El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-11-13

~ y :
M In no instance. ever. has a
mistress of the white house
been q Washington woman
The present situation, therefore, is
bit peculiar-especiaIly in view Of
the circumstances that the new Mrs.
Wilson. for all her descent from FOca-
hontas, has not been hitherto mem
Der Of the capitals smart set no
sooner was her engagement 10 the
president announced than, as a matter
Of course, the fashionable crowd was
eager to take her up, and even 10 &C
cept her as its leader If she so wished
Dolly Madison led Washington So
ciety-her reign continuing, INDEED Ior
a number of years after she LETT the
white house So likewise did MIS-
Cleveland. and the same may be SAID
OF Mrs Roosevelt But such a situa-
tion Of affairs does not necessarily
Must Entertain Extensively.
The first lady" If she would lead
the coterie Of fashion, must possess IN
high degree the social faculty, and
must do a great deal Of entertaining
During the reign Of the RoOsevelts the
white house offered in this line an al
most continuous performance Mrs.
Cleveland specialized in luucheons and
teas for her women friends Like Dol
" Madison. she made herself beloved
by an exhibition Of marvellous tact ana
she never forgot a name or lace
Mr. Cleveland was not popular in
Washington. but his wife's endearing
qualities saved the situation for MS
administration, socially speaking Ben
jamin HarriSOns cold ana un8elld4
manner made him little liked, but Mrs
Harrison's amiability and unselfist1sess
caused her to be generally loved
Two white house mistresses nave
been pronounced Puritans. Mrs Hayes
banished wine Mrs. Polk put a stop
to dancing. Of which she did not ap-
prove on general principles. and when
- I Of harr
dignity Of the presidential mansion.
Mrs. HAYES, however. did a great deal
OF costly entertaining, spending $4,000
on refreshments for a single public re-
payne" as Mr. Evarts wittily remarked,
when she was first lady" but there
was plenty Of hospitality.
It is said that Mrs Hayes. when she
entered the dining room for her first
meal in the white house. saw wine
glasses at each plate. She ordered them
removed, and from that time on stimu-
lants of an alcoholic description were
barred. But her Puritanism was Of a
very moderate description. Mrs Polk,
on the other hand. was rigid PreSby-
terrain. and did almost no entertaining
/ beyond what was demanded by official
etiQuet. A woman of much brilliancy
of mind, she served as her husband $
/ secretary during his term, and is said
10 have been as familiar with affairs
/ OF state as he was
Mrs. Monroe Unpopular.
The most unpopular mistress Of the
white house was Mrs James Monroe
She had been a New York girl. Eliza
/ KOrtwright, an acknowledged beauty
] and belle. the daughter Of a British
army officer, who at the close Of the
Revolutionary war had cast in his lot
with the colonies Before coming to
! the white house she had lived much
abroad. while her husband was minis
ter to France and Great Britain. Filled
with ideas acquired at foreign courts.
I she established a code of etiQuet, and
| was very eXacting In regard TO dress
/ at her receptions
/ One president. James Buchanan. was
/ a bachelor. Three Others-Jeffer5on
/ Jackson and Arthur-were widoWers
! when they entered the white house.
JeffersSn's Wine Bill.
Jefferson had two married daugh-
| ters: but they could be with him only
| q times, and so IL came about that
| mistress Dolly Madison. wife OF his
/ secretary Of state, officiated as first
L lady during his administration Those
/ We're days Of quite wonderful lnfor-
! mality al the executive mansion Ihere
| were no 'levees." as public receptions
l were then called: everybody was vel
/ come. and the president was accessible
l to any one at any hour. he IS said 70
/ have spent $1,000 for wine, and at
/ every meal were a number Of guests
/ Precedence was a thing unknown
] JaeksOn's Big Cheese.
Andrew JacksOn's niece. Emily Don
1 elson. was mistress Of the white house
! under his rule: but il was the prest-
1 dent who dominated the entertaining.
as he did everything else In point OF