Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-17

brOOkS HENDERSON,, Vlrglnlan by Dlrtn.
He emigrated to Missouri. and in the
slave agitation days this Southerner
became an ardent Abraham Lincoln
Republican. made a trip East to see
Mary Foote and took his Yankee girl
to st. Louis AS his bride. He became
one of the great lawyers of his day,
general Of volunteers during the Civil
War and rose high in the ranks of the
party. AS a United States attorney
he prosecuted successfully the notori-
GUS whisky ring of ST. Louis which
experience of her husband gave Mrs.
Henderson her first glimpse into the
evils of the liquor traffic and led her
to become an ardent prohibitionist
until her last days.
Destroyed Liquors.
The wine cellar Of Henderson's cas-
tie was famous in the days before ma
tional prohibition. When the time
came. she said In an interview that
she had every drop in our cellar taken
out and dumped into the sewer" This
was in 1906.
Senator Henderson was a close friend
of Lincoln, and Mrs. Henderson knew
! the great President intimately. She
has lived in Washington under the
administrations of Presidents Lincoln.
johnson, Grant. Hayes, Garfield. Ar
thur, Cleveland, Harrison, Mckinley,
Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Cool
idge and Hoover.
Very likely Mrs. Henderson, at the
time of her death. was the only woman
in Washington who had enjoyed the
friendship OF personal acquaintance
with Is Presidents and Ia First Ladies
Of the Land. There we're IA First
Ladies'" because President Arthur was
Wldower But President Wilson mar
ried the second time while in the
White House
She was the author of several books.
one of the most notable being entitled
The Aristocracy of Health In this
book she imploreS her readers to do
their utmost TO save the human race
! from its 'faVorite poison vices" under
which she includes intoxicant liquors,
tobacco. particularly cigarettes. and
overeating. Mrs. Henderson was ve9e-
tartan and adhered strictly TO the rules
OF living set down in the more than
700 pages of her volume.
Last Winter in an interview she said
she realized in her convictions she was
| running counter to the almost indelible
habits and customs of people nowadays
end subjected herself to being called
narrow and out of accord with the
times"
Lack BOeic."
Nevertheless. she said. Il am sure
/ have logic and common sense on my
side. and the moderate drinker. the
! drunkard. the 9lutton and the tobacco
hog have not in the least degree. these
attributes on their side. and they know
it If they will but reason"
Mrs. Henderson had always worn long
skirts of the Victorian era shortened
a ho
lastly refused to fall in with what she
termed the ''monstrosities and caprices
OF fashion in feminine attire" But
she discarded the corset and tight lac
ing long ago. This female vanity
played havoc with the health and hap
plneSS OF many woman in other davs"
she said
She even made the maids in her big
esta blishment conform TO her own ideas
OF feminine attire
Mrs. Henderson was a believer In
health and exercise. Each day. rain or
shine, she drove twice daily to the
Lincoln Memorial and walked twice
each time around the rejecting pool.
She drank no coffee or tea and used
honey and health substitute" for
salt. In a life of so years. 20 are
spent in sleep, she once remarked.
The first 25 years are simply prepar-
atory-learning how to live Ten years
out OF so are consecrated to the nouriSh-
ment of the inner mantle time for
eating and drinking. How much time
is left for the ripening OF the fruit and
contribution to the world? In the ma
jority of human lives such time is never
reached" said Mrs. Henderson.
Her views on girls and women Of to-
day were expressed recently by Mrs.
Henderson. Women of this age delight
IN referring to the more modest and
womanly women of the Victorian age as
being prudish and affected" she said
Il deny this. In those days there was
a minimum of domestic strife and di-
vorce. Divorce was a disgrace when
was a girl and young woman. Now
women seem to need one or more di-
vorces to make them popular with men.
There is not the least doubt but that
girls and women were more serious and
sincere than they are today. and, no
doubt, this applies to boys and men
also. 1t is the lack of womanly
modeSty and graces that is largely the
trouble toGay. There are very few
Victorians in this day. l hear there
are more flappers than Victorians"
Mrs. Henderson's castle. which stood
as an outpost of the city for years, was
the scene of many brilliant social en-
dIlu
When Senator and Mrs Henderson first
built there. rush followed and fine
homes began to be erected in the
neighborhood
Some years ago. she introduced
dancing schools" as a fad in Wash
ington social life. She hired dancing
teacher and the young debutantes and
sub-debs held forth at the castle p"
Mrs. Joseph Letter and others then
took up the fad.
Named Swimming Pool ConsOrS.
When Mrs. Henderson began going
to Bar Harbor several years ago, she
threw open the swimming pool at
Boundary Castle to members OF the
diplomatic corps and her friends. Mrs.
Coolidge was said to have availed her
self of the privilege several times. Then
strange things began to happen, and
still stranger faces and forms attired
in modern bathing suits appeared. In
her anxiety, Mrs. Henderson named
diplomatic committee to act as board
of censors. and it was not long before
the swimming pool was closed. a,
In many ways Mrs Henderson had
figured in the news of the day. Some
years ago she was hailed twice into
Police Court for cutting down District
government tree which INSTRUCTED her
view of the White House She con-
tended the tree was dead, and brought
part of it into court as evidence. Two
of Mrs. Hendersons employees, who cut
down the tree, were fined SIS each, put
the judge rebuked the authorizes 1or
bringing the prominent woman to court
a second time, The matter ended when
she planted another tree at her own
expense. 49,,
Mrs. Henderson always attended the
meetings of the w. c. T. u, and was
one of the founders of the Congress
sional Club. The land on which us
Sixteenth street club house was erected