The National tribune., 1910-12-22
SHE TALKED TOO MUCH.

II
Baroness Hengelmsller Styles the Taft
| as "Wcstern. Washington Provin
cial. society Stupid, Things Slow ST
| They Say.
Washington society has had nothin!
that has made it sit up and take notice
| in q good while. But IL sure got
slap that wakenedi it with q jump thu
other day when there appeared in
| New York City newspaper, an ALLEGED
interview with Baroness Hsngelmulle
Won Hengervar. the ''deanness'' of thu
| Diplomatic Corps, or, to put it proper
! ly, the doyenne, her husband, BaroI
Hengelmuller Won Hengervar. being tht
dean. The Baroness. who has been il
New York City, permitted herself to be
interviewed by very sprightly young
lady reporter in New York, who on two
or three previous occasions has showr
herself to be rather long on imagina
ton and short on facts. She directly
quotes the Baroness as follows:
Washington is dun and stupid So
ciety there is provincial. To get t
New York is heaven to me, fer there i:
so much to do besides paying and re-
tea and going thru the drier round OF
formal and uninteresting social events
We have lived in Washington 16 years
I have done each year the sarae things
with practically the same people. Here
in New York formal calling and tea TAX
ing are practically eliminated, because
there are so many other more interest.
ing things to do. Even the shops make
difference. Here it is a positive pleas
ure to shop. Then, your theaters, opera
and concerts are so wonderful. In fact
New York is one of the most fascinat-
ing cities in the world. 1t Is all life
and color and impulse
The Baroness then draws invidious
sectional distinctions between President
and Mrs. Taft and former President
Roosevelt She gays:
Since President Taft and Mrs. Taft
are in the White House the social at
mosphere there is somewhat changed
They are Western, you see, while Mr..
Roosevelt and his family were New
Workers, and many of the most distin-
Suished people from this city, who do
not know the Tafts, used to be presen,
at the White House functions ] cannot
say that Washington social life com
pares with that of foreign social CEN
ters, but New York society is just as
interesting and charming us that of
Vienna, Berlin or any OF the other
great cities on the continent.
Girls are being better equipped for
social duties. When it was formerly
an incident In girls life, social train
now. Some of the most beautiful hos
tesses 1 have ever met and the most
gsntle-mannered, delightful women in
the world are to be found in New York
society.
Logically, of course. Washington
should be the social center of the coun-
try. 1t never viii be, however, for no
city can take the honors away from
New York. The atmosphere is differ
ent. and a social climate is as hard to
change as any other kind"
1t is stated that Baroness Hengel-
muller nearly fell down dead when she
saw this interview in the New York
papers and then saw it copied into the
Washington papers Baroness Hengel-
muller is nothing If not conventional.
She lives h. form and rote, and to do
anything out of the regular is in her
opinion to commit a crime.
Baroness Hengelmuiler wears that
title in her own right. and both she
and the Baron belong to the stern Aus
trian court circles; that is, the Baron
does now. she was born into that
world of convention and rules, where
you could sit by the fireplace and burn
up before the servant next to you would
make an attempt TO save you unless
that was his particular court function.
The Baroness was q widow, when she
married Mr.. Ladislaus HengelmuIler
Won Hengervar. and it. never pleased
her at all that he was a plain Mr."
When they came to the Court of
Washington" about s or 10 years ago
there were two Rarons on the staff,
both of whom ranked HengelmuI-
Ter socially In his own COUNT. and he
was only plain Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Planipotentigry to the
Court of Washington. A whole lot of
people were in ahead of the represen-
a fro Inv, 4 tt,fs-
did not suit the Baroness in the least.
She was never quite happy until she
secured her husband the Emba ssador-
ship from Austro-Hungary, and then
few years ago she got him created
Baron. A little daughter was born to
them and became Baroness Mia. To
be sure, being a Baron or Paroness In
Europe is something like being q Mayor
of a city in this country. except that
over there the title is hereditary. Thru
death and resignation Baron Hengel-
muller has come to be dean of the
Diplomatic Corps, moving up from the
foot. He was made Embassador few
years ago. and. as has been stated, is
now the ranking head of that respIen-
dent body of beribboned and gold-order
decorated foreigners. His eyeglass, his
red velvet. ermire-lined uniform, his
high-topped boots and spurs set him
apart as the observed of all observers
at a diplomatic reception.
The Baroness is the most exquisitely
woman that lives in Washing
ton. She also brought here the conti-
mental Sunday, which President Taft
does not indorse. The Hengelmullers
have never been particular pets of the
Tafts. as they were of the Roosevelts.
The Hengelmullers have never gotten
into the old resident society.
The Baroness was recently appointed
by the Emperor of Austria to the high
est position in his court and possibly
feels little lifted by this. and after
toying with the "walnuts and wine" at
one of the high ding-a-ling functions
in New York talked a l-e-e-tle too
much, don't you know
She came back home in a state of
nervous collapse. declared she never
said word Of it, that Washington is
perfectly lovely, and went to bed.
1t Is stated that diplomatic relations
are strained and the Baron has been
or will be recalled.
Some Foolish Women.
That little affair of a lot of very fool
iSh society women in Pasadena, Cal