The Washington times., 1921-10-30
PLAN FOR COLLECTIVE VISITING" TO BE
PUT UP TO LADIES OF THE SENATE
FOR VOTE AT MEETING ON TUESDAY
Devised to Tighten Burden of Official Routine,
1t Rouses Some Opposition.
HAS Mrs. Harding inadvertently

HAS Mrs. Harding Inadvertently
stirred up a hornets nest?
When she took the first step toward
a revision Of Washington's compli-
Gated and rather archaic calling
code. Il was In response TO a wide
spread demand from the women In
official life for q tightening OF the
burden Of their official duties. But
problems both OF precedence and OF
precedent are involved. and II Is ap-
parent that no change is going to be
put across without q good deal OF
contention.
In gathering the wives of the
Senators about her one afternoon
and inviting the wives Of Cabinet
members to call upon them all at
the White House at one time. Mrs.
Harding gave decided impetus to
the movement for collective visit
Ing" which has been long discussed.
1t was with the. express intention
Of curtaiiing the social duties of the
Cabinet ladies-necessariIy the most
burdened of all the women In Of
ficial iits--by providing the oppor'
tunity Of accomplishing In one aft.
ernoon the calls which would other
wise be strung out over several
weeks. And II the ladies OF the
Senate objected to returning individ.
ually calls which were made upon
them collectively-why that diff.
Guilty could be overcome by having
the wives of the Cabinet officers re-
ceive together some afternoon at the
home of Mrs. Hughes. wife Of the
Secretary Of State.
A sensible plan surely. and so
recognized by most Of the women In
the official world. who are now dis
cuaaing a further application OF this
new form Of collective calling The
plan soon to be voted on next Tues-
day by the Ladies' of the Senate-an
organization Of Senators wives--is
that Mrs. Coolidge. the wife Of the
presiding officer Of the Senate. and
the Senate ladies receive together
on a certain afternoon. extending,
through the president of the Con-
gressional Club, an invitation to the
wives Of members Of Congress to
call upon them in a body. 1t IL pro
posed that an opportunity to return
the calls be given at the Consres-
sional Club. Mrs. Gillett. wife Of
the Speaker Of the House, acting ae
hostess and tho wives Of mombers
receiving with her.
RUT the world Is full Of obstruc-
tionists. The wife Of one Sena-
tor absented herself on the plea OF
illness from Mrs. Harding's tea
party and afterward announced thar
she didn't see why the whole
scheme of things should be reorsan-
lied to make things easier for the
Cabinet ladies. II is whispered that
some Of the Cabinet officers wives
aren't any too pleased at having to
call first on the Senators wives.
And the discussion, when groups of
Official women get together. some
times becomes heated and accri-
monious.
1t would be . great pity. however,
IL personalities or petty jealousies
were allowed to interfere with any
we'll thought out effort to simplify
the social duties Of a winter whicn
wiz make tremendous demands upon
the time and strength Of all. The
truth of the matter is that Washing
ton has become too large for the
system Of paying personal calls
which worked very we'll when tho
town was smaller. 1t isn't done in
any capital abroad on any scale
which makes II necessary for every
ono in official life to call on every
one else. And there doesn't seem to
be any reason why the business Ct
paying calls-and It becomes q pain
full business when one has to spend
every afternoon during the seasUn
except Sundays and ones own day
at home driving about leaving cards
shouldn't be somewhat curtailed
here.
THE wall that collective visiting
would diminish the chance Of
personal intercourse and prevent the
forming Of enduring friendships has
no justification. There is no inten.
ton Of limiting the number Of times
that an officials wife may receive II
she wants to. nor the number OF per-
sonal calls she may pay. The pro.
posed change u simply aimed at the
official first cali. which In. Of neces-
sity. moro or less matter of form;
and It would leave the ladies a great