Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-01
CHARM PROVES
SOCIAL CLASS
GOSSIP ABOUT WASHINGT0NS
SMART SET
eouLEvARDs ONCE MORE SCENE
OF PUBLIC REJOICING
Mrs. Richard BalIinger Is One of the
Delightful Hostesses That
Present Season Has
Developed

clever hostesses than any previous sea-
son can count to its credit is proudly
asserted by that portion of feminine
| Washington whose opinion on such an
| important society matter is backed by
! long experience, infinite tact and re
sourcefulness and much money The
combination of qualities necessary to
make a woman a social success in cos
mopolitan critical Washington makes
so many demands on even the most
gifted mondaine that the woman who
| is adtudged by feminine experts to be
entirely satisfactory in the role is
subject for compliments.
For the very rich the problem of en-
! tertaining, although much simpler, is
by no means easy of solution, while for
those whose purses are modest in size
the question constantly asked is: "How
may one compete with these awfully
rich people who build wintertime pal
aces in Washington and to whom the
cost of living is of no interest what
ever?" While money talks f1uently and
to the point in Washington as else
where, it is by no means an open Sc
same to the best of Washington So
ciety, as many of the richest and most
ambitious women in the country have
found to their surprise and chagrin.
Coming to Their Own
On the other hand many a woman
who is possessed of fortune so small
as not to be worth considering at all
has succeeded in winning for herself an
enviable place because Of charm,
which made her everywhere welcome;
of tact, which endowed her with the
gift of always saying and doing just
the right thing, or of beauty, which
enabled her even when arrayed in the
simplest of gowns to outshine those
whose clothes and jewels proclaimed
the wealth and generosity of the
wearer's husband.
Both the very rich set and those
whose worldly possessions do not en-
title them to be so classed have di-
vided social honors pretty evenly this
winter and the season thus far has
been remarkable for the absence of
the clique spirit. So many large af-
fairs have been given that all the sets
in Washington have met on common
ground, and the provincialism with
which much-traveled persons of for
mer decades used to charge the Amer
lean capital is so far a thing of the
past that it would be a daring man
indeed who would have the temerity
to revive the old reproach.
Among the social leaders brought
prominently before the public by the
new administration none has taken a
firmer hold on the affection of Wash
ington society than charming, cordial
Mrs. Ballinger the wife of the secretary
of the interior. Mrs. Ballinger was by
no means a stranger to Washington
when her husband assumed the portfo
lilo of the interior department, for dur
| ing Mr.. Ballinger's service as commits
! sioner of the land Office she had made
many friends both in official circles and
among resident WashingtonianS. These
| haStened to welcome her when she re-
turned as a cabinet hostess and rejoiced
with unaffected sincerity to have her
here again. To this already large circle
of admirers Mrs. Ballinger has added
many more. She possesses in rare meas
ures the art of making and retaining
friends, and has been compared to Mrs.
Cleveland in her ability to remember
and place the persons whom she meets.
All kinds of people like Mrs. Bal
| linger, and this fact is attested not only
| by the number of smart affairs that
are given so frequently in her honor,
but also by the pleasing impression
she has made on the whole officialdom.
Mrs. Ballinger's '1ikeableness" is dis
tinctly of the sort which finds its best
exponent in the brainy, breezy, pro-
gressive women of the west. Although
! am alumna of an eastern college, Mrs
RaIlinger has spent most of her life in
the west, and is thoroughly familiar
with its people and conditions. Her
| fondness for smart functions and the
many beautiful gowns which exhibit
| her fine taste in dress have not dimmed
her interest in serious things, and no
woman in washington is better in
| formed than she.
Her "At Homes" Are Patterns
The many courtesies Mrs. Ballinger
extends to the young girls of her ac-
| 10 q YornnOnnPn1 hit
with the future bellies. Her at homes
Wednesdays are institutions among Of
| fetal receptions: and there one finds
! invariably at least two of the boarding
school misses from her home state who
are getting their first glimpses of
Washington society as assistants at her
| daintily appointed tea table. Mrs. Bal
linger has had considerable experience
as a club woman and is much interested
in patriotic work. She has been regent
of her chapter of the D. A. r. in Seat
tie for several years
Although her stay in Washington will
probably be short as the Mississippi
legislature is already balloting to elect
a successor to the late Senator Nc
Laurin, Mrs. Gordon, wife of Col. James
Gordon, the distinguished confederate
veteran whom Governor Noel chose to
represent Mississippi in the senate in
the interim, has already made ac-
ouaintance with half Washington
With Mrs. Gordon making acquaint-
ances means making friends, for she
is the most cordial and friendly Of
southern matrons, and is still as fond
of company and of meeting new people
as when she was a before-the-war
southern belle. Mrs. Gordon's soft
drawl and hospitality quite fulfill the
ideal of the matron from Dixie. She
declares that she has fallen in love
with Washington and thinks its people
and it's customs are delightful. Her
husband pronounced President Taft "a
fine young fellow" and Mrs. Gordon
concurs in this opinion.
Affection Is Reciprocated
She also says that there is much
more hospitality in the official set than
! she had expected to find, and that it
| is not half as hard to get acquainted
in Washington as she imagined. Mrs.
| Gordon's fondness for Washington is
by no means an unreciprocated affec-
tion. as everyone whom she meets
has pronounced her delightful. One
debutante was heard to assert that
"the way Mrs. Gordon talks is just too
sweet for words, and I'm going to
keep right on practicing till 1 can get
that accent"
Among the younger congressional
matrons one of the most admired is
pretty Mrs. Knowland. wife of Repre-
! sentative Knowland of California, a
bride of the past summer. Mrs. Know
lands gowns and hats are extremely
smart, and the brilliant little brunette
beautv. when arrayed for one of the