The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-03-03

remained huddled in voluminous wrappings, look
ing down upon the guests dancing in overcoats
and wraps, dancing like mad in order to keep from
freezing to death.
The canary birds did not sing. They tucked
their heads under their wings and shivered pitt
fully. The elaborate refreshments froze into
blocks of ice. The ball ended before midnight.
The first inaugural ball in the pension building
was that held to honor President Cleveland's first
inauguration. The building was then unfinished
and the courtyard was rooted by temporary con-
structiOn, deliberately decorated and lighted by
the then new electric lamps. The ballroom floor
was 316 by 116 feet, and it was crowded. The
ticket sale for this ball brought In $4,000.
1t is pleasanter to contemplate more recent in
augural balls. A notably brilliant ball was that
which welcomed President Mckinley. It was held
in tie pension building, and for that night the
building was transformed by bunting of white and
gold. Not a particle of woodwork or original dec
Grafton of the building was left uncovered. Elab-
crate electric lighting elaborate for 1870 and Il
huge fountain were notable features of this ball
room. Judging by contemporary accounts this
bill was a complete success, socially and fnan-
cially.
Mrs. William Howard Taft, in her charming
book, "RecollectiOns of Full Years." tells the story
of the last inaugural ball. Mrs. Taft's account of
how the Taft family moved into the White House
is thoroughly captivating because of its many bits
Of domestic color, bits that find an echo in COM
mon experience
1t was at the close of a very busy day that Mrs.
Taft put herself into the hands of her nervous
hairdresser and sat looking at her new ball gown,
spread out on the bed. The ball gown had ar
rived at the very last minute and the new first
lady" had wondered for several anxious days
what in the world she would wear to the ball If
the d~ressmaker failed her.
1T was made Of heavy white satin which l had
sent TO Tokyo to have embroidered" writes Mrs.
Taft. "and tha DpODlp who did thp work suralV
knew their art. A pattern of goldenrOd was out
lined by a silver thread ana cleverly fitted into
the long lines of the gown, and no other trim
mingS had been used except some lace with which
the lOw-cut bodice was finished. 1t fitted me ad-
mirably and I hoped that, in spite of all the mis-
haps in my preparations, 1 looked my best as 1
descended from the White House automobile at
the entrance of the pension office.
1.-THE pension office was not built for balls, in
augural or otherwise and on the evening of March
4, 1909. after a day of melting sleet and snow, the
entrance was not especially inviting. Neither was
the dressing room which had been assigned to
me. / suppose that for years it had rung with
the ceaseless click of scores of typewriters and
that its walls had beheld no more elaborate cos
tune than a business blouse and skirt since the
occasion of the last inaugural ball which had
marked the beginning of the second Roosevelt
administration, four years before, But as l needed
TO do very little Drinking II really didn't matter
and I quickly rejoined the president and pro-
ceeded on his arm to the presidential box, this
being a small round gallery above the main en-
trance of the great ballroom, which is itself, in
everyday life, the principal workroom of the pen
sion Office.
"A brilliant, an almost Kaleidoscope, scene
spread before US. The hall is of tremendous pro-
portions, pilared with red marble and with walls
tinted in the same color. Every inch of floor
space seemed to be occupied. The bright colors
and the CLEAN of women's gowns met and clashed
or harmoniZed with the brighter colors of diplo-
matte uniforms. officers of the army and navy in
full regalia met and mingled with the hundreds of
men in the plain black of formal evening dress
1t was a wonderful, glittering throng, more mag
nificent than any l had ever seen. 1t was not pos
sible to distinguish individuals except in the space
directly below the box, but there. as l looked down
1 saw a great semicircle of faces-thousands, II
seemed TO me-smilingly upturned toward us. The
din of raman voices was terrific; even the loudest
band procurable had difficulty In making itself
heard. But the scene was so gay in color, and the
faces that gazed up at us were so friendly and
happy that l felt elated and not at all over
whelmed."