The Washington herald., 1922-01-08
MONDAY LIKE CIRCUS
ONLY MUCH WORSE.

y. " didCG, WIZ ICSluC dl " al uhi
was a busy day, but nothing COM
MONDAY LIKE CIRCUS
ONLY MUCH WORSE.
1t makes me dizzy to even think
about Monday: it was worse than a
three-ring circus. First. of course
there was the White House recep-
ton when everybody" went to
wish the President and his wife q
Happy New Year. Those functions
have always been extremely popu'
lar in Washington but was enjoyed
more than usual this time because
there hadn't been any such enter
tainment at the Executive Mansion
in eight or nine years There were
several innovations in the arrange
ment of details for the reception
the most notable of which was the
dispensing with the long receiving
line-the wife of the Vice Presi-
dent and of all of the Cabinet Of
ficers in previous years standing
in line with the hosts. How
ever. Monday. after greeting their
hosts this official group, also the
Speaker of the House and Mrs. Gill
lett, the Chief Justice and Mrs. Taft
and quite a large number of others
and not all officials either, stood
back of the hosts greeting theiI
friends informally; holding a little
reception of their own, in a way.
These privileged characters. how
ever. were roped of; a rope separated
them from their hosts and it was
rather amusing when you passed them
bv, after shaking hands with Presi-
dent and Mrs Harding, to see some
of them hanging over the rope watch
ing the parade. as it were. pass by
Somehow or other to see women
of prominence hanging over that
rope with the Marine Band in full
dress, scarlet and gold uniforms and
the whole collection of White House
aides in gold braid with their swords
and the diplomats in their uniforms
of every color under the sun, and
ushers flying aoout. The whole affair
is a curious mingling of court formal
ity and typically American democ-
-Tacy.
Anyone can go to the White House
for that reception: yet the notables
are extended special privileges. And
some of them just have to go to
that function, like the members OF
the Diplomatic Corps for instance
and army and navy officers; they have
to go whether they want to go OF
not; it is a court" order. don't you
know. On that day always IL the
Chief Executive is receiving they
must pay their respects to theil
Excellencies. Everyone seemed ire
mendOusly interested in the alier
diplomats who have been here such
a short time that they were new tc
most and this was the first time they
had attended an official function. Carl
Lang and his wife look typically
German, particularly he. She haC
on a very unusual costume Of bright
blue broadcloth, the coat having a
wide collar edged with ermine anC
a huge gray hat. The Prosniks oil
Austria were there. too; she is short
and stout but young and pretty,
Baron and Baroness Won Thurman
were there also. They were all given
warm greeting by great many
during the morning. The Won Thur
mans had a dinner party last week
people seem to be treating them al
very cordially, I think. particularly
considering" as a small boy would
say.
OF course, all of the diplomats
were there. Many Of them have at
tended similar functions at the
Executive Mansion though general
" in minor positions to that they
now hold. Throngs who lined the
streets to see the diplomats in their
court dress go to pay their respects
to the President. had another
glimpse of them when they went to
the Pan American Union Building
to attend the breakfast which the
Secretary of State and Mrs. Charles
Evans Hughes gave for the diplo-
matte corps; an annual event in
Washington. Mondays breakfast,
however. was larger than usual for
their guests included not only all
of the corps-sometimes because
the corps has grown so, only the
heads of the diplomatic mission are
asked-but the conference dele
gates and other officials were in
yited.
1t was a nice party: not toe
crowded. and every one was hun
cry. after standing around at the
White House for ages-all of the
guests had been at the White House
earlier, of course. Catherine Hughes
received with her parents and
looked very pretty. indeed. Here
as at the "hlte House, the alien
diplomatists held a small reception
of their own.
MANY RECEPTIONS
GIVEN AT HOMES.
Then in the afternoon the wives
of the Vice President. the members
of the Cabinet who were in town
Mrs. Fall. wife OF the Secretary of
Interior: Airs. Hays. wife of the
Postmaster General, and Mrs.
Daughtery, wife Of the Attorney
General. are all absent-received
informally at their respective
homes. A great many people. Of
fetal and otherwise. also kept open
house Monday afternoon and New
Year Day. on a whole. was more
like the old-time traditional New
Year Day than ! have seen in a
CouffuMcd nm Pane Eiobf