Evening star., 1923-08-26

eny was enough to make Mormon
proud. A senator or other high dig
nitary had no compunctions in pre-
senting to the President q, veritable
boarding school OF girls. OF # he felt
bit lazy and did not wish 10 go he
transferred his card and all fs'liberal
privileGes 70 some .one-eise. With the
high officials name neatly hand
written on the card an humble in
dividHal unknown TO fame was lika
70 be presented to the President in
his stead.
Solution Sought.
Then came along a more willy ad-
minis.ration. and u card OF admission,
different color for each reception.
was placed In each invitation. This
prevented switching from one recep-
lion to another. but not to the trans
fer of the card. so the troubl. was
only half met. Not until the card IS
placed in the hand OF the aide who
announces the guest will the real
solution of the rather humorous situa-
ton be found.
An invitation from the White Hous-
~ command. so viewed SOCIALLY.
but this docs not apply TO state r..
transfer Your Invitation or you may
stay at home. with no representation
at all. Sometimes the Senat. md
House are strangely absent while IN.
number Of guests tallies quite cor
rectly with the number of Invitations
SO what is intended as stately
Official affair is reduced 10 a mel
partv.
Another thing which the White
House social secretary must cope with
Is the blue room behind the line
list. II is great honor to be asked
oehlnd the line" and IL is a strong
political card 10 play. Cabinet mem
DeTs. ambassadors and ministers and
Their aides, Supreme Court justices. tn.
President pro tempore Of the Senate.
Speaker Of the House and a very
Few others are there by UNIV ritten
rule. They are there TO lend dignit,
Senators and their wives and Repre-
sen'Stires and their wives are seldom
a winning card Is lost. Duties in
NoiNe upon these specially fa-ored
guests. for while the President and
his lady and others are receiving in
line, the rest OF the room becomes
brilliant salon whore individuals
Of high rank meet and wit ara wis
aom flow from their lips. or should
Touches of Humor.
Even in the most exalted places
there is sometimes 4 touch of humor.
as when cabinet members wife who
amisbly wandered from guest to sues,
behind the line" eXola lining why her
spouse was not there, was heard TO
exciaim In sudden pause Of lii.
Marine Band, we applied mustard
plasters and hot water bottles" and
then the band played on One never
SITS in the blue room. II would not
De polite TO sit while ones hosts
stand TO receive. II has been tried
ana found wanting. even if one had
ehair or sofa to sit upon Should
You sit down YOU would b.. eyed
with such d!sfsvo~ by diplomats and
others that you would never forgive
yourself the mistake
Nhite House social secretary
! must write AN the letters Of condo
renee and arrange TO send flowers
less II is a diplomatic matter when.
OF course, IL goes through the Stalc
department social bureau. establish
ed IN the first instance TO handle
only International courtesies
To hear of the duties attendant
upon great occasions one might pic
ture the life OF the White House
social secretary one of perpetual en-
tertainment hut her Uorkin.
hours, constantly interrupted. an
longer than those Uf any clerk in
| the White House executive Offices.
and much more diversified, so much
80 that those who know the insid,
machinery OF the social institution
wonder how a White House mistress
ever existed without one, except that
before Miss Hagner received her ap-
pointment. there were four ambassa-
| dors and twenty-siX ministers each
with a small suite. much smaller
than nowadays when Japan alone
takes up almost two pages OF the diplc-
matte lss ana Great Britain. Spain and
| France almost as much space
The cabinet has grown apace 1nd
in eEely branch OF the governmvIl.
| the growth OF the country is shown
| So. instead Of White House social
secretary and two assistants Nnv
, not a half dozen assistants"