Evening star., 1923-08-05
Social Realm of Washington
Will Need Revised Program
Permanent Plans for Autumn and Winter Await
Expression of Wishes by President and
Mrs. Coolidge.

Not less vitaliy is the social realm
of Washington affected by the lament
able occurrence of Thursday evening
in San Francisco than lis the polit
ical aspect of the nation. Such plans
as have been made for next autumn
and winter must of necessity be re-
vised and no program, even a tenta-
tive one, is possible until the new
President and Mrs. Coolidge make
known their wishes. Nor is it likely
that the Coolidges will take pos
session of the White House for sew
eral months yet, and in this con-
nection IL is interesting to recall that
Vice President Arhur. upon succeed
ing to the chief magistracy, permitted
an entire year to elapse before he
moved into the mansion. Following
that tragic event which removed
James Abram Garfield from the presi-
dency. Andrew Johnson, succeeding
Lincoln, remained for eight months In
the home OF the late Levi p. Morton,
then a member of Congress. and
which occupied the site where the
Shoreham Hotel has been built But
Mrs. Lincoln was very i'll after her
terrible experience and was unable
to remove her personal belongings,
and the Tennesseean conveyed to her
his desire that she take all the time
required for recovery and composure
In the latest instance of the pro-
cedure of a vice president in moving
into the presidential mansion on sue
ceeding to the presidency that of
Theodore Roosevelt. who was McKin-
ley's successor. the case presented
many aspects not noted in the five
previous instances when a President
died. Roosevelt had a family of small
children. four of whom were about
n 90 SI Sfn ~
ton, and 1t was necessary to provide
them with home and let them begin
the scholastic routine. Another point
was that owing to her long and Sc
rious illness in the previous spring
Mrs. Mckinley had been removed to
her home in Canton and all of her
personal possessions had been moved
with her, even the furniture in her
sleeping chamber and the boudoir of
the White House. in order that she
pleasing environment. The Roosevelt
family had only to send their per-
sonal possessions from Oyster Bay
and to purchase some new furniture
for the time being. and the mansion
was ready for them.
Mrs. Harding, though bearing up so
bravely, will, 1t is felt, require much
time to gather her strength and re-
sources for the painful duty of re-
moving her own and her husbands
belongings from the home where
they have spent such happy months
Mrs Coolidge is not of the type to
suggest any precipitancy or to show
undue haste in occupying the historic
home.
In accordance with the established
usage. the nation will be officially in
mourning for six months. and this
will lap over into the winter. Mean.
time every amenity planned by any
members Of the tripartite division OF
the government will be affected.
Especially the little season. comprts-
ing those opening days OF autumn
when debutantes are presented to
society and when all affairs take on
delightfully."- informal aspect not
possible when the official season be-
gins will, IL former precedents are
followed, be deferred until the late
winter. or -sprkns. While many Of the
Buds announced for next season are
of residential society. their COL