Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-26
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

President Harding and his Secretary
of State at Washington today is that
OF selecting wisely the ambassadors
and ministers who will represent the
country and new administration
abroad.
In the selections of these various en-
voys, and OF their secretaries and at
taches, President Harding and Secrc-
tary Hughes must not only take into
consideration the fitness of these men
for their jobs. but the qualifications OF
their wives also.
The wife is the most important of
all the clements of an embassy said
Napoleon once in an explanation of his
selection of the unknown husband OF
an attractive and accomplished woman
for the post of ambassador at an i'm
portant court.
Nor is the wife of the diplomatic
chief alone important. The wife OF the
most unimportant secretary Is capable
OF wrecking the success of a diplo-
matte mission. a. tactless slip of the
tongue on her part may give rise to "A
coolness between the home government
and the foreign government that only
years will eradicate. The ambassador
or attache himself is more easily for
given for n break than his wife.
Madame must possess all the social
graccs. with wisdom and guile to boot.
But she must not be too Circe-likc. y
lomntic circles. She must not be too
cxtravagant. she must not talk too
much and above all else she must not
be given to the habit OF writing indls-
erect letters.
Illustrating tho last must not"
Washington still remembers the case
OF the beautiful Lady Susan Townley.
whose husband. Sir Walter Bcauprc
Townlcy was for n brief spacc charge
d'affaires of the British Embassy in
Washington. Tho bricfness of his So
journ here. after a distinguished Dip
lomutic career elsewhere. was at
tributed to Lady Susan's fondness for
lcttcr-writing. Social Washington IL
still sore, tho the case OF Lady Susan
Is now more than 10 years old, over
some OF the things the witty young
Englishwoman said about the elect OF
the Capital in her letters home. Lady
Susan was too witty and her friends
at home enjoyed her clever satire so
much that thcS let some OF the letters
slip into the hands OF n Publisher.
The charge d'affaircs was recalled
after a few warm remarks had been
passed between the two governments.
Afterwards his government relcntcd TO
the extent OF sending him to n less I'M
portant post.
Most Flanders flushed
The affairs OF Lady Susan was given
wide publicity but the diplomatic Gus
tom in such cases is to hush matters
up. quietly to recall the offending en-
voy and never to let the general pub
lie into the secret OF So-and-So's alb
rupt return home. How many rromis-
ing careers have been wrecked by tact
less wives, therefore, Will never be
publicly recorded.
Equally numerous are instances in
which the Ambassador has been helped
by "A clever wife in his rise in the
Eraccs OF the government to which he
has been accredited. Perhaps one of
the most striking incidents of that
kind in Washington at present is the
Minister of the Croats. Serbs and SLOW
cnes, to give him his full title, DIR.
Slavko Y. Grouitch. DIR Gruuitch
Frankly admits that he owes much OF
his diplomatic success to his charm
ing and attractive wife.
She has, 1t may be added. kept n
faithful account OF her life as the wife
of diplomat. II ever the volume is
published it should be useful hand
book for the wives OF ambitious young
secretaries and attaches.
Madame Grouitch Is American born.
The chief qualification for n diplo-
matte post in Washington of late years
seems to have been an American wife:
so many of tho embassies and legations
have American mistrcsscs. Madame
Jusscrand, wife OF the ambassador
from France and dean of the diplo-
matte corps. was Miss Elsie Richards
of Philadelphia. Tho Lady Gcddes,
wife of the British ambassador. is an
EnFlishwomar. she was born in this
country and spcnt the greater part of
her girlhood here. The diplomatic
routine seems to be, send young, un-
married secretary to Washington.
marry him to an American girl and
later send him back as the head of
his country's mission.
American Women Good Diplomat.
The American woman seems 20 have
been success in the diplomatic field.
seldom II ever does news leak out of
an American envoy recalled thru some
break on the part OF his wife. The
young secretary attached to the en-
bassy or legation in Washington mar
ricd to an American girl and sent away
to other diplomatic posts is usually