The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-01-21
MRS. TAFT ACHIEVED
GIRLS AMBITION
"T'll Marry Man Who'll Be Pres
ident," Said Helen Her
ron, When Sixteen
RUTHERFORD 3, HAYES LAUGHED
Ohio Maid Guest in White House
When She Announced Shed BE
Its Head Some Day--Nirs. Tart Is
Linguist and n Musician.

u
Linguist and Musician.
Washington, ID. C.--With all the
sublime assurance of the girl OF l6
who calmly assumes that the world
is hers for the asking, Helen Her
rol said to Rutherford Il. Hayes one
day in the White House. which he
was ruling: I'D love to live here,
and shall I'm going to marry
man who will be President"
I'm that case" said President
Hayes, with a gravity that only half
masked his inward mirth at the
girls determination, Il advise you to
get married to an Ohio man. You
see. my dear, an Ohio man has a
better chance for any office he goes
after than a man from any other
State"
That was in the days when Ohio
ans persistent placeholding or seek
inC for place was so marked that
boastful poet in Lamo wrote:
Ohio men have got it down so fine
They seldom die, they never will
reign.
II has taken a good many years
for Helen Heron to realize her
ambition, but she has done so at
last; for the eager girl OF that day
is now Mrs. William H. Taft.
1t was In Washington that Mrs.
Taft. beaming with Joy over the
choice of the Republican convention.
told about her girlish desire.
MRS. Hayes was one of my moth
er's dearest friends" said Mrs. Taft.
"She asked us ell to visit her when
she got settled in the White House.
AS there were six girls in our fam
lily, each had to take her turn. Mine
came almost two years after Mr..
Hayes's election. l shall never for
e.. the awe l felt when | entered
the building. spent whole month
there. and. even in fairy tales. l
don't believe a girl ever was happier.
What / loved most was the supper
Uncle Rutherford always had spread
on big table in the hall. He loved
to have a big ham or a coal roast to
carve. No champagne ever eQualled
the cider we had. and there were
jellies and cakes and pies that Mrs.
Hayes made herself.
II fell in love with life in the
White House right there. None of
my succeeding visits ever destroyed
the glamour. used to pity the
critics who talked about architect
ural defects and about inconvenien-
ces connected with life in the Exc
cutive Mansion. Aladdin's palace
did not seem to me more desira BILE.
"One day. in talking with Presi-
dent Hayes, l announced dogmatical-
ly that l intended to marry a man
who would get to be President. for
! wanted to live in the White House.
Uncle Rutherford smiled and said:
I hope you will. my dear. and be
sure to marry an Ohio man.
1T was years after that | discov-
cred the one man in the world for
me. l did not ask whether he would
be President. But somehow he
heard of my youthful ambition. and
he sometimes joked with me about
1t. After marriage he said Offhand
one day that he would try to realize
the dreams l had woven around the
ideal husband had selected at 16."
Mrs. Taft felt perfectly confident
, her husbands success as soon as
the choice of the convention was
announced. Thereupon she began to
plan. or, as she says. her dreams
took substance. She talked with
friends about changes in the ar
rangement of the White House.
Probably no man ever came to the
White House so laden with gifts
from distinguished persons as does
Nj. Taft. He has beautiful teak
wood furniture part the gift of the
Sultan Of Jolo and part from the
Dowager Empress of China.
The bedroom set presented by the
Manila Council is remarkable. The
bed is about twice the size OF the
ordinary bed. The Council had seen
raft. A teakwood cabinet, familiar
to Washington in the Tafts' small
drawing room and in which Mrs.
"sft kept valuable presents of silver
and bronze, was given by the EN-
press of Japan. An exquisitely
carved ivory crucifix came from
Pope Leo XIII.
Mrs. Taft has studied foreign lam
gLages for ten years, and is an
adept in French. Spanish and Ital-
ian. Her musical qualifications are
known. After she was graduated
from the Cincinnati College of
Music she held teachers chair for
year. 1t is characteristic of her
that she Is proud of her record as