The Washington herald., 1919-01-05

the baIlroom-to dance if one cares
to. but at any rate TO be beguiled by
the mere pleasure OF looking on.
The ballroom is atop of the house,
and up there the band from the
Mayflower played as long as the
guests fingered, and there were a
group of young girls ready 10 take
| the younger ones up and introduce
| them and assure the elders that they
were more than Welcome. Having
four boys themselves. and the num-
! bCrless young kinsfOlk of both sexes
! that Southerners always seem to have
in the offing, the Daniels ballroom
! and the MayfiowCr band are rather
| features of their parties. In fact
about the only one that memory sug-
! gCsts where they were not headliners
! on the program was the one for Billy
! Sunday about a year ago.
That was really about the only
big official party on New Year Day.
Secretary and Mrs Baker decided
partly because Mrs Baker is only
beginning to feel herself again
after a long and painful illness
and partly because technically-snd
Secretary Baker being first of all a
ltNHnlCdlllltS-
. the nation is still at war-against
any big official reception. Perhaps
the fact that there was no bunch of
first-class, ranking military heroes
recently back. to serve as an excuse,
they had no formal receiving party,
and no music featured, but they let
it be generally known that they
would be at home, and glad to re-
.CpiVe anv who rared n coll Of
course there were many who made
the pilgrimage out to Georgetown
, to pay their respects to the Secre-
tary of War and his wife.
But all-or nearly all-the official
entertaining and exchange of greet
! inEs not merely as between individ-
uals. but as between nations. was
! eliminated. The President pro TEN
and Mrs. -4arshall naturally felt that
it was not for them to do otherwise
than as the President de jure had
done when at home; so they spent
the day quietly by their own fireside-
| gas logs or radiator more likely-with
their little adopted son, and exchanged
greetings with the few who are sutfi-
Ciently intimate with them to drop
in informally upon them. And in the
evening they partook of the quiet fam
| lily dinner which the President affected
on holidays when he was in Wash
| inEton before he got the royalty
| habit" They went out to twenty
| twenty" Massachusetts, avenue and
dined with Mrs. Thomas F. Walsh and
the family party she had with her
quite informally.
The counselor of the state Depart
ment, Mr.. Frank Lyon Polk, who is
in Mr.. Lansing's absence acting Sec
retary of State. entertained a number
of the foreign Ambassadors and Min
listers at tea in the afternoon. Which
was rather a come-down from the
diplomatic breakfasts which the
| Shermans and Knoxes and Roots
gave in their time-about the mos,
highly official and altogether fluffy"
occasions in the official routine The
diplomats, especially the Germans and
| the Austrians. used to wear such
perfectly lovely clothes. White and
bright blue and green and pink and
\ purple, with fur trimmings and gold
| braid and decorations and swords
and daggers and jingly things. Even
| at a funeral, perhaps more there
than anywhere else. many a usually
| inconspcuous, quite human looking
member of the diplomatic corps was
all dressed up like Christmas
tree" I suppose now that emperors
and kaisers and things are out of
style those wonderful clothes will 60
out, too. Alas!
| Almost opposite the Polks' at the
| Breckenridge Longs there was
quite a large and rather an official
reception going on. but not-dis-
! tinctly not-of the open house"
variety. No one dreams of calling
on the Longs who has not been
asked. The Third Assistant Secre-
tary of State and Mrs. Breckenridge
Long received" between and 7,
and there was music and informal
| dancing during those hours
| The Longs house, you know, was
the Franklin McVeaghs'. Mrs. Nc
iiyeagh gave it to her husband as a
Christmas present after his first
year in the Taft Cabinet. 1t was
especially planned for official enter
tanning and has been the scene of
many brilliant ahospitalities including
Cabinet dinners for President and
Mrs Taft.
The Longs either bought it or rent