Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-08-16
WORD THAT MYSTIFIED TOGO.
Greatly Puzzled Over The FREQUENT
Use OF Boots"

Use VI DOOtS
What is this word boots that all
the army officers have on the end of
their tongue?" asked Admiral Togo
in Japanese of Ambassador Uehida
as they were leaving the White
House Saturday night after the re-
ception given in honor of the emf
nent visiting Oriental by President
Taft.
And no wonder the foreign sailor
man was mystified, for everybody ex-
cept the officers of the army present,
the members of their families and the
new officials who had TO do with the
invitation list were asking why the
generals and colonels and majors
were whispering together in groups,
elbowing each other in the ribs.
chuckling and evidently having
good time, and all about something 70
do with 'tboots, boots, boots
1t was easy for anybody at the re-
ception to understand why everybody,
civilians as well as those belonging to
the military, were talking about
nothballs, because the smell of these
modern insect destroyers permeated
| the Executive Mansion, and when the
1000 or 5000 guests crowded into the
State dining room in an assault upon
the refreshment table and the cham
payne corner the odor was keen
enough to kill animate objects less
strong constitutionally than moths.
The explanation, therefore, of why
/ the guests held their noses, so to
| speak, was easy. The officers of the
branches of the military service, army
and navy and marine corps, were or
dered to appear in full evening dress.
This meant, Of course, winter uniforms.
breast stufing, epaulets, sashes,
swords, aigrettes, plumes, pompons
and all the other more or less weigh
| ty paraphernalia of military accoutre-
ment. 49,, -.
The service has summer uniforms
of white, but they are not worn on
strictly formal and indoor occasions
such as White House receptions, be-
cause they are not proof against.pers.
piration. So the service sweltered
in their winter clothes as they
greeted, the little Admiral, chatted
with their admiring friends in the big
East room. and attempted to drown
their sorrows and forget the heat in
the State dining room.
But the explanation of the moth ball
smell and the winter uniforms on an
August night shed no light at all upon
the mystery of the boots; that was
quite another story Somebody, pos
sibly Major Butt himself, having to
do with the invitation list, suggested
that those sent to the officers of the
army should prescribe mounted uni
form" for the evening, and that s
what caused the trouble.
Mounted uniform" it may not be
necessary to explain, means boots and
spurs, and every field officer of the
army, line and staff, that is every Off
Ger of and above the rank of major.
crates" them.
Unfortunately, however, or fortu-
nately, according to taste and opinion,
| 1T has been many a long day since
anybody suggested in sending out in
vitations from the White House or
anywhere else that the officers should
appear in mounted uniform, and con-
sternation naturally followed because
there were very few officers on duty
in and about Washington, especially
| among the doctors and paymasters and
members of the staff generally, who
possess such thing as a pair of
boots, or indeed a pair of spurs for
that matter.
But evidently the invitation meant
just what it said, mounted uniform, Z"
and the officers had the choice of one
of the three horns of the dilemma, il
being said afterward that military di-
lemmas are the only ones that carry
three horns. One was to appear at
the White House without the boots
and spurs and run the risk of being
called down by the authorities; anoth-
er, to sidestep the invitation and be
called down for that, possibly more
severely and the other to purchase the
boots and spurs.
There was much telephoning and
note writing and consulting and gen.
erl confusion, the first outcome of
which being that every officer who
had the price, S12 to SIS, started
out to buy the boots and spurs. In
one hour all the we'll known dealers
in military dress had sold out, and
those who applied too late had to
borrow, beg or go without Wash
ington Letter in the Providen ce Jour
nal.