Evening Star Newspaper, January 18, 1931, Page 73

PART 7. he Sunday Star Magasine WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 18, 1931. B_ggl_(s Features 24 PAGES, CRITICIZES MODERN GIRL Henderson) con- sented to talk to The Sun- day Star about the girls and women of today as compared with those of other days. Born 89 years ago, and not ashamed to frankly mention her age, Mrs. Henderson is one of the most outstanding women of America as an in- side and close-up observer of the political and social life of the United States cover- ing some 70 years. Born and educated in New England, her father was prominent in the political and social life of Massachusetts and the rest of New England and New York State. As a boy and young man her father, Judge Elisha Foote, knew John Quincy Adams, sixth Presi- dent of the United States, and John Quincy Adams, the second, as well as Charles Francis Adams, the second, and their families. Mrs. Hen- derson was a niece of Solo- mon Foote, United States Senator from Vermont from 1851 to 1866, during the presidential terms of Frank- lin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln and the first year (1865) of Andrew Johnson’s term. Her hus- band was a colleague in the Senate of Senator Solomon Foote, her father’s brother, from 1862 to 1866. As Mary N. Foote she mar- wled John Brooks Henderson, & Virginian by birth. He immigrated to Missourl in the exciting slave agitation days before the Civil War. This Southerner became an ardent Abraham Lincoln Re- publican, made a trip East to see Mary Foote and took this Yankee girl to St. Louis as his bride. He became one of the great lawyers of that day, was elected to the Missouri Btate Legislature, was ap- pointed United States attor- ney, in which position he successfully prosecuted the notorious whisky ring of St. Louis, which experience of her husband gave Mrs. Hen- derson her first real glimpse into the evils of the liquor traffic and led finally to her becoming the ardent prohibi- tionist which she is today. In Missouri her husband was elected to the United States Benate and was a close friend . of Abraham Lincoln during the trying days of the Civil War. He was a Senator from 1862 to 1869. Mrs. Hender- son knew President Lincoln and Mrs. Lincoln very well and has lived in Washington under the administrations of Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, QGrant, Hayes, Garfield, Ar- thur, Cleveland, Harrison, McKinley, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, the thirty-first Presi- dent. How many ladles in Washington have enjoyed a personal acquaintance with 16 Presidents and 14 First Ladies of the Land? Very likely Mrs. Henderson is alone in this distinc- tion. I say “14 First Ladies” because President Arthur was a widower. But Woodrow Wilson married the second time while in the White House, so Mrs. Henderson did know 15 Pirst Ladies. RS. HENDERSON'S prominence in the so- cial, civic and charity activities of Wash- ington are matters of history. She is the ‘hofofmerflbooh,onoottheputnotable b ] Manners and Customs of the Past and Present. Drawn by Herbert J. Murray from a Harris & Ewing photograph. Mrs. John B, Henderson. By James Martin Miller. entitled “The Aristocracy of Health.” In this book she implores her readers to do their ut- most to save the human race from its “fa- vorite poison vices,” under which she includes intoxicant liquors, tobacco, particularly cigar- ettes, and overeating. Mrs. Henderson is a vegetarian and said to me: “I never eat corpse of any kind, and particularly shun such scav- engers of the sea as lobsters.” She said she realizes that in her convictions she is running counter to the almost indelible habits and cus- toms of people making up our boasted civiliza- tion and subjects herself to being called narrow and not in accord with mankind as it is. “Nev- ertheless, I am sure I have logic and common sense on my side and the moderate drinker, the drunkard, the glutton and the tobacco hog have not, in the least degree, these attributes on their side, and they know it if they will but reason.” Mrs. Henderson has always worn the long skirts of the Victorian era, shortened a little to the shoe tops. She has steadfastly refused to fall in with “the monstrosities and caprices [ ] Women of This Age Refer to Those of the Mauve Decade as Being Prudish and Affected, but There Was a Minimum of Domestic Strife in Those Times, Says Mrs. John B. Henderson, Who, in an Exclusive Interview, Discourses on American of fashion in feminine afs tire.” But she discarded thé corset and tight lacing long ago. “This female vanity played havoc with the health and happiness of many wome en in other days,” she said. “I will not keep a maid in my service who wears the scant and indecent clothes, or lack of them, that is the vogue of the present,” she said. Then she left me to converse with her Japanese private secre= tary, Jesse S. Shima, while she went to bring her pers sonal maid to show how shg dressed. The maid soon ape peared with a skirt reaching to her ankles. Mrs. Hender- son said: “She came to me with short skirts and bare barous high-heeled shoes. E took her to one of the big stores downtown and told them to fit this young wome an out with clothes such as a decent woman should weag and that I would pay the bill.” When she appeared; the maid had on shoes with Cuban heels. “That will no$ do; the heels are too high; and if your low-heeled shoes are worn out, we will go downtown and get you shoes that will give you comfor$ and happiness and no broken arches,” said Mrs. Hendersony and appointed the next day for attending to this impore tant matter, when she bough$ the maid three pairs of lowe heeled shoes. RS. HENDERSON & B believer in outdoor em= ercise. Each and every day, rain or shine, snow or wind, she drives to Lincoln Memoe rial Hall twice daily, between 9 and 10 am. and 3 to 4 p.m. and walks twice each time around the reflecting pool in front of the hall. She takes breathing exercises daily, ree tires at 8 p.m. and arises bee tween 4 and 5 o'clock amy gets her own simple breake fast of corn meal mush withe out milk and crisp wholée grain bread, devoid of much starch. She drinks no coffeq or tea, avoids sweets and salg, for sweetening she uses honeg and a “health substitute” fofl salt. Vegetables and fruitd and nuts comprise her prine cipal diet. “In a life of 50 years, 20 are spent in sleep. The first 25 years are simply preparae tory—learning how to live. Ten years out of 50 are cone secrated to the nourishment of the ‘inner man’'—the time for eating and drinking. How much time is left for the ripening of the fruit and cone tribution to the world? In the majority of human lives such time is never reached,” said Mrs. Henderson. IN answer to questions ree garding the status of girls and women of today, Mrs, Henderson said: “Women of this age delight in referring to the more modest and wome anly women of the Victorian era as being prudish and afe fected. I deny this. In those dags Were was a minimum of domestic strife and divorce. Divorce was a disgrace whem § was a girl and young woman. Now women seem to need one or more divorces to make them popular with men. There is not the least doubt but that girls and women in those days were more serious and sincere than they are today and, no doubt, this applies to boys and men also. It is the lack of the womanly modesty and Continued on Second Page, F |