The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-31
Inside
Washington
BY HELEN ESSARY

| WASHINGTON - I don't know
what has happened to this place
but it isn't half as crowded and
uncomfortable as it used to be- 7
sort of miss being jostled and
stepped on, glared at and told hv
hotel people No! You cannot havs
a table in the DINING ROOM Now
you can get table or a room
in any hotel. More extraordinarv
people are beginning to be polite
to each other.
The cause of the hiatus on H..
Potomac isn't known by me. Per-.
haps it's the flu that has strickon
us down. Perhaps we aren't ~
big, grown up capital we thouoh+
we were. Perhaps the town h.
been MIXED dry by visiting GOV.
eminent contract hunters. Anv.
how, its strident voice is mutsS
momentarily. Makes me feel a liz
tie lonely.
There are many signs round
about that indicate Britain is wow WI
ing zealously and well to improu.
Anglo-American good will. Tbers
are those excellent short course.
at Princeton university this win,
ter planned for members Of fl.
British mission to the tInitas
States.
The Britishers attend in yror,,
of 20 or 80. They come awsv sp
thusiastic about what they bav.
Learned OF American history pol
tics, personalities and general tol1
lore. NO'A
Similar courses for United State.
soldiers in England are conductsJ
at Cambridge university and ar,
giving our men overseas a better
understanding OF the British point
of view.
Other efforts Of the British to
encourage friendship with th,
Americans are the films of Enc.
llsh home life and warfare now
arriving in this country every few
weeks. These films are availab1e
for distribution in many parts Of
the country.
| got this idea the other dav
when I was in the office of The 60.
cret service in the United States
Treasury building getting a White
House pass. A White House pass
admitting its holder to the White
= House grounds requires, as YOU
know, very special effort while
the war is on.
After I had gone through the
important routine Of finger-print-
: ing and picturetaking I had to fill
@ out card on which I put down
my age. I really don't like putting
j. my age down on the many public
r files required by Washington for
s the duration. And it occurred TO
me that every woman should be
permitted three ages-a public age
to use on such occasions such as
. this signing up; a personal age to
use on occasions of a romantic Or
social nature; and Biblical age
to be recorded only on birth certi-
: ficates or family Bibles.
I mention the three age plan to
a girl friend Certainly she's a
/, contemporary. She said, Don't
y be silly. Every woman is entitled
5 to seven ages. Add to your three
z ages: l - the age every woman
0 thinks she looks. 2-the age other
: women think she looks. 3. the age
she looks to her children. 4-the
4 age she looks to her hairdresssr.
d This last age generally exceeds
n the Biblical or real age.
e Despite the gloomy revelations
d necessary for paSs-getting the
business of achieving White
d House pass is exciting, if it does
: seem mostly matter OF black
a finger-print smudges, as it really
is. Those finger-print smudses are
S record of your history as de-
e sirable citizen. The secret service
d is, as you know, department OF
e the United States treasury. Inc
;. treasury is the protector OF the
White House and responsible Tor
its safety. This bit you may IN,
terpret in a financial or phySlca!
sense.
In the matter Of White House
:, passes. the secret service first re-
: ceives authorization from the
Ic White House and in my own case
=. like that of other reporters at ac-
- ing the presidents press confer
~ ences, the authorization is given
by the White House Correspond
-. ents association.
- Every holder of White HOUSE
y. pass went through secret Se[!.
!, ice investigation last year. lhs
= year a second investigation IS De-
ing made of each applicant JUS
in case something" might nave
come up in the meantime. since
:. the federal bureau of investigator
must have set of all finger
prints made in the United STATES,
we had to have two sets made az
the treasury.
. After the printing came
the picture-taking, then came per
e sonaI inquiries.