Evening star., 1909-02-28

j
thought. the unmarried daughter OF "A
chief executive is wont to receive even
more attention from a pardonably curious
public than the first lady OF the lahu
herself 1t has ever been thus, II
daughter of the White House was of an
age to take her place in society when she
took ND her abode at the first residence
of America, or If she attained to such
dignity OF wears during her stay there.
MANY of the newspaper readers OF this
generation we'll remember the furore Great
ed BY Nellie Grant and the concern with
which the people at large looked upon the
romance which eliminated in her mar
riago at the White House Similarly, TO
cite a more recent example there is no
doubt that Miss Alice Roosevelt, that was.
almost from the day she entered the
White House until the eventful date OF
her wedding in the east room, over
shadowed in popular interest her distln-
guished step-mother. Nor. in Mrs. Long
worth's case. did this widespread inter-
est vane after the honeymoon.
The circumstances may be somewhat
different under the new administration
now at hand. for Mrs. Taft is a woman
of distinctive personality. and 1t is pre-
dicted that she will restore to the White
House that atmosphere of refined and
dgniied yet democratic simplicity which
won such universal popularity for that
feminine idol-Mrs. Grover Cleveland All
the same. 1t Is a safe promise that Miss
Helen Taft, only daughter of the in
coming President, will, at least, divide
interest with the mother whom she re-
sembles so strongly, not only in personal
appearance but in tastes and temperament
as well.
The part which Miss Taft will play in
the life of the White House-at least dur
ing the earlier part Of the administration
will depend somewhat upon the young
lady's preferences as between schoolbooks
and a social career. She is as old as was
Alice Roosevelt when that young lady
made her debut at the memorable and
much-heralded ball which ushered her
. into the most brilliant circle In officialdom
at the National capital. Moreover. many
of Miss Taft's girlhood friends-her school
chums and chosen intimates-have been
among the debutantes of 1909. Accord
; ingly the new daughter of the White
House might very consistently make her
formal bow to society during the first
year of her fathers administration and
forthwith take her place In social Off
Cialdom.
That she will elect to follow this course
! is not at all certain. Indeed. the chances
at present are strongly against it. The
daughter of the new President is decidedly
a studious and intellectual girl. with an
ambition for something more than a su-
perficial education. After having sue
cessfully completed the courses at two
preparatory schools she last year entered
Bryn Mawr College. at Bryn Mawr, Pa.
and thus far not even the allurements OF
life at the White House have suff1ced to
tempt her to abandon her college career.
That she is exceptionally proficient is at
tested by the prizes she has captured,
and her parents are disposed to abide by
whatever decision she may make as to
her plans for the future.
In personal appearance Miss Helen Taft
may be said TO be at once representative
and typical of the best traditions Of
American girlhood. No doll-like pretti-
ness of face is hers, and she has not
yielded unreasonngly to the modern fad
for the bizarre and the exaggerated in
dress. In contrast to such possibilities
we find this new occupant OF the White
House a wholesome. attractive girl. with
excellent taste In all feminine essentials
and essentially feminine in all things.
There is nauGht of the new woman" in
Miss Taft. As might be expected of a
Young lady who is unusually we'll in
formed for person of her years, she has