Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-06-09
| HARDIlNGS GIVE
PARTY FOR VETS,
FROM HOSPITALS
White House LaIUn Is GAY
Scene In Spite Of
PnthOs.
BIZ CONSTANCE DRExEL.

l DA S0NSIANCE OnEAENA<
| WASHINGTON, June 9.-The only
large function to be given this spring
and summer in the White House took
place when President and Mrs. Harding
rendered delightful garden party to
about 1000 wounded veterans of the
World War, still quartered in Walter
Reed and other hospitals in or near
Washington.
For an hour before 4 o'clock, traffic
around the White House grounds was
stopped for the benefit of huge army
1 trucks filed with stretchers for those un-
able to walk, and private cars loaned
by people for the blind and other In
capacitated men. Nurses came, too, most
| Of them keeping to their picturesque uni
| forms almost as attractive in the bright
setting OF the gardens as the lacy
gowns Of Cabinet wives and other wom-
! en- present.
| War days were recalled; hundreds Of
\ times In every country there have been
! scenes where wounded men were cheered
i by pretty women.
| The President and Mrs. Harding were
the hosts; the Marine band played on a
platform in the midst of the grounds
\ fountains were letting cooling streams OF
water in the sunlight and the tall shaft
| Of the Washington monument rose pro-
| testingly over all. Next to the receiv-
| ing line where General Pershing helped
President and Mrs. Harding, the most
popular spots were the marques where
| cool ices, lemon punch, cake and bon
| bons were being served with lavish
| hand.
| Though there were blinded by the
| score, and men with one or two legs gone
| rolled around In wheelchairs by their
| nurses. nevertheless, the scene was not so
pathetic as might be imagined because Of
| the hundreds of men apparently now in
| good health who were there because they
have graduated from hospital wards and
J are staying on to receive vocational train
| ing which viii fit them for new positions.
| 1t was said about 1000 veterans and
| nurses had been invited, but only two or
three hundred still wore the uniform Of
| Uncle Sam. Most Of them were in civilian
| ciet hes.
| After the President and Mrs. Harding
| had shaken hands with every body who
| could pass In line, introduced by name as
always by Colonel Sheriff. or Commander
! Holmes, two of the popular White House
aides they thirstily quaffed ice water and
/ then moved over to one of the automobiles
! parked in the White House grounds.
! Previous to their standing in line, they
had walked around to shake hands and
say word to all the men in stretchers,
but evidently they had missed this auto
{ from Mount Alto.
! That Is the place for tubercular pa
tients, and in the car WIS sad wan fg-
ure of youth hunched on pillows 4
| Catholic priest was in the car and
woman, probably his mother ANYHOW,
the lad was evidently in the last throes
Of tuberculosis Of the hip and today's trip
| must have been a great exertion. He
could hardly answer as the President
and Mrs. Harding took his hand and
eheered him up, but his eyes smiled in
! answer and he will pass to the beyond all
/ the happier for the afternoon.
( Then there seemed to be rush. Crowds
Of the men surrounded the President.
What was 1t? Secret service men hoped
around uneasily. Il was nothing at all.
| The men. all Of whom had been given
tags with the name of their hospitals as
/ Identification for entrance into the White
| House, simply wanted autographs from
the President. One of them had started
1t, and the idea caught such fire that
| both the President and Mrs. Harding
were kept busy for an hour signing
cards which the men tore off Of their
1 coats.
| While there was plenty of sunshine
and cheer most of the afternoon, vet
| there were pathetic scenes besides the
one already described. One man ON
clutches, looking very i'll from some in
ternal suffering, was clasped by the arm
by his> wife. She smiled proudly, but
j no sooner had they left the receiving line
than she had to put her handkerchief to
her eyes, all the while trying to hide her
| tears from the man beside her. He did
| not look as II he could live long.
Then there were blind men with chill
dren. Wounded men were allowed to
| bring their families. In one instance
man with sunken eye sockets who did ntr
| try to hide his inirmity by dark glasses
was tossing up and down his little fair
| haired child. about or 3 years old. She
put her fingers to his eyes. or where they
| should be- Probably the father had never
seen his little daughter.
Still in another spot the Secretary Of
War, Mr.. Weeks, was talking earnestly
with two blinded men seated in shady
spot. One Of them had both hands off as
| well, and his face was badly mutilated-
As Miss Laura Harlan, social secretary
of the White House, put 1t, it was strictly
a party for the soldiers. But of course
few close personal friends in official life
were included, and all the Cabinet mem
bers and their families.