The New York herald., 1922-10-22
WASHINGTON. Oct. FL.


r. vERYBODY who comes to Wash
X ington Just about now. and that
- Is a good many, for besides the
usual end constant stream OF tourists
there Is;an unusual crowd of delegates
TO this or that conference, convention
or congress, asks almost the first thing,
how Mrs. Harding really Is" and what
about White House plans for the
winter.
Mrs. Harding Is improving steadily.
and more rapidly than her friends and
her physician had dared TO hope. AT
the same time she was desperately III,
and IL Is going TO take time for her to
| get back to normal health. And nor
mai health" in Mrs. HarEng's case has
not been anything TO boast Of for the
last eight or ten years. II her body
was only as strong as her will-well, It
would be q different story! The
trouble is that strong willing spirit OF
hers has driven the weak flesh too hard
quite too hard-and she is paying
the penalty.
Mrs. Harding is able to SIT up and
ttalke nourishment. But that's about all
one can say. She has been sitting up
in bed for as much as a quarter to half
an hour a day lately. Once she was
allowed, to sit up in chair for a few
Y minutes-about ten minutes they tell
me who should know. She has IRE
ceived few friends" which sounds
quite wonderful when one has been as
Ill as she has.
What really happened was that
Gen Dawes--Charles Gates-"Hell-'n-
Maria" Dawes, who was the Presidents
guest over the week end, stuck his
head in the door before leaving last
Tuesday and gave HIS hostess greeting.
And the Secretary of War, John Weeks,
who bad been having a little confer
eAce with the President, was his COM
| panion on the visit"
Gen. Dawes as the White House
N guest, or rather ''the Presidents per-
sonaI guest" for the week end, Is about
the first house guest to be entertained
there since Mrs. Harding's Illness He
had been in New York making one OF
those nice outspoiSen speeches Of his,
which set the whole country chuckling.
One vgathers that ne said several
AA ia Luo
course of which he alluded to the MEM
bers OF Congress as "a conglomeration
or peewees' and then, as someone put
it. he came down to Washington to
Listen 'or the echo. He's a great Gen
Dawes. and between ourselves he en-
joys his own extravagant and effective
hurling OF hard hunks OF language quite
as much as the public does.
Harding May Sneak.
He stayed over until Tuesday. long
enough to affiliate with Chicago Bar
Association committee that had come
70 Washington to invite and urge the
President to address the association
at one OF Its monthly meetings, on a
non-political subject. and preferably at
the November or December meeting.
4 The President IS reported 10 have con-
sidered the matter favorabiy-it would
Do after Election Day when he could
not DO suspected OF doing any campaign
lns-Dut was unable to make a promise
at this ume. Gen. Dawes returned to
Chicago with the committee, and hopes
little later to connect with Gen.
Pershing for hunting trip, out In the
west, ctah-.f memory serves.
AS Tor tho White House plans for the
Winter, 1t has none so far as formal Of
ncial entertaining goes. 1t has been
ecnit.ely announced that the President
snd MIS- Harding have reluctantly aban-
ooned any formal social program for the
coming winter. as Mrs. Harding's phy-
sician assures them that any such ex-
nausttng series of official hospitalities as
tnose or last season are quite beyond
Mrs Harding's strength and would re-
suit IN q complete collapse. That Of
course. means that neither the great New
9ears Day reception nor the four big
state receptions in honor OF the diplo.
matte corps. the judiciary and Congress
OF the United States and the officers OF
the army and navy, which usually come
about two weeks apart in January and
February, will be attempted. They are
exhausting ordeals for the hosts--the
long standing and the shaking hands
with from fifteen hundred TO three thou-
sand people within a couple OF hours ON
each of the nights.
There seems no doubt that these big
crushes will be quite out OF the question.
But. realizing Mrs. Harding's dauntless
2 spirit and her firm intention OF doing he-.
whole social duty, people are telling
themselves that some less trying way OF
meeting the social demands will be
round. Perha haps--perhaps not! IL will.
OF course, depend on her progress Every
one realizes that If she Is able "all the
kings horses and all the kings mem
VIII nave dlf1culty IN holding" Mrs
Harding when ii is a question OF fall
Ing down on her job as mistress OF the
White House and the nations official
hosteSs.
So, while the announcement is taken
In good faith. as q general release to
other hostesses OF all dates uncondi-
tionally. so that tho others may make
their plans for the coming season with
out danger of colliding with the White
House-still. no one is going to be great
II surprised IL arter tho FIRST OF the year
the White House takes little more part
Ia official entertaining than there is at
present any prospect of its doing.
Winter Plans Uncertain.
Winter plans arc OF course 70 a large
extent awaiting rne actual return Of
the social ieaders---in the Diplomatic
Corps, in the Administration circle and
In the Congressional set---to say MOTH
ing OF tho smart resident set which dis
ports Itself here during the season. But
the official reception at the Rumanian
Legation last Sunday. In honor of the
coronation OF King Ferdinand and Queen
Marie in FAR off Albajulia. may be re-
garded as the first official function OF
the budding season. II was a lovely
party, and the lovellest thing about IL
was the hostesss. Nine. Name, wife of
tho Charge dAffairs OF the little Bal
tan Kingdom. She's q little beauty
anyhow, and last Sunday afternoon she
w4s aw.Ia H.