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When France Adored Us
The evening held special sweetness for the American diplomatic corps assigned to Paris, for they had long resented Dr. Evans. One visiting American diplomat had remarked to the dentist, “For us it is a great thing to see a king or prince; but it seems that they all have opened their mouths to you.” Not only did Dr. Evans have better access to the nobility of Europe, he had heretofore lived in far greater splendor than any U.S. minister and entertained in far more lavish style. Worse yet, this now elderly American with his signature mutton chops was a royal sycophant.
And so, on this Fourth of July, much of the American colony and the resident U.S. diplomatic corps were delighted to find the royalist Dr. Evans displaced as the traditional host of America's most patriotic fete. More delicious yet, the very wealthy new Minister Reid had issued an open invitation to all Americans to celebrate Independence Day at his new mansion. This year Dr. Evans would not lord it over it his fellow countrymen by inviting only those he snobbishly favored.
“We offer our hearty congratulations to the United States Minister," opined The Paris Herald, "for the wise step taken in the way of invitations. Instead of making a great stir and commotion by drawing up ‘visiting lists’ and ruling out Mrs. Flibertygibit, and ruling in Mrs. Humdrum, and causing heartburnings and tempests in teapots, Mr. Whitelaw Reid simply reverted to the old ways of Washington and Jefferson, and Adams. All Americans were informed they were welcome to the Minister’s home. And they went there, and they enjoyed themselves.”
The Chicago Tribune declared the Reids’ soirée a rollicking success: “Miss Eames and Miss Marie Decca sang, and everybody came, ‘some in rags, and some in tags, and some in velvet gowns.’ Ladies in bonnets and gentlemen in dusters elbowed the latest creations of Worth, and the American colony had great pleasure… Champagne flowed in an unceasing stream and a bountiful supper was spread in the grand dining room.” A thousand Americans of every station happily inspected the Avenue Hoche mansion and one another.
The next day Colonel Cody wrote his favorite sister Julia back at Scout’s Rest in Platte, Nebraska: “Yesterday was a busy day for me. First I went with the American Minister to the tomb of General LaFayette then to the unveiling of Barthold’s Statue, then to a reception & dinner we gave in camp—then the afternoon performance—then to the Legation reception—back for the evening show—then into my evening dress and to Minister Reid’s reception, turned in at daylight—and today I am off my feed—I am like you I can’t stand so much as I used to… Love to you all Brother Will." For the Americans of Paris, it had been a Glorious Fourth such as none would see again.
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Jill Jonnes is the author of Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count. She is also the author of Empires of Light and Conquering Gotham and holds a degree from Columbia Journalism School and a Ph.D. in American History from Johns Hopkins University.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Amateur Hour at the White House
Leslie H. Gelb, a former New York Times columnist and senior government official, is author of Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy (HarperCollins 2009), a book that shows how to think about and use power in the 21st century. He is president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Going Rogue: The Index
Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
interesting ....
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