Evening star., 1936-01-31
BIRTHDAY BALLS
!. ATTRACT 10000
Hotels CroWdedE0fficiaIs
and Workers Dance in
CclorfuI Crowd.

Ten thousand men and women
danced and made merry in Washing
ton at the Presidents six birtnday
balls last night so that children, Grip
pled by infantile paralysis, might nave
. better chance for complete recovery.
As q taxi driver said when ne saw
biz Capital Transit Co. busses carrying
carniyal-spirited celebrants from one
hotel to another free: "1t's Tor
good cause"
One ruess is as good as another at
this time as to how much money the
bali produced because the returns
have not come into the committee
which arranged the multifarious de-
tails. Commissioner George E. Allen.
general chairman, estimated, however,
the total probably would more than
double the $11 900 taken in last year.
Allen, incidentally, was jubilant
over the success of the ball. 1T was
the biggest thing that ever was" he
declared. 1T was marvellous"
Friends With President.
While the crowds rotated and gy-
rated around from one hotel to an
other, the President observed his 54th
birthday anniversary at the White
House, surrounded by his old gang"
Of wartime days when he was Assist
ant Secretary of the Navy. He inter-
rupted his celebration for few min
utes shortly after 11:30 o'clock to
broadcast to the Nation his thanks to
those who "have resolutely aligned
themselves to carry on the fight
against infantile paralysis until this
dread and costly disease is brought
under definite and final control"
The President, himself victim Of
the disease, declared the birthday balls
made it possible "for large numbers
of those who suffer from physical
handicap I" to receive aid and as
sistance."
1.-THE lives of these people, young
and old, will be made easier" he said.
Through rehabilitation, by far the
greater part of them will become more
mobile and will take their place in
active life once again with their heads
lifted high and their courage un-
abated."
Mrs. Roosevelt Visits Hotels.
Mrs. Roosevelt was not at the White
House party. She kept her promise
to the Ball Committee and made a
personal appearance at each OF the
six hotels. At the Mayflower she
made a speech, extending her thanks
to those who helped the Presidents
1avorite charity.
Mrs. Roosevelt's whirl from one
hotel to another was marred by only
one minor incident. Through some
confusion In arrangements. only one
member Of the Reception Committee
was at the Willard to meet her when
she arrived there. The other COM
mittee members came later and dis
covered that Mrs. Roosevelt had gone.
The Raleigh Hotel downtown was
the starting point of Mrs. Roosevelt's
tour. She finished it shortly before
midnight at the Shoreham, edging
her way through the crowd-packed
ball room and lobby, escorted by Rich
mond B. Keech, vice chairman of the
Public Utilities Commission.
Gala entertainments built around
celebrities of the stage and screen
were the highlights at each of the
hotels. Like Mrs. Roosevelt, the en-
tertainers started at the downtown
hotels, and moved from one to an
other until they had contributed to
the festivities at all six.
Ginger Rogers Whirls Around.
Ginger Rogers, dancing prima donna
Of the stage and screen, and Guy
Lombardo and his Royal Canadians.
of course, were the chief attractions.
The crowds. it seemed. tried to fol-
low them from one hotel to another,
and at the Shoreham 1t took six
burly policemen to open a path
through the lobby for the star. The
situation was almost the same at
Wardman Park. After battling through
the jam there, Miss Rogers ap-
\ preached the microphone nervously
and said:
''If look little mussed up it's
because I'm jittery. went to the
White House and met the President.
It sure Is q thrill to be on this
program"
Autograph seekers surrounded Lom-
bardo at the Washington, the Willard
and in fact, at all of the six hotels.
The birthday celebrants constituted,
perhaps, one of the most unusual
groups that ever rubbed elbows in the
six big hotels. Cabinet members, in
tails and high silk hats and society
matrons, debutantes and subdebs in
dazzling gowns, mingled with the Gov
ernment workers and the Office clerks,
some OF whom were dressed formally
and others who wore everyday clothes.
Tables in Lobbies.
Even the cocktail and tavern rooms
were jammed. The May1ower antici-
pated that and put additional tables
into the lobby, which the walters
found difficult to reach.
Despite the free circuit tours from
one hotel to another offered on Cap
ital Transit buses, the taxicabs have
not had better night since the Shrine
convention. In the face of it all, how
ever, well planned traffic arrangements
precluded any serious tie-ups in the "
cinity Of the hotels.
An army OF policemen, 1t seemed,
surrounded each hotel. Inside, de-
tectives, In evening clothes, mingled
with the crowds.
Altogether, the Washington birthday
celebration probably was the biggest
and the most unusual Of any held
throughout the country. Throughout
the Nation the parties were pro-
nounced q grand success, though not
SPECIAL NOTICES.
6CfENrTIEIC 0CAIp TTr1TH1EHrrc non