Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-21
Thousands Visit Garden Party
at the White House.
GUESTS STOOD FOR HOURS
Meaning Of the Term "En Massee''
Given Practical Demonstration.
TRIBUTE TO THE TAFT
Whole City Seemed to Appreciate the
Courtesy Of the President
and His Wife.

The meaning OF the oft-used term
'en masse" was given fine practical
demonstration for several hours last
evening In the lantern fecked garden
behind the White House, where SEEM
ingly the entire city wandered to take
peep at the much talked Of brilliancy
It was an overflow garden party. which
beat the real garden party all hollow
when 1t came down to a point OF num-
bers and plain democracy. There were
about thirty thousand guests at the
overflow party. and as far as could
be ascerta1ned by careful reporter
with but one pair Of eyes and able to
stand only on one side Of the grounds
at once, not one of the thirty thousand
came in an automobile, or a taxi or a
cab.
The advance OF the thirty thousand
was done afoot.
Between $3.50 and 1880 o'clock the
tremendous crowds coming away from
the White House gave the surround
ing streets and car lines the crowded
appearance Of the city on a fete night.
All the fete was there. except the con-
fettf and ticklers.
But that was just a little slice of
the crowd Down at the gates the
enormous crowd leaving was no big
ger than the big crowd entering
All that space under the trees back
or the White House, where the young
sters roll eggs Easter Monday. the lit
tie grassy knobs and dips and hol-
lows, were turned into an out of door
anteroom. People turned Off into that
space just as quickly as they could dis
entangle themselves from the human
stream, and stood watching the
others" as they gazed upon the Ian
terms and electric lights.
A Regular "Fete Champetre.~
This. my dear remarked a perfect
specimen Of the genus bridegroom, as he
gave himself away by holding on TO her
just as tight as he could clutch, this is
what In France they would call a fete
champetre."
All. indeed" she replied as she gazed
at him. The newspapers called 1t a
fairyland, and / guess that's what that
french word means. amt it?'
whether or not the bridegroom was
correct, the great company of Wash
ingtonians who visited the garden party.
with all the brilliance and beauty of the
silver wedding night, turned on full and
the courtesy Of the President and Mrs.
Taft who had been thoughtful enough
TO invite the world. There were thou
sands OF people who expected to see the
President. This was evident by the re-
marks to that effect, which showed that
many and many a man in Washington
did not know the President had gone
to New York en- route for New Haven.
Behind the portico of the southern side
OF the house several thousand people stood
and stayed there for hours Mrs Taft
her sister. Mrs. Anderson, and Miss Taft
had been sitting on the porch there earlier
In the evening and the crowd, hearing of
1t. evidently expected that Mrs. Taft
walls the people in that crowd would start
hand ciapping, which would attract
others in large numbers.
Band Adds to the Occasion.
The Marine Band played all the even
ing and the music added pleasure to an
already picturesque and beautiful event.
As IL Washington had never heard the
band, there were thousands of men and
women pressed closely around the band
stand The music was arranged SO that
the pieces" came close together, some
thing that crowds always enjoy.
A garden party for a whole city is so
rare an event that even the chronic
grouches who never go anywhere had to
fall in line with the procession and watch
the crowds and the lights last night.
NO. I'm not going." said many a
grumpy person. who later fell into the
stream and was carried on In.
1t is SO easy to fall under the charm
Of colors, when lights shine through them
at night-when red and gold are shaded
together with all the intervening beauties
OF the chromatic scale; and with the ir-
regular dark green of the trees for one
background, and the sky. which turned
dark purple last night, after a regular
garden party OF sunset on its own ac-
count, for another background.
All that talk about "fairyland'' and
'myriads OF twinkling lights and the
other tired out phrases scarcely cover
the situation. 1t was just a cityful OF
happy people on a June evening in a
authenticated garden behind the White
House