Evening star., 1932-04-24

with the good talk which is, by and
large, his chief recreation.
Always, as I have said, this White
House has its overnight guests. Some
times they are people of great impor
tance, come on important matters, as
when Gen Dawes, pulled back from
London to lead the Reconstruction
Corporation, lived and worked and kept
his mouth shut for a week in that
quietly hospitable atmosphere.
Generally just Friends.
Generally, however, they are just
friends. The Hoovers take the great
est Joy in the White House, its beauties,
its occasional humorous incorgruities,
its traditions. Infusing their hospital
ity, have always thought, is the de-
sire to share these consultations and
delights with the innumerable people
they really like
And so, during the interval between
work and dinner. the guest is likely
to open his door to an attendant who
says, the President would like to see
you, sir and pass on to a study where
Mr.. Hoover sits, smoking and primed
| for a talk.
Sometimes he begins on the burn
ing trouble of the day. But usually
he checks himself, as though realizing
that madness lies in that direction.
| and turns to personalities or to the
humorous aspect of his problems.
He and his guest exchange stories,
they tell what Bill or Mary or Tom
have been doing, they flow over into
narrative. And so on and on until
! dinner time.
Good friends and their talk rests
me-" says the President.
After dinner the sexes separate. Mrs.
Hoover takes the women to one of the
sitting rooms or salons, or whatever
you call those semi-state apartments
on the second floor. Those of my fem
mime acquaintances who know Mrs.
Hoover will say that she is distinctively
a woman's woman. She is at her best
in this hour.
The men go with the President, of
course. Often the company comprises
big national figures, present on busi-
ness of Importance. If so, the CONVEX
sation is serious and grave. Other
wise it is the same flow of discussion,
narrative and pleasantly as at the
cup of coffee after the morning game.
Finally the men join the ladies. And
at 10 the President and Mrs. Hoover
rise, bid the party an individual good
night and retire. Sometimes, however,
the President holds one of the men for
a final talk on some important matter.
Often he returns to his study and those
eternal papers which must have solu-
! ton by morning.
Alone, the President becomes another
entity. l have said he needs only six
hours sleep. Most people take eight.
Long ago, when Mr.. Hoover was only
a successful engineer, he resolved to
dedicate the two extra hours to read
8 -, Co. :,
breadth of his general information, the
| diversity of his intellectual interests.
He reads himself to sleep And,
doubtless, in these trying times that
habit helps to prevent him from too
much futile thinking on the troubles
of the commonwealth He keeps a pile
Of diverse books stacked beside the bed
and selects from them according to his
mood.
He cares less for detective fiction
than in old days, more for serious nov
| els. The taste for memoirs and biogra-
ply has grown on him since he entered
| the White House.
So far as his intimates know, he has
followed of late only one course of
reading" Surrounded with the relics
and memorials of Presidents, he grew
curious to know how they felt about
the job, how they lived and worked.
The staff of the Congressional Library
raked the stacks for "reminiscences Of
his predecessors.
Mr.. Hoover has gained from this
reading some guidance and much amuSe-
ment. Whether in the 1905 or the
1905 or the 1905, their perpleXities
were all SO like his own! Caught by
the spirit of the bicentennary, he has
dug deeply of late into the life and
times of Washington. He reads until
the book drops, then turns out the light.
OF recent years the President has
had wakeful spells in the early hours of
the morning He simply pulls on the
light and reads himself to sleep again.
And so oblivion. until he wakes to his
morning exercise and the troubles of
another working day.
(Copyright. 1882. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc)