Evening star., 1932-06-19
BY FLORENCE DAVIES.

1t would certainly be pretty hard to
stand in the middle of a 3OOOO-acre
ranch and worry about the thickness
OF a calling card.
Perhaps that is one reason Mrs.
John N. Garner never gets excited over
trifles. 1t may b. one reason, too, why
Mrs. Garner has so much common
senee.
If Speaker Garner is nominated for
the Presidency at the Democratic
Ma iCral ConFentiCn, and elected in
l.0"cmtcr, one thing IS certain: There
" Il be 10 nonsense in the White
things vii be done without any
f, g No one will put on any airs
b aI@e you don't put on airs if you
haze a sense of values: ard you can't
lIVc for years in the midst of space
Snd sllsnce and acres of growing things
sni the elemental processes of life and
o2cth uHShielded by the artificialities
G. city civilization, without getting just
tE2t-a sense CT values.
So while therell Ee no fuss and airs.
there will be dignity and respect for
tie right thing n the right place and
proper concession TO the usage Of
society designated by custom
That's just part CT the Garner COM
mn sense
But there will be something else in
the White House if Mrs. Garner is its
mistress some day. and that is work,
plenty of it, driving tireless, almost
unceasing capacity for work
Throughout the season in Washington
the Garners go to bed early. get up at
six O'Clock and walk to work. They
like it. But that is only part of the
Garner directnes5 and simplicity The
nF
IN their background and past.
Born in Big Ranch House.
1t has been said Ettie Rheiner Gar
ner was born in log cabin, but that
is not quite accurate. The leg cabin
was a big ranch house. with a grand
piano. and otherwise well equipped for
comfortable living. 1t is true that it
was made Of logs. but it was certainly
not a cabin. Mrs. Gamers father
Peter J. Rheiner. came from SWitzer-
land. and aside from holding a Gov
ernment office on an Indian reserva-
ton. he owned a big ranch. which by
the way, Mrs. Garner considers mere
pocket handkerchief. A ranch, she
says, is million acres. At least, that's
what they mean by ranch in Texas.
1 first saw Mrs. Garner walking at
fast clip down the corridor to her
rather smaller than I expected to find
her. with a kind of intelligent face, a
slender figure, simply dressed, black
hat with a band of white, a simple
black silk dress with little flower print
and black silk hose. At first glance
she might have been any sensible mid
dle-aged professional woman or teacher,
or just a quiet home body.
But the moment she spoke to you,
looking at you appraisingly with her
keen blue eyes and serious little frown,
you knew she was woman of charac-
ter. Although her son is SO, her Wavy
chestnut hair in untouched with gray.
But it is her eyes that tell the story.
When she tells you she only has a
few minutes for you those eyes look
pretty forbidding; but when she begins
to talk and becomes really interested
they grow warm and kind and some
times full of fun.
AT first, when I told her I wanted
to talk to her about herself, I thought
she was going to be a little exasper-
ated
1T seems to me that I have done
nothing but talk about myself" she
said, covering her face with her hands
as if she wanted to hide from every
body. please bring me all the clip
pings" she said to the secretary, still
looking annoyed.
Then, as if she had suddenly thought
things through and made up her mind.
her face cleared and she wheeled
around in her chair and said. We'll,
now just what is it that you want to
know"
I'D just like to know two things"
said, fast "One is this: 1t is now
10 years since women won suffrage,
and all these years and long before
you've been right here in Washington
What contribution do you think they
have made to politics in that time?"
Not one word about that" Mrs.
Garner said. Not one word. That's
an opinion, and T don't have opinions
or if 1 do, I keep them to myself.
help my husband. I have always
helped him, with all this" and the
wave of her hand included the suite of
Offices.
Il take care of the mechanical side
of it, all the routine Office work. I
don't have opinions-at least, not for
publication, and often. in fact, not even
for him. have never mixed with that
part of the work"
Only Girl in Family.
well, then" I said, "the second
thing 1 want to ssk is something
about the grlhood which has made
you what you are"
Il guess every one knows about that" ="
she laughed. You know. was born
on a ranch in Texas. There was just
one other family near. so my father
and this neighbor built schoolhouse
midway between the ranches, and hired
a teacher. I was the only girl IN