Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-31

rTVHE Lady of the White House is the wife of the
President, not his sister, nor his daughter, nor
his daughter in law, any relative whom he
may choose to act as hostess for him; but his wife
The law establishes the status of the Lady OF the
White House by awarding her, in the event of her widow
hood pension of five thousand dollars year and the
franking privilege. There now only two ladies
receiving this pension, Mrs. Garfield and Mrs. Grover
Cleveland Mrs BENJAMIN Harrison receives pen
sion or other gratuity from the Government, because
she not the wife of President Harrison during his
term of office She then Mrs. Dimmock. and the
niece of the first wife of President Harrison The first
Mrs Harrison died the White House in the autumn of
1892.
1t was remembered by the superstitiou that singu
lar accident occurred the day that Mr. and Mrs.
Harrison received the formal notification at lndanap-
oils of Mr. Harrisons nomination The members OF the
national committee and a number of invited guests
were in the drawing room OF the Harrison home at
indianapolis, when Mr.. and Mrs Harrison descended
the stairs to meet them. AS Mrs Harrison reached the
bottom of the staircase she suddenly swayed forward
without any apparent and fell full length upon
the floor She was not injured, and rose Immediately
and laughed the fears OF the superstous but her
health gave way soon after she entered the White House.
and she did not live President Harrisons term.
The Lady of the White House is encompassed by
MANY rigid rules of etiquette-and etiquette means
good sense applied small things She must not accept
general invitations, and, outside of the Cabinet circle
cannot attend formal dinner in Washington Away
from Washington, she may dine with anybody she
likes. In Washington she may, once IN great while
90 to an informal entertainment. Mrs. Cleveland
during her eight the White House, went two or
three times to teas given by relatives close friends
Mrs Harrison went four five times to luncheons
given bv ladies of high official rank. Mrs. Roosevelt
never accepted any invitations of the sort although she
often dned informally the house of her sister in law
and brother in law Rear Admiral and Mrs Cowes, and
with Mr. Roosevelts daughter and son in law, Mr. and
Mrs. Nicholas Longworth.
Mrs. Taft with the President, has once dlned with
her intimate friend, Miss Mabel Boardman; but the
dinner was understood to be entirely informal, list
of guests was permitted to be published and it
given out that it merely matter of close personal
friendship. Otherwise, people would be asking Mrs.
Taft to dinner all the time and continual offenses would
others Several times during the the President
and Mrs. Taft, leaving a Cabinet dinner the
theater have looked in for few minutes balls given
to their dGbutante daughter but this has been kept quiet
as much possible in order to prevent social rivalry and
friction Their presence if frequent If they remained
long at ball. would change the nature of the
tannent: because the President and the Lady of the
White House never be ignored anywhere So,
soon as President and Mrs. Taft began attract
ton when they stood gancing the merry dancers
the bathrooms, they have always quickly departed.
There is unwritten law by which the Lady of the
White House may walk through stately quadrile with
high official; but Lady of the White House has
been known whr in a waltz If she did, all official
Washing on would drop dead
The Lady of the White House has set foot with
in the gates of foreign Embassy Legation in Wash
ington These premises extraterritoria and the
House entering them is founded the great underly
ing principles Of the Republic that little recognition
shall be given to the monarchca principle possible.
Once only in the history of the Republic has Presl
dent crossed the threshold of foreign Embassy Lega
tiOn In Tune 1919 President Taft dined informally