Evening star., 1912-09-11
OUT CITY
Foreign Engineers Leave After
Being Brilliantly Entertained.
WHITE HOUSE RECEPTION
Titled Austrian Woman Sets Prece-
dent by Smoking Cigarette.
PRINCESS LAUDs CAPITAL
Calls Washington Wonderful" and
Many Pretty Faces as Here.

ne program OF entertainment of the
| foreign delegates to the congress of the
international Association for Testing Ma
terials during their two-day sojourn in
this city was brought to q close yester-
day afternoon at a brilliant reception and
garden party on the lawn of the White
House, where Secretary Nagel Of the De-
partment of Commerce and Labor, in the
name of the President, received the dis
tinguished visitors.
The guests were introduced to Secretary
Nagel by Col. Spencer Cosby, superintend-
ent OF public buildings and grounds, after
their identity had been made known to
him by DR.. John C. Holmes, director of
the bureau Of mines and chairman of the
Washington committee. The receiving
line included DR.. Henry NJ. Howe. past
president Of the international association,
and Mrs Howe; Richard l.. Humphreys,
in charge of the arrangements for the
tour. and Prince NJ. Beluleski, who heads
the Russian delegation and is president
of the association.
The reception was one of the most
brilliant ever held on the White House
lawn. The beautiful gowns of the women
and the uniforms Of the officers made a
striking scene.
Smokes a Cigarette.
The most unusual scene at the recep-
ton was the smoking of a cigarette by
the wife of one Of the titled members OF
the delegation from Vienna, Austria She
had the distinction of being the first
woman to smoke at a White House func-
ton. Seated in a large armchair, she
brought forth cigarette from gold
and jeweled case which hung from a
costly chain that encircled her neck. lit
1t with a match which she extracted
from an equally elaborate match box and
then leaned back and gazed curiously
over the crowded lawn.
After the guests had passed the re-
ceiving line and had ample time to en-
joy refreshments the lower floors of the
White House were thrown open for their
inspection.
After dinner the delegates paid visit
to the Congressional Library, where they
spent nearly two hours going from one
room to another. viewing the beautiful
works of art and carvings. few min
utes before 10 clock they embarked in
automobiles for the Union station, where
they boarded the special train which was
to convey them to Pittsburgh
Princess Loses Purse.
A few minutes before the train pulled
out of the station Princess Gagarine
Of Russia, who accompanied her hus-
band, Prince Gagarine, Russian en-
gineer, discovered she had lost her
valuable gold mesh purse containing a
large sum of money and jewelry. Be-
cause of its value she had about de-
cfded to remain in this city to have a
search made for it. when a member of
the German delegation hurried through
the crowd and returned the missing
purse to her. He explained he had
found 1t on the floor of the car in
which the princess and her husband
had ridden to the station.
Before leaving Washington Princess
Gagarine declared that American
women are too slender as general
rule, and attributed their slenderness
to their never-ceasing haste in what
ever they do. She said she was
greatly pleased with what she had
seen Of America so far. The sight that
impressed her most, she said, were the
rows of skyscrapers in New York. The
princess declared she liked Washington
better than New York, however, be-
cause of the beautiful manner in which
it is laid out and kept.