The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-03-04
WOMEN WRITERS
GLIMPSE WHITE
HOUSE SANCTUMS
Entertained i'm Pri.
vate Apartments of
Executive Mansion.

Executive Mansion.
NEXT to the joy Of seeing Mrs.
Harding. for whom each news
paper woman in Washington has
a feeling Of genuine friendship. I
think the little group OF writer's
whom the First Lady entertained
at tea the other day most APP
preciated the personal touch which
came from their being received in
her sitting room upstairs.
It is charming. this big oval
apartment over the blue room,
with its piano. Its great comfort
able. chintz covered chairs and
davenp0rts, and the books, photo
graphs and shaded lamps which
speak so insistently of home. Two
beautiful old colonial mahogany
book cases are filled with richly
bound volumes and on the cream
paneled walls hang two or. three
fine portraits, while Laszlo's
sketch Of Mrs. Harding smiles
down from the chimney piece.
A log fire blazed merrily on the
hearth on the day when Mrs.
Harding was giving her first tea
party since her illness and the
winter sunshine streamed In
through three tall south windows,
glinting on the silver OF the
daintily appointed tea table. The
room was filled, too. with the
flowers which the First Lady so
loves.
HEREToFORE it has been the
custom Of the new Mistress
OF the White House to do over
the private apartments at the be-
ginning OF each Administration,
although the state drawing rooms
and the historic East Room are
kept much of muchness from
one regime to another. Mrs.
Harding, however. felt that, with
the cry going up for economy, it
was no time to spend the tax
payers money on elaborate altera-
tions. Moreover, she wanted to
get the feel Of the place before
any changes were made. Con-
sequently the living rooms OF the
White House stand much as they
were in President wilson's regime,
when Miss Margaret Wilson used
the oval living room mr. her
music and when Mrs. McAdoo,
then Eleanor Wilson. and her
fiance. then the Secretary of the
Treasury. used to slip away up
there when White House recep-
ton was ION" to dance to the
strains of the Marine Band drift
ing up from down stairs.
For all that Mrs. Harding has
managed TO impress her individu-
atty upon the entire house and
especially upon the West sitting
room"-one end Of the wide corri-
dor bisecting the White House
which Is her especial sanctum and
in which she has spent most OF
her time since her illness. She
has her ferns here. and her flow
ers, with canaries singing In the
sunny windows. and gold fish
swimming lazily in shallow glass
bowl. And Laszlo's portrait Of
President Harding dominates the
room.
MRS. HARDING's room and
the Presidents open out Of
this sitting room, with guest
rooms across the way, and at
the other end Of the long cor
ridor are President Harding's
study, the office Of Miss Laura
Harlan, Miss Harding's secretary.
and more guest rooms. There is
something of interest-historic or
personal or both-in every nook
and Granny OF the White House,
and the things upstairs. Of course,
are far less familiar to the public
than the articles Of bigotry ana
virtue" In the state apartments.
Take the beds. for instance. most
Of which have q thrilling history.
In one Of the north chambers
stands Lincoln's bed, eight feet six
inches long and broad in proper
ton, in which Woodrow Wilson
..