The Washington times., 1911-03-01
Must Love Neighbor as Her.
self, and Husband Better
Than Himself.
SHE HAS TO SUCCEED
BY HER OWN MERITS
To Help Husband to Appreciation
of Female Sex, Her Great
est Service.

Mrs. Clark's Missouri idioms ara
charming. all the more so because Of
their spontaneity: and their sudden ap-
pearance in unexpected places in her
conversation. Were she a politician
herself, instead of a wife of a politician,
l would predict for her an overwheInr-
ing popularity, merely because of her
ready speech and the personal mag
netism which seems to fairly radiate
from her.
Mrs. Clark is an enthusiast. More
especially is she an enthusiast on the
subject of Champ Clark and nothing
pleases her more than to be present on
the occasions when he is speaking on
the floor of Congress. She is almost
what might be termed a super-enthusi-
asst. She is an enthusiast in politics
as she is an enthusiastic wife and moth
er. In fact, it would be difficult to
imagine the wife os the next Speaker
of the House of Representatives a.
anything but enthusiastic in any oc-
cupation, from busting a room to pre-
siding over a state dinner
My introduction to Washington"
she said, the pride ! felt when, from
the members gallery. I first heard my
husband speak in Congress is now an
old story. | was such a partisan then
that l felt our side was right and the
other side wrong on almost every sup
ject. His race had made him a nd-
iIOnal figure. but i had, unexpectedly,
done more for me. 1t gave me the
credit of the whole thing. All I did
in that race was to look after my hus-
bands bodily comfort. To make him
comfortable after his speeches were
made, TO see that his grip was packed.
that he was supplied with clean hand
kerchiefs, and to watch him as any
wife would watch her husband At least
that was all [ thought | did, but I
have heard since then 50 frequently
how l planned his campaign, mapped
out his itinerary, wrote his speeches,
addressed the voters. and helped in
other ways, that I've come to believe
L must have done so.
Greatest Service
She Ever Rendered Him.
AT any rate" she continued, with a
mischievous twinkle in her eve Il keep
this story to shake over that polite
ians head in private whenever l think
he needs taking down. Sometimes he
gets even with me. but not very often"
And to know her for even five minutes
one might easily believe every word of
this concluding statement.
Seriously. 1 believe that the greatest
service l ever rendered my husband is
to have been able to help him to an ap-
probation of my sex in general. He has
never been what might be called
fadies' man; nevertheless, he is fond Of
women and popular with them-a fact
of which | am not the least bit Jealous
Indeed, / do not think it would be ex-
aggerating to say that he is the most
popular man at the Capitol
Mrs. Clark is charming personally
Her earliest recollection is of having
been taken to the little private school
in her native Missouri town on her fifth
birthday anniversary. A graduate of the
University of Missouri, she has enjoyed
the friendship of many of that States
notable men and women. One of her
most beautiful and intimate friendships
was with Mark Twain, an acquaintance
that dates from her youngest girlhood.
They were born and raised" as they
say in Missouri, in adjoining counties.
Mrs. Clark declares that the book
that had the greatest influence upon her
life was the Catechism: after that the
old McGuffey readers, from which were
obtained her earliest inspirations in the
field of literature
Bridge | asked her.
Don't know one card from another,
n fact of which l am very proud?" was
the answer.
"Suffrag gette?'
Not militantly so. Having a sister
and nieces living in Colorado, naturally
| am interested in the subject, but l am
not sufficiently familiar with the move
ment in England to criticise the meth
ods favored by the English women"
Altogether Mrs. Clark is an ideal wife
for a famous man. Commanding of
figure, strong of face, graceful of move
ment, witty of tongue, it seems as
though nature conspired with her en-
vironment to make her a leader intel
lectually as we'll as socially among