The Washington herald., 1918-09-22
Jn the Social Worlo
BY MAUD MeDOUGALL.

MISUNDERSTANDING laB Aaafaa'h 1iaHI4raaS
to vladivostok. where he is to direct
the. operations of the Czecho-Slovak
armies in Siberia. As already noted,
Washington nowadays Is en- route
from everywhere to everywhere. Gen.
Janin was presented to the President
by Ambassador Jusserand. who en-
tertained Informally at luncheon for
him and more formally at dinner.
Gen. and Nine. Vignal also enter
tained at dinner In his honor, and the
French embassy and military men OF
all nationalities at present in Wash
ington were glad to do him honor.
With all that and other minor dis
tractions-I think I said Washington
has not been dull this past week
quite the most interesting bit of news
| to break-socially and officially inter
| esting, both-was the announcement
that Solicitor General John w. Davis,
now overseas. was TO be next Ambas-
sador OF the United States to Great
Britain. 1t seems to have taken al
most everybody by surprise, and yet
| the general comment Is that IL is a
wonderfully good selection-modified
occasionally when II is a feminine
commentator by a doubt as to tho
| Davises having the private fortune
necessary tor that position.
Which doesn't at all mean that the
Davises are paupers, or that they
were probably trying to live on their
| official salary-very few Washington
officials pretend to do that-but
simply that they have not been re-
garded as at all conspicuously
wealthy; and conspicuous wealth has
always been regarded as a sine qua
non OF aspirants to any one of the
big European ambass adorships. Also,
Lansing selection; and, 1t Is fire.
quently added. "a corking good onem'
Mr.. Davis's Washington career is
a comparatively short one. He Is
only Is, anyhow. II he hadn't been
Official he might have been caught
N the draft. Certainly he would have
had to register. He had been promi-
nent in West Virginia politics for
about ten years before he came 10
| Washington As representative OF the
First West Virginia disc:!cs in 1911
in the middle Of Taft's terr>-at that
time q widowsr. who established him
self very unobtyusively at the Port
land. leaving his only child, n little
school girl daughter, Julia McDon-
ald," named for the mother she had
not known, with relatives in Clarks-
burg. But ne took advantage OF the
first Christmas recess and got mar
red, bringing back to Washington
with him in January. 1911. a charm
ing bride the present LIrs. joan w.
Davis. formerly Miss Ellen BasseI,
of West Virginia, too: and Washing
ton has real I gotten acquainted with
them both together
West Virginia. returned him again
to Congress in Hl3, but within a few
months he resigned to become So
licitor General under President Will
sons original Attorney General
James Clark McReynolds-now on the
Supreme Court bench. He succeeded.
after an interval, for President Will
son was in no great hurry over his
appointments. William Marshall BuI.
lit, who was Solicitor General dur
ing the latter part OF the Taft regime,
after Lloyd Bowers death.
Such is Mr.. Davis brief Washing
ton career He and Mrs. Davis have
made very warm place for them
selves in Washington's oficial circle
They have met sfl tbs social de-
mands OF their position adequately
and gracefully but not in the least
ostentatiously. They have lived for
several years now in a fine, spacious
apartment at Sixteenth and P streets
the same building that the Champ
Clarks were in during his first term
as Speaker; the Burlesons also hav-
ing an apartment there at that time
It's an awfully nice building-the
sort that has only one big roomy
apartment to a fioor-but il is moi
the habitation that people in high
official position would have chosen
II they were minded to splurge Nc
apartment is. =.
The solicitor General and Mrs. Davis
have been known as particular chums
Of the Lansings. 1t was quite usual
for the two couples to go of together
on little trips. weekend excursions
and the like-a pleasant little partie
carree. which they all seemed to en-.
joy. Just lately they were the house
guests OF the Secretary OF State and
Mrs. Lansing during their vacation
at Henderson Harbor. When the Ian.
sings came back to Washington II
was announced that the Davis's had
gone on an automobile tour through
New England. and would not be bach
in Washington for a while. It seems
to me that II was during that trir
that Mr.. Davis got lost" somewhere
know that It was while they were
still supposed to be motoring through
the Berkshires a couple of weeks
ago that Mrs. Lansing mentioned cas-
ually that the Solicitor General had
gone overseas.
Mrs. Davis came back to Washing.
ton and made several little visits, a
few days here and a few days there
About week ago she and Miss Julia
Mcdonald Davis, now grown a youns
lady and student at Wellesley, went
up to Wellesley. where Miss Davi:
was TO resume her studies The lat
ter Is not very well known inswash,
inston. She Is not yet "ont.n and