The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-02-25

many years plIOI 10 the advent OF
the Roosevelts. His word was
law, even to the choosing Of the
floral decorations to grace the ia
BILE at luncheon and dinner when
the official family were to enter
tain.
Mrs. Roosevelt's first act was to
select as her social aid de-camp
Miss Belle Hagner, young woman
of rare charm OF manner, tact,
beauty and birth, all of which adj
mirably fitted her for the post to
which she was appointed. As a
result of clash between Miss Hag-
ner and Maj. Bingham, the latter
received his congo and orders is
sued from the war department de
posed him as major domo of the
White House, and he once more
resumed his duties afeld.
A change quite as radical as
that between the Mckinley and
Roosevelt regimes is looked for
ward to when Mrs. Taft usurps
Mrs. Roosevelt's place. Events
of the past few weeks have clearly
demonstrated that Mrs. Taft is not
only woman of grace and charm,
but one of brains as well. Long
identified with official Washington
she has had ample opportunity to
study conditions there existing,
and what woman who has ever
been an integral part of official
Washington has not INDUCED in
that dream: IF l were the first
lady of the land" This Mrs.
Taft will be in every essential.
She has made splendid start by
allying herself with that great or
ganization, the National Civic
federation, and, taking command
ing lead in that body, she has en-
deared herself to that class of
women who are sometimes slight
lngly referred to as strongminded
The mother of two sturdy sons and
a daughter, the latter now fresh
man at Bryn Mawr college, she
must appeal strongly to the mother
type, for those who know her best
will readily testify that she is the
best chum her boys and girl ever
had, and this she will continue to
be in spite of the manifold calls
upon her time in the course of her
reign in the White House. In a
recent speech made in New York
at Civic federation meeting Mrs.
Taft plainly showed that she has
brains and uses them without in
any sense being aggressive or pc
dantic. A glance at her was suf-
hcient to win to her side the hun
dreds Of women who attended that
meeting with the avowed purpose
of dissecting their guest of honor
to the minutest detail. Her per-
sonalty and general appearance
won them instantly to her side,
even before she took the floor to
make he1 maiden speech in public.
Mrs. Taft talks we'll and looks
we'll when she is talking. Her
smile has the charm of intelligence,
that quick fash of recognition,
distinct from the stereotyped smile
peculiar to women in official life
on whom social duties make many
demands, even to that of continu-
ously looking pleasant She
has a generous mouth and hand
some teeth, straight nose, we'll
proportional to her other features,
a broad forehead, above which her
brown hair is arranged in a soft
pompadour. Mrs. Taft is book
lover and has been a student all
her life simply because in the
home in which she was reared the
books came down from their shelves
and made the worlds, they con.
tanned part of the domestic envir.
onment. Music, perhaps, is hel
favorite art, and while she does
not regard herself as sufficiently in
practice to perform for a critica,
audience she has by no means lost
her skill and frequently plays fol
her children and husband during
their evenings at home, and these
are far more freuuent than opf