The Washington herald., 1918-02-03
S
MRS. ANITA M. BALDWIN,
From the miniature by Claude E. Quincy

week when the President and Mrs.
Wilson showed up at the morning
services at st. Johns. For SO far as
any one knew 1t was the first time
that the President had entered that
historic old church for purposes OF
worship. OF course. he'd been there
to one or two weddings, though he is
not SO given to attending weddings as
either Of his immediate predecessors.
And everyone remembered that Just
about q year ago-along about the
middle OF January of last year-there
was considerable excitement in the
old church because the President, who
had been announced as the headliner
at the first session of a weeks cele-
bration OF the church's centenary, had
declined to appear.
| You see programs had been sent out,
along with very imposing cards. in
viting a very select clientele to the
first ceremonies at which the Presi-
dent Of the United States, the Bishop
fof Washington. Senator Cabot Lodge
and others of equal distinction would
speak. About twenty-four hours be-
fore the event it developed that the
President was not to speak; he was
not even to be present. There was
evidently some MISUNDERSTANDING; he
had not said he would. The reason
given was press Of business'-but as
about the time he should have been
speaking he was strolling around Cor
coran Art Gallery looking at the pic
lures OF an exhibition, it seemed not
! entirely improbable that there was
7 something in the reason whispered
that he had backed out when he found
that he was expected to speak from
the same platform as Senator Lodge,
who had said harsh things about him
during the campaign. However, he
| and the Massachusetts Senator have
since then shaken hands and declared
truce.
Washington is, Of course, tremen-
dously interested in the imminent ar
rival of Lord and Lady Reading, the
new British Ambassador and his wife,
who are expected to appear In our
midst any day.
According to reports, their only son.
Viscount Erleigh, who will be at
tached to the embassy stan, will ac-
company them. Young Lord Erleigh
has until just recently been known
oshAPly oS Nhc NIeTalQ
Isaacs, but when Just before Christ
mas Lord Reading himself was ad-
vanced from the dignity of viscount
70 that OF an earl he received, in ad-
dition to his original viscounty the
additional one of Erleigh-Erieigh be-
ing the name of the Berkshire town.
let where his country place is sItu-
ated Lord Erleigh is still on the sun
afda NJ m M
at the front during the beginning OF
the war with the Court Territorials,
in which he enlisted on the outbreak
Of hostilities, and in which he now
holds the rank OF captain. He mar
ried some four years ago Miss Eva
Mond. eldest daughter Of Sir Alfred
Mond, known as ''the nickel king"
and said to own a controlling interest
In the companies which control prac-
tically all the nickel mines in exist
ence. Aside from his commercial in
terests. Sir Alfred Mond has distin-
guished himself in various positions
In the service of the state.
AZ for Lady Reading. there seams
to be mistaken impression that she
Is an American. 1t Is hard to see
why. for one could scarcely believe
that an American could acquire, even
after years Of residence, SO complete
an oTerlay Of Britishness. II she
Were an American, she could Justly
claim to be a "quadruple-plate" Brit
isher. But she isn't. Though there
has appeared In print various refer
ences to Lord Readings American
wife, or to young Lord Erleish as be-
ing half American in that his mother
was New Yorker, It has been as
sured that Lady Reading was, like
her husband, English born. and OF
Jewish stock. She was the daughter
or London merchant named Cohen.
Anynow. every one who has met her
during her recent visit over here win
agree that she is q charming and at
tractive woman. and a most '.under-
standing sort Of person. II Ia one OF
tne queer things about the diplomatic
circle here, that while there are al
ways a very large number of its MEM
pers VINO nave American wives and
the chatelaines of fully one-half the
embassies and about as many of the
legations are nearly always American
girls, the wife of the British Ambas-
sador. representing the nation with
which we really are most aosely ami.
lated by every tie of blood and Ian
guage, rarely Is an American. The
only one in many years was LADY
Herbert, and her husband did not live
long enough to get really established
here. His wife was q Miss Wilson. Of
New York, a sister Of Mrs. Cornelius
Vanderbilt.
To get back to America-wash-
tngton gave frosty welcome last
week to Mrs. Benedict Crowell, wife
Of the Assistant Secretary of War.
On Wednesday she arrived with
her two children-a son and a
daughter. In the midst Of q blizzard
which was piiing its agony on top
of Mondays seven inches OF snow,
and considered herself lucky to have
gotten here with almost no delay.
She also admitted that she was glad
that Mr.. CroWeil waa attn holdin .