Evening star., 1925-08-23
Tales Of Well known Folk
In Social and Official Life
President and Mrs. Coolidge Offer Entertaining
Study of Different Concepts of Hospitality
+ of New Englanders and Others.
BY MARGARET B. DOWNING.

BY MARGARET ID. DOWNING.
President and Mrs. Coolidge offer a
most entertaining study of the differ
ent angles at which the New Eng
la anderS view the sacred obligation OF
hospitality, from those which prompt
the Southerner or the Westerner.
More guests and of diverse stations
have been invited to make the White
House a headquarters during sojourn
at the Capital than in any 10 years of
previous presidential records. But
especial attention has been centered on
the long list of diplomatists who are
serving their country in alien lands,
who, coming to Washington from time
TO time TO make reports TO the Secre-
tary of State and to pay respect to the
Chief Executive, have become guests
of the latter for as long d period as IL
pleased them to remain. Col. George
Harvey with Mrs. Harvey was the
first of these ENJOYS to take up u
residence in the White House and
since his visit no AMBASSADOR nor
minister has lacked an invitation from
the President and his gracious lady.
Which is the broadeSt Interpretation
possible of presidential obligation to
those public servants who have left
their own land and their comforta bic
homes for the good of the service, and
in this phase, President Coolidge is
making a precedent.
When W hitelaw Reid was Ambas-
Sador to Great Britain he came
frequently to Washington. and though
sometimes he was the guest of Col.
John Hay, then Secretary of State,
neither he nor Mrs. Reid were ever
overnight guests at the White House,
and this though they were both on
terms of intimate friendship. Certainly
no ambassador nor minister became
the Presidents guest during the W il
son terms, not even Col. House, who
was so often the unofficial envoy OF
Woodrow Wilson to the courts of
Europe. In the olden time, men sent
abroad on national missions received
every honor on their return. but in
American annals social and of state,
no President thought it incumbent on
him to entertain in such hospitable
fashion these public servants until the
thirtieth Chief Executive established
the excellent custom.
President and Mrs. Coolidge re-
gard their position as one of trust
and in which definite obligations are
incurred which they cannot honor
ably neglect.
i ntN nave TeleSdleu
their private affairs to the back
ground ana taken over those which
pertain to official side of their
present existence. During the many
administrations of the Southern
dynasty" as historians call the long
line of Democrats who followed
Thomas jefferson into the White
house. the Sharpest line was drawn
between the President as an individ-
uaI and as The Chief Executive of the
United States. President Monroe
did not invite single official in the
cabinet, Senate. House, Supreme
marriage of his daughter. He
deemed it Il family affair and no
concern of the Nation. Ideas broad
encd a little after the Mexican War
and very much so after the Civil and
Spanish-American Wars. President
Coolidge's administration marks an
epoch. No member of the foreign
service who comes voluntarily to
Washington or is invited here for
special reasons fails of an invitation
to become an inmate of the White
House and meet the President on
the most friendly footing.
Senator Robert Mendes Goncalvez,
secretary of the Brazilian Embassy
who has been in charge of its affairs
since the Amba SSador went to New
port for the Summer and the coun-
selor. Senior Samuel de Sousa Leao
Oracle, sailed for a. lengthy vacation
in Rio is among the tennis enthusi-
asts of the Capital and is at present
busily engaged in getting up the
regular tennis tournament held every
Summer in Mrs. Henderson's gar
denS. Last year Senior GoncalveZ
played in the singles against the
secretary of the Hungarian legation,
Mr. Andor de Hertelendy and the
latter was the victor, and in the
womens singles Miss Laura Bryn
took the honors. The date of the
tournament has not yet been decided,
because OF the. unusually warm
weather and the absence of many of
the usual players from the city.
1t is believed. however, that the af
fair will be arranged about the middle
of September and the Brazilian sec
retary will have a prominent part in
preparing the details. Senior Goncal-
veZ is native of San Paolo and,
after studying in the university there.
he took three-year course in the In
stitute of Political Sciences in Paris
and while there, became the class
mate of several of the attaches Of
the foreign service, including Mr..
Hugh Wilson of the State Department
and several members of the foreign
corps here and of Mr.. Hugh Gibson.
Minister to Switzerland. Ii is about
three wears since he was assigned to