Evening star., 1921-03-05
BRILLIANT AFFAIR FOR CHARITY
RIVALS PAST INAUGURAL BALLS
Vice President and Mrs. Coolid dge Greeted
by Officials, Dip plomats and Society
at Child Welfare Dance

Compared with a regular inaugural
ball. the Child Welfare benefit ball at
the New Willard Hotel last night
lacked much of the discomfort and
none of the brilliancy of the great
quadrennial ball of former admins
trationS. The entire tenth floor of the
hotel was used for the affair. and the
whole hostelry partook of the bril-
liancy of the occasion. guests strolling
up and down Peacock Alley in their
beautiful evening gowns en- route to
or from the ballroom.
After the former Vice President and
Mrs. Marshall had received several
hundred guests and had gone to the
box of honor in the center of the ball
room. the Vice President. accompanied
by Mrs. Coolidge. slipped quietly into
the ballroom unannounced and went
direct to the box of Mrs. Thomas f..
Walsh, where they were guests. Gen.
perShing arrived in the same unoSten-
tatiouS manner, the whole event of the
evening taking on the same informal
air which had pervaded the ceremonies
of the day
The former Vice President and Mrs.
Marshall received the guests stand
ing alone in the small improvised ball
room. This room. like the other two
bathrooms, was decorated handsomely
with American flags and regimental
flags, some palms being used to accord
with the tracrry of green which
formed the frieze above the flags sur
rounding each room. Back of the
boxes, in which governors of various
states We're guests. the coat of arms
or shield of the state was used.
Three sections of the Marine Band
played during the evening. two larger
sections alternating in the large ball
room and a smaller section in the
pink ballroom. Col. William Eric
Fowler. chairman of the floor COM
mittee. with his large corps Of as
sistants handled the hundreds of Wis
ItorS without the slightest confusion.
Col. William f. Horton, L. S. A, made
the introductions, alternating during
the evening with Admiral Long for
the Navy and Mr.. John Barrett. repre-
senting the citizen body. Mr.. Will
liam Bowie Clark announced the
guests to them.
Mrs. Walsh invited as guests in her
box: The French ambassador and Nine.
.Iusserand. the British ambassador and
Lady Geddes, the Argentine ambas ssa-
dor and Mime. lie Breton III" f"rr> or
Vice President and Mrs. Marshall. the
Italian ambassa dor. Signor Ricci the
Chinese minister. Mr.. Alfred Sze: the
Serbian minister and Nine Grouitch,
the Portuguese minister, Niscount
dAlte; Gen. Pershng. Admiral Long,
Judg" John Barton Payne, Secretary
and Mrs. Meredith and Mrs. John Allan
Dougherty.
The box was the spotlight of the ball
rooms until after 1 o'clock. when the
Vice President and Mrs Coolidge slipped
away as quietly as they entered, and
Mr.. and Mrs. Marshall followed after
a short time. Finding the box crowd
ed with guests who wished to meet the
Vice President and Mrs Coolidge and
shake the hand of his predecessor a line
was quickly formed and n constant
stream of notables surged over the ele-
waited platform for several moments.
Splendid Gowns Worn.
Mrs. Coolidge. wife of the Vice
President, looked very handsome in a
gown Of chrome orange and gold
brocade, with the surplice bodice of
the brocade cut in a deep V at the
back and front. the point filled in
with gold brocade. and tiny cap