Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-21
w ashingt on
IsCharitable
This Year
Mrs. Wilson Shops Alone
(. in Moleskins While
President Rolls in a
Wheel Chair at Home.
Bee Bureau,
vXY--fs--A


m HE Christmas spirit is very
strong this year in Washington.
More is being done for charity
than ever before. There has never
been such record for charity balls
as this early season has had, and the
start is only just being made. The
seriousness about the White House
is being frightened as the president
improves, and Mrs. Wilson may be
seen almost any afternoon doing q
round Of shopping in the downtown
shops. She has been doing much of
! this alone this year.
The president sadly misses his
personal Christmas shopping. It
has always been his custom in Wash
ington to make several trips to the
shops entirely alone, and he has even
evaded the watchful guards, who are
supposed never to let him get out Of
their sight, and gone down F street
and through Pennsylvania avenue
absolutely alone and unprotected, q
week or so before Christmas. This
year the nearest he can come to it
is to be wheeled around the back
yard of the White House.
Mrs. Wilson has eschewed all pub
lie affairs so far this season, even
the concerts Of. the great artists of
which she IS a constant patron, the
White House box having been oc-
cupied by Miss Wilson. and her
friends, or Mrs. McAdoo and some
of the cabinet or supreme court cir
Gle.
Mrs. Wilson has been seen during
this very, cold weather in her shop
pins trips, wearing some of her dis
tinctively good looking clothes.
strongly .avering of Paris atmos-
phere. Last week she wore the
smartest and most stunning of MOLE
skin capes, a long, full gracefully
flowing one with a big soft broad
collar. 1t had the full effect with
the smart straight fines too, which
only the skilled Parision fingers can
succeed in making. With this she
wore a sort of queen Of the Bel.
gians' turban Of duvetyn exactly the
shade of moleskin, with band and
a pom-pom Of moleskin. 1t was
most becoming costume.
Miss Margaret Wilson had dis
'tinguished company in the presi-
Dental box at the concert Of the
Walter Damrosch Orchestra with
Fritz Kreisler as soloist, on Tues
day afternoon of this week Mrs.
Baker just returned from her recent
trip with the secretary to Panama
was in the party with Mrs. Burle-
son, wife Of the postmaster general;
Mrs. A. Mitchell Palmer, wife of the
attorney general; Mrs. Joshua Alex
ander, wife of the new secretary Of
commerce and Miss Agnes Hart
Wilson, daughter of the secretary Of
labor. Mrs. Walter Damresch had.
as usual, box party composed Of
her sister, who lives in Washington,
Mrs. Harriet Blaine Beale, Mrs.
Robert Shaw Oliver and Mrs. and
Miss Boardman.
Mr.. Kreisler had an ovation such
as has never been accorded an artist
in Washington. He was plainly af-
fected by it, and played as he never
! played before. Few artists of any
kind were ever greeted with such
packed house as that was. Men and
women cheered him, and women
waved their handkerchiefs. It was
wonderful occasion for Washing
ton.
Christmas in Washington.
The secretary of state and Mrs.
Lansing will spend Christmas in
their home in WATERFOWL, N. y,
leaving Washington early next week
while the vice president and Mrs.
Marshall left today for their home
in indianapolis to remain over
Christmas day. Secretary and Mrs.
Lane are having a particularly gay
Yuletide with debutante daughter
at home with so many engagements
! that there is hardly time enough for
her to catch the needed winks of
sleep between balls and morning en-
| gagements. Miss Lane is very
good looking, not a slender, willowy
type, but pleasingly plump, with a
round, smiling face She had a love-
ly tea party on Wednesday after
noon, a small one but of very dis
! tinguished guests, for Nancy's par
ents are extremely popular people.
/ Quite the most beautiful charity
of all the affairs this year is the ball,
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