Evening star., 1925-02-08
BY MARGARET b. DOWNING.

M AHtsAHEF DO"
Mrs. William Howard Taft can
claim seniority in Washington ex-
perience over every other denizen of
Its Mayfair unless Mrs. stephen b.
Elkins and Mrs Eugene Hale are
considered and then she can be
olassed as their contemporaries. 1t
was in 1877 that the wife of the
Chief Justice first came to Wash
ington to visit the family of her
fathers one time law partner,
rutherford B. Hayes. Mrs. Hayes In
May of that year, as may be found
in the delightful "reminiscences which
Mrs. Taft wrote about IL years ago,
gave a juvenile party and Miss Helen
Heron, now Mrs. Taft, and two of
her sisters made the journey from
Cincinnati to take part in the froiic.
All through the Hayes administra-
tion the young Heron maidens visit
ed Washington and participated in
the gayeties of the time. Ten years
later Mrs. Taft arrived in the Ma
tional Capital with official rank of
her own wife of the Solicitor
General. Her career later as wife
o of the Governor General of the
Philippines, of the Secretary of War,
and of the twenty-seventh President,
is familiar to thousands of the
dwellers of the Capital AS wife of
occasional dip into things social and
she frequently makes the round of
cabinet calls, though she could claim
exemption from this, were she not a
lover of her kind and partial to
meeting old friends in the old
familiar way. Her devotion to music
is her ruling passion and her sup
port of good music has been of the
hopeful signs in the recent revival of
he n
Washin gton.
The retiring Secretary of State has
accepted a post on the executive COM
mittee of the Lawyers Club of New
York City, and during his recent
visit to that city was taken through
the newly completed house. AT lis
Broadway the Lawyers Club has
delightfully."- airy, roomy and ornate
dwelling. The entire first floor is oc-
cupied by the living room and the
dining hall, which is provided with
many and generous balconies for the
pleasure of guests of the fairer sex
and for spectators generally. That
great stained-glass window which
fills the western side is crowned by
the tablets of the Mosaic law, with
each of the 10 commandants SYM
bolically presented. Other mural deco
rations show eminent law-givers
among the Egyptians, the Medes and
the Persians, the Romans. the Danes
and Saxons, and finally the supreme
figures in American law, surmounted
by the great SHE'D of the United
states. Mr.. John Hays Hammond is
another Washingtotnian who holds
post on the executive committee and
Mr.. Charles Henry Butler is among
the members of the Washington bar
who are on the board of managers.
Not since the memorial BILE days of
1893, when certai in legations in Wash
1ngton were elevated to embassies,
has there been such haste on the part
of newly appointed envoys to proceed
to this Capital and present credentials
to the President. The Ambassador of
the French Republic, NJ. Daeschner,
has led the list of newcomers, and it
would seem that the second arrival
Will be Senior Manuel Teller. to whose
hands has been committed the task of
restoring friendly relations between
this country and Mexico after a
lengthy and somewhat stormy in
terim. Senior Teller makes his jour-
ney by train, and as he is due to leave
Mexico City by February 10, he will have
arrived and possibly have presented
his credentials at the exact juncture
OF time that the japanese Ambassa-
dor, Viscount Matsudaria sailing from
Yokohama on February 8 touches in
San Francisco. Baron Won Nathan,
the successor of DIR. Otto Wiedfeldt,
the German Ambassador, is due in
Washington during the first week of
March. No date has been assigned
for the coming of the new Brazilian
Amba ssador, Senior Amaral, but Prince
Caetani's successor is expected to ar
rive in about six weeks. The AM
bassador from Argentina, DR.. Pueyr-
redon, who came to Washington
rather hurriedly last Spring. was
called to Buenos Aires in late October
and has remained there ever since.
He, with his family, anticipate leav-
ing soon after Easter and will spend
the Spring season in the American
Capital.
Capt. Axel F. Wallenberg, the min
,ster from Sweden, who has signifed
that he expects to return to Stock
holm permanently sometime this
coming June, will, with Nine. Wallen-
berg, be deeply regretted. But his
departure was a foregone conclusion,
for he is among the most important
bankers and manufacturers of his
country, and he has remained in its
foreign service at the greatest per-
sonal sacrifice The Swedish minister
and his lady are among the handsom
both being of such height and fair
complexion as to recall the historic
stateIiness and beauty of the Vikings.
Both the minister and Nine. Wallen
berg are enthusiastic tennis players,
and the minister is in the champion
class in Stockholm, and is the favo
rite partner of the king, likewise
tennis devotee. Capt. and Nine. Wal
lenberg have been gracious and in
defatigable entertainers, both of their
colleagues in the foreign set and of
the official world Their beautiful
home on r street at the bend of Sheri
. dan Circle was chosen especially to
hold a large number, and it is most
gorgeously equipped 1t will be re-
membered that it was purchased fur
nish ed from former Senat tor Phe1an
of California, and it is soon to be
placed on the market again. Nine.
Wallenberg brought some interesting
drawing-room furniture to Washing
ton. Among these pieces is a lovely
golden sedan chair used by her great
grandmother, court lady in the days
of the first Bernadotte monarch. 1t
was painted by Greuze and uphol-
stored in the finest Gobelin, and was,
of course, made in Paris in the days
of the Bourbon kings and brought to
Stockholm in the time of the first Ma
poleon.
Signor Luciano Mascia, who has re-
Gently come to the italian embassy,
brings a charming young bride who
before her marriage in Montreal in
the early Winter was Mile Anne de
Beaujeu Domville of Montreal. The
wedding, in the Canadian metropolis,
was a notable social event. Signora
Mascia had enjoyed a season of belle
ship in her native city and belongs