The Washington herald., 1921-01-16
Charity Ball Is Leading
Event on Calendar of
Alluring Attractions

Of the past eight years, that fact
hasn't really affected the calendars
/ much. The idea that the White
House leads society in Washington
Is not q correct one; IL is more or
less the center of oficial society;
| but even Official society goes on its
way undisturbed without it.
You see the President and his
wife are not entertained: they
entertain but don't accept invita-
tions- President and Mrs. Wilson
broke that precedent. too. for they
attended several receptions given by
foreign diplomats just before the
| President went abroad. The first
time they did it was the occasion
Of the large reception on armistice
night when the Italian Ambassador,
] Count di CelIere 1t was, entertain
ing in celebration Of some other
important event in Italian history,
but which proved to be a joint cele-
bration. So after all when the
White House doesn't give parties,
these functions are the only ones
missing from the calendars; other,
members Of society, official, dipIo-
matte and residential go on their
social ways entertaining or not just
as they desire.
Since custom and precedent limit
the entertaining which can be done
for the President, II falls to the lot
Of the Vice President and his wife
to be their cOuntry's representatives
whenever the envoy OF a foreign
country wishes to do honor to the
government to which he is accred-
ited-and that means one dinner
party a season for each nation in
the diplomatic list Moreover, the
Vice President is the presiding Of
hcer Of the Senate and il is the
: easant custom for each member OF
/ the Upper House to entertain at
dinner in his honor and his wifes
once during each winter And when
they are personally popUlar-as the
Marshalls are and the Coolidges bid
fair to be-there is naturally a
whole grist Of less formal and more
| friendly dinners
Even though those rules are not
closely adhered to. it is no Won
der that the Vice Presidential
digestion sometimes proves un-
equal to the strain. More i'm
portant, however, is the fact that
the Vice Presidential pocketbook is
apt to prove unequal to the strain
of returning all this hospitality in
a digniied and suitable fashion un-
less there is a large private fortune
to back it up-and it's a curious
fact that within the memory Of the
present generation, only two Vice
| Presidents, Levi P. Morton ana
Charles Warren Fairbanks. have
been men OF sufficient wealth TO
/ keep up their end without mort,
gaging their financial future. Adlai
| Stevenson was far from rich and
lived in a modest house in Fifteenth
street. And it is stated that Theo-
dore Roosevelt was so poorly pre-
/ pared for the outlay expected Of
! him when he was elected with
] President Mckinley that close
friend placed a fine house in Rhode
Island avenue at his disposal rent
free and a group Of friends had
collected a sum Of money which
/ they were prepared to hand over to
him when the tragedy at Buffalo
changed the whole course Of history
| for him.
Senator Harding's friends insis,
that he has a very wholesome dis.
like for set ceremonies and for any-
thing partaking of the character n,
function. No palmer man in the
way OF living and thinking has been
elected to the Presidency perhaps
since Lincoln. The Hardings have
been known for hospitality OF the
unostentatious sort and neither the
Senator nor his wife has any patience
Tor entertaining merely for show -