Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-25
strangers could not well 60 sstrsy, even il they

fle0.
SPECIAL RECEPTION BY THE PRESIDENT.
At IS o'clock tho President held special re-.
ception for the two institutes at the White
House. Owing TO the fact that the Executive
Mansion il stiI in the hands Of the decorators
rooms unavailable, the reception BY the Presi-
dent was necessarily an informal one.
The local committee have issued invitations
to all the guests for . promenade concert at
the Arlington. which promises to be brilliant
affair. In addition to the visitors only the
members Of the cabinet the diplomatic corps,
and very few prominent people of the city
have been invited. The Marine Band
will furnish the music and there
will probably be singing BY some local musical
organizations besides.
Monday morning the party will leave here
for Sparrow's Point, near Baltimore, to inspect
the car works there, and then New York will be
the first stop. 1t now looks though the trip
would have no formal ending, for a number Of
the party who have been on the
excursion north to Niagara and to Canada, as
they have been invited by the Canadian and
Ottawan governments to visit a number Of their
cities and towns. This will postpone their re-
turn to New York and their departure for home
until about the middle OF November.
HONOR TO WHOM HONOR Is DUE.
The two men who deserve the lions share Of
sion from New York through the west and back
again are Secretary Kirchhoff Of the general
committee Of arrangements and MIR. W. P.
ShinD, the president Of the institute of
mechanical engineers and chairman Of the
committee OF transportation. 1t was due to
the efforts Of the latter that the visitors were
supplied with such magnificent railroad ac-
commodations, and that the whole trip has
been made without any trials or tribulatious.
Secretary kirchhoff WAS standing in the
lobby of the Arlington when STAR reporter
found him this morning. Mr.. Kirchhoff is the
editor OF the Iron Age aud is = man of stand
ing in the iron trade. He is a skilled linguist
in addition, for he was answering questions
that were fired at him from all directions and
was talking equally we'll in English, German
and French, for there are few unattached
Frenchmen in the party. But no managed to
American with The STAR man, when be was
asked ii it was altogether easy task to man
age an excursion SO large as this one is.
NOT so EASY AS IT LOOKS
"Well, not altogether" said he. "Of course
Mr.. Shinn deserves most Of the credit, but
really / think can say that the whole affair
has been a great success from beginning to
end. But when We left New York-well, if you
think it is an easy job to start off a party Of
that size you are away behind the times.
At the beginning there were about 600 in the
party, though, Of course, a good majority Of
them have dropped out from time to time.
But think of supplying berths and meals ON the
trains for that number and you have some idea
OF one small part Of the work that
had to be done, especially if you
take into consideration the fact that more than
two-thlrds of the party had never been in an
American sleeping car before. Why every last
one OF them expected lower BERTH and the first
to turn in was pretty likely to be the ones that
TOOK them regardless of how they were allotted.
Or course this was only at the first, for we soon
managed to get things somewhat Strengthened,
and it did not take them long to learn the
ropes.
THE AMERICAN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY.
"From first to last the whole party have
been treated with the mos. lavish hospitality
and everything has been done to give them a
good time. 1t is amazing at first thought for
there was nothing to be made out Of
it-Do axes to grind, you know. No such
consideration as that could possibly have
entered into the matter. l ascribe il
all to the innate spirit Of hospitality in
the American people. Here they have large
body of foreigners who are in a sense their
guests and they have seemed determined that
the visitors shall not 60 home until they know
just how well Americans can do things when
they try. The whole affair has been a big I'M
dertaking and l am only too glad that it il
turning out as well a. it seems to be-"
Then he turned away to tell a Representative,
OF the English nobility where he would prob
ably hnd his luggage and to inform young
German when the next mail from the father
land would arrive; in two languages and both
at once.