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VOLUME I.
WELL CALLED
BUSIEST GIRL
INSOCIETY
Ardous and Manifold Are the Duties That De
volve on M^s Helen Taft, the Virtual Mis
tress of the White House, and Probably the
Most Feted of All Who Have Held That
Position.
WASHINGTON.— The busiest
girl of 1912 is Miss Helen
Taft, the eldest daughter of
the chief executive of the
United States.
She is virtually the mistress of the
White House. Os course her mother
is the first lady of the land, but Mrs.
Taft’s frequent indispositions put the
burden of the White House entertain
ing upon her daughter.
In fast, since her debut a year ago
she has been more in‘the forefront of
society than her mother and the next
twelve months will be far more stren
uous than her coming-out year.
Not a day passes but that Miss Taft
entertains or is entertained at lunch
eon, at tea, at dinner and in the eve
ning at reception, theater or ball. Nev
er has a girl been more feted. Not a
night since she was formally present
ed to society on the afternoon of De
cember 1 a year ago has she been
wl
fc-
Miss Taft Rides a Great Deal.
free. The most elaborate balls add
receptions have been given by ambi
tious and admiring friends in her
honor. No White House occupant has
ever been the recipient of more atten
tion.
Os course after her debut she re
ceived at the White House functions
with her mother. During the coming
year her mother will not always be’
with her. The winter program of re
ceptions and dinners at the executive
mansion has already begun with the
dinner in honor of the cabinet, which
was held on December 14.
The New Year’s reception, as usual,
was the largest function of the season.
On Tuesday, January 9, the diplomatic
reception was held, followed on the
following Tuesday by the diplomatic
dinner. On every successive Tuesday
large receptions and dinners will be
held at which Miss Taft will have to
receive—frequently alone.
There will be judicial reception, the
Supreme court dinner, the congres
sional reception, the speaker's dinner
and the famous army and navy recep
tion.
Strenuous Social Duties.
These are only a few of the more
formal functions. There are nearly
always guests of the Taft family at
the White House who have to be en
tertained. Then there is the entertain
ing of her own friends, who compose
the exclusive younger set in Washing
ton. She will have to give at least
two dances for the debutantes of the
present season, scores of luncheons,
teas and dinners.
In addition she has to accept the In
vitations of many of her friends. It
is the ambition of every debutante to
entertain the president’s daughter,
and the affairs given in her honor
would keep her busy from noon to
midnight every day without any of
her strenuous social duties at the
White House.
One of Miss Taft’s newest activities
is her membership in "The Dancing
Class," composed of fifty Washing
ton social leaders, which has just
been organised. For twelve succes-
She ital Wis
NUMBER 1.
sive Mondays there will be a gather
ing of the “class” at the Playhouse,
where plays acted by society people
are given each winter for charitable
enterprises.
Madame de Sibour is president of
the new organisation, Mrs. Preston
Gibson 1b vice-president and Preston
Gibson, the president of the Play
house, is secretary. Naturally, as the
president’s daughter was one of the
prime movers in the organization, the
list of those invited to join the class
was subjected to careful scrutiny.
. Among the members are Postmas
ter-General Frank Hitchcock and
John Barrett, the Wolcott Tucker
mans, who are great friends of Miss
Taft, Miss Margaret Draper, Oden F.
Horstmann, Alfred Horstmann of the
German embassy, the Murray Cobbs,
the E. A Mitchells, the George How
ards, Clarence Wilson, Charles C. Clo
ver and Nathaniel L. Francis.
Miss Taft has signified her intention
of attending every meeting of the
“class.’’
Her round of dinners and receptions
in Washington has not caused Miss
Taft to lose interest in her college
days and associates. She will have
several of her schoolmates visit her
at the White House during the winter,
and of course social functions will be
given in their honor.
For a brief rest from her strenuous
life in Washington she will spend a
week-end or two at Bryn Mawr. But
practically all her days will be taken
up with entertaining or being enter-
fl
JU HO
M uTTF
Mill
IS M
llXi ol ntAI
For She Has to Entertain or be Enter
tained Nearly Every Night
talned, all of which is as much in the
line of duty for a fair White House oc
cupant as writing messages to con
gress is for the chief executive.
The big formal receptions and din
ners, no matter how brilliant, soon
become arduous even for the most en
thusiastic mistress of the White
House. Miss Taft’s “round of gayety”
is pretty much hard work and the lit
tle informal luncheons with her girl
friends are about the only affairs
which are apt to be entirely pleasur
able.
Besides all this there are hundreds
of persons who have to be presented,
hundreds of notes and letters to an
swer, numerous engagements with
modistes and milliners, for she has al
ways to be gowned in the height of
fashion and she must have a large
array of finery. Os course the eti
quette at. the White House is not as
severe as at a European court, but its
restrictions are enough to be felt by
a lively American girl of twenty. Her
life is strenuous and exacting, to say
the least
Has Ability to Stand the Strain.
If Miss Taft were not an excellent
type of an attractive, up-to-date Amer
ican girl she would never be able to
stand the strain. It is always past
midnight and frequently much later
before she is able to retire.
It Is after nine before she Is awak
ened In the morning and a walk with
some of her friends, an automobile
ride or a horseback ride with her
IRWINTON, WILKINSON COUNTY, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 1912.
father takes up the remainder of the
time until she has to dress for lunch
eon.
White House debutantes have
graced many administrations and have
been responsible for much of the gay
ety of the national capital
The first was the buxom Anne Jef
ferson Randolph, daughter of Thomas
Jefferson’s favorite daughter, Martha
Randolph. Then came Miss Maria
Monroe, who was the first bride at the
White House. She was succeeded by
petite Alice Tyler, who gave up her
belleshlp to Mary Abigail Fillmore.
The old timers tn Washington soci
ety will remember the glories of the
debutante days of Miss Harriet Lane,
the niece of President Buchanan, who
entertained the young prince of
Wales, afterward Edward VII. z
Debutantes of Other Days.
In the Lincoln regime two debu
tantes were presented. Miss Edwards
and Miss Mary Wallace. The Johnson
administration also had a debutante
in a young niece of President Johnson,
a Miss Still of Tennessee.
The next debutante was the first to
be called the Daughter of the Nation.
She was the famous Nellie Grant Her
successor. Miss Platt, a niece of Presi
dent Hayes, was not so well known.
The Roosevelt debutantes. Miss Alice
and Miss Ethel, are matters of recent
history.
Os course Miss Taft is no longer a
debutante. This is her second season
and before long the announcement of
her engagement is looked for. Miss
Taft is popular not only because of
her position but because of her charm
ing personality. She is not a beauti
ful girl, but she is a good type.
Slightly more than five feet eight
Inches in height, with clear blue eyes
and thick hair of a luxurious golden
brown, she attracts attention wherev
er she goes.
If her father is re-elected next No
vember her friends may weir look for
a White House wedding, but even
should he leave the executive mansion
next year there is plenty of time —In
spite of the fact that she is the busiest
girl of 1912.
WAS NEW ONE ON TRAVELER
Gastronomic Term In Use In Upper
Peninsula of Michigan Com
pletely Floored Him.
“Etery section of the country has
its own phraseology,” said a traveling
man, “but the funniest I ever heard
was handed to me by a waitress in the
upper peninsula of Michigan. It was
one of those combination boarding
houses and general stores, at which I
was compelled to stop against my will.
When supper was announced the
oddest assortment of humanity you
could imagine gathered around the
only table, in the center of which was
a big pile of large baked potatoes. As
the waitress, who was barefooted, by
the way, had put her thumb in every
dish she brought In, I decided to make
my meal cn potatoes, knowing she
couldn’t put her thumb in those. After
I had eaten several I paused to study
my surroundings, when suddenly the
■girl thrust her face over my shoulder
and exclaimed, "Do you want your
change?’ I didn’t quite understand
what she meant, as I hadn’t given her
any money. ‘I beg your pardon,' I
said. ‘Are you reiidy for your change?’
she then asked. This wasn’t much of
an improvement, and I was still mys
tified. All conversation at the table
U —3J
And Is Fond of Walking to Keep Her
self In Good Health.
had ceased and I was the object of all
eyes. 1 looked at the girl helplessly
and she regarded me pityingly. Sud
denly she burst forth again. *Why.
you haven't stacked yet,’ she said. I
was now completely bewildered, and
before I could decide what to say she
cast a look of utter scorn upon me
and marched out of the room in a huff
and banged the door. ‘What did she
mean?’ 1 asked of another traveler by
my side. ‘Why, you poor elmp.’ said
he. ‘she wanted to know if you were
ready for your dessert. They call it
'change' in this country, and when
you are ready for It you are supposed
■ to ‘stack’ or pile your dishes on top
of each other."
Don’t Delay the Game
We Have the Goods; we know
you will need them soon.
Why Wait?
* |
Why not buy now when you can first
of all get the best selection? Next, not be
crowed. When cold weather settles down
onus we will have all we can- do, and our
advice is to shop early—get the pick—get
the best attention, and best of all buy
from
THE BIG STORE
We are the people that have the goods; we know
that cotton is cheap; we know and you know the win
ter needs must be had; the only thing is where to buy.
Our store store stands for all that is good and best
in the new way of doing things—the new idea is the
the one price and small profit. Then we give
Profit Sharing Coupons
Come today. We are ready. We sell everything
to wear. Yours for more business.
W. S. Myrick & Co.'
Milledgeville’s Only Department Store
SI.OO A Y EAR.