The Washington times., 1921-10-30

deal more time to cultivate consenial
acquaintances.
The question OF precedence be-
tween the Cabinet and the Senate,
which Mrs. Harding has settled
for this Administration, at any rate
by presenting the Cabinet ladies to
the ladies OF the Senate-has always
been fruitful OF trouble. A oompro-
mise has usually been affected, the
wives OF Cabinet members calling
first upon the Senator's wives
since the Senate creates the Cabinet
but the Cabinet. as the Presidents
official family. taking precedence
over the Senate at dinner parties or
other functions.
This. apparently, Is the solution
which Mrs. Harding sponsors. Dur.
ing the Wilson Administration, the
wives of certaip of the Cabinet mem.
hers refused to subscribe to this die.
tim. and. since the Senators wives
were 10th to make the first calls.
there was a great deal OF friction.
II Is just this sort of thing which
the present Administration. under
Mrs. Harding's kindly leadership, is
trying to avoid by combining to de-
fine some explicit code of calling,
NEXT to the question OF collec-
tive visiting. the question Of the
'Cabinet' Day" receptions is the
most engrossing now under discus
sion. During the last Administra-
ton some OF the Cabinet ladies-
notably Mrs. Landing, whose hus-
band was then Secretary Of State;
Mrs. David Franklin Houston, and
Mrs. Franklin X. Lane-struck.
They announced that, while they
would keep open house on certain
afternoons and would welcome any
one who cared to call, they could not
and would not return visits which
were coming in at tho rate Of 1000
or more during an afternoon.
There was a good deal Of sympa-
thy for them, and yet one could
understand the feelings Of the other
women in official life who didn't
care to make calls without having
them returned. Collective visiting
would remove this cause for dis
sension and make for harmony.
There is great curiosity a. to
what the Cabinet ladies Of this Ad.
inistration are going to do about
their days at home. 1t 10 known
that Mrs. Hughes. the most retir-
ing of women. IL averse to opening
her house to all comers, and that
Mrs. Weeks. wife of the Secretary Of
War, abets her in this. And. since
the rest Of the Cabinet circle
naturally take their cue from the
two ranking hostesses. the impress
sion is entertained in some quarters
that there will be no open house
at the Cabinet homes this year:
1t seems hardly possible that there
can be anything in this rumor.
Cabinet Wednesday, is an institu-
tion typically American and very
dear to ."the people" 1t means a
good detail to the visitor to the Cap
ital to be able to call upon the wife
of the Secretary Of State, or the
Secretary Of War, or the Secretary
Of the Navy or the rest and then to
go home and talk about It, A Sem
ator's wife owes-and usually pays
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES attention to her
husbands constituents. And. after
ALA Cabinet officer is simply q pub
lie servant with q larger consti-
tuency and his wife assumes some
obligations to his people when he
assumes his post.
1t il probable, however, in view
Of the busy winter in prospect, that
the number Of reception days will be
cut down, and that instead Of being
at home every Wednesday afternoon
from the time Congress convenss in
December until Lent, the wives Of
members Of the Presidents official
family will elect to stay at
home on certain specified Wednes-
days through the season.