The Washington herald., 1907-02-01


worth the Cyn0sure of AII-SOath
American RepsbIics Represented.
The White House reception rooms were
tested as 20 capacity last night, when
the President and Mrs. Roosevelt held
their third evening card reception Of the
season. Although the function is known
as the Congressional reception, there
were but few more national legislators
present than at the two previous recep-
tions, the great proportion Of the guests
being government officials Of all grades
and their families.
The occasion was particularly note
worthy for the presence OF many Of those
fair vivacious young girls for which
Washington has an international reputa-
ton. They came IN battaIions, squads.
pairs. and singiy. With cheeks ahush
| from excitement and eyes dazzling in
/ their briliiancy. they filtered one by one
through the doorway leading to the Blue
Room. greeted the President with bow
and flashing smiIe-tribute worthy of any
/ monarch, paid their respects to Mrs.
Roosevelt and the ladies' OF the Cabinet.
and passed into the East Room and
outer corridor, where they gathered in
/ groups and ecstatically discussed the
/ pleasures Of what was for many of them
/ their first Presidential reception
I The Blue Room party was unusually
! small Mrs. Roosevelt was assisted by
only five women, Mrs Shaw Mrs Taft
Mrs. BonapaTte, Mrs MetcaIf. and Mrs.
Straus Mrs. Fairbanks. Mrs. Root. Mrs.
Cortelyou, Mrs. Hitchcock. and Miss VIII
/ son. daughter Of the Secretary Of Agri-
/ culture. were absent Many OF the Sen
ators and Representatives included IN the
{ invitations to the Blue Room did not at
/ tend, and the historic little reception room
was unusually comfortable A few mem
| bers of the diplomatic corps dropped in
during the evening. the South and Cen
/ tral American republics having the larg-
| est representation.
| Mrs. LonGvorth the Attraction.
| Mrs. Nicholas Longworth was. as usual.
the center Of circle of Blue Room guests
/ throughout the evening Gowned in
white satip trimmedi with 5rIliiants. Mrs
| Longworth looked particularIy charming
Outside In the corridor. pressed against
the ropes that guarded the doorways Of
the Blue Room, a solid mass Of young
| girls stood feasting their eyes upon the
scene within and watching every move
| ment Mrs Bengworth made. Could that
popular young matrOn have heard the
girlish adUlation shOwered uDon her Iast
evening. she would never cease TO hold
/ endeared the memory of those pretty
young faces that she must have seen
/ peeTing in at the doorway.
The reception began as usual at
o'clock. By that hour a line of vehicles
/ two blocks in length stood at the east
| entrance. Promptly at the hour blast
/ from the comets of two Of the members
I Of the Marine Band announced the com
/ ing of the Presidential party. and. as
/ Director Santelmaun lowered his baton
/ for the first crashing chords of the ma
/ tiOnal anthem. the Presidents aids
marched down the staircase. followed by
4 the President and Mrs Roosevelt and the
/ members and ladies Of the Cabinet Mrs
/ Roosevelt looked extremely well I'm
/ mauve brocade satin gown with bertha
/ OF rose point lace
! Line Seems Endless
! The Presidential party gathered in the
/ Blue Room. and the special guests of the
evening were ushered in. Then came the
| general guests. two by two. in time-hon-
/ ored fashion of all White House recep-
tions. The line seemed endless. II formed
/ in the lower corridors and wound its way
/ up the main staircase, through the state
dinlng-room. through the Red Room into
the Blue Room. and out again into IN
East Room. where il separated into It's
integral parts.
/ IS the evening advanced, the throng In
the East Room and adjoining corridor
grew more and more congested, until
there was scarcely room to move about.
Gowns were stepped on and torn, coihures
| disarrauSed. and some tempers aroused
| in the crush that marked the last hall
| hour of the affair. Several women
| tainted. or were slightly overcome by the
! heat and jam. and were assisted into
other rooms by the White House guards.
where they were revived.
The attendance was the largest Of the.
season. and as large as any in recent
years. Nearly Le00 invitations were dis
tributed. and fully two-thirds of those
invited attended.
shake Hands with Majority.
The President and Mrs. Roosevelt, and
her assistant hostesses. shook hands with
the great majority of the guests.
minority satisfied themselves with shak-
ing the Presidents hand and bowing to
the ladies' Ordinarily the last guest IN
line passes before the President before
1880. but last night they were still coming
at 1916. But the President had the same
hearty grip for the 2.050th guest as the
tenth. and he wore mis- smile like =
boutonniere.
The judiciary was practically unrepro-
sented. This was expected. as it has be
come custom for the members of gIr.
Supreme Court to stay away from the
Congressional reception, and Tice 5Crsa
But there was no apparent reason for 40
few Senator's and prominent Represent
tives being present So small was the
Blue Room party that several Congress
men and other guests whose names wcre
not included in the Blue Room list were
admitted TO this select circle later in the
evening.
When the last guest had paid his re-
spects, and the note Of the bugla had
signihed the retirement of the Presidential
party, the throng in the corridor 1T tho
foot Of the upper staircase was divided
so as 20 form lane for the departing
host and hostesses. The crowd gathered
in closer. women and men elbOwing their