Evening star., 1924-10-24
DIPLOMATIC MOVES
SMASH PRECEDENTS.
Soviet Appoints Woman to
Norway Post for First
Time in History.

lhe recent promotion of Nine.
Alexandra KolIontai to be the full
fedged envoy extraordinary and
minister plenipotentiary' from Soviet
Russia 70 Norway at the same time
that Prof. Timothy A. Smiddy Is
given similar position in Washing
ton from heretofore envoyless Ire
land. makes diplomatic history" says
bulletin from the headquarters
here of the National Geographic So
ciety.
Nine kollontai is the first feminine
minister plenipotentiary' to enter
the diplomatic corps" continues the
bulletin, "since that spe cific position
and body were recognized by the
Congress Of Vienna in 1915 and the
follow-up Congress of Aix-la-Cha-
pelle in 1918; and she is one of the
very few women ever to become an
envoy of a sovereign state. Catherine
of Aragon is the most famous prede-
cessor OF Nine. Koilontai. and she
hardly deserves a similar classified
tion. While she was Princess o!
Wales. her father. Ferdinand the
Catholic named her his ambassador
to the court of Henry VII. 1t wa
hollow honor. largely 10 increase
her prestige with the English.
Woman Real Worker.
'Mme KoNontai is considered TO
have won her laurels by real work
on behalf OF her eoverrGient while
serving tor the past two years as
charge danaiIeS in Norway. She
sue cessfully negotiated recognStion
Of the Soviet government by Norway.
settled the controversy between the
TWO countries over Spitsbergen and
obtained an official Norwegian guar
antee Of Soviet credit in purchas
huge supplies of fish for Russia.
The appointment Of Prof. Smiddy
is somewhat less precedent SIN aShin2-
From the siXteneth century until the be
ginning OF the nineteenth the component
states of the So-called Holy Roman
Empire sent ENJOYS 10 foreign courts.
The situatio was not entirely paral-
lei with that of the modern British
empire however. for the 'Eio.!
Roman emperor was never repre-
scented by envoys-on the theory tina
his dignity was too great. The stimuli
taneous existence now Of an ambss
sador from an over-State and a min
lister from one Of its component psrtS
sets a true precedent.
First Mere Messe myers
The growth Of the diplomatic
corps as An institution has been
slow. Special envoys undoubtedi,
we're sent from court to court of tn,
earliest historic empires. such a
those Of Egypt and Babylonia. Later
in Grecian, Roman and ByZantin.
days the practice was fairly commol-
But in all such cases. as far as his
tory discloses. the messengers wer'
sent to transact specific business am.
returned as soon as possible TO re-
port the results of their mission.
In the West the Republic -.
Venice seems to have been tn"
pioneer in the establishment OF en-
bassies In the twelfth ana thirteent'
centuries the terms of Venetian en-
voyS were limited to two or three
months. Strict rules hedged thclr
round Any gifts received from
courts visited must be turned over
to the republic and written report
had to be filed with the Senate In
the fifteenth century the amba ssadorisl
term was extended to a maximum OF
two years and in the 18th century II
three years.
First EnvoyS in Italy.
The earliest record of the, appoint
ment of resident ambassa dor
though probably this was not the
first amba ssador SO appointed-was
in regard to the sending in 1883 OF
an envoy from the Duke of Milan TO
reside at Genoa. One of the first
permanent embassies outside Italy
was. created in 1854, when Milan sent
minister I'd take up his residence at
the court Of France. In the same
wear a Spanish ambassador went to
reside in London This is believed 10
be the oldest surviving diplomatic
most in existence. BY the second half
of the sixteenth century resident en-
bassies had become the normal
means OF intercourse between i'm
portant countries.
The term 'mba Ssador was gwen
to the world by Venice; where It first
appeared in the form ambassador IN
A decree of 1858. At first there were
no degrees among the ENJOYS OF
states. The Amba Ssador was con-
sidered the vicar of his sovereign and
was received with royal honors and
had to maintain sort of little court.
This became embarrassing both be-
cause of the expense and because II
was a handicap in attending TO busI-
ness The custom grew, therefore, OF
sending less important individuals as
cnvoys or messengers. These, not
hedged about by pomp, proved much
more efficient agents. Later again ii
became customary TO accord the rank
of the envoy to the importance of the
country sending or receiving him.
and gradation in representatives