The National tribune., 1911-04-13

Miss Helen Taft who has dined out
five evenings of every week since Dec.
i, lunched out six days in every seven
and half the time breakfasted elsewhere
than in the White House, has had
very extensive and well-planned ward
robe. as was necessary for the White
House debutante, but Miss Taft has
made no attempt whatever to lead the
pace in ultra fashionable gowning. She
has been very nice and sensible about
her clothes, and while always tastefully
gowned there has never been anything
particularly costly about it. While Miss
Taft has thoroly enjoyed her Winter of
bellehood, because there is no doubt at
all that she has been the reigning belle
of the Washington season, she is not at
all enamored of society life, and only
entered it because of a sense of duty to
her mother. 1t is said that she is look
ing with longing eyes toward Bryn
Mawr and the splendid scholarship
which she won in that school, and that
next Winter she is going to go back to
school and finish up the scholarship
course. There never was a better bal
anced young lady in the White House
than Miss Taft has proven herself to
be. She has much of her fathers
IdlIe, anu IuCtlS every Will
gentle graciOusness which attracts at
once, and if she does finally decide to
go to school in place of remaining to
assiS; her mother thru the social season
of the Winter of 1911-12 there will be
great mourning in the official social
circle.
Senior de la Barra, who is one of the
most popular diplomats that has ever
represented Mexico in the National
Capital, has been recalled to enter the
Cabinet of President Diaz as Minister
of Foreign Relations. Senior de la
Barra was appointed Embassador to
Washington in February. 1909. He lost
his wife within few months of COM
ing to the United States, and just a
short time ago married his first wife's
sister, who was formally introduced to
Washington society March IS, when the
ambassador gave a big diplomatic re-
cepticn. She is a charming woman,
and Washington will miss them both.
The Congressional Directory is a
compilation of who's who in states
manship" in the United States Con-
gress. OF course. in that volume every
man is equal to every othsr man, and
one Congressman is just as good as
another; but you would not know It by
their biological sketches, each of which,
of course, is written by himself. These
sketches are always extremely interest
ing. In the House of Representatives
Gen. Isaac R. Sherwood. of Ohio. can
easily lay claim TO the longest sketch
about himself but more than two
thirds of the sketch is devoted to his
military history The next longest is
probably that of former Senator Chaun- |
cey Mitchell Depew, whose record is al
most entirely given over to his railroad
and political career.
Tho SIan hiper-o nh hat
of Representative Samuel Vim. Smith, |
Republican, who was elected to the
S5th Congress and has been reelected |
te each succeeding Congress. 1t takes
up one whole line and a half in the
Congressional Directory The next
shortest is that of Charles A. Lind
bergh, of the Sixth Minnesota District,
which takes up two lines and one word
over. and the next shortest is that of
Andrew J. Volstead, of the 9TH Mimi,
which takes up two lines and twoI
words, and the only reason that Rep
fesentative Volstead's record is longer
than that of Representative Lindbergh
Is that he has been elected to two more
Congresses than Representative Lind
bersff. and it takes four more words to
say il.
Mrs. Henry Cabot Lodge, wife of the
Massachusetts, Senator seems to be
really better American than he is
Senator Lodge objects to giving the
American soldiers adequate pensions,
which is very un-American, but Mrs.
Lodge objects to the criticism of Amer
lean women made by Lady Sarah Will
Son, in which that titled madame de-
ciared that the women of high positi On
in the United States were more content
to be prominent socially than 70 be the
moving force of the Nation, and that
she found her many hostesses charm
ing and hospitable. but shallow and
narrow in their outlook Mrs Lodge isl
truly American in her objection. Mrs
Is Lodge declares that Lady Sarah saw
Dnly the crust Of society, and that Nhatl
American women do in political sense
is not for the passing guest to know.
when we start to do anything here"
declared Mrs. Lodge. "aitho it be po-
1iticaI, we do not hire brass band and
engage a chorus. as is the case in Great
Britain" and it looks as tho Mrs. Lodge
had the best of the discussion.
William r. Smith, founder of the
Society Of American Florists and Orna-
mental Horticulturists and Superin-
tendent of the National Botanical Gar
dens, was the guest of honor at the
22d annual banquet of the Florists
Club of Washington the other night at
the New F'redonia Hotel. Mr.. Smith is
entitled to all the honor that can he
given him for the great work he has
done for beautifying Washington. The
Botanical Gardens, which he founded,
are among the show spots of the world.
There is nothing set or artificial about
a single thing inside of the iron railingI
of that famous spot Mr. Smith hasl
put things in the ground in perfectly
natural way, and has let nature alone |
No trip to Washington is satisfactory
that does not include the Botanical
Gardens, and walk thru the palm
houses to interview the wonderful
plants which are Mr.. Smiths pride.
Representative George Loud. the big
Congressman of the 10th Michigan Dis
trict. took a long trip the other dayl
just for the purpose of paying a call tol
an old. old lady who was his teacherI
in Medford, Mass. in his boyhood days.
Miss Zipporah Sawyer. long since re-
tired, began teaching in the Everett
Grammar School in Medford in 1857,
and In 1875 she was made a member OF
the School Board of that town, the first
woman so honored, and in her careers
as teacher there she taught four of the
Loud boys and their sister. Represen-
tatiVe Loud went all the way to Med
ford from Washington to visit his old
teacher who is now 81 years old, and
who wept with joy when the Represen-
tative from Michigan took both of her
withered hands in one of his in greet