Evening star., 1934-08-05

When President Roosevelt returns
20 washington he viii hnd hia good
ship Prosperity awaiting him In his
elegant new Office located In perhaps
the most historic room in the White
House-the blue room. The room OF
Ambassadors. prime ministers, royalty.
great generals, marxhals. the most
eminent men and women Of the
world have graced its portals for
more than O century. It's next TO
the red room, where distinguished
visitors are asked TO have cup OF
tea and bread and butter In true
oIdEfashioned hospitality.
Men may come and men may go.
but the ship Of Prosperity. a model
in this case OF three masted sailing
vessel, sailed into the blue room. and
the Democratic donkey ambled In
behind 10 take his place on the
Presidents desk-where he can keep
an eye on him. Now the Postmaster
General keeps his donkey on the
rnantle--just behind him. but In easy
reach.
Visitors and cfico seekers had best
beware Of the fioor In the Presidents
temporary ofice, Tor Its as slick as ice
and reflects like q French mirror.
The blue brocade walls are very beau
tiful, more like q boudoir than a busi-
ness ONCE, and Col MacIntyre does
not allow the Presidents fayortte
prints hung ON them and has had
the historic portraits removed TO q
safe place for the present.
One OF the old faithfuls around
the white House says its going to be
q grand homecoming for the Presi-
dent, and they are all trying to make
things comfortable for him. He says
they have missed his CHEEKY Good
morning"-that he's never grouchy
in the morning, but that he will miss
winks-the dog-who always greeted
him when he wakened. Winks, as
befitted the dog Of q President, was
reported to have died Of heart failure
"a fashionable disease, but as q mat
ter OF fact he ran head-long into the
iron fence and died Of the shock.
OF course, Secretary Ickes had to
meet the President when he landed
last week, and then make q business
tour with him-public works-but un-
less the Secretary hurries home he
win miss Anna w. Ickes, who Is Just
now Haunting herself In all her glory
in the lovely sylvan garden at his
place in Glenbrook road.
Gardening In general and dahlias
In particular are Mr.. Ickes' hobby
they do say he has penchant for
blue shirts-but they must be Just the
right shade, and he has named q
lovely rich pink dahlia for his wife.
It's blooming now and stands In a
tall row of dahlias of different shades.
Mrs. Ickes would say the Secretary
has planted them little too far from
the green background lent by the
hedge, but he evidently wanted plenty
Of room for the Anna w. to prosper.
Archaeology and dahlias seem to be
miles apart and rather far fetched
when spoken Of In the same breath,
and yet they have proved themselves
very congenial in the case Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Ickes. It's different, don't YOU
know. Dahlias are the Secretary's
hobby and archaeology is Mrs. Ickes'
avocation-and Just now 1t is more
than that, for she for the present has
eschewed politics and declined to run
for the Illinois State Legislature when
her last term expired.
When her husband was made Sec
retary of the Interior in President
Roosevelt's cabinet, the question was
frequently asked how Mrs. Ickes would
reconcile her active political life in
the opposing party with the policies
Of the Democratic administration. To
those who knew Mrs Ickes the situa-
tion was not difficult one. Her abb
solute respect for the other persons
viewpoint. her knowledge Of national
affairs and the general condition OF
the country. her belief in the prin-
ciples of the party to which she be-
longed and which had honored her
with its confidence. all made 1t pos
sible for her to understand that
bringing the country out Of the
depths Of its four years of depression
was not the work Of any one party
but the combined effort Of the people
OF the entire United States.
During q recent delightful hour
spent at the Tckes' home politics was
not discussed, but Indians were. Its
the archaeological side of the history
of the race that Mrs. Ickes is inter-
ested in. She has spent many years
in the study Of the Indians Of the
Southwest, especially In New Mexico.
She has a two-room adobe house
down there and ningles freely with
her neighbors --t the Navajos and
Pueblo tribes.
She enters into their daily life, re-
spects their sacred beliefs and has
very decided ideas Of what is due
them from Uncle Sam. They were
his first children-the first families
Of America. Some Of the old ones
she describes as regal looking, cour-
teous and hospitable.
When the big chiefs with their
escorts come to see the Great White
Father they look very solemn, but
Mrs. Ickes speaks OF the Navsjos as
merry and jovial, given to Jest and
banter among themselves. She has
some charming examples of their arts
and crafts, especially silver jewelry,
It's all set with turquoise, which has
a sacred meaning to them. Many Of
the stones are the matrix, few are
highly polished.
But now this is a secret: Mrs.
Ickes' line Of life Is not complete be-
cause the medicine man who was
responsible for 1t did not finish the
job, SO 1t Just hangs useless from her
medicine bundle which is composed
OF tuft of feathers bound around
with charms or symbols. Her life line
is a narrow buckskin ribbon about a
yard long, but its usefulness is nil
until a medicine man attaches the
necessary emblems 10 the end Of it,
Until this Is done 1t cannot be de-
termined which way the threads of