Chapter I: Foreword

I wish to express my grateful acknowledgment to Eleanor Franklin Egan and my daughter for their valued assistance in the preparation for publication of these Recollections.

HELEN HERRON TAFT.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY 1

Cincinnati—City of Birth and Early Memories. Educational
and Musical Advantages. Childhood in Large Family on
Moderate Income. Meeting Mr. Taft—Political Turmoil. First
trip to Washington to visit President and Mrs. Hayes.
Social Gaieties and Serious Undertakings.
Engagement—Summer in the Adirondacks. Marriage—Trip
Abroad. Mr. Taft’s Father and Mother. First
home—“Satisfactory though Mortgaged.”

CHAPTER II
CINCINNATI AND WASHINGTON 21

The Superior Court—First Doubt as to Desirability of
Judicial Career. Mr. Taft’s Embarrassing Truthfulness. My
son Robert. Solicitor General—Move to Washington. Mr.
William M. Evarts. Washington Society Twenty-five Years
Ago. My Daughter Helen. The Federal Bench. Youngest Child.
Tranquil Years. The Cincinnati Orchestra. Spanish-American
War—Results to the Taft Family.

CHAPTER III
TO THE PHILIPPINES 39

The Second Philippine Commission. Army Transport
_Hancock_. Honolulu. “Aloha Oe!” Yokohama. Mr. Taft in a
Jinrikisha. His Size Interests the Japanese. Audience with
the Emperor and Empress of Japan—A Question of Clothes. I
Decide to Remain in Japan for the summer. The _Hancock_ to
Manila.

CHAPTER IV
IN JAPAN 65

Keeping House in Yokohama—In Quarantine with Measles. A
Japanese Ménage. Fascinating Oriental Sounds—Alluring
Shops. First Letter from Mr. Taft. A bit of Philippine
History. Miyanoshita—Japanese Inns—The Darkest Night. A
Refugee from China—Boxer Insurrection. Joseph did not
Commit Suicide; He was only Learning to Sing. More
Letters. Mr. Bryan’s Complicating Policy. To Manila.

CHAPTER V
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MANILA 91

The China Sea. Manila Bay—Strange Scenes and Strange
Peoples. First Home in Manila—“Getting Used” to my
Environment. Seventy Thousand American Troops. General
Arthur MacArthur—Social Coolness.
Intrigue—Assassinations—Problems. Progress of
Pacification. A Typhoon. American Presidential Campaign.
Civil and Military Rule. September first—The Commission
begins to Exercise Authority.

CHAPTER VI
A STRANGE ENVIRONMENT 118

_El costumbres del pais_—Employes and _Parientes_. A Pair
of Black Ponies—A Runaway—Filipino Coachmen. Charlie’s
Playmates. Shopping—Saloons. Manila Society. “He may be a
brother of William H. Taft, but he ain’t no friend of
mine!” A Filipino Call. Presents. American Patriotism.
Friars and Friars’ Lands. A Momentous Decision.

CHAPTER VII
DAYS OF THE EMPIRE 142

Unrest and Uncertainty—Guerilla Warfare. Re-election of
Mr. McKinley. Optimistic in the Face of Chaos.
Christmas—Eighty in the Shade. A New Year’s Reception—Silk
Hats and Frock Coats. The Federal Party and the Peace
Movement—Washington’s Birthday. First Visit to a
Provincial Town. Establishment of Civil Government. Mr.
Taft First Civil Governor.

CHAPTER VIII
AN HISTORIC TRIP 156

Through the Southern Islands. Establishing Provincial
Governments. A Test of Endurance—Filipino
Bands—_Banquetes_ and _Bailes_—the _Rigodon_. Moroland.
Aguinaldo—Colonel Frederick Funston of “the Suicide
Squad.” Zamboanga—Cottabato—the Gulf of Davao—Surigao—A
Perilous Journey. Cebu. Sorsogon—A Riot of Hospitality.
“The Sacred Torch of Liberty.”

CHAPTER IX
THE WILD MEN’S COUNTRY 182

Into Northern Luzon—the Wild Men’s Country. A Spanish
Steamer. General and Mrs. J. Franklin Bell. A Side Trip.
Impedimenta and Military Discipline. An Amazing Summit.
Where no White Woman ever was before Igorrotes—Human
Skulls as House Decorations—Rice Terraces. Down a Long
Trail. Baguio—Our $2,500,000 Road. Necessity for Haste.

CHAPTER X
GOVERNOR TAFT 206

The Inauguration of Governor Taft. Two Thousand Guests.
Moving to Malacañan Palace—Social Activities. The
Governor’s Working Day. General Chaffee—Continued
Differences of Opinion. General Corbin. The Assassination
of President McKinley—Dark Days. Mr. Taft and President
Roosevelt. Balangiga. A Trip to China—Mr. Taft Ill—Hurried
Return. Ordered Home on Leave—An Earthquake. We Sail on
Christmas Eve.

CHAPTER XI
A TRIP TO ROME 233

Some Unhappy Memories. Business in Washington—The Friar
Lands Question. A Mission to Rome. Left Behind but Follow
Shortly. Position and Character of
Commission—Complications and Embarrassments. Cardinal
Rampolla. Pope Leo XIII. A Brilliant Society. Vatican
Politics. An Audience with the Pope. Vallombrosa. Gifts
from the Pope. Unfinished Negotiations—Mr. Taft to Manila.
Switzerland.

CHAPTER XII
LAST DAYS IN THE PHILIPPINES 251

A Great Demonstration. Cholera—Rinderpest—Famine—Turmoil.
The Church Schism—Aglipay. Archbishop Guidi. Ladrones and
Assassins. Taft declines the Supreme Bench—Mr. Roosevelt
Insists—Popular Protest. A Letter from Mr. Roosevelt.
Called to Washington as Secretary of War. A Farewell
Fête—The Doge of Venice and his Lady—Regretful Good-byes.

CHAPTER XIII
SECRETARY OF WAR 274

Contrasted Attitudes—Guests of a Nation and “Just Nobody.”
Settling down in Washington—Difficulties in living up to
an Exalted Office—Life of a “Cabinet Lady.” The Panama
Canal—Trip to Panama. Mr. Taft, a Congressional Party and
Miss Alice Roosevelt. Summer in England. Intervention in
Cuba—“Those Awful Twenty Days.”

CHAPTER XIV
BUSY YEARS 302

“The Three Musketeers.” A Political Campaign—the Rush of
Life. The Supreme Bench again. A Presidential “Boom.” Mr.
Taft not Interested. I misunderstand Mr. Roosevelt. Athos
and Porthos. “Sitting on the Lid.” Agitated Days. Growing
Enthusiasm. Murray Bay. Starting Around the
World—Yellowstone Park—A Sunday game of Bridge. A Taste of
Campaign Work.

CHAPTER XV
A HURRIED TRIP AROUND THE WORLD 313

Japan—Shanghai—Manila. Opening of the first Philippine
Assembly. Trips and Entertainments. Vladivostok. Across
Siberia. Moscow—St. Petersburg—Berlin. A Shopping
Expedition and a Perilous Night. The Steamship _President
Grant_. Return to the United States. Nomination for the
Presidency—Political Campaign—Election.

CHAPTER XVI
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 324

The Evening of March Third, 1909. A Dinner Party at the
White House. A Stormy Night. Washington Ice-bound and
Isolated. “I always said it would be a cold day when I got
to be President of the United States.” The Inauguration.
At Home in the White House—A Brief Inspection—The McKim
Restoration. The Inaugural Ball—A Brilliant Scene. “Aunt
Delia.” The End of the Greatest Day.

CHAPTER XVII
THE WHITE HOUSE 347

Mistress of the White House—Domestic Responsibilities—Some
Innovations. The White House staff—Furniture and
Porcelains. The President’s Hospitality. A Diplomatic Tea.
Forms and Precedents. My First Dinner Party. Various
Entertainments. Potomac Drive. Delightful Spring Evenings.
The Charm of the Home of Presidents. A Passing Glimpse of
Mental Pictures.

CHAPTER XVIII
SOME WHITE HOUSE FORMALITIES 365

A Long Illness. Garden Parties—The First
Disappointment—Subsequent Success. The Nation’s Summer
Capital—A Question of Privacy—The Secret Service Men. The
Washington Social Season. State Dinners and Receptions.
First Cabinet Dinner. The New Year’s Reception. “Behind
the line.” Cutting down the Lists. The Diplomatic
Reception and Dinner. Serving Refreshments. Various
Demands.