Evening star., 1928-08-25
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY the BO0kloper

Beauties and Celebrities of the Nation.
was written by Mrs. Elizabeth Fries
Lummis Ellet, author of a number OF
books of American history. travel, for
eiQn literature and domestic economy,
whose husband was a professor in Co
lumbia College, New York City. The
lengthy subtitle Of Mrs Ellets book tells
much about the contents. but cannot
convey the pleasantly gosSipy flavor Of
the text. 1t reads: illustrating lie
and society under l8 Presidents, de-
scribing the social features OF the sue
cessive administrations from Washing
ton TO Grant, the drawing room circles,
the prominent statesmen and leading
ladies, the brilliant bellies and distin-
quished visitors, the principal enter
tainments fashionable styles OF dress,
manners, etiquette, anecdotes, incidents,
etc, etc Illustrated with original por-
traits, splendidly engraved on steel. -
The size of the go0dly volume and the
minuteness of detail in the descriptions
indicate great amount of study on the
part of Mrs. Ellet but all that We know
of her life shows that her chief delight
was in study,
The relative importance of the social
circles Of New York and Philadelphia.
Mrs Washington'S disinclinat1on TO
balls. the furnishings Of the Presidents
house. etiquette at presidential levces,
the official houses at which the best
dinners were given distinguished Wis
tors from abroad at the new Capital OF
the new Nation, and descriptions OF the
leading beauties Of the time are some or
the topics in the first chapter OF Court
Circles of the Republic that on WASH
ington's administration, That the So
cial life of the new country was not a
rough and tumble affair is shown by
the statement: Mrs Washington was
careful To exact proper courtesies III her
drawing room. None was admitted to
the levees but those entitled by official
station, established merit or suitable
introductions. and full dress was re-
quired of all" Some of the foreign
notableS coming To Philadelphia during
the administration were the Duke de
Iau2un, the Marquis Gle ChastelluX,
Chateaubriand, Count Andriani OF
Milan. the Viscount de Noalles, brother
in-laW of Lafayette. Talleyrand
Thomas Cooper, Joseph Priestly. Will
liam Cobbett and Alexander Barring
afterward Lord Ashburton. During the
Adams administration the Capital was
removed to Washington, and Gouver-
neur Morris wrote of 1t: I'VE want
nothing here but houses, cellars, kitch-
ems, we'll informed men, amlable women
and other little trifles of the kind to
make our city perfect; for we can walk
here as If in the fields and woods. and
considering the hard frost, the air oil
the city Is very pure something OF
formality was allowed to lapse in the
Jefferson administration. "A foreign
LN,ar "a NjTrfN nf
own importance and was a great stick
Ter for etiouctte, which Mr.. Jefferson
detested, went one morning to pay him
visit of ceremony He found the
philosopher deliberately drawing on his
boot and prepared with a shOebrush tc
give 1t a polishing touch with his own
hands. The Ambassador re-
tired, entirely satisfied in his own mind
that no government could long exist
the head of which was his own shoe
black and unoer which so little atten-
ton was paid to etiquette"
X X X
Each succeeding administration Is
characterized socially, and anecdotes oi
the important personages, some OF them
A trifle time-worn. it Is true. are freely
told by Mrs. Ellet Mrs. MadiSons gay
costume, her unusual memory for peo-
pie and names, her kindness to bashfu
persons and her conversational powers
are described and illustrated. In the
administration of John Quincy Adams
1.-The Library of Congress, though fal
from being completed. was delicious
morning lounge. and frequented by ali
the fashionables of both sexes" Though
Jackson came to the presidency as
warrior, not a man of drawing rooms
"the social brilliancy of Gen. jackson
administration was generally acknowi-
edged and will long be remembered
In no city in the Union could there DC
found a more polished and refined So
ciety than in Washington this period
Foreigners of high rank, citizens oil
wealth. men of the most distinguished
intellect and learning, with ladies the
most lovely and refined, were assem-
bled there during the congressional
terms" A full description Is given oi
the wedding during Van Buren's ad-
ministration of the Russian Minister
M. de Bodisco. and Miss Williams OF
Washington. During T'yler's admins
tration Charles Dickens was enter
tanned at the White House, and Mrs.
TYLER wrote. He is not at all romantic
looking, rather thick set; his face. OF
course, most intelligent and bright
but his dress does not suit me; he wears
too much jewelry. and is thoroughly
English In his appearance. and not the
best English" In Taylor'S adminiStra-
ton. when the Presidents house was
again thrown open to the public. late
in November, it was found that the
east room was newly carpeted and re-
decorated and illumined by gas jets
from splendid chandeliers. Before 10
the delegation OF six Usage Indians,
who had been several weeks in Wash
Great Father" With the administra-
tions of Buchanan and Lincoln. Mrs.
Ellet came within her own recollection.
The descriptions of some OF the cos
tunes worn at Lincoln's inaugural ball
read In some ways like the social col
umns OF today. Mrs. Yates wore white
silk with cherry -colored double skirt.
Mrs Hoover. one of the most
agreeable ladies adjoining Washington
society, was dressed with perfect taste
In violet-colored brocade silk with
heavy fiounces, a wreath OH her head.
Miss Alice Green was greatly
admired IN her dress of blue tarletan
flounced to the waist. with bertha of
Honiton lace Miss Fanny
Parker, white tarletan with gold trim
mings. Mrs. Samuel A. Way
of Boston, an attractive and interesting
lady, was attired in n rich black velvet,
with diamonds TO the value of at least
$4,000. Mrs. Fenton had on
a rich brown silk with velvet arabesque; !;
her majestic mien showed her woman
Of intellect and cultivation"
Brook Evans. the girl In Susan
"a fha iz
named from brook which ripples
through an Illinois farm. the home of
her mothers parents. Her mother. be-
fore her birth comes into conflict with
the hardness OF conventional morality
of the eighties and the equal hardness
of human seltishness. When Brook Is
born she Is from the beginning her
mothers ally against the duty" ideal
OF their environment, At first the alli-
ance exists only IN the mind OF her
mother. iIaomi, then for time Brook
oil In tn&a alrax