The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-06-21
Silver Wedding Reception
Notable Social Affair.
GROUNDS LIKE A FAiRYLAND.
Apparently Without Care, President
and Mrs. Taft Receive 5000 Guests,
While Outside Fence Thousands
See Brilliant Assemblage.

Washington, June 20.-President and
Mrs. Taft celebrated their silver we'd
ding anniversary, and it will be many
a day before the national capital for
gets the function. Every one, from
the most exclusive social cave dweller
to the newest member of congress,
seems willing to admit that the recep-
ton was one of the most notable So
cial affairs ever held at the White
House
With the weather absolutely perfect,
the White House grounds transformed
almost into fairyland, the 5000 in
vited guests having the best kind Of
time and four times that many inter
standing twenty deep outside the spik-
I'D iron fence that surrounds the exec
utive mansion, President Taft as he
stood at the head of the receiving line
with the first lady of the land did not
seem to have IA care in the world. He
was particularly happy, as he said re-
peatedly, that Mrs. Taft, lately not in
the best of health, seemed to have
won some strength for the occasion
and was with him every moment Of
the time that the thousands of guests
were filing by exchanging hand grips
and expressing the hope that they
might be spared to be present away
off in the future at the Tafts' golden
wedding day.
1,,, col 4 10, .aN hn
BILE that President Taft, considering
the success of the reception, will issue
ukase increasing the salary Of Pro-
fessor Willis Moore, who makes the
governments weather. Mr.. Moore ap-
peared at the White House with long
face and delivered the most pessimistic
predictions. Everybody at the White
House was much worried about the
atmospheric outlook, so Mr.. Moore ran
over to brighten things up. After he
had talked with the president he told
the newspaper men that the president
has only one chance in hundred of
having garden party" then he elabo-
rated.
Conditions are most unfavorable,"
he said. "rhere probably will be show
ers"
1t is remarkable the way things at
the White House frightened up after
Professor Moore's visit. The president
quit looking at the weather and whis-
tied, and the preparations for the out
of doors fete went merrily ahead.
Every one who attended the recep-
ton agrees it would have been moth
ing short Of a calamity had the wealth
er been less perfect. Probably not a
single one of the guests had the slight
est conception of the elaborate prepa-
rations that had been made in a deco
rative way. And to those entering the
White House either from the avenue
side or the east carriage entrance
there was little beyond a searchlight
playing on the fountain In front of the
pOrtichere and few clusters of lights
on the lawn to indicate what awaited
them on the spacious grounds in the
rear.
Back there, though. the scene was
beautiful beyond all description. All
around the outer edge of the acres of
level, short clipped grass within the
White House inclosnre swung Chinese
lanterns Of fantastic designs; blocks
upon blocks of them, barely six inches
apart, swaying in the light breeze and
casting their queer shapes and shad-
ows on the lawn. Within the great
square of lanterns every tree, big and
little; every evergreen, every shrub
and bush, wore dress of colored
light From the top of ancient elms
and oaks long streamers of light in the
national colors, looped here and there
from branch to branch, swung down
ward to the ground. In the pines and
cedars clusters of smaller bulbs wound
about the trunks glowed within the
green. From the roof of the White
House a squad of white clad jackies
from the dispatch boat Dolphin oper.
ated a big navy searchlight, casting
ever changing colored rays on the con-
verging streams of the great fountain
and basin in the center of the lawn.
Many of the guests literally had to
| fight their way from Pennsylvania
avenue down to the entrance, the
throng of spectators having formed a
jam extending from the iron fence
around the grounds, across the side
walk and street and overfowing the
steps of the treasury building. On the
west, between the White House and
the state, war and navy building, II
was the same. Apparently everybody
in Washington had read of the presi-
dents silver wedding and of the elabo-
rate preparations that were being
made to entertain the 5000 guests and
had come down to see the sights
There was really no way of estimating
the crowd, which the entire reserve
force Of policemen had the greatest
difficulty in handling.