Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1948-07-16

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- kzEfa that you were
a newspaperman yourself once and,
corollarily speaking, met lot of
interesting people? 1 was one of
them. That meeting killed what
thought then was to be a brilliant
diplomatic career"
The story begins right across the
street from the office now occupy
on Eighteenth street, in a fine old
brick house which I saw first in the
year 1914. The carriage drive in
front of it is blocked now by the
curbing, probably because the traf-
fic officials thought no automobile
could safely make the turn which
a spanking pair" negotiated so
easily three decades ago.
A sign on the lamp post in front
of the house says mo parking at
any time" A brass plate over one
of the windows, still barred with
the gracefully-curving ironwork
of another century says: "COIum-
bus University" The plate it re-
placed used to say Former Home
of Secretary of State Lansing"
In 1914 it was some two hours
after leaving that red brick house
that l began putting Off (putting
things off is great art and one
that has reached high point of
refinement in Washington. I always
have practiced it, If I hadn't put
off then, l might have become a
diplomat. AS it was, all I got was
headlines the rest of my life.
1t happened this way. 1 had just
returned from an extended period
in Europe where l had been going
through the motions of acquiring an
education. In the process l acquired
the ambition to become a member
of the foreign service of the state
department. planned to rise, by
easy stages, on pure merit, of course,
to the position of ambassador to the
Court of St. James. Beyond that,
as a cabinet officer says following
change in administration, I had
no plans.
l did have four out of five nee
essary qualifications which knew
from experience on the Quai
dOrsay and elsewhere assured a
successful diplomatic career. The
four which I possessed were a
tOp-hat, a tailcoat. striped pants
and pair of spats.
The fifth l was confident l could
soon acquire easily since l had an
excellent letter to the father-in law
of the secretary of state, who had
been a secretary of state himself
and an important pillar of Wash
ington society. l was sure that
under such auspices l could acquire
that sine qua mona wife rich
enough to keep a diplomat in the
style to which he is supposed to be
accustomed.
recall that afternoon very well.
rang the bell to that door-well
it was different door of course
there are four there now with brass
handles worn shiny by ambitious
Columbians-but at least the door
which that afternoon was to be my
portal to brilliant career was
right there in the same frame.
1t opened, I handed the silk hat
and ebony stick to the servant and
in few moments l was being
warmly greeted by a gentleman
wearing what Sam Blythe once
called the most diplomatic whiSkers
in Washington, John Watson Foster.
saw that my striped pants and
tailcOat which had just enough of
continental cut to make proper
impression. as well rs the bow
from-the- waist I had learned in
Berlin, were doing their work and
made mental note of the less
unattractive unattached females.
So after tossing off bon mot or
two, I left, feeling that my career
was virtually launched.
1t was still fairly early, so l de-
cided to drop in at the National
Press club to which my old school
mate, David Lawrence, had given
me guest card. AS the weather
was fine, I decided l might as we'll
walk and give Connecticut avenue
a chance to admire my distinguished
stripes and tails, although tailcoats
and top-hats, per Sc, caused very
little CONSERVATION in those days.
As I walked, idly speculatcd on
what course l would take if knee
breeches were insisted upon when
was presented at court. Meanwhile.