The Washington herald., 1914-05-18
HISTORY BUHDERS.
How a Boston Social Arbiter Com
bined Business and Pleasure.

bined Business and Pleasure.
written expressly for The Herald.)
~ DIR. n. ,. EDWARDs.
Il never see the name Of Ward Meal
lister in print associated with some i'm
portant social affair In New York OF
Washington without being reminded Of
man who was even greater than he, al
though he did not make Z profession Of
serving as sort OF major domo In social
functions as. understand, Mr.. HcAliis-
ter does"
This statement was made to me by the
late Charles Levi Woodbury.. OF Boston
who in his early life. at the time when his
father was Secretary Of the Treasury in
the administrations Of Presidents Jack.
son and Van Buren. was brought into In
innate relations with the higher social
circles Of Washington.
To me there has always been some
thing very interesting In the contempla-
tion OF the careers of Ives Bates and that
Of his brother Ben. Everybody IN Boston,
and, in fact, In the world Of railroad at
fairs throughout the United States. was
accustomed to speak of Benjamin Bates
by the familiar nickname Ben
He was widely known not only be-
cause he served for many years as di-
rector of the Union Pacific Railroad. but
also because he was proprietor of the
great mills in Maine which are known by
his name and because it was by his en-
dowment that Bates College was placed
upon its substantial financial basis.
yet as well known as was Ben Bates.
his brother Ives had a more extended
reputation, at least in Boston and its vi
cinity.
When a certain transatlantic steam
ship company established its regular
saiIings between Liverpool and the Unit
ed States It appointed Ives Bates its first
American agent. The steamers OF the
company at first and for many years
made Boston their American terminal.
ives Bates cultivated the acquaintance
of the captains Of the steamship COM
panies. He also possessed a high art for
genteel advertising. utilizing his acquaint-
ance and friendship with the steamship
captains for that purpose.
Although he had no fortune. at least
none in comparison with the wealth of
his brother Ben. he was a leader in the
somewhat exclusive circle in Boston in
the mid-years of this Cthe nineteenth)
century.
His advice was sought largely by
those who contemplated giving fashion
able entertainments. He was q man of
perfect breeding-that In to say, his per-
sonality and his manners suggested life
long association with the most cultivated
persons. He set the fashion in Boston
Of securing the steamship captains as
guests at fashionable dinners or other
social functions This became so popu-
lar a feature of Boston's social life dur
ing the social reign OF Ives Bates that 1t
was the custom to extend invitations to
the captains to social functions which
might not take place for two or three
months, until the captains had returned
from their trips to Liverpool. It was re-
garded as an especially gratifying feat
ure Of a social entertainment that Capt
So-and-So would be present as a con-
spicuous guest.
Now this served admirably to adver-
tise the steamship line at a time. too.
when advertising was needed. But the
captains of that day were men Of ac-
complishment, some of them of high cul-
tivation.
''All that was changed after New York
became the chief American terminal for
the steamship lines. I wonder il Ward
McAllister has ever placed upon a list
of guests to a fashionable New York en-
tertainment the names of any steamship
captain as Ives Bates was accustomed to
do for years in Boston,"
Copyright. loii. by Z. ]. Edwards All rights r--
seredl
Tomorrow DR.. Edwards will tell why
Salmon p. Chase Resigned from the
Treasury"