Show T I NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY I ITHE ITHE THE CALLING OARD THAT COST AN AMERICAN DIPLOMAT FAREWELL HONORS By J 3 II E Edwards This dally daily series ot of anecdotes and I 1 that throw new interesting and md frequently light on tam farn ous events and personalities ot of the tho past have been collected by Edwards Edvards dunn durin g nearly forty years ot of more mora or lo less s Inti Intimate intimate mate with many ot of the co leaders since the Civil War Each anecdote or Incident Ip ii fresh tram from Mr E B notebook and either In or In part It con constitutes Now New News ot of Yesterday garnered from the tho men who wha made mad the thu from eq sources As A I portent contributions of oC the tho Human mt Int erest sort to American history tb I articles have bave a distinctive value all the tho ir II own For many years now It has been the I Iland custom ot of Americans In Eng England land or visiting there at the time to give a 0 farewell dinner tes ot of somo a great banquot to which prominent Englishmen are arc In our retiring representative at atUle attIle tIle Ule Court ot of St James Jamell James Russell Russen Lowell who was our minister to Hug Hugland land from 1880 to 1855 1815 was not given such 0 a testimonial by his countrymen an omission which ho felt Celt keenly Whether hether or not ho ever evor knew wh why ho was not so honored I do not know but hero Is the real reason and one whIch brings In tho names of oC two other In distinguished Americans the late lato Judge Alphonso Tact father tather or of President Taft Tatt and the tho late lato Moncure D Conway author preacher ane and his historian historian torian At the time that Mr Lowell was mIn mInIster mm later Ister General E O 0 MerrItt who be carno collector ot of the tho port of oC New NewYork NewYork York after oCter President Hayes Haes had ro 10 moved Chester A Arthur from Crom that post was to London Shortly hIs return homo Gen Oen General eral Merritt gave a largo large dinner nt at which his 1115 guests were men of oC prom promInence prominence with whom ho he had been asso associated elated as and the thc din dinner ncr ner was somewhat In the thc nature or oC a farewell banquet to them At the dinner Innar the tho general placed Mm later Ister Lowell on his right and next to Mr Lowell ho he seated Moncure D B Con Conway Conway way a most Influential member ot of Lon dons American colon colony But no soon or had the dinner got fairly well under underway way than the host noticed that thal Mr Lowell and Mr Conway engaged In no conversation a circumstance that caused isbn seine Bome since It was vas plain to see seo that there ex ax existed isted between the tho two men a decided coolness ot of which the host bad been In absolute Ignorance The Tho next da day while the eral was still sUII worrying over oval ills his un unintentional intentional social break Mr Conway presented himself General Merritt he said I have come to apologize to you for tor what you OU OUma ma may have thought a rudeness or 0 a dis discourtesy courtesy courtes da m my part at your our Inner ot of yesterday ester ny But Bul It was simply Impossible impossible sible for me to engage In conversation with Mr Lowell and I will tell you OU why One Otso of oC the dearest friends I hoo havo Is Alphonso Tart TaCt or of Cincinnati I made mado his acquaintance I was a clergyman In before the war That ripened Into warm friendship und and wo we have havo cone ever eor since I came lamo to London to hive which as you probably know was in 33 Now yoU remember that JUdge Taft passed through this city In 1882 when wilen on his way to AUstria to begin his servIce Ice as American minister at the tho Aus trian court He was m my guest while he was hero and one ot of the tho first things that ho did after hIs arrival was to call calland and ond pay his hii respects to the American minister Mr Lowell you ou have hwe that DIr Ir Lowell would have shown some BOrne courtesy would havo hao hastened to re turn the call ot of President Grants at of oC the gT greatest lawyers as well as one of oC the tho foremost citizens or of the United States But no noRo noHo Ro Ho practically snubbed Judge Taft Tatt There may have havo boon been a 11 pert card ld left leCt for tor hint him but that was at all And General Merritt I have never ceased to feel feol Intensely this aUght to Judge Taft and I So I n never vel shall That Is why it Il was Impossible rOT for me to on engage ge In conversation with Mr rr Lowell at atour yew our dinner True to his friends memory Mr lr Con Conway Conway way never forgave Mr for Cor lila hIs alleged snubbing of Taft And moro than that the time camo caino around for Cor the American colony to give tile the American In the person or of Mr lr Lowell Loell a farewell tes In fonn of oC a banquet Mr Conway refrained from promoting the tho movement I Ida s influence kept other prominent Americans passive and as asa a result tile the on only I farewell entertain entertainment ment of oC an any that Mi Low Lowell ell eli received was given to him by a member ot of tho nobility and CUr Mr none but Englishmen took part In It |