |, over: the Teddy Bear has made way | for the Billy Possum, and there Is 6 | new mistress in the White house. That is not a fact to be overlook cd, for much | more will be heard of the first lady of the land" than has been heard dur ing the last four yeara when Mrs Roosevelt occupied the White House fir . purely personal capacity--as the mo- ther of her family and the wife oi Theodore Roosevelt. The Roosevelts maintained that the White House was the private home of the President family, and in every way possible the President impressed that upon the visi- tors to the Capitol.
 Mrs. Taft has no such ideas. She believes the White House Is the official residence of the President and his family, but that 1t cannot be looked upon in any sense as a private resi- dence--it sh ouid be place which the nation could regard as its social cen ter, and it is Mrs. Taft's intention to make 1t so. as far as she Is able.
 "The wife of the President. while she has no position in the strictly of hcial sense of the word," said Mrs. Taft nevertheless has obligations as the hostess of the nation which she cannot overlook or shirk. That is my Idea, alth ough is has not been that of my predecessors
 "New York Usurped Social Honors."
 The views of Mrs Taft, regarding the social importance of Wash shington are exceedingly interesting and, if car ried out, the city gradually will come to be looked upon as the real pivot of American social life.
 These views were expressed by Mrs. Taft at the time she and Mir. Taft were resting. in Hot Springs, just af- ter the election, but they were not pub lished at that time, at the request of Mir. Taft who did not think any state ments regarding the White House should be given out before the inau- guration. That Mrs. Taft maintains the same views now as then is un- doubted. for she was very much in earnest, and during her residence in Washington as the wife of the Secre- tary of War she had mapped out what she hoped to do in the event she, be- came mistress of the White House.
 New York is looked upon in foreign centers as expressing the best In Am erican social life," said Mrs. Taft, but there are many delightful, culti- vated hostesses-wives of Senators ofi cials and others--who. because of the beauty of Washington, make 1t their home a great part of the year. These include people from all parts of the West, North and South, who are un- known to New York and whose nam es are not counted amonk the Four Hun- . dred.' New York, in fact has usurped the social laurels of our country. and Europe has grown into the habit of looking upon the great port of entry of the Atlantic as representing all that there is In America of the highest so- cial life.
 It seems to me that geographically and logically, Washington should be the representative social city of the land. Here are the headquarters of the country's official and diplomatic life, and every distinguished visitor to our shores comes to Washington for time. The home life is more repre- sentative. too, than it is in any other city. No city in the entire country is | more beautifully laid out or has more natural charm during the months given over to official and social life than Washington. hope one day to see 1t the recognized social center of the United State"
 Mrs Taft fairfy beamed with plea sure during the inaugural ceremonies from the time she faced the storm in the morning until she left the ball
 The day was @ glorious one for me, ," she said. Tt always has been my am bition to see MT. Taft President of the United States. and. naturally. when the ceremonies were in progress I was in- expressibly happy
 Friends said that Mrs. Taft's happi- ness overhowed in tears just after she returned to the White House as It's new mistress. There is every reason why she should feel satisfaction in her hus- bands success. for had 1t not been for her determination to keep him from becoming a Supreme Court Justice he would not have been able to accept the nomination. T want you to be in line for the Presidential nomination." she told him. and he followed what turned out to be excellent and timely advice.
 VIII Divorcees he Barred.
 With Mrs. Taft's strong prejudice against divorce, there probably will be some interesting social complications before she has been in the White House many months. She has often said that she believed there should be a general divorce law. and that the way divorced people were accepted so- cially was shocking and should not be tolerated.
 Tt used to be disgrace to be di- vorced," she said, "and the time was when no one knew divorced people. Now one finds them among one's own personal friends, and 1t is. indeed, a deplorable condition that should be remedied." So oppose is she to divorce that she believes 1t better for married people to live unhappily together than to bring legal proceedings and sepa- rate.
 During Mrs. RooseveIt's residence at the White House most of the social duties were left to her secretary. Miss Belle Hagner. She not only made out the dinner lists and supervised the re- ception lists in large measure, but sine always attended social funcuons, theater parties, etc, with Mrs. Roose- welt.
 Will Boss Her Secretary.
 Mrs, Taft's idea of a social secre- tary's position Is that 1t Is purely cler- ical, and that there should be no so- cial recognition of the woman who holds that place. Tt makes 1t easier for the hostess herself and for the sec retary," she told me. My secretary will attend to correspondence. answer etc. at my dictation, but she will not enter into the social list of the White House."
 The new social secretary Is hand some young woman, dignified and 'busi-