Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-20
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

Miss Janet Richards, dean of Ameri-
can current events speakers, has Just
been the recipient of notable honors in
Philadelphia. She celebrated there her
silver jubilee on the platform, and the
anniversary was made the occasion for
great outpouring of leading Phila-
delphia women who have been deriv-
ing light and leading on public affairs
from the venerable but virile Janet for
10, these many years. Miss Richards
Monday morning class" in Washington
Is probably the most distinguished FEM
mime gathering in America. Among
others, it includes the wives and daugh-
ters OF Supreme Court justices, of
United States Senators and Represent
atives and Of foreign ambassadors and
ministers. Not long ago a friend said
to the consort of leading member of
the Senate, who is a Janet Richards
fan, With husband as we'll informed
as yours, don't see why you find it
necessary to attend a current events
lecture" Quoth the senatorial lady
We'll, have to have something to talk
back with, don't ~"
*x *
Princeton has started something with
its recent claim that more years have
been spent in the White House by grad
yates of Princeton University than any
other college in the country, Old Mas
sau having Dad two alumni serve as
President of the United States for two
complete terms" The reference is to
Madison and Wilson. A disciple of
William and Mary points out that
alumni Of that ancient college spent
one month less than 20 years in the
White House, as against Princeton's 16
years" Jefferson, Monroe and Tyler
are claimed for William and Mary. The
latter's protagonists further depose and
say that since 1861 her alumni, being
mostly Southerners, "have been practi-
cally ineligible to the presidency" They
ask the Tiger to take all this in his
pipe and smoke 1t when he begins to
claw through White House history.
y
It's apparently the lure of Washing
ton that does 1t. At any rate, once
Presidents secretary, always a Wash
ingtonian. Everett Sanders of Indiana,
who has hung out his law Office shin
gle here after serving Mr.. Coolidge
through four faithful years, emulates c.
Bascom Slemp of Virginia, Gals" first
coadjutor. Slemp's predecessor, George
B. Christian. jr., of Ohio, President
Harding's right-hand man. remained a
resident Of Washington, and so did Jo-
seph P. Tumulty of New Jersey, for
eight years Woodrow Wilson's alter ego.
X X
At least one Californian got into the
Hoover era at Washington before the
Chief Engineer himself. He's DR.. Will
liam John Cooper, former California
State superintendent of education, who.
earlier in the year, became United States
commissioner of education. The coun-
try's teachers applaud the appointment
as IAN admirable example of presiden-
tial appointment on professional
basis" The journal of the National
Education Association says lit confirms
our best American tradition Of keeping
the schools free from politics and stands
cut as one of the significant services Of
the closing weeks of President Coolidge's
administration" DR.. Cooper has come
up from the teaching ranks of Califor-
MIA public schools. He is University
of California alumnus. His motto is,
THE chief concern Of the teacher is
children
(Copyrght, 1929