The Washington herald., 1917-10-28

years there will be no Wednesdays at
home" In Cabinet houses, and the
Cabinet women will make no long
list Of official calls or return calls
during the season Furthermore, they
will not formulate or carry an any
line Of formal entertainment.
It Is understood though not an
nounced, that just such a plan will
also be carried out at the White
House, and all social activity will
be curtailed or entirely cut out there
until the war Is over. Such an ar
rangement as this has been under
stood by Cabinet women for some
time and was unauthoritativeiy an
nounced In the Herald several weeks
ago. However. II was Mrs. Lansing's
luncheon for the Cabinet members
wives which gave the decision its Of.
fetal status.
Department branch Of Red Cross work
the greater part Of every day in the
week, making and shipping Red
Cross materials and comforts and
necessities to military and civilians in
Europe. Mrs. McAdoo has worked her
self almost to death as the head Of
the Woman's Branch of the Liberty
Loan. and besides that has preside,
over the Treasury unit of the Red
Cross which Is doing wonderfully
valaole work along several lines.
Mrs. Franklin K. Lane, wife of the
Secretary of the Interior. who pro-
NOTED and brought to q wonderful
success the Interior Department unit
for Red Cross and foreign service,
Qnanda aIrnn0f
hours at the work rooms of the Home
Club OF the department, where the
work IL carried on. Other Cabinet
women are Just as deeply interested
In Red Cross work. and none Of them
find 1t possible to break in upon their
well-ordered plans with calling and
receiving calls. 1
1t is thought that as soon as Con-
g-ess meets the women Of the Con-
gressional Club, who also have, one OF
the finest organized working bodies
for Red Cross and war relief in the
Capital will decide also to cut out
of1cial calling between themselves,
and each women will be left to make
just such calls as she finds convenient
and no more. ,i-D
There was an effort to do away
first year of the Wilson administra-
tion, and It was announced at least
by some Cabinet women that they
would not return calls from Congress
sional xomen and others. The result
was misunderstood, considered un-
democratic, and was quite disastrous
in that Cabinet homes on wednes-
days were almost minus Congress
sional women callers. For a fact,
Cabinet women received the cold
shoulder from at least that branch of
the social set.
That was before America went into
the war, before the Capital became
the most important working unit in
the world, and the official women of
the Capital the real life and pulse of
all war work. It is different now,
and instead OF upsetting, the new
scheme Is sure to reunite and solidify
official society.
The marriage Of Miss Marguerite
Shonts and Mr.. Rutherford Bingham.
which will take place In New York
in the late autumn or early winter,
Is Of double interest here, as 1t was
in Washington that the Lieutenant
spent many Of his boyhood days, and
Miss Shonts came to Washington
radient from her presentation at
court in London, when she and her
sister, the Duchess de Chaulnes, who
were presented with their mother,
were the most admired young wom-
en- Of the season.
Mr.. Binghams father was for
long time in charge of the office OF
Public Buildings and Grounds, the
place vacated by Col. W. w. Harts,
and as aid to the President, was one