The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-01-11
CABINET TO BE
HOSTS TO
COOLIDGE
Tentative Plans for Series.
of Dinners to Chief
Executive Discussed
By JEAN ELIOT

with President ana Mrs. COOL
idge as honor guests and
members of the Cabinet as hosts
will begin soon: and Vice Presi-
dent and Mrs. Dawes will "presum.
ably" lead off those entertaining
for the Chief Executive.
Sd much is authoritative, although
I understand that no schedule of
dates is to be given out from the
White House, the dinners simply
being announced as they come
along. However, precedent is SO
closely followed in matters OF this
sort that it is easy to forecast the
program.
Last year, 1t will be remembered,
the President and Mrs. Coolidge can
celled the series of Cabinet dinners
on the plea that they were more
or less personal Inequalities. and
that because of mourning for their
young son, they were going through
with only the strictly official pro-
gram of entertaining.
Vice Presidents Dinner
IT has been long since there has
been a Vice President in office, but.
he is grouped with the President
official family in having the priv:
ilege of entertaining for the CHIEF
Executive, who, by unwritten iawe
accents few invitations to dine. And
I remember that there were very
charming dinners given by wee
President and Mrs. Coolidge for
President and Mrs. Harding and by
Vice President and Mrs. Marshall
for President and Mrs. Wilson.
Farther back than that l refuse 10
remember.
Mrs. Dawes" dinner will be the flrst
of the series. The Secretary Oh
state and Mrs. Kellogg's will come
nert with the rest Of the Cabinet
entertaining in order Of precedence
unless circumstances should make
necessary some change in the or
der. Several of the dinners will be
given before Lent, but rather
imagine some will be carried over
into the spring season, as President
and Mrs. Coolidge keep Lent to
the extent of avoiding any very
formal entertaining then.
The Speaker?
1t is interesting to speculate
whether or not President and Mrs.
Coolidge will be guests Of the new
sneaker of the House and Mrs.
a
in this direction does not seem to
have "jelled." When Senator Fred
erick II. Gillett was Speaker, he
and Mrs. Gillett gave beautiful
dinner at Grasslands for the Presl-
dent and Mrs. Coolidge, and they
had previously entertained Presi-
dent and Mrs. Harding on several
occa sions. But Mr.. Coolidge and
Mr.. Gillett were old, personal and
political friends, and there was also
q warm intimacy between Mr.. Gli-
lett and President Harding, Whlch
dated from the latter's service in
the Senate. Moreover Mr.. Harding
was much more given to dining out
than President Coolidge and used
to slip away quite frequently to
have dinner unofficially-f such
thing be possible-with old friends
of his Senate days.
The possibility Of the President
dining with popular Nick" Long
worth and the Colonel's" magnetic
daughter has special interest, since
1t was President Roosevelt who
brought about a revolutionary
change in the Cabinet dinners. Be-
fore his time they were strictly
family parties, Cabinet members
Inviting only other Cabinet meEl-
bers and their ladies to meet the
President. The thought Of seeing
exactly the same faces grouped
about the table once a fortnight.
with only a change in the colors u
the flowers and of the women s
gowns to provide variety, was too
much for Colonel Roosevelt and he
suggested that Cabinet guests be
eliminated by Cabinet hosts.
The change has been most happy,
for now each time a Cabinet of.
ficer entertains new group Is
given opportunity to meet the
President in intimate and friendly
fashion over the coffee cups; and
1t has become the custom for each
host to invite a good many guests
from other cities, bringing the
President into contact with the
''best minds" from his own part
IF the world