Norwich bulletin., 1921-11-15
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
Especial to The Bulletin. J

ago someone asked "how does the Wife OF
| a president spend her time?" The an
swer might well be SHE works., for as
mistress of the White house and wife of
the president the first lady of the land
finds herself involved in a round of So
cial and official duties that cannot be
shifted to other shoulders. She is the
head of the social life of the capital of
the greatest r@ in the world. She
must set the pace for all official enter
| tanning, receive all persons properly en-
titled to call on her and must be wife,
a house wife and the social arb1ter at
/ one and the same time.
The wives of other presidents have
had a similar course to follow, as does
Mrs. Harding, except in such instances
lwhere they were invalids and so re-
] lieved from social duties by some other
member of the presidential family.
This was notably the case in the Nc
Kinney administration, as Mrs. McKin-
leys health permitted her to assume no
social responsibilities whatever.
Mrs. Harding will find additional So
cial duties falling on her this winter,
owing to the presence here of many men
and women from the highest diplomatic
and court circles of the world, brought
here by the limitation of ornaments
conference.
But let's take the ordinary daily rou-
tine of Mrs Hardings life, just for an
illustration. In the first place Mrs.
Harding continues her life long custom
of getting up early and having break
fast with the president, long before the
eyes of the society women of the city
have opened to the morning light.
Breakfast over, the president goes to
the executive office and Mrs. Harding to
her study, on the second floor Of the
White house, where, assisted by her So
: cial secretary, Miss Harlan, she goes
: through mail, which is sufficient in bulk
to stagger a business man. But neither
Mrs. Harding or Miss Harlan are stag
gered.
Mrs. Harding is trained business
I woman, through her utilization with the
work Of the president, as editor, pub
Usher and all round business man, and
she can quickly sift the wheat from the
4 chaff Miss Marian is the daughter of
S the late Justice Harlan of the United
a States supreme court and knows not
only her secretarial duties but the ms
q and outs of Washington official society
j, as well, SO they turn off the work with
9 great speed.
h The letters ask for all sorts of IA
n gors and offer advice and instruction as
to how Mrs. Harding shall dress, act ant
generally deport herself as mistress OF
: the White house. will you contribute
: a handkerchief for our fair?" Twill yol
s give us $780, for this or that charity o.
d organization? She is urged to use he
s influence to bring about or defeat bill!
l. pending before congress. She is asked t.
r. support the birth control movement
= mothered by Mrs. Sanger; she is urget
y to support the anti-race suicide move
II ment as fathered by the late Col Roos
ii velt she is urged to keep girls from
lie powdering their noses. OR rolling thei
: stockings, and likewise to aid and abe
ID girls in all such up to date customs
D. There are intimate impertinent inquir
y les as to her daily health and habits
N and there are genuinely pathetic re
- quests which show an Overwhelming con
'e fidence of the ability of the first lad
r of the land to straighten out all the i'll
and evils to which the flesh of woma
as IS heir. These, and thousand and on
he other matters are thrust upon Mr.:
III Harding through her daily mall.
OF The work of the morning mail fir
p ished, then cVmes a series of calls froI
visiting orga mutations of women. VIII
have made advance appointments for
certain hour. So Mrs. Harding leave
the family apartments on the secon
IN floor and comes down the broad stall
he case into the official apartments of I'll
It White house, either into the red or bit
en- par.or, just off the great state dinin
IS room. Taking her stand near the doc
in Mrs. Harding receives the visitors wit
:. a cordial handshake and a word of pc
sonal greeting, Mrs Harding likes pc,
ne pie and is interested in big hearte
ed way in the work women. are DOR
I'd throughout the country. She is unassis
a ed in receiving such delegations, a
he though one of the military aids station
til ed at the White house always stands I
TO- her side during such ceremonies.
rts Perhaps after this there is a brief lie
,e- up. during which, if the season admit
". Mrs. Harding may stroll through the fl
IN old fashioned garden at the rear of II
~ White house, which TANKS the sou
=. porch, and runs down to the broad banl
W of the Potomac not far distant. TIL,
ma comes luncheon, which the president a,
ed usually some men Of prominence
ms members of the cabinet share, for Il
act president often combines business wi
Ill the noon day snack.
ere After the Tuesday and Friday cabin
cal meetings, Secretary of War Weeks, Sc
zen rotary Of the Navy DENLY and Postma
his ter General Hays usually say eye
.c1z thank you. Mr.. President" to Mr.. Har
~ ing's cordial suggestion, "You had BIZ
~ ter stay to luncheon today and we c.
rs then talk 1t over fully" In fact mai
ms of the far-reaching policies of the n
ton are discussed and determined at t
simple luneheons in the state dinir
room, with Mrs. Harding sitting at t
,o1 polished mahogany table, with the pre-
30 ident opposite. After lunch the pre-
I'd dent goes back to his office and NJ
Harding begins another round of soc
duties. More visitors come down t
IN elm-shaded walks of the White Hou
ice, grounds. personal friends, who ha
made appointments, drop in for a frier
~ chat and perhaps a cup Of tea; lad
the of the cabinet must be received, as
the those of the army and navy circles, a
&c the wives of other officials. But all mi
first make appointments through Nj
Harlan. And the lady of the VIII
house gets but scant opportunity to |
but gardens which spread from the moi
owe Pennsylvania avenue on the one side,
the quiet gardens the other ov
looking -sp1ashing fountains and gret
ing sward, down to where the sluggish Pc
for- mac glitters in the sunlight.
tion Maybe late in the afternoon NJ
Harding gets a breathing spell, q
takes a ride in one of the White ho1
automobiles, or enjoys a concert do
Dill town or takes some other form
no amusement in what we may call
ave hour off,
the And between whites. during this e
of daily life Mrs. Harding finds time
do much charitable work to do m:
| thine nud oo-,,fo,+