Evening star., 1937-02-28
WHITE HOUSE VISIT
Boys of 'Dead End" Are Guests, Having
Opportunity to Enjoy Tea and Tour
With Mrs. Roosevelt.

Only for a moment, though, be-
cause Mrs. Roosevelt was as stage-Wlse
as any one you might want to see, and
she Immediately arose at our entrance,
walked over quickly and presented
her hand to Eugene Lerner, who plays
NIFTY and who introduced the other
juveniles in the cast, Don Sharpe, Ed
ward Furnan, Jay Merrick, George
Levinson, Morton Tuller, David Cor
cey, Peggy Myer, Morris Shrog and
Marvin Himmel.
THERE were smiles now as she intro
duced Mrs. Louis Howe and one
of the woman leaders of the Demo-
cratic party. who also were having
tea with Mrs. Roosevelt. And when
the Presidents wife requested the boys
TO sit down on divanS and chairs
placed around the room the stage
fright had disappeared. Her charm
had worked wonders once more.
AS she poured tea for the 10 boys
she talked Of the play and the i'm
portance of it as a social document
and she told them Of comments she
had heard from other women who
were sitting near her when she saw
it several times in New York and
how one asked the other as to whether
there really was place like that in
New York Mrs. Roosevelt said that
she just couldn't resist the impulse,
and she suggested to the ladies that
they just go to certain places in the
city and see for themselves.
She mentioned several places in the
city that We ought to see. talked Of
the preceding first ladies Of the land,
told us legends of the White House.
The room in which the boys had tea
with Mrs. Roosevelt is the former
cabinet room. used before the present
executive Offices we're built She ex-
planned the history Of it, mentioning
that sometime at night, when the
White House is bare Of visitors, she
seems to feel the past creeping around.
She could have sworn several times
when she is working in one Of the
rooms great men of the past have re-
turned to their abode, and that she Is
not alone in the room.
CHE was kind enough personally to
show the youngsters some Of the
private rooms of the White House,
taking them through the Presidents
private study, her own study, the room
the two younger boys occupy when
they are not at college, and the room
that Lincoln is supposed to have used
as a bedroom.
The Roosevelts' great love for paint
ings was clearly exhibited IN the many
pictures hung in each of the rooms.
In the Presidents study we're three
modernistic paintings done by men
on the w. P. A. Painting Project,
which Mrs Roosevelt had secured for
him, and which were, as yet, unhung.
The boys asked her questions about
her famed graceful air. She seemed
many of the things Of interest she
showed them, and she answered them
all with her well-heralded smile and
to be greatly interested in the work Of
the boys, and when one Of them asked
her whether she had expected to see
them at the White House in old clothes
and swimming trunks, she answered
with a smile, mo, I didn't" And, of
course, the boys took that to mean
that she considered us gentlemen.
After 35 minutes or more, she offered
her hand to each of the boys, and
smiled a goodbye" to each one. She
left instructions for one of the guides
on the lower floor to show them the
reception and dining rooms there.
But it seemed to them that it was
anti-climax, since Mrs. Roosevelts
presence was no longer there.
And when the boys we're helped on
with their coats in the large hallway
on the ground floor. one of them said
to another, solemnly. We're lucky
that a woman like her understands
the meaning Of Dead End and it's
really fine to know that she Is work.
ing to end all Dead Ends"
4