The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1910-02-17
WASHINGTON LETTER

spondent.
Under the personal direction of Mr.,
Taft arrangements for the social Cos
son at the White House have yirtuall
been completed, and the program
shows number Of innovations who
reflect the great interest and sind
which She has given to the subject
While Mrs. Taft probably will mo
participate in any Of the larger re
ceptions or state functions, the detail
Of these affairs will be carried out nm
der her immediate supervision. Sh
will continue to receive by appoint
ment two or three afternoons eacl
week during the season. but it is fel
that it would be too much Of a ia,
upon her to be present during the Ions
hours of all the state functions.
Invitation Lists curtaiIed.
The problem of the larger receptions
such as the diplomatic, the judicial
the congressional and the army anl
navy, with invitation lists in past years
OF 1000 and more, presented to Mrs
| Taft the greatest difficulty of the so
cial program, and she set about to de
wise some means of making the recep-
lions more significant, more distinctive
and more of a personal honor to the
guests of the evening and to those in
vfted to meet them.
To do this it has been found neces-
sary materially to reduce the invita-
ton lists. not by the elimination of
any one in or out Of official life who
should be on the White House lists,
but by limiting the invitations to one
OF the other Of the receptions and not
Inviting the same guests to all of the
receptions. Only few persons in Of
fetal life will be invited to more than
one of the big receptions. and no one
out Of official life, it is said, will re-
ceive succeeding invitations.
Old Custom Revived.
One Of the principal reasons for linn
iting the numbers at the several recep-
tons is the fact that during this ad-
mlnistration refreshments are to be
served during the state receptions.
Hayes administrator The facilities
Tor serving refreshments to so large q
company at the White House are COM
paratively limited. of course, and the
guests to be invited must be reckoned
accordingly.
There is sentimental feature at
tached to this restoration Of refresh
ments at the receptions. for it was dur
ing the Hayes administration that Mrs.
Taft first visited and lived in the
White House as the house guest OF
President and Mrs. Hayes
President Hayes was the law part
ner OF Judge Heron, Mrs. Taft's ia
ther, and Mrs. Taft spent many hap
py girlhood days in the executive man
sion. 1t is said that the reason re-
freshments were cut out was because
the crowd of guests was usually so
great that it became virtually a mob. i
Jackson's Cheese Reception.
The early presidents all served re-
and in some instances a
festive punch bowl was kept in use. An
incident in connection with
this subject occurred during the adj
Of President Jackson. A
cheese, weighing 1,4OO !
pounds. four feet in diameter and two /
.eet thick, was presented to Jackson. .
The genial Jackson gave a George |
birthday reception on
Sch. %, 1887. and invited his fellow /
citizens to visit the White House be-
ween l and 3 and taste the cheese.
The citizens came to the tune of about
O,0OO or more. The senate adjourned
o attend the cheese reception. while
he obdurate house Of Representatives
vas restrained by a scanty majority
rom attending en- masse. The cheese
vas eaten. but the carpets and furni-
ure of the east room were ruined.
An Ambassadors, Mishap.
1t is related that one foreign ambas-
ador rode in state to the White House =
blissful ignorance Of the inner de-
ILLS Of cheese reception. As he en- !
sred the east room a small boy was
recipitated into the envoy extraor-
mary and minister plenipotentiary
o was the huge chunk Of cheese to
hich the boy was attached
The inevitable occurred, and the min
ter was plastered with the delicacy.
living one Mortified glance at the nom
sscript assemblage and seeming the
ingled odors Of cheese, hoi polloi and
'lOgne water, the minister fed. AS
. left the mansion he remarked to
'lleague:
You can stay if you want to and
e able, but this is too id demo-
attic for me-
Abolished by Van Buren,. .
President Van Buren,, who took Office -
ortly after this incident. was so an
y at the destruction to furniture and
rpets by the cheese party that he did
ray with any sort of refreshments at
her public or card receptions. This
lie obtained until the Lincolns took
Ice, when the custom Of light re-
.shments was restored The Hayeses