Evening star., 1939-01-04
Congress
Draws
Social Set
Galleries Are Filled
For Presidents
Message
BY MARGARET HART,

Politically minded women who
play prominent roles in society in
the Nations Capital as well as those
who are just casually interested in
what will happen under the Capitol
dome in the next few months crowd
ed the galleries at the House of
Representatives today. Many ar
rived long before the opening of
the joint session where the President
of the United States gave his annual
message to the legislators Inter-
esting luncheon parties are follow
ing the session in the Senate and
House lunchrooms, the little groups
lingering until the late afternoon.
-Four members of President Roose-
velt's family were listening in the
gallery when he delivered his mes
sage. Mrs. James Roosevelt, mother
Of the President, who came from
her home in New York for the holi-
days and remained over in order to
hear her son, was radiant with
smiles throughout the procedure.
Seated beside her was her daugh-
ter-in-law, Mrs. Roosevelt; Mrs.
James Roosevelt, jr., wife of her
elder grandson, and Mr.. Frederic
A. Delano, the Presidents uncle.
Others in the White House party
were Mrs. George H. Dern, widow
of the late Secretary of War; Mrs.
John W. Hanes, wife of the Acting
Secretary of the Treasury; Mrs. Will
liam Howard Good of New York, and
Miss June Rhoades.
Mrs. Roosevelt wore a handsome
wine velvet outfit with hat to
match.
The center of attention in the
group around Mrs. Roosevelt was
little Diana Hopkins, daughter of
the new Secretary of Commerce,
Mr.. Harry Hopkins. The little girl,
dressed in an all-blue costume, was
greatly interested in the early pro-
ceedings and gazed with pride at
her father on the floor of the House
among the other cabinet officials.
Little Diana sat for time on the
lap of the Presidents wife. However,
before the Chief Executives speech
was over the little girl became very
restless and moved her place to the
aisle just beside Mrs. Roosevelt. \
Nearby were Mrs. Franklin Lane,
widow of the late former Secretary
of the Interior under President Will
son; Mrs. Harry H. Woodring. wife
of the Secretary of War: Mrs. Henry
a Wallace, wife of the Secretary of
Agriculture; Mrs. Harold L. Ickes,
wife of the Secretary of the Interior,
and Mrs. Claude A. Swanson, wife
Of the Secretary of the Navy.
Black seemed to predominant
among the clothes of the ladies in
the packed galleries, but bright COL
ors worn by many throughout the
house made the scene gay and inn
pressive. Orchids and sables we're
conspicuously noted in the section
reserved for members of the diplo-
matte corps where representatives of
many nations heard the Presidents S
message. Mrs. Close accompanied
her husband, the Minister of the
Union of South Africa, and close by
was the Minister of Rumania, Mr..
1rimescu, and the Charge d'Affaires
of Germany, Herr Hans Thomson.
Also seen in the brilliant gather
Ing were the United States Ambas-
sador to Mexico and Mrs. Josephus
Daniels, who viewed from the gal
lery the same scene in which Mr..
Daniels participated when he was
Secretary of the Navy under Presi-
dent Wilson and the present Chief
Executive was Assistant Secretary
of the Navy.
Mrs. Bankhead Among
Early Arrivals.
Mrs. William B. Bankhead, wife of
the Speaker of the House was among
the early arrivals in the gallery. hav-
Ing with her Mrs. Joseph w. Byrns,
widow of the late Speaker of the
House, who was greeted on all sides
by her many friends in both the
Senate and lower house. Also with
the Speakers wife were Mrs. Harry
B. HaWes, wife of former Senator
Hawes, and Mrs. John M. Bankhead,
wife of Senator Bankhead, a brother
Of the Speaker. Mrs. Byrns today
was looking down proudly on an
other member of her family serving
in the House, for her son, Mr.. Joseph
w. Byrns, jr, is new member of
this body from Tennessee.
Mrs. Bankhead, the Speakers
wife, is looking unusually we'll and
fresh this winter, and today she
chose for her costume smart black