Evening star., 1925-07-12

tion of the hot season at a summer
White House"
While New England has been the
location of the ma iority of such resi-
dences. other sections of the country.
especially the Atlantic seaboard and
the suburbs of Washington, have been
popular with the nations chief eXecu-
tives as places for their vacation
homes.
The New England sites, in addition
TO SWampScott used as temporary cap
itals by the various Presidents include
Plymouth, Va; Cornish, N. H.; Man
chester, Mass; Beverly, Mass, and
Oyster Bay, n. Y, and Long Branch,
\. j., have been the scene of presi-
dental vacations, while those eXecu-
tiveS who have spent their leisure in
the District of Columbia have gone
either to Soldiers Home or Cleveland
Park
1t is only necessary to tread back
the path of time few months to come
upon the record of the last summer
White House" and not at all neces-
Sary TO Iinger over that account.
For between the newspapers and the
movies every one was informed at
the time. and will readily recall that
Mr.. Coolidge. following his custom.
went to the farm of his father, near
Plymouth. Vt, last Summer for d brief
rest in the house that had been the
scene of his dramatic Inauguration on
the night of President Hardings s
death, the year before. While there
he not only rested from official wor
ries but also kept fit" by helping
with the harvest.
President Harding never occupied a
Summer White House during his
brief tenure of office. but President
Wilson. who was a resident of the
Executive Mansion for eight years,
had several.
During the first few years of his
administration our War President was
in the habit of ma aking short visits to
Cornish. y. H., in the Summer months
for brief rest periods. On such occa-
SionS he stayed at a cottage known as
the Harlekenden House.
Cornish appealed to Mr.. Wilson be-
cause it afforded opportunities for Sc
clusiOn and complete relaxation from
his strenuous duties in Washington.
There was in reality no such place as
Cornish, several scattered farm houses
a few miles from Windsor. VT. being
designated by that name. At the time
of President Wilson's visits the com
munity did not even boast of a post
office or telegraph station.
Rear Admiral Grayson. the physi-
son during his long subsequent i'll
5ess, was constant companion on
She trips to Cornish. The two would
Jlay golf in the forenoon, while in the
afternoon it was the Presidents Gus
tom to take a long automobile ride
hunting scenery"
The first three years Mr.. Wilson was
in the White House he went regularly
TO Cornish, and there practically shut
himself off from the rest of the world
communicating with the Capital only
on matters of the utmost importance.
That such policy proved beneficial
was attested by the President him
self, who, upon returning to Wash
ington one September, after several
weeks seclusion of this sort declared
that the time spent quietly in Cor
nish had done him more good than
could have been derived from two
years of the usual pleasure seeking
type of vacation.
1t was at Cornish that Mr.. Wilson
first became well acquainted with Mrs
Norman Gait of Washington, who
later became his wife. and who was
then staying at Harlekenden House
as the guest of his daughters
To Cornish, too, the President re-
tired Immediately after dispatching
his famous note to Germany over the
SINKING OF the LuSlta MIA in 1915.
Those were days of intrigue and tur-
moil, and it was observed that, on
his way to Union Station, Mr.. Wilson
personally carried little black leather
bag believed to contain important
state papers and other documents. He
seemed concerned over the security
of the bag and, even after boarding
the train. was careful to keep it CON
tinually in his sight.
The President himself was. of
course, always carefully guarded on
all of these trips by Secret Service
men. but in 1914 the force was in
creased, an attack upon J. p. Morgan
about that time and an explosion in
the Senate reception room of the
Capitol making those charged with
the Presidents safety apprehensive
of the activities of anarchists Mr.
Wilson was protected day and night
during his stay in Cornish and all
strangers in the vicinity were care
fully scrutinized.
4 + x
y 1916 President Wilson varied his
vacation program by going to
Shadow Lawn, the estate at Long
Branch, y. j.. instead of to Cornish
That year he also moved the eXecu-
tive Offices of the White House. Pre-
NiOuSlV Mr. Wilson had talyap op1,-