The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-06-26
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN. DireOnOr.
Washington. ID. O.
AZ UNUSUAL GARDEN PARTY.

rolled in wheel chairs some jumping
on crutches. some guided by other
eyes, have passed in a long line and
/ been greeted by the president and Mrs
Harding on the White House lawn
Garden parties are more or less
alike when private citizens receive
iout-of-doors. A presidential AFFAIR,
however, is different whether the
president be a washington with
leaning to courtly ceremony or Jet-
ferson with bluff disregard for pomp,
an official atmosphere surrounds all
functions at the executive mansion.
They are as distinctive in their oleno-
ing of the formal and the informal as
any court ceremonies of Europe. A
veterans garden party is no different,
except tkat the contrasts are more
striking and human interest is more
dominant
The endless line of veterans. accom-
panied by their nurses, and the young
women invited to help entertain them
must wind in a. long serpentine thru
the corridors of the White House, out
into the gardens and across the lawn
to the oak tree beneath which the
chief executive and his wife are re-
ceiving.
Everyone must be presented
formally to the president by white
clad aide. Tho president speaks
word of greeting and listens, perhaps,
to a brief speech the veterans tries
to make. At another big reception the
guests would find it extremely diff
cult to murmur more than a hasty
how do you do" to the president The
line is long. and each person is
shuttled by as quickly as politeness
permits.
But veteran with only a stump of
a right hand to offer his chief is diff
ferent. He may hold up the line
moment or two. Mrs Harding then
shakes hands, and General Pershing,
the last in the receiving line, greets
each of the veterans.
Aides stand about to see that a
small clearing is kept around the re-
ceiving line. There formality prac-
tically ends. The veterans can wander
as they please about the shady
grounds. For most of them it is a
ladies and high officials this particu
lar function is an unusual experience
in the round of administration enter
tainments.
A CoIorful Scene.
The scene is unusually colorful.
The closely cropped grass, red ram
bier roses on the fence, gay red and
white and striped marques where
refreshments are served, the marine
band in summer uniforms. the white
pOrtico of the mansion and the blue
sky of a perfect summer afternoon,
make a striking picture. These are
typical of any White House garden
party. The unusual feature this time
is the crowd.
There is a sprinkling of women in
organdy and silk and a few middle
aged government officials. But the
blue, gray and white of nursing uni
forms, and the khaki of the service,
and the rolling chairs, crutches, and
bandaged arms and heads dominate
the scene.
There are chairs all about in the
shade so that the-boys for whom this
affair means unusual exertion can
rest. One nurse says that every man
who could possibly walk or be safely
moved left her hospital. Some of
them tried desperately to make
enough progress to be able to come.
and there was great disappointment
among those who were pronounced
not quite well enough for so much
exertion.
Some of the boys sit quietly in one
place. For the most part, however,
the guests of this occasion move
about, trying TO see as much as pos
sible. They recognize Secretary of
State Hughes, and they watch with
amusement the group of camera men
who are following him about, snap
ping him as he talks to a row of men
in wheel chairs or as he poses with
his wife. They are keen1y interested
in recognizing and pointing out to one
another Vice President and Mrs. Cool
ldSe; the cabinet officers and their
wives; Brigadier General Sawyer, the
presidents health; Theodore Roose-
Welt, jr., assistant secretary of the
navy, and Mr.. Christian, the presi-
dents secretary.
A large audience gathers around the
receiving line to watch the other
guests meet the president. 1t is a
sign of the informally of the occasion
that number of snapshots of the
president are taken. One young wo-
man leading a sightless soldier re-
cekves permission from an aide and
goes uP to the president and snaps a
picture for the boy to send home.
1t is more than an hour before the
last veteran in line has been received.
Even then not quite all the guests
have been greeted. The President and
Mrs. Harding go back to a driveway
where two automobiles are standing
In each car is a group of veterans who
cannot walk and have come without
wheel chairs. They have been on the
outskirts of the party. Now they are
the center of 1t, for the president
stands by the two cars and talks with
tho boys in them for some time.
The Presidential Autograph.
There is a final furry of excitement
after this when some soldier is in
spirad to have the presidents auto
graph. Each man is wearing an identi-
fication tag, labeled with the name of
his camp or hospital and under it
White House party, June T." Diff
ferent colored tags for each contin-
gent enable the president and the
nurses to place the boys quickly. They
are from Fort McHenry; Soldiers
Rest at Culpepper, Va; Walter Reed;
St. Elizabeth's hospital; Naval hos
pital; Evergreen Institution for the
Blind. Baltimore: Silver Spring train
ing center, Mt. Alto Naval hospital,
and the Carry-on club.
It is one of these tags that is pre-
scented to the president for his sigma
ture- The president signs it and at
once a dozen more tags are offered
him. In three minutes the crowd
around the president is so deep that
the outside row knows only by hear
say what is going on Mrs Harding
and General Pershing are also be-
sieged for autographs. The news con-
tinues to spread. Eventually Mrs