Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1903-01-07
NEW YEAR RECEPTION
How Washington Pays Its Respects
 to the Head of the Nation.
Thousands Annually Visit the White House to Shake Hands With
 the President.

respondence. 1.-The people of Wash.
 ington, that is the thousands of clerk,
 and those holding higher official
 positions under the government, begin
 talking about the New Years recep.
 tion to the president for fully a
 month prior to the event. Washington is, in a marked sense, a cosmopolitan
 city, for the reason that the bulk of
 its population is made up of citizens
 of all foreign countries and from
 every state in the union, and when
 they unite in any undertaking, the
 affair is sure to assume gigantic pro
 portions And it is so that we find
 this annual event of paying the na-
 tion's respects to chief executive.
 Owing to the large increase in the
 popularity of extending to the presi-
 dent New Years greeting, for the
 past five or six years, the time for
 receiving the public has had to be
 prolonged. The reception proper be-
 gins at 10 o'clock a. m., when the
 cabinet officers, the army and navy,
 the G. A. R. the diplomatic corps and
 all foreign representatives to this gov
 ernment appear before the president
 and receiving ladies in the order of a
 prearranged programme. This feature
 of the reception takes up practically
 two hours time. The general public
 begins to arrive on the scene about
 half past nine o'clock and form in
 line two abreast. This line extends
 for blocks in either direction along
 Pennsylvania avenue with tributaries
 from side streets around the state.
 war and navy building. Here they
 patiently stand for hours awaiting
 the signal from the gate keepers.
 As soon as the gates are opened, those
 occupying positions near the head Of
 the columns, make a mad rush for
 the east terrace. It does not take
 long, however, for the ranks to close
 up as solidly as they were during the
 period of expectancy, and the slow
 process necessary to be observed in the presentation and in introduction of each individual renders progress slow and irksolne. All the discom- forts that have been endured so quietly up to this time are entirely ~dissipated when once the martyrs are usHered in to the porte cochere. The heaTE fragrance arising from the banks of cut flowers that beautify every portion of the interior, the glare of myriads of electric lights, the inspiring strains oI music from the Marine band and the charming picture of beauty and elegance, as presented by the ladies in the receiving line I warns the heart and revives the senses to such degree that all thoughts of the late inconvenience and srsfferings on glimpses of such eXquisitenss in all its surroundings that its keeper is 10th to tear it away The decorators vie with masters in imagination and their conceits on these occasions sur | pass in elegance anything that is for any other White house function. The east room is always a revelation in art, brilliancy and rare beauty. The entire contents of the are transplanted from a conglomerate mass into pyramids of living and adorning beauty. Minia ture labyrinths formed of palms and potted plants, mark out cosy corners. The electrician has been allowed to eclipse any attempts of the world in his perfect system, and the results are as eminently satisfactory to him self as they are pleasing to visitors at the White house. Today's recep- ton surpassed any and all other events. During last year many and extensive improvements were made in and around the executive mansion. The whole situation as to ingress and egress has been so remOdeled as to facilitate the progress of the throngs. In providing for the accommodation of more people, those having the mat ter in charge appear not to have taken the president into consideration so far as handshaking goes. The president had evidently overlooked this further tax upon his already strenuous life.
 Private receptions ill Washington begin almost immediately after the White house closes its doors to the public. These popular affairs are full of brilliancy, pretty women and lots of pleasure, and it is not until near the hour of F midnight that the tired hosts and hostesses are at liberty to call their homes their own. There are hundreds of them open to call CTS on these occasions and the sin cerity of the welcome extended makes the day one of much rejoicing and its ever to be longed for. as a general rule, is con sidered a diffident sort of place, and an explanation for this alleged con dition appears at intervals in ti. press. There is a clannishness exist ing among forty five peoples, repre-
 senting as many different states, to which the seeming ailment may be But this does not inter fere in the least with days of general pnnd feeling fnll nf rncinrnral felici-