The Washington times., 1924-09-18
WHITE HOUSE
MEMOIRS
DUE
Mrs. Wilson Compiling
Husbands Letters; Mrs.
Harding Also Busy
nv JEAN ELLIOT.

M to write 1t. Mrs. Coolidge rather
" scouts the idea OF ever breaking
rs into print and denies that she is
b keeping any journal or daily record
q of White House happenings
vi reason being that it would be too
u. hazardous to write down the .IIings
" that are really worth writing. But
Ia the wives OF the three immediate
u predecessors Of President Coolidge
x in office have written or are pre-.
v pairing to write or edit books about
X their husbands or their own White
IS House experiences.
81 Mrs. Taft has already written her
q memoirs. Mrs. Wilson is under
III stood to be engaged in editing
" Woodrow Wilson's, letters for pub
4 lication in book form. And Mrs.
q Harding has recently stated that in
81 collaboration with an experienced
VI biographer, she will begin Warren
NJ Harding's biography as soon as her
II health PERMITS
II Actuated by a story that Mrs.
V Harding had been offered $500, goo
u by a syndicate to write 1.-THE Story
" OF Warren G.. Harding as Told by
Ills Wife" inquiries were made
:, End elected the following letter
from the former First Lady. -
There is no truth in the story
Efhat am to write book on War
ren Harding as His Wife Knew
Him.' Some time later, in collabora.
stion with an experienced biographer.
II hope to prepare a biography Of
Mr.. Harding, but do not know when
81 will be able to undertake the work
The pressure of other affairs and
Ihe condition of my health has pre-.
Eluded any attempt on, my part TO
return to my journalistic labors in
connection with the Marion Star or
any other paper, although ]. have
continued to be associated with the
Star in an advisory capacity"
III The last part of the letter refers
TO another report current in Wash
1ngton to the effect that Mrs. Hard
ling receives $4,000 year from inc
Marion Star, which the new owners
had agreed to pay President Hard
ling to continue, as an editor and
ielt as matter OF honor should 80
Ito his widow. 49, t% sb
3 The story off the syndicate offer
was to the effect that Mrs. Hard
ing had agreed to undertake the
work on a guarantee that every
word would be printed as written,
but that the syndicate had balked
lat this, fearing that some of the
things upon which she might speak
her mind might be too explosive.
To Devote Attention to
1. Editing of Correspondence. '<
Fabulous offers have been made
AIRS. Wilson to write net own story
Gp( her famous husband. 1t is
Eurderstood. however, she so far has
hdeclined, preferring to give the
world Woodrow Wilson'S own
version OF important phases of his
administration in personal letters
(which he wrote friends and foes
3 alike.
Assisted by her brother, John
Boiling, who. gave us his business
ITO act as Mr.. Wilson's secretary
Sand who lives with his sister and
continues to serve her in similar
feapacity, Mrs. Wilson is to edit
Ethese letters for publication. A
FsBhort time ago several letters which
Woodrow Wilson had written an
Sold-time newspaper friend were
gcheduled to appear in a magazine;
but when the article was published,
N1t contained the following ex-
planatory EDITORS note:
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson has re.
zquested us not to publish letters
ssigned blythe former President
(which our former advertisement an.
#nounced would form a part OF this
& article. The request was made not
because Mrs. Wilson found any
thing Objectionable in the lstters or
Z In our use of them, but to establish
her right to control or prohibit
their reproduction" ~
Work on the proposed volume :
if it has ever been actually started
has been in allegiance this summer,
-
complete rest after the strain of
her late husbands long illness.
Moreover, she has convalesced but
sielowly from injuries sustained in a
severe fall in early summer. She
has been spending part of the sum
inner at Woods Hole, Mass, and was
o. guest for a time OF Mrs. Charles
- Hamlin at Mattapoisett, Mass.
Mrs. Wilson's predecessor, Mrs.
Taft, still retains her social-offiGial
leadership at the Capital as the wife
sof the Chief Justice OF the United
States Supreme Court. Her book.
"Recollections of Full Years." is "a
valuable contribution to the history
4of the Executive Mansion as we'll
4as other phases of official life. No
other woman in America has been
snostess in as many important Off.
husband has been appointed ind
elected to the highest public Offices.
( Her book, well named, covers a
quarter of century's public service,
beginning with Mr.. Taft's first APP
sentiment as judge of the superior
court Of Cincinnati the second year
of their married life, and concluding
with the celebration ut their silver
Swedding in the White House.
twenty-five years married." rs she
puts 1t, land all but one spent in
spublic service" ~
In the compiling Of her volume
acf memoirs she, had the assistance
Eof Eleanor Franklin Egan, trained
and gifted writer
Archie Butts Much. Discussed
Letters Add Chapter to Chronicles.
An interesting history of the
white House and its inmates, writ.
ten by a woman, Esther Singleton,
WIS published in two volumes in
1907. 1t includes only the first
two years of the Roosevelt Admins.
Ftration, and while numerous other
historical accounts have been writ
item in the intervening years, moth.
ing so rich in detail as "Singleton's
History of the White House" has
been published.
The letters of Archie Butt, how.
ever, contribute a chapter to the
White House chronicles which has
IL peculiarly racy and vivid quality.
Although these letters, written to