Evening star., 1924-11-09
BY MARGARET h, DOWNING.


Though the White House and its
occupants have enlisted considerable
. of the national thought since the
& conventions were held last June and
July. very few have any 'dea of what
the Presidents home looks like save
IN the state rooms open at times for
the public. For beyond the massive
iron gates which lead to the second
floor from the corr dor. only the most
intimate and exalted pass. Upstairs
the Chief Magistrate and his lady
may assume at viii that Darby and
Joan existence which enables them
to endure the trying hours which
J make good part of the day. Mrs.
3 Coolidge has a quaint way of eX-
pressing her wish. that in the sunny
oval room which is just above the
Blue Room and where she loves to
SIT and watch the glisteniug river.
some day she may have leisure
F. enough to wear kimono. Hitherto
hers has been a dreSSed-up Job in
every particular and the moments of
relaxation but too fey. There is an
other sh unfultilled' for the present
mistress of the White House and
that would be TO give a personal note
TO some of the articles which she and
her guests use hahitual.y. The guest
towels, for instance, OF the finest
but with the mage letters ''U. S"
surrounded by 4 laurel wreath such
as may be seen ir the mosaic floor
of the entrance lobby. about the
great seal of this Government. Nat
urally such fine homekeeper and
SO skillful a needlewomHn as the
Presidents wife has whole sets OF
prettily deckedout guest towels and
drap:ngs and other dainty touches
Inf 4
not be used in the White House.
Everybody knows that Mrs. Cool
5dge is musician, that she is one of
the most skillful knitters and needle
women in the entire country, but
few know that she adds the accom-
Dlishment of carpentry to this for
rnidable list. She took a few lessons
in technical school some years ago
and once on 4 time she built a play
house for her boys out OF piano
box. Not long ago the fever of ma h :
ing over something seized the charm
ing mistress of the White House, and
accompan ed by young John, she ex-
plored the storehouse and brought
forth fine old chair. q bit battered
as to rungS andl~in need of OF ing.
She and John restored this ancient
piece. and during their work discov-
cred ii had been used for eight years
by Andrew Jackson when he held
counsel with his cabinet This relic
now in perfact condition. has replaced
an old swivel chair which President
Coolidge had used for some time at
his private desk, which is in the IL
brary on the second floor. Another
discovery of Mrs. Cool:dge's was of
several silver and velvet lined trunks
which had belonged to jackson. and
which are be ng restored to hold
fat silver and glass on exhibition in
the cabinets on the ground floor.
Very few know that a tool room
which is a regular carpenter shop. is
part of the equipment of the execu-
tive mansion. 1t is down in the b. Sc
,uent west of the southern veranda
and Mrs. Coolidge is poss bly, the first
lady ever to visit this repair shop
and to spend few blissful hours
there.
Olaf, Crown Prince Of Norway, is
not, as earlier rumors had it, to pass
n lively Autumn and Winter in this
country in the footsteps of his au-
gust cousin, the Prince of Wales
/, Having celebrated his 2fst birthday
/, he was, according to royal custom
20 depart on his wonder year to visit
all the countries of note and where
Norwegian interests are conferred
with this land of the free in the van
guard. But, say letters from Chris
; tiania, Queen Maude, mother of the
prospective traveller, had become Sc
riously alarmed over the lurid ac-
counts of the tour of Britain's heir
: and she and the king have decided
1t would be better to wait until the
s-crown~ prince is bit older and wiser
s,,and not SO susceptible to lattery
ffrom the bright-eyed girls In these
parts. SO the prince has matricu-
lated in Baliol College. Oxford, and
Twill pass the next year ploddine G
through heavy tones on political
ECONOMY and International law. After
that his plans are all in the hands OF
his parents though they have already
teptat:-ei3 approached the American
m'-.lster to Norway, Mr.. Robert
Woods Bliss, on the best way to see
this country in a brief space, say, OF
sabout six weeks; for King Haakon
Hike nearly all the royal parents of
itoday, believes that to understand
this country and to visit it person
ally is part of the training every fu-
ture king should, receive. 1t is well
known that only political exigencies
: have prevented the Crown Prince of
Italy and also Of Spain from coming
TO the United States during their re-
cent foreign tours.
" Mrs. JEANNE Blackburn Moran prob
ably set fashion which will be uni
versally followed when another four
years brings the presidential cam
paign. that of esta bI .shing a poiitica
Headquarters on her sumptuous home
IN massachusetts, avenue. More than
. hundred London hostesses were do
ing what Mrs. Moran accomplished
Tor the Democratic cause all through
the recent parliamentary struggle
which overthrow the Laborite premier
and cabinet. Yet. Mrs. Moran was
e alone in her efforts to further the
Democratic success and her home the
only salon where speakers could in
vtte friends to hear discussions in a
congenial atmosphere. There were
none for the Republican cause. There
were dozens of fine drawing rooms
boarded and barred like the re-
mainder Of the mansions in Wash
I :fngton's Vanity Fair, which could
Nave been put to excellent uses by
the various political units and un-
sdoubtedly would have been in any
sother city. Mrs. Corinne Douglas
Robinson established headquarters
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