New-York tribune., 1922-01-03
Mrs. Harding g g
n ear Collapse i'm
Greeting = $500

PAID their respects in the IIardngs
private apartments. and were followed
by members Of the Cabinet and their
wives
Meanwhile the Marine Band. one
hundred strong, attired in dress uni
forms of scarlet and blue, assembled
below IN the spacious reception hall
The musicians were divided into two
groups OF fl 'ty each and alternated all
day IN playing martial music The re-
ccption hall was brlliuut with Christ
mas rcd and green, while the same
colors were utilized in the Senate din
ing room.
AS the President and Mrs. Harding
followed, BY members Of his Cabinet
aud their wivcs, descended the state
stairway and made their way to the
Blue Room, musicians sounded the
lNffles which herelA .he approach of
the Commander in Chief. A moment
later the band crashed into "Hail to
the Chief,' and the reception was on
The members Of The Cabinet did not
receive with the President, but held
impromptu recoptions
Members OF the Diplomatic Corps
We're the iirst o pay their respects il
ihe morning. They came in all the
panoply and splendor of court dress
and the presence ii numerous delegates
10 the Conference sweled the ranks
of the gorgeous uniformed visitors
Included in the asaemblagc of ENJOYS
were the new German and Austrian
enipotentaries, attending their first
~ no M I t;c,,,
of their credentials here. The Diplo-
matte Corps assembled in the state
dining room and each chief presented
the members OF his staff to the Presi-
dent and Mrs. Harding.
Officers " ear Decorations
Officers of the Army and Navy
gathered at The State, War and Navy
BNilding and marched to the White
House. Every officer wore his decora~
tions and afforded the spectators an
excellent opportunity 10 observe the
many and varied honcrs won in The
war.
The program as previously announced
indicated that the public would not he
adlsit+ed to the White House until two
IN The afternoon, but at ten in tho
morning several hundred persona gath
cred about the main gates. y biting
wind blew al dsy but the spectators I
came with heavy wraps. Some of them
had pieces Of carpet on which they /
stood
Shortly before noon the members o
the Senate and House and heads of
government activities and commissions
were received. When the reception
vas suspended while the Pres dent +
and Mrs. Harding took luncheon the (
public al large formed Il line extending /
from the doors OF the White House !
down the long sidewalk out on Penn
sylvania Avenue to Seventeenth Street (
and down that street to the Corcoran /
At Gallery, approximately three
quarters OF mile. When the Secret /
Service and police officers got the /
President at the rate of thirty min
ute. The few who attempted TO stop
and deliver carefully rehearsed !
speeches were politely but pcrsistently
showed along by the members of the
Secret Service. Every person as he or
she entered the White House was
scrutinizcd every ten yards By an Of
fetal. 1t was the first time in the
lives Of the great majority that they
we're ever in the White House, and tho
officials on duty were quick to order
all hands out Of pockets.
The thousands of spectators az they
,
House and into the reception hall rep
resented we'll dressed, prosperous
appearance. A woman who claimed the
President was she'll shocked and that
she could euro him was passed along
the line under the closest surveillance
by the secret service, but she no
sooner reached the President and the
First Lady when she was WhiSked
along and out of tho way.
"Mr. Zero" Greeted
Urban LedouX sometimes known as
" MIR. Zero,' the man who gathers about
him unemployed eX-soldcrs and char
actcrizcs them as human documents.
entered the White House at the head
of forty men. They were obviously in
need of attention from the barber
Nh Ledoux was greeted by the Prcsi-
dent with a hearty "How arc, you. lie
douX?' accompanied By a firm clasp
from the Presidents hand. The thu
man Documents fled meekly BY with
no attempt TO engage The President or
Mrs. Harding in CON- sation.
The Marine Bare 'cd no small
part in hustling alol' ~ crowd. First
one section and tn J. - other would
play q stirring ms .su. The program
included practically all the we'll known
quicksteps. Late in tho afternoon the
who entered the White
House after hours in line actually
shmmied and shivercd in time to the
music as they endcavored to thaw out
before reaching the Pres sdcnt Finally
the last man filed by, and the Presi-
dent and Mrs. Harding relaxed for the
first time since O'clock
1t was then that Mrs. Harding tot
tered a bit and clutched at the silken
rope. She spied a small group of White
House newspaper correspondents in the
room and motioned for them to come
over. The newspaper men demurred at
subjecting the President and Mrs. Har-
ding to further handshaking, but there
was no way of sparing them the few
additional minutes of felicities. Then
Mrs. Harding called for the members
Of the Marine Band to be presented
and the entire organization was intro
duced by Captain Santelman.
moment later the President and
Mrs. Harding smiled their adicus to