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Show Dancing Cabinet Is One Chosen by Taft By Constance Carruthers By Leased Wire to The Tribune. WASHINGTON'. Feb. 20. The present cabinet of President Taffs administration Is well called the "dancing cabinet." and since Mr. Taft Iibs made waltzing popular In Washington ovory public man who could not trip the light fantastic at tin opening of congress is now getting Into form In frantic haste. Some time ago I heard that a well known Washington composer com-poser was engaged In writing the "Taft Waltz." for tho executive Is an ardent waltzcr. although he cares but little for any other form of dancing. Secretary Knox ls another accomplished dancer, although al-though both tho secretary and Mrs. Knox withdrew from all activities In society early In the season, owing lo a death in tho family. Speaker Joseph CJ. Cannon does not dance often, but he can waltz Just as artistically as he can wield the gavel. Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock, Hitch-cock, who is a bachelor, ls another member mem-ber of the portfolio who delights in the alrv diversion- Mr. Hitchcock Is never at a loss for partners, and he is giving President Pres-ident Taft a close run for tho dancing honors of the season. Secretary Mno-Veagh Mno-Veagh Is ono of tho few minuet and cotillion cotil-lion lenders In tho cnblnct, and both waltzing and two-stepping nro easy for him. Secretary of War Dickinson shows a preference for waltzing. Kcerotnry Bal-llnger Bal-llnger also gets much pleasure from the dance. Is It any wonder that this season is shining forth with a bright luster? Indeed In-deed It Is laughingly remarked that The .Merry Widow Waltz" may be mado our national anthem. Pour States Monopolize. Four states seem to be monopolizing society so-ciety this season. They nro Ohio, Ponii-fylvanla. Ponii-fylvanla. Tennessee and Washington. Use root that President Taft halls from Ohio may give cause In lho ilrst lnstunce. and In the second because Secretary Knox comes from Pittsburg. But In addition Mrs. Laughlln. a sister of Mrs. 1 aft. comes from Pennsylvania. Secretary Dickinson Dick-inson Is from Tenncsoco and likewise Justice Jus-tice Lurlon, who was recently appointed to tho supreme bench, Is a i'ennessecan. Mr. and Mrs. I.urtnn are spending the winter at tho Now Wlllard and their affairs af-fairs have been mnrked by tholr biil-llanco. biil-llanco. The Misses Baxter of Iviioxvllle. who are spending the winter here, nro social so-cial favorites, and with them Is Miss Temnlo. also of Tennessee, who is rosld-tnc rosld-tnc it the New Wlllard. Secretary Bal-lnger Bal-lnger Is from Seattle, and there nro a host of Washington people spending the winter here. Taft a Regal Host. President Taft. as befits the head of tho crcatest nation. Is a regal host. Un-fort.mately. Un-fort.mately. lho last of the whi e houso receptions baa been kIvcii. Mi. lati Ikes glitter and display-that Is. tho kind which adds material Ins lor to so-etetv so-etetv arfnlrs. He likes to mingle with h ? gi csts attired In sober black, while myriads of festooned chandeliers throw " s" boned glow over the gl tiering uniforms uni-forms of fofelgn roprcscnta tlvos "ml the snuns of Archie Butt clink upon tho ballroom ball-room floor. Mr- Toft's 1 king lor d s-n?aV s-n?aV shown In the PUiieUllousncss wit i which his mllltnry aid dresses. When tho Drcfl dent Roes to Alaska late In tho sprlifg. CapUln Butt will ho taken along tn craco such functions ns the president nV.niiK I may bo wrong, but I ven-tii ven-tii e he. prophecy that It. will require four steamer 'trunks to carry all of Captain Cap-tain Butts' uniforms. Intorosted In Orogonian. qo Interested la Mrs. Thomas H. Car- ri-irn of Senator Carter of Montana, n 'tho musical career of Miss Beatrice &uLn Tf Portland. Or. that she made T3?B&M omloo to write to hov rxfi, tporeforainoco,l r way, he veiled her soveral days. Mr&. fmlht say, is accolnpllshed pianist 'Bacholors' Club Social Power. rr,n iinHielors havo become no nunier-Th? nunier-Th? wSiKton this year that, tholr JltoM -Bcr' cli has really become a social power. Of course, leading the list of ellglbles Is Mr. Hitchcock, Hitch-cock, postmaster general; but there Is 'Billy" Hitt: who was reported engaged to Miss Katherln lSIkins; Gist Blair, president of tho club; Colonel Montgomery Montgom-ery Macomb, vice president of tho organization; or-ganization; "Freddy" Brooko. Commander Command-er Cleland Davis. Franklin 15111s. J. Mnu-devlllo Mnu-devlllo Carlisle. Captain Sherwood Cheney, Che-ney, Nat Wyeth and ever so many more. Strange. Isn't It? Visited Mrs. Longworth. Unfortunately, the Lenten season prevented pre-vented what otherwise would havo happened hap-pened wilh Mrs. Cornelius Vandorbilt In town, but allow me to whisper that an unusually wide rlpplo was created by the visit of tho society leader from Now York. Mrs. Vandorbilt camo to spend several days with Mrs. Alice Roosevelt Longworth this week, but her coming had been heralded long before nnd the rival rv for her presence at teas and dinners din-ners bade fair for a time to cause an open rupture. Mrs. Longworth planned a number of affairs herself. Aged Society Leader. The oldest active member of this season's sea-son's society Is former Senator Henry Gassaway Davis of West Virginia, a near relative of Senator Elklns and once candidate for the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket. I have iieCn tho tall, ruddv faced, straight shouldered West Virginian In K street, and marveled to think that he Is Si", years of age. Mr. Davis entertains Invlshly. usually, at Shoroham. and at times mixes business with pleasure as he did at his recent dinner to Secretary Knox when ho made an unexpected speech to tho Latln-Amerlcan Latln-Amerlcan ministers urging new interest in Pan-American railroads. Just Like Her Fathor. Miss Helen Cnnnon, who guides tho social nffnlrs In tho homo of the. speaker, possesses a faculty enjoyed by few. Sho remumbers names nnd faces better than nnv other society woman In Washington. Perhaps Miss Cannon may Inherit this trait from her father, for it Is essentially a characteristic of a successrul politician Miss Cannon novcr has her callers announced an-nounced at her home. Sho can almost alwavs remember tho names, and If she doesn't her ready wit saves her. Will Own Beautiful Heme. Former Embassador to Franco Henry White will make "Washington Ills permanent perma-nent future home. His now resldoueo on Bolmont street, which Is In tho process of construction now, will be very beautiful, but the greatest care will bo given to lho lawn. Mr. White purchased an unusually large piece of ground and the lawn will bo laid out by landscape gardnero Imported Import-ed from France. Thorn will bo terraces, leafy bowers and arbors of raro orchltec- lure. When completed Mr. White will possess one of the most beautiful places In tho cnpltal. There will be unaffected mourn'ng on the twenty-fourth when the Itnllon embassador em-bassador and Baroness des Planches leave for Europe. The transferring of Baron des Planches lo Constantinople was regretfully re-gretfully looked upon hero, for tho Italian statesman and his stately wifo havo boon residents of Washington for nearly nlno years, and In that time they made hosts of friends. During the Duke Ahruzzl affair af-fair the baron showed rare dlplomncy. Jt is noticeable that greater fuss was made over Miss Ethel Koosovelt. daughter daugh-ter of lho former president. In Washington Washing-ton this season than over Miss Helon Taft. daughter of tho present executive. Perhaps this may bo occasioned by tho fact that MIbs Taft has really not made her debut, or It may be that Miss Roosevelt Roose-velt caros moro for society than Miss Holcn. But tho fact remains. Miss Roosevelt Roose-velt sailed from New Yorlt for Egypt this week. Brief Mention. Among tho westerners presented at tho German court at the recent court ball In Berlin were Mrs. Gustav Scholle. wife of the third secretary of lho American legation, lega-tion, and Miss Jotiephlne Knhnan. Mrs. Scholle formerly resided In St. Paul. She Is spending tho winter with Mrs. Scholle In Germany. Mrs- Thomas K. Laughlln of Pittsburg, a sister of Mrs. Taft. ls again visiting at the whlto house Mrs. Taft and Mrs. Laughlln often make shopping trips together, to-gether, and at times they spend tho en-llro en-llro afternoon mingling with lho crowds in stores without being rocognlzcd. Mrs. Herbert May of Pannma, who has boon spondlng the winter season In Washington, Wash-ington, became very popular, and thoro was universal regret when she dopurted for Mobile. After a short stay at Mobile Mrs. May planned to Join hor husband, Colonel May, at HuntsvUlc, Ala. |