The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1918-11-17
Of Women Prominent in the Social Life Of the Nations Capital


the White House and the great pile
Of the State. War and Navy building.
And in the evening the campfires
circling the Ellipse. with every State
in the Union either running . camp
hre itself or uniting with one or two
other States in running one That
also was part Of the war fund cam
paign. and q most attractive one.
Leading women took charge. acting
as hostesses at the campfires of their
own States. Mrs. Jimmie" Wads-
worth and Mrs. Frank Polk headed
the group. for instance, at the New
York campfire: Mrs. Strawbridse and
Miss Agnes Hart Wilson, Pennsylva-
mas; Mrs. Matthew Scott, Mrs.
Charles Cromwell and Mrs. James
Hamilton Lewis that of Illinois; Mrs.
Billy Phillips ana Mrs. Harry Gar
Held that OF Massachusetts; Mrs.
Gregory was among the Texas host
esses. and Mrs. Lane presided at the
California campfire. For the District
OF Columbia Miss Mabel Boardman.
Mrs. William Gibbs McAdoo and Mrs.
Lansing stood sponsor.
II was a most attractive sort Of
an open-air .party-passing from one
IRE to another. being RECALLED with
toasted marshmallows, roasted chest
nuts. and apples, and exchanging a
few words with these and many
1 others-for II was mostly wives of
Senators or Representatives. or other
ofdcials who had charge OF the fires,
/ win OF course merry crews of girls
assisting.
OF course, everybody was nearly
dead. One would have declared 1t
physically impossible to do anything
more, but nearly all those same wom-
en- showed up a little later at the big
party at the italian Embassy. I
know 1t was the third time that day
that / had seen Mrs. Lansing, and
while l did not see Mrs. Lane at
the Ellipse Though 1 did at the Cap
ltol earlier. and at the Embassy
later). or Mrs. McAdoo at the EN-
bassy, 1 believe they were all at
all three places.
Wasn't 1t nice OF the de Celleres-
the Italian Ambassador and Countess
oil Cellere-to have a party already
made for US that night, where the
| ascAA COulu meet anu
| felicitate one another with dignity.
in a properly exclusive atmosphere.
Really Washington society owes them
vote of thanks!
Certainly 1t was a fitting climax to
wonderful day, though they did
not, of course, know when they sent
out their cards Just how wonderful a
day 1t was TO be. They planned a
reception in celebration of the birth
day of their king. with the more
| heart that they were also celebrat-
ing the victories of Italy over her
particular enemy-Austria. It was al
most their first big party at the EN-
| bassy-eXcept those that were given
In honor of Prince Udine when he
arrived at the head of the italian
mission soon after the United States
entered the war. They did not arrive
until late in 1914. and very soon
| thereafter Italy entered the war, sc
| they did not have time for much err
PERTAINING before entertaining in the
/ diplomatic set went completely out.
And it was a wonderful thing that
I this first big party of theirs, planned,
as l said, as a purely national cele-
, bration, should. through force OF
events. have developed into a great
international jubilation, at which the
| Official representatives OF the United
States and the allies foregathered to
congratulate their hosts and one an
other.
/ Disregarding the fact that the en-
bassies and legations are technically
foreign soil and there has always
been a hesitancy on the part of the
chief executive about accepting any
| hospitality from the representatives
OF foreign nations in Washington
! Ut has been done occasionally.
believe President Taft on one occa-
sion dined at the French Embassy,
and I'm almost certain that he went
to Alexander Won Bernstorff's we'd
ding and the reception which fol-
| lowed it at the German Embassy.
| He was a good deal OF a wedding fan
| always. and Miss Helen Taft was
one of the bridesmaids at that af-
fair; also l seem to remember Roose-
velt's driving up in state to call on
the Hengelmullers at the Austrian
Embassy Just before he left the
White House)-the President and
Mrs. Wilson attended the reception
1t was the highest compliment they
could have paid to Italy's king and
to his representatives over here.
am told, by the way, that their
whirl up and down the avenue i'm
mediately preceded their trip to the
embassy. They came down ready for
the more formal expedition and sud
denly decided upon the informal one.
Certainly each must have been given
point by its contrast with the other.
At the italian Embassy they met
most of the cabinet, the diplomatic
corps, members of the foreign mis-
! sions at present resident in Wash
| ington, and a goodly representation