The Washington herald., 1913-12-24
WHO'S WHO AMONG
PROGRESSIVE WOMEN
Story Of Mime. Blanche and Her
Wedding Cakes Reads Like
Romance.
by MARY II. MUI.LETT.

l. Copyright. isl3)
| Blanche lie RaIec has a story which
would read like a romance II one could
write 1t out in detail. Perhaps not many
persons outside OF New York society had
heard of her until they read in the pa
pers that she made the cake for the
recent White House wedding.
But the story of Nine. Blance-everybody
knows her by that narhe-began long
before that. 1 wish could write IL here
| as she told il to me the other day. She
was born anS brought up in Paris. of
good family, too. and she married well.
I'VE were mlllionaires in our own coun-
| try" she said. MY husband owned ves-
sells which fished on the Grand Banks
and we were rich. Then the Canadian
government passed laws which in three
years reduced us to absolute ruin. We
had come over to try to save the business
and were living on an island on the
coast OF Newfoundland. But II was of
no avail.
$50, with the little money left we tried
to begin anew in Montreal. had four
children then. Inside of six months our
oldest son died. Six months later my
youngest child was born. Four months
after that my husband died.
II was left penniless. with four chill
dren to care for. I had always been
clever with my needle and I began to
sew. But there was little chance at Mon
IN my pocekt, two little trunks contain
ing all possessions, baby in my arms,
and three children besides.
Gave Her Chance to Try.
81 could not even speak English: but I
spelled out some of the advertisements in
the papers, and among them I found one
for a person who could make a model for
the shoulder capes which were fashion
able at that time. i answered II. And
because / was from Paris they gave me
a chance to try. Ahi IL I could tell you
how terrified was lest I should fail!
Ny hands shook SO / could scarcely hold
the needle.
But I kept saying to myself: You
must succeed! You must succeed! You
must do II for your children"
when the cape was finishe dand the
proprietor said it would dc, I almost
tainted with relief. And when he en-
gagged me at sl4 week was In a dream
OF happiness. But all winter / went and
come from my work so poorly clad that
was cold and wet, and often went to
bed hungry at night. OF course. became
i'll. When was able again, sewed at
peoples houses.
In the meantime, my boy had got
employment. and finally he did so well
that he would not let me 20 out any
more to sew. or course ] worked at
home and We were all very happy-untiI
became Ill once more and the doctor
said / must go away for a change When
we had been so very poor / wouldn't 20
to Paris where my friends lived. but
now was willing and I returned to
France for a visit. While I was there
my son died. I cannot tell you-it was
to- GaI n
But again tried to work. I sewed as
before. And then. one day, I had the
chance TO help Mrs Browne, who made
the cake for fashionable weddings.
Famous Gould-Decies Cake.
AT first. only cut it and put IL in
the boxes, tying the bows on them And
since had knack at that sort of thing.
l did IL very we'll Gradually / did
more and more, especially as Mrs.
Brownies health failed. But she always
refused when I wanted her to take orders
for the grand show cakes for weddings
She said we should fail. / begged. I
pleaded, ! persisted.
And finally, when Miss Gould was to
be married to Lord Decies, / told Mrs
Browne that we simply we're going to
make that cake! / was so determined
that she yielded. and the Gould -Decies
made. II was four feet high. almost
three feet in diameter. and weighed 800
pounds.
Eleven days after that wedding. Mrs.
Browne died. Her customers hadn't
known me personally and at first they
thought: oh well, Mrs. Browne is dead.
We must go elsewhere And at first
many Of them did. But they soon began
to find me out and TO know that 1t was
I that had designed the big cakes and
that l had the original recipe. So one
by one they came to me until my
clientele includes practically all Of fash
ionable New York.
'T have worked for three Presidents
now. People call some of my cakes
masterpieces of art My work is to
me an art, l know that. One must love
ones work IL one is to succeed-and /
feel that have won success at last Do
you know that I actually prayed that l
would get the order for that Wilson |
cake? Yes, I did just that. 1t seemed
the one thing I needed to prove to me
that all my years of struggle had not
been in vain"