Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-01-30
WHITE HOUSE RECEPTIONS

rect0u at once INTO the INST Room.
The HANDWRITING Is dispatched, and
necessaruy 80, with efficient speed.
You reach the East Room feeling Ike
a package Of crackers that slides along
~ bet in "A factory and IN suddenly
dumped MISUNDERSTANDING
Diplomatic Reception CoIorfur.
You put. IN few minutes agreoab.y
IA tho East Room. rubbing elbows with
gold lace. red ssshos. diamond tsaras.
Cabinet officers and nobility 4
diplomatic reception is known az Tho
most colorful and picturesque Of tho
four big White House receptions Tic
uniforms OF the diplomats. tho quaint
costumes Of some or the women Ia
native dress give the scene tho sp-
pearance OF fancy dress ball. Tho
/ little Chinese women, especially, Ia
native. high coIlared costumes Of white
satin, with their hair arranged very
like our own debutantes. make an in-
teresting picture.
4 After counting ali the celebrities you
can nnrDe or bow 20, you begin 90
think Of getting home early before tho
inevitable crush A leisureiy stroll
downstairs TO the portico. however
reveals that this idea has hi, several
hundred people FIRST Despite an ef-
flcjent system Of carriage checks, ,eie-
iphOnes. megaphones and signals. leav-
ling the White House Is more comhl-
lcated than getting IN. 70 taHes 3
minutes 10 get your automobile DE-
tached from the thousand odd cars
parked nearby--H you arc in luck lf
the chauffeur misses the call. Z my
take two or three times as long.
This, then, is the modern reception.
Boiled down, Il consists q getting into
me and waiting 90 be greeted by ths
President. who is glad 20 see you
then a little social conversation with
friends and acquaintance. and the
! ceremony OF producing the taxi that
matches your check.
u u seems doubtful IL n Presidential
. reception 70 which a large crowd r. IN
, vitcd can ever be conducted IN a iesa
j stereotyped fashion. When stste re-
: iceptiOns have been conducted wfthou'
] the utmost forrnality there hss been
confusion and complaint.
Z In Jackson's term. tho idea that ths
= White House belonged 20 everyone BE-.
4 came 20 popular that az ono time 81
was not uncommon for invited guest
/, to be unable to obtain admission be
:, cause others had crowded IN and III.
entrances We're blocked by crowd
waiting their u =
In Civil War Days.
y At a reception IN LIncoIn's admins
= tration, before It was customary q
= handle social gatherings by STRIFE
= traffic rules, the Jam during the eve
u nlng became terrific. An account g
- the occasion says:
10 IAN hour before the doors Of "a
1s house were opened the great drive
A way was blocked with carriages an
ss the sidewalks and approaches 10 N
te White House were throreed vff
ne ladies' and gentlemen, anxiously avail,
ing an opportunity TO enter and pa
I'd their respects 70 the President an
q, AIRS. Lincoln. AT eight O'Clock N
r.. doors were opened and the house wa
TO COON filed. BY half past eich. al
X crowd inside was so intense that
.e being impossible 20 pass out Of Oh
SO door owing 10 the large numbers oui
Id side waiting for a9mission--it va
IL found necessary TO pass the iao.s
and gentlemen who desired 20 rer.l
"a out through the windows. This mod
~ of exit lasted yearly an hour, especia
g. y for the gentlemen"
That was before cards OF adm!ssiC
=, and strictly limited lists OF CUES
- came into general use for importa,
"a White House functions. OF late yea
~ this sort of confusion has been clir
mated. Rules of procedure arc ma
ped out far In advance OF the o
casion, and traffic officers. VIII
m House guards. aides and detectiv
on see that the rules are strictly follo'
lst' ed.
M Since Roosevelt's lime. engraved !
-he vitations have been sent out, genera
sed " by White House messengers.
he guests invited 10 the RECEPTIONS. al
thy in the past few years card Of adm
are sion has been added to the invitatic
inc This little card in an envelope mar
len ed Not transferable" bears the mar
Tho OF the guest, the day and hour. a
di- the entrance at, which Il Ia 10 be N
rs. scented.