The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-07-18
WARRIORS MEET
TWO SECRETARIES
ARMY AND NAVY CLUB GIVES A
RECEPTION IN HONOR OF
WEEKS AND DENLY.
Is IS A PICTURESQUE AFFAIR

is A PICTURESQUE AFFAIR
frhsas .--------.
General Miles, There In New Uniform
Of Old Type, and General Pershino
Wearing Sam Brown Belt Forbidden
g o'''''s a,tal -a..l..s'. .--;---
i - BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
Washington.--Soclety affairs in
Washington generally are intrusted for
review, description and gentle COM
ment to the care Of the woman writer's,
but occasionally man dares to enter
the field, pen in hand, and to take his
chances, taking due precaution to
dodge anything resembling IN attempt
to describe the gowns Of members Of
the superior sex. rs
/ Winter In Washington usually Is the
reserved season for semi-ofticial re.
ceptlons, but there has just been
given in the capital an affair which
seems worthy from picturesque view.
point, and also the importance view
point perhaps, of q few words In de-
lineation thereof. The members OF
the Army and Navy club have just
)given a reception in honor Of the
two chiefs Of the service, the secre-
tary Of war and the secretary of the
navy, John w. Weeks and Edwin
DENLY.
The invitations to the affair were
limited to the actual members Of the
club and to the adult women members
of their families. The reception was
given for the purpose Of bringing the
two secretaries into ut least passing
acquaintance touch with the army and
navy officers in Washington whom in
a sense they command, and to allow
the wife of each secretary to meet
the wives and daughters Of the service
men.
/. The Army and Navy club Is a
prosperous club and in a way a most
picturesque club. 1t has in its keep
Ing hundreds upon hundreds of flags,
: portraits and materiel which are of
historic interest because Of their asso-
citation with the wars in which the re-
public has been engaged. When one
enters the club on q gala occasion
he can have no doubt as to the nature
of the organization.
/ Great Gathering Of Warriors.
! At the reception the other night,
there were gathered hundreds Of men,
nearly every one of whom had story
which he could tell If he only would
tell 1t. There were present veterans
of the war between the states. the
Indian wars, the Spanish-AmeriCan
" war, and the. great war. There were
active officers, reserve officers, and re-
tired officers. The reserves and the re-
tired ones got back into uniform for
the occasion. '4~
Gen. Nelson A. Miles, 81 years old,
was In the column which passed In
Misunderstanding review before the secre-
taries. General Miles was striking
figure. The years have paid little
attention to him as they have passed
by. He Is sturdy today, although he
is eleven years beyond the Psalmist's
allotted limit of life. He wore the
full dress uniform Of lieutenant gen.
eral Of the army, the old type Of uni
form. but new uniform nevertheless.
1t was swallow-tailed blue coat with
brass buttons and with coiled gold
shoulder knots. There were a white
; waistcoat and broad expanse Of
white shirt bosom to Offset the dark
blue Of the dress coat. In the upper
left hand button hole was the little
ribbon denoting that this old soldier
had received from congress the highest
honor in its gift, the Medal Of Honor
for conspicuous personal gallantry in
e. battle.
Pershing Wears Sam Brown Belt.
Gen. John ]. Pershing, ranking
officer Of the q. S. army. was present
wearing his Sam Brown belt which
! no other officer of the army serving
anywhere except in Europe may wear
& without mourning reproof for violation
of the regulations.
During the great war an order was
issued that American army officers
q should wear the Sam Brown belt serv-
ing with the American Expeditionary
Forces. but that no officer In the
: United States should buckle one about
him. Gen. Pershing however, by
virtue Of his position as the general
4 Of the army of the United States,
prescrihes his own uniform. He still
wears the Sam Brown belt and the
hint Is that within few days an order
may be issued which will give to Am
erlcan officers everywhere the right
to wear the belt. which is a COM
Portable harness" and which gives
better effect to the olive drab uni
form of the service.
= $4,000 Due French Widow. H.
T. Uncle Sam has owed French
widow $4,000 for sixteen years,
has acknowledged his Indebtedness,
and frequently has asked con-
gress to appropriate the money to
pny the bill. but congress never has
done it,, and apparently will not do
1t until some expletive gentleman with
a profanely picturesque way with him.