Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-29

provided rolling chairs Ike tho ones
at Atlantic City.
With cheerful banter the crowd
| moves along like an exotic bread line.
| slowly working Its way down
the corridor into a hall upstairs
| and into the main entrance hall of the
Executive Mansion. Here, the Marine
I Band In the red coats Of its dress, uni
form ii playing lively air. and sorue
people begin to think the President is
at hand. Far from 1t.
The line Is made to form into
| couples and in that arrangement is
guided across the hall between the
interesting portraits of the two most
recent Presidents-Taft seated COM
fortabiy IN a big chair on the left. and
across the hall. Wilson, looking as he
did in the carly days OF his admins
| cration.
Around the walls of the state dining
| room the line serpentines, on thru the
Red Room and at last, after an hour
OF standing and shuffling. you reach
the Blue Room and the objective.
Your name I. pronounced to the
President by an aid. Tho President
shakes your hand swiftly and smiles
politely. tho you are perhaps the
thousandth person In line and 2.00o
are to come You are then shot along
to Mrs. Harding who sweeps you over
| to Mr.. and Mrs. Hughes. and from
East Room.
The handshaking is dispatched. aud
necessarily SO, with efficient speed.
You reach the East Room feeling like
package of crackers that slides along
belt IN factory and is suddenly
dumped somewhere-finished.
DIPLOMATIC RECEPTION
CoLORFUL
You put IN a few minutes ssreeabiy
In the East Room. rubbing elbows with
gold lace. red sashes. diamond tiaras.
cabine. officers and nobility. A diplo-
matte reception is known as the most
colorful and picturesque Of the four
big White House receptions. The uni
forms of the diplomats. the quaint
costumes of some OF the women in
native dress give the scene the ap-
pearance of a fancy dress ball The
little Chinese women. especially. in
native, high collared costumes OF white
satin. with their hair arranged very
like our own debutantes make an inter-
estinE picture.
After counting all the celebrities you
can name or bow to. you begin to think
OF getting homo early before the inc
Nitable crush. \ leisurely stroll down.
stairs TO tho portico. however. re-
veals that this idea has hit several
hundred people first. Despite an ef-
iicient system OF carriage checks, tele-
phones. mega phones, and signals. leay-
Ing the White House is more compli-
Gated than getting in. II takes Is min
utes to get your automobile detached
from the thousand odd cars parked
ncarby-if you arc In luck. II the
chauffeur misses tho call. It may take
two or three times as long.
This. then. Is tho modern reception
Boiled down. it consists OF getting in
to line and waiting to be greeted by
the president. who Is glad to see you."
then a little social conversation with
friends and acquaintances. and tho
ceremony of producing the taxi that
matches your carriage check.
1t seems doubtful IL presidential
reception to which a large crowd is in
vited can ever be conducted in a less
stereotyped fashion. When state re-
ccptions have been conducted without
the utmost formally there has been
confusion and complaint.
In Jackson's term. tho idea that the
White House belonged to everyone be-
came so popular that at one time IL
was not uncommon for invited guests
TO be unable to obtain admission be-
cause others had crowded In and the
entrances were blocked by crowds
waiting their turn.
IN CIVIL WAR DAYS
AT = reception in Lincoln's admin
stration. before It was customary to
handle social gatherings by strict traf-
nc rules. the jam during the evening
became terrific. An account OF the oc-
casion says:
AN hour before the doors OF the
house were opened tho great drive
way was blocked with carriages and
the sidewalks and approaches to the
White House were thronxed with ladies |
and gentlemen. anxiously awaiting an
opportunity to enter and pay their re-
spects to the President and Mrs Kin |
colin At o'clock the doors were opened
and the house was soon filed. BY half 1
past eight the crowd inside was so in |
tense that-it being impossible to pass
out Of the door owing to the large \
numbers outside waiting for admission |
1t was found necessary to pass the |
ladies and gentlemen who desired to |
retire out thru the windows. This mode |
of exit lasted nearly an hour especially |
Tor the gentlemen.
That was before cards OF admission
and strictly limited lists OF Eucsts
came into general use for important
this sort OF confusion has been
Rules OF procedure are
mapped out far in advance OF the oc-
easion. and traffic officers. White .
House guards. aides. and detectives
sec that the rules are strictly fol-
lowed.
Since Roosevelt's time. engraved in
vitations have been sent out. general
ly by White House messengers tn
guests invited to the receptions. and
in the past few years q card OF adj
mission has been added TO the invita-
tion; RMS little card In an envelope
marked mot transferable bears the
name of the guest. the day and hour.
and the entrance at which 1t is to be
ONE YEAR AGO TODAY /