Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-03-02
AbTavehmerican
Woman.
How Mrs. Stevenson Up
held Her Opinions
Against Those Of the
Queens Unclc.

There begins in the January Gen
fury" publication of some delightful
ly written letters by Mrs. Sahie
Coles Stevenson, wife of the AmeTi-
can minister in London, 1S36-41. Ths
letters have been arranged by VIII
liam L. Royal, who says in his in
PRODUCTION:
In the year 1886 President Andrew
Jackson appointed Andrew Stevenson.
a distinguished virginian, as American
minister to England. and this post
he occupied until 1871. Mr.. Steven
son had been speaker of the House
of Delegates of Virginia, member OF
Congress from that State, and for
several terms speaker of the United
States House of Representatives. He
married for his second wife Miss
Sallie Coles, Of Green Mountain, Al
bemarle County, Virginia, who was
member of one of the Oldest AMI
most prominent Virginia families
The position and personal attrac-
tons of the minister and his wife
soon gained them admission to the
most exclusive English society In
town and country, and Mrs. Steven
sons letters present. an interesting
and attractive picture OF English
homes and the inner life of the arts
tocracy She was deeply religious,
MIC
through her letters. The following,
taken from one of them written in
October, 1899, from the country
house of Lord Durham, describes a
Sunday evening:
"A large party to dinner. After
the gentlemen joined US, when the
Duke of Sussex, Lady Durham and
myself were sitting together and
forming a social trio, Lord Durham
came in with his imperial air and
said, I do not know whether your
royal highness objects to cards on
Sunday evening; for myself ! think
there is no greater harm in playing
on that night than any other. Nor
l., said the duke. If it is wrong to
play on Sunday, it is equally wrong
to play on Monday or any other
night / felt distressed. Thinks l
to myself. What shall / do?' AT
that moment the duke appealed to
Lady Durham, who gave a faint as
sent to what he had said. !, OF
course, was silent when. his roya,
highness, suddenly leaning forward
from the immense armchair in which
he was half buried. addressed me:
4 think, my dear madam, it is con-
sidered sin to play any game on
Sunday in your country / replied
instantly in a calm, earnest and en-
phatic manner, so that, although a
little deaf, he did not lose word:
Your royal highness is right. We
think it violation CT that CO nrland-
ment which bids rs to keep molly the
Sabbath day, and we also think it is
setting a bad example to our de-
pendents, who cannot so well discern
between right and wrong The old
gentleman drew himself back in his
chair and remained silent for sew
eral minutes. A solemn pause ell
sued, and l felt almost frightened
at what had done. Still, did not
regret it. In the meantime the SER
wants had set out the tables, but no
one approached them, nor was the
slightest allusion made to the sub
ject again. The duke did not retire
until his usual hour, and continued
in pleasant conversation all the even
ing, every now and then speaking
with his usual kindness to me; and
when he rose to retire he called out
for me, saying, Where is Mrs. Stew
enson?' and when / advanced from a
table where I had been looking at
some drawings of Lady Mary's, he
shook my hand with even more than
usual cordially as he uttered his
Goodnight / was glad not to have
offended him, for he has been very
kind to US; still, / felt very grateful
that l had moral courage given me
at the moment to do and say what
l ought, despite the fear of man."
Ut required moral courage as well
as piety to play Mrs. Stevenson's
part in this scene. The Duke of SIS
sex was the queens uncle, and we
all know what Difference is paid to
such rank in England. and Lord Dur
ham was a commanding figure at
that time in England