The Washington times., 1916-01-16
lean Eliot S
Letter
Continued from Sixth Pase.)

make way for the Tracy house, with
its tragic memories OF the death Of
Mrs. Benjamin +. Tracy. wife OF the
secretary OF the Navy, her baby and
maid, by fire. Since then the house
has been occupied by q long line of
| distinguished folk and with 1t has been
| associated much entertaining that will
so down In the annals OF Washing
! tons social history. It belonged for n
| long time to the Tylers. and. before
the Bakhmctefts came to wasbinst ton.
, was occupied by Baron Rosen. then
| fusslah ambassador. and Baroness
Rcsen. Their social functions will be
| remembered for a certain sketchiness
OF detail which bespoke n slight opin-
ion Of the social knowledge and the
consequence of the country to which
they were accredited.
=
| But TO return to our Dmuttuns, Mr..
! R"bert9on. He has friends of his own
! her", too, notably William Phillips,
! Third Assistant Secretary OF state.
Tho two mcn struck up a friendship
| when they were both on diplomatic
missions to Peiiiug, and took a won
! dcrfu| trip up the Yangste river to-
&c ther. Also Mr.. Robertson spent ten
days or so in Washington with Mr..
| Phillips about ten years or so ago
IN the course of six weeks visit 30
, the States" on his way back TO Eng
! land from China.
lie likes lis new job amazingly, it
appears, and says that with this detail
hc reaches the fiinllment OF an old
ambition nurrnc tho course OF sew
entecn years in the diplomatic serv-
| icc he has been at Berlin. Pekinr,
Madrid, Bucharest, Montevideo, and
l'io de Janeiro-at the last three
places he was in charge--not 10 speBI;
OF five rears' duty at the foreign Of.
hc". And in all this tirne he has never
been accredited to a country at wa
or in the throos OF any great politicsl
disturbance Perhaps his srrival n
! Washington MAJ be Sood omen for
us in these parlous. times.
+
| { Mr.. Robertson was born 10 The GOV.
crnmenI service. His forbears for ivt
80 nerations Were in the army or or
the civil lists, with the one shining
exception OF his grandfather. the 70
NOUS Frederick W. Robertson. 20
Brighton who electrified the Eng
land OF his generation by his preach
ing. The family was original!
Scotch. His training, like that D
most Britons destined for diplo
matte career, was comprehensive anc
TO the point. lie was born in London
educated at Marlborough. sent to Ger
many to learn German. and to Franz,
to learn French. In both places h
learned much Of men, manners, ant
methods OF diplomatic procedure.
! -
For the rest. Mr. Robertson is thirty
eight. hut he looks Younger. He
swarthV. but has the length OF limb. tn
clean cut features and crisp cnuncia
ton that mark the Briton the worl
over. For recreation he shoots an
p'aNs golf. fIc has hunted IN China. /
Korea. in Uruguay. in Germany. in tn
four corners OF the earth. In kores
he found the hunters paradise tn
birds-it appears one shoots duck an
geese in korea-fiyinG by the hundre
thousand. and there are no game law
to NeX the soul. However, no tru
soortsman will abuse such a prlvileg,
and Mr.. Robertson Is above all a tru
sportsman.
As for golf. he Is modest man, an
refuses to claim any great prowess II
did win a doubles championship {
Madrid. but. when taxed with that. h
hedges and saws We don't know no,
they play golf in Madrid.
The arrival OF a new bachelor at tn
British embassy now creates less of
futter in the dovecotes of social Wast
inEton than in the DAYS before tn
beastlY war broke out--the men OF th
! embassies now have little leisure fc
frivOlities-but even so. Mr.. Robertso
would seem to be destined to equal th
popularity OF his distinguished fathe
l Even now ] wager that after a fe
short weeks in town. he has more inv
tations than he can possibly accept II
has an apartment in the Portsmouth
/ but Just now Is week-ending in Ne
|, York.
Mrs. |. T. Mann is going to Ne
York tomorrow to select the few la!
/ pretty things that are necessary
o complete her new house, or rather h,
RI old house made over better than ne,
+ Mr.. and Mrs. Mann and the kiddies :oo
: possession of the house a few weei
K ago when ii was in an incomplete stat
y On Monday evening before the Cha ri
9 Ball they gave their first dinner. AT
!, even then things weren't quite in ordc
= The great hallway and the dining roo
!, that's lovely room--wer perfec
l. but the drawing room is not "
: ready for inspection. The dance whic
Mr., and Mrs. Mann will give I'm Febr
II AIRY will be in the nature of hous
/ warming
.. Speaking Of the Manns. reminds n
II that Charles Stockton fhorne. OF Ne
9 York. who is frequent visitor
J. Washington, usually as their guest,
busy denying the report Of his el
v gagement to Mrs. Alfred II. Peats.
= New York and Paris. Mr.. Thorne r
), turned last week on the Lafayette fro
e a business trip through France al
{ Italy. and said that neither he nor NT