Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-01-08
new YEARS AT CAPITOL
Mr.. STILLMAN DESCRIBES FORMAL
WHITE HOUSE RECEPTION.
Great Event of the Year Participated in by
Thousands. Including High Officials
and Foreign Diplomats.

! Correspondence Much more is made
of New Years day in Washington
than in Iowa. Here January lst rivals
July 4th AS a day of merriment and
festivities of all sorts. Beginning at
precisely midnight Dec. 3lst, several
millions, more or less, horns, break
loose and the din is practically sus-
tanned for twenty-four hours. Age or
position appears to be no bar to the
use of the 5-cent tin horn.
Society is very busy New Years,
and of course tine White House recep-
tion followed by the reception and
breakfast at the home of the secretary
of State in honor of the Diplomatic
Corps are the leading features.
| The White House reception is public.
Anybody aud everybody is privileged
to go, provided they behave them
selves. The hour named is IL O'Clock
in the forenoon. The president is
usually stationed just within the blue
room where he stands ready to greet
the guests. Near him is Mrs. Roos-
evelt, and clustered about her are the
ladies of the cabinet and others who
have been invited to participate in
receiving At the entrance to the
door of the blue room, stands an army
officer, who announces each guest as
he is about TO enter. The person
whispers his name TO the officer, who
straightens mp and bawls out the
name in tones heard throughout the
house AS the name is announced the
person passes in. and is up against
the president of the United States,
who with the name still ringing in
his ears says: "Mr. Jones, / am
pleased, or glad. or delighted TO see
you" At the same time the president
extends his hand and the guest does
likewise and there is handshaking of
a vigorous kind. Ii the guest is
known to the president, personally.
.be will add some remark bat there is
no extended, conversation. and the
guest is passed on, through tine pink
room into the great public reception
room. Here strangers linger as long
as they like, but the officials and old
timers pass on and out OF the build
ing.
Everybody's name is announced by
the army officer. no matter how well
known the person may be. OF course
the Justices Of the Supreme Court
come in body, led by the Chief
Justice. As they approach the army
officer he calls out: ''The Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court and
so on. When the Diplomatic Corps
approaches, he shouts: 1.-The AM
bassador from Italy" and so on.
OF course if the officer is acquainted
with the guest he does not ask the
name. Then there are the officers of
the army and navy. heads of depart
ment bureaus, chiefs of divisions and
the great army of big and little Off
cials in Washington. This is the
one day of the year when they are
expected to show up and be seen.
| The diplomats are rigged out in
their finest, with their chapeaux and
gorgeous plumes, coats adorned with
gold braid, gaudy sashes and dazzling
medals galore. The ladies, of course
are there and they blaz, with dia-
monds and the glitter of gold becomes
monotonous. Army and navy officers
appear in full dress uniform, with
swords and plumes. Taken altogether
the sight is really pleasing one.
The spectacle of the president of the
United States in plain Prince AL
bert coat and turn-down collar (other
clothes, of course) without a decora-
tion or piece of gold braid, shaking
hands with an ambassador loaded
down with finery and resembling a
joint jewelry millinery store is quite
striking. and illustrative of the real
democracy of the American people.
The big guns. who came i'll state
and passed in at the front entrance.
having been received and passed on,
the gates are opened aud in rushes
the multitude of common people
These people are in the form OF line
several blocks long who have been
waiting until the selects had their
inning. They began to congregate at
the west gate about s O'Clock We'd
nesday morning and as they grew
numerically, were lined up by police
men until the line was lost in the
distance. The gates are finally open
ed and the long black worm of hu-
manity winds into the white house.
The people. young and old, big and
little, white and black, pass through
in single file and are subjected TO
closest scrutiny by secret service men.
II is not proposed to take any chances