The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1911-06-22
CELEBRATE
THEIR SILVER
WEDDING day
PRESIDENT AND MRS. TAFT
GIVE WASHINGTON A GRAND
SOCIAL FUNCTION ON
MONDAY.
A REAL FAIRY LAND
Notables In This and Other Lands
Are Entertained By Nations
Head-Congratulatsd
By World.
A REAL FAIRY LAND

many day before the national capital
forgets the function with which Presi-
dent and Mrs. Taft celebrated their
silver wedding anniversary.
Every one, from the most exclusive
social cave dweller to the newest mem
Der of congress, seems willing to adj
NIT that the reception was one of the
rost notable social affairs ever held
in the White House.
With the weather perfect, the White
House grounds transformed almost
into fairyland, the 5000 invited guests
having the best kind of time and
four times that many interested and
enthusiastic spectators standing TWEEN
ty deep outside the iron fence that
surrounds the executive mansion,
President TAFT, as he stood at the
head CT he receiving line with the
first lady of tie land did not seem to
have a care in the world.
He was ;srt:cu,arly happy as he
said repeatedly in the course of the
evening that Mrs. Taft, lately not in
the best of health, seemed to have won
strength for the occasion and was with
him every moment of the time that
the thousands of guests were fling
by, exchanging hand grips and ex-
pressing the hope that they might be
spared to be present away off in the
future at the Taft's golden wedding
day.
Incidentally, it is not at all improb
able that President Taft. considering
sue a ukase increasing the salary Of
Professor Willis Moore, who makes
the government weather. Every one
who attended the reception agrees 1t
would have been nothing short of
calamity had the weather been less
perfect
To those entering the White House,
either from the avenue side or the
east carriage entrance, there was lit
tie beyond a searchlight playing on
the fountain in front of the portechere
and a few clusters ard lights on the
lawn to indicate what awaited them
on the spacious grounds in the rear.
Back there, though, the scene was
beautiful beyond description. All
around the outer edge of the acres of
level. short-clipped grass within the
White House and enclosure 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 shadows on the lawn. Within
the great square of lanterns every
tree, big and little, every evergreen,
every shrub and bush wore a dress of
colored light. From the top of ancient
elms and oaks long streamers of in
candescent lights in the national col
ors, Topped here and there from
branch TO branch, swung downward
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
despatch boat Dolphin operated big
navy searcnlight casting coloreC rays
on the converging streams of the great
fountain and basin in the center of the
lawn. Just underneath the huge
stream of white light cast from the
Dolrhin's big reflector, the red, white
and blue of the national emblem shene
cut from thousands of colored in
candescents arranged near the top Of
the back portico of the White House.
That is but feeble picture of what
the silver wedding guests saw when,
after leaving their hats and wraps
they emerged from the White House
into the open.
The reception began at o'clock,
but long before that hour goodly
part of the company had arrived. Many
of the guests literally had to fight
their way from Pennsylvania avenue
down to the entrance on Executive
avenue. the throne of spectators hav-
ing formed jam extending from the
iron fence around the grounds, across
the sidewalk and street and overflow
ing on the steps of the treasury build
ing. On the west, between the White
House and the state, war and navy
buildings it was the same. Apparent
ly everybody had read of the presi-
dents silver wedding anniversary and
of the elaborate plans that were be-
ing made to entertain the 5000 guests
and had come down town to see the
sights.
The customary fanfare Of trumpets
announced the appearance Of the pres
ident and Mrs. Taft. There was great
outburst of cheers and hand clapping
as they stepped out on the south por-
tico and, descending the winding stone
steps, made their way across the lawn
to the canopy where guests were re-
ceived and where above the presiden-
tial couple bIazed In incandesccnts the
wedding and silver wedding dates,
1SS6-1911. After them came the mem
beers Of the presidents cabinet with
their wives and members of their fam
flies. For two. hours the president
stood in line, shaking hands. Mrs. Taft
stood up beside the president during
the first threequarters of IN hour and