The Washington times., 1913-11-09
\ JEAN ELIOT@
@ LETTER.

has been done if has not been given pub
licity, aside from the rumor. The President
has made it understood that the wedding was
not to be-a donation party. He has been
quoted as preferring that presents should not
be sent by people who would not have sent
them if his daughter had still been, say
merely the daughter of Prncetons president:
Now il is easy to see that the perform
ance of returning remembrance from En-
peror William of Germany to Miss Wilson,
would be ungracious, but to accept might in
volve the presumption that our President
was going to send a gift when there was
royal wedding and that would involve qNte
a strain on the privy purse. The Presidea-
tial salary would not 60 far in supporting
such little courtesies as that?
President Wilson gets salary of SIS, 900
a year, while the Emperor of Germany has
a civil list of So, 100000 year, beside no end
of palaces, castles, estates, forests, and the
like, which produce large revenues that
maintain, in large part, the royal establish
ment. When it comes to exchanging we'd
ding presents, it is very plain that our Presi-
dent would have poor chance in the Kai-
sers circles.
Kings, queens, princes, emperors, grand
dukes, etc., are endowed for the special pur-
pose of enabling them to live up to their sta
ton. They are expected to maintain the dig
nifty of their high positions; to receive pres
ents and to give them.
To make matters worse for the Presi-
dent, Congress has never created any sort of
fund on which he might draw for such court
estes. That is not merely because we are
republic; by no means. Tine government of
France, also republican, lives we'll up to the
dignity of its sisterhood in the family of ma
tons, and the President sends and receives
presents in as ordinary and routine fashion
as his prime minister receives the calls of
ambassadors.
The United States started out with good
many prejudices against the ways Of royalty,
incident to some difference of opinion with
George iii and various of his predecessors,
and as consequence we have never gone
into the etiquette thing very deep.
Different Presidents in these circum-
stances have done pretty much as they
pleased. Theodore Roosevelt did not let
himself be worried about the details of king
business when he was in line. When the
presents came from royalty for his daughter
none were returned. The precedents were
looked up, found not highly satisfactory, so
Mr.. Roosevelt made one of his own.
Whether President Wilson will follow the
rule that tine Roosevelts made, is not yet
known. The Rosevets did not attempt to
recprocate for the presents that royalties
showered upon Miss Alice Roosevelt. They
assumed that royalty would understand the
difference in circumstances, and there is
small reason to doubt that royalty did 1t
surely would if it had to do its governing on
as low an expense allowance as a President
has
1t will be socially delightful at the Brit
ish embassy this winter, with Lady Spring
Rice there, whom those coming from Dublin
say, is naffabe and charming woman. She
will have the experience of Mrs. Heathcoat
S. Grant, wife of the naval attache, and Mrs.
Moreton F. Gage, wife of the military at
tache. Then Colville Barclay, who will ar
rive in day or two, to become counselor, is
married and will add another interesting
hostess to the quartet. So, you see, when
Lady Spring Rice invites US in for o'clock
tea, as every British ambassadors wife has
done for the past fifty years, we will meet
all these interesting young women assisting
her.
Anent weddings. Amy Talbot and
Charles Frederic Wilson will have as their
bridal part when they are married in ST.
Johns, on November 2, the following: Miss
Katherine Jennings, as maid of honor; Miss
Louise HELEN and Miss Katherine Weeks,
as bridesmaids. Claiborne Wilson will be
his brothers best man, and the ushers viii
be Frederick Faust J. Spalding Flannery
DR.. Cary T. Grayson, u. s. N: Harris