The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1916-03-23
MRS. WILSON FIRM
IN SHAKING HANDS
Vigorous Manner Expected to
Replace Formal Method.
SOCIETY WILL FOLLOW HER

At First White House Reception the
First Lady Stood Up and Shook
apps Hands In Little Over Three
Hours, or One Every Three Seconds.
Was Not Fatigued.
Mrs. Wilson shook hands.
That was the one outstanding fea-
ture of the first official White House
| reception recently. IL was not the limp
and listless style of handshake which
is at present considered good form. 1t
was the old fashioned hearty hand
shake of our grandfathers' days.
| All Washington fashionable society
| was interested at the news. Has Mrs
I Wilson set a new fashion?
Ii has not been customary for the
presidents wife to shake hands on the
| occasion of public receptions. She
merely smiles and bows
In fact. the whole subject of shaking
I hands is in a more or less indefinite
condition in fashionable society. There
are many women of good social posi-
ton who do not shake hands If It
be avoided. They maintain that a bow
and a smile are sufficient greeting. If
a woman makes no move toward ex-
tending her hand it is not good form 10
force her into action By extending a
hand toward her
A Big Undertaking.
But if a situation arises where a wo-
man finds a hand extended she accepts
the advance and perhaps feeUly ex-
tends three fingers. just enough TO save
the situation from embarrassment.
OF course President wilson's bride
knows all this and had thought about
it. When she took her place at the
head of the line of the cabinet ladies'
the other evening she had decided ex-
actly what she was gong to do. What
ever women in fashionable society
were doing or whatever had been the
habit of other mistTesses of the White
House, Mrs. Wilson decided TO shake
And she did so.
The job Mrs. Wilson undertook was
no small one. She was obliged on the
occasion mentioned to shake hands
with no fewer than 4.226 persons. She |
began shaking hands at exactly $50 |
p. ~. when the first guest was intro |
duced to her. At precisely 1915 a. IN
three-quarters of an hour after mid |
night, she stopped.
No Fashionable Alterations.
The task occupied Mrs. Wilson con- /
tinuOuSly for three and one-Quarter I
hours. or 1875 minutes. In that length I
of time there are 11.7OO seconds. Thus .
it seems that the average time con- !
sumed per handshake was about two
and four-ffths seconds.
Mrs. Wilson is a strong woman phys /
ically. else she could hardly have with
stood such an ordeal. As a matter of
fact. she was so little fatigued that
next morning she was up and out by 10
o'clock paying an informal visit to an
old friend.
Mrs. Wilson IS not and never has
been woman Of fashion. According
~ she has no fashionable frills and af-
fectations. When she shakes hands
she does not hold her own at shoulder
level and waggle the other persons
paw horizontally. Nor does she Ian
yuidly extend two or three fingers.
On the contrary. she shakes hands in
the old fashioned sort of way-not
merely offering her own Imply to be
but with warm and hearty
clasp. 1t is a cordial. old fashioned
that she gives. meeting the
party of the second part halfway. as it
we're.
Hand Travelled Over Mile.
Mrs. Wilson's handshake is given at
be level of her waiSt-a simple two up
md down movement Ii occupies not ,
more than one second of time-the re-
naming one and four-tfths seconds
according TO the time schedule Of the
,ther nights receptions being con
umed by the guest in advancing ana
,Owins.
Mrs. Wilson's right hand rose about !
i've inches and descended five inches;
rose again Eve inches and fell i've
riches. Then the SruspinG fingers re
lNed, and the hand withdrew TO her {
ide The handshake was over
Mrs. Wilson'S hand Travelled dis
ance of twenty inches, up and down, a
[ each handShaks. She shook 4.226 l
ands. Her hand therefore Travelled
4. $50 inches. or nearly a mile and }
uarter. during the evening
1t might seem that Mrs. Wilson's
manner of shaking hands was Of no
Imaginable Importance. But such e
lew of the case would be mistake. n
or the presidents wife is always the c
,ader of fashion at the national CAPT L
Il. and whatever she does, whether o
he wishes it or not, is widely copied C
nd initiated. o
That Mrs. Wilson will continue to Il
lake hands at White House recep- s.
ons is by no means TO be taken for p
ranted. Indeed. the chances are that o.
lie will fall back upon the traditional u
lstom and be content with a bow and
nile. In the recent instance there was
reason for making an exception.
The reason lay in the fact that the II
,rantior u-os IN all intpntS and mr. Il