The Washington times., 1924-12-01
WHITE HOUSE
CAL ENDAR is
ANNOUNCED
Plans Are Made for
Gay Winter
Season
BY JEAN ELIOT.

~ picturesque ana LlaVOflul
q function Of official life in
Washington, win be a feature of
the social program of the White
House this year, according to the
announcement just made.
The President and Mrs. Coolidge
will receive from IL a. m. to 80
n. m. on January 1, first greeting
1.-The Cabinet, the Supreme Court,
1.-THE diplomatic corps and other
Officials, afterward shaking hands
with the general public.
=, Four big receptions will be given,
lin accordance to long established
custom and there will also be the
-FOUR state dinners Thursday Is the
;day selected for all the White
House functions and the first
formal festivity of the season will
be the Cabinet dinner on Thurs
day. December 49,.
s On January 5 will come the
diplomatic reception, with the re.
gceptfon to the judiciary on Jan
harry %, the Congressional recep-
ton on February and the army
and navy reception on February
10. The state dinners are given
alternately with the levees, the
diplomatic dinner being on January
rs, the dinner to the Supreme
Court on January 20, and the
Speakers dinner on February IL.
Dinner at the White House is at
3 O'Clock and the guests are ex-
pected to arrive a few minutes
before the hour. the President and
Mrs. Coolidge joining them in one
of the state drawing rooms when
all are assembled and each being
ia 4xn - 4A%
Executive and his wife. The
lady, Mrs. Coolidge going in with
the man of highest rank and the
other guests following in order Of
precedence.
Invitations for the four state re-
ceptions read mine o'clock" but for
the last year or two an effort has
been made to ''stagger" the guests,
so that the crowding is lessened and
there is no danger OF such a crush
as occurred during the Grant Adj
ministration when some OF the
guests were forced to climb out
through basement window leaving
their wraps behind.
New Year Reception Most
CoIorful Of Festivities.
The New Year reception at the,
White House, which dates back to
the early days Of the Republic and
is the most typically American Of
institutions, went into the discard
when Woodrow Wilson came to the
White House, but was revived by
the late President Harding during
the first. year of his Administration
The next year he was Obliged to
give 1t UP because of the state of
Mrs. Harding's health, but last year
the Coolidges again revived the GUS
tom OF being at home to an Corners.
Foreign diplomats who call to pay
their respects-and their Govern
ments'-to the President of the
United States, wear court dress,
their uniforms and the uniforms of
the army and navy officers giving
&carnival aspect to the streets of
Washington on New Year day.
When there is a White House re-
ception, the diplomatic breakfast of
the Secretary of State takes on new
brilliance, too, for the corps only
breaks out its uniforms when it
is calling first at the White House.
This year the Secretary of State
and Mrs. Hughes will entertain the
entire diplomatic corps, with the
Cabinet, State Department officials
and few other guests from Of
fetal life, at breakfast at the Pan
American Union-the corps hav.
ing long ago outgrown the capacity
or any private house.
This announcement was made i'm
NkAGS nfn1N 40l1
Mlent from the White House Of
Mrs. Colleges social program. upon
which official hostesses have been
waiting before arranging their pro-
grams for the season. AS spokes-
man for the ladies of the Cabinet
Mrs. Hughes also made known the
hact that the Cabinet officers and
their wives would keep open house
on New Year Day, with the ex-
ception of Secretary and Mrs.
Hughes who give their diplomatic
breakfast instead; and that the
ladies' Of the Cabinet will receive on
Wednesday, January IA and again
on the first Wednesday in Feb
Tuary. After that Lent will put
stop to official entertaining
Cabinet Hostesses to Receive
Twice During Season.
The Cabinet ladies had made plans
to be at home for the first time on
Wednesday, December 8, but this
project was given up because OF
the recent death Of Mrs. Harding
and the distaste felt by q group of
women who had been closely .asso-
ciated with her for doing any enter.
tanning SO soon after her passing.
In the old days Cabinet hostesses
used to receive every Wednesday
during the season and it was their
custom to return all calls made
upon them. At the beginning OF
the Harding administration, how
ever, it was decided that, with the
tremendous growth of Washington
society, this had become too great
a burden, that Cabinet homes would
be thrown open but once a month
and that the practice of returning
calls would be given UP entirely.
Only the dates Of the Official
functions at the White House are
announced at this time, but other
festivities will be run in from time
to- time. Mrs. Coolidge, after long
established custom, will undoubtedly
receive the ladies OF the Diplomatic
Corps early in the season, and she
Will probably hold the informal tea
parties for the ladies of the Senate
and the House contingent, which
Mrs. Harding established and found
zach pleasant way of promoting
friendliness among official women.
Although the Cabinet women are
to observe but two official days at
home this year, they occasionally