Evening Star Newspaper, November 7, 1928, Page 11

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, .D. O.s WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 19%8. 11 ELECTION BRINGS OFFICIAL HOSTESSES QUALIFIED FOR TASKS | RS, HOOVER FIS INTOHER NEW ROLE Known as One of the Most Charming Hostesses in Washington. BY SALLIE V. H. PICKETT. When Mrs, Hoover steps into the White House as its mistress on March 4, whe will not be in strange territory, for she has been a frequent and welcome visitor there since her husband assum2d the portfolio of Secretary of Commerce in 1921. No woman of the cabinet has been more intimate or popular as a vis- itor there, and, like Mrs. William How- ard Taft, whose husband succeeded o the exalted place after being Secretary of War, Mrs. Hoover also is well ac- iquainted with the duties awaiting her, From an educational standpoint no former mistress of the White House has surpassed her, while in travel and worldly knowledge her experiences even exceed those of Mrs. Taft. She speaks several languages, has the grasp of a Jarger hospitality such as the First Lady of the Land must exercise during her husband’s administration and is gifted in the way of putting every one about her at ease. Almost the only thing that either Mr. for Mrs, Hoover dread in assuming their fpew positions is the public glare that opens for public_discussion of all of Rhelr private affairs. Discussion of their clothes, their habits, their man- mers and, in fact, a constant intrusion on their social and domestic life. Favorite With Newspaper Women. Mrs. Hoover is a favorite with news- paper women, and while she has never given out an interview in her whole life. she yet mingles with woman writers and gives them every opportunity to use their own wits and judgment. She has nothing to conceal, but it zrea.tli dis. pleases her to have her little phila thropies and acts of kindness and chal ity discussed. Only a brief time before the Kansas City convention she carried out her promise to become the guest of the Women's National Press Club and while enjoying their hospitality in an almost girlish manner she invited them to be her guests at a garden tea. On this occasicn she answered their dozens of questions, but refused, as she laugh- ingly said, “to be quoted.” It has been written, and truly, that the price of residence in the White House is the loss of liberty and free- dom of speech and action, or if not of liberty, at least of privacy. Life in the house of Presidents is almost like living in & glass house where ones every action is questioned and com- mented upon. Social Traditions Held Sacred. ‘White House social traditions are sacred to the great American pubiic and must be observed to a great extent not more by the President than by his wife. In fact, they are as sacred as the Bible upon which he takes his oath of office. Mrs. Coolidge, who will soon place her mantle of national hos- ?lull about the shoulders of her mnd,t leaves a wealth of tradition of perfect though simple hospitality. Her richest endowment has been her cor- diality and her smile. Few changes in the White House ‘management are ne , each mis- tress of the mansion since the advent there of Mrs. Abigail Adams introduc- ing not more than two or three which threw the country into social con- vulsions, and to quote Mrs. Taft, who made quite as many as did any of her g;edecessofl, “as a matter of fact no esident’s wife ever needs to make changes unless she so desires, because the White House 1is a government in- stitution thoroughly equipped and al- ways in running order. Each new mis- tress of the house has absolute author- ity, of course, and can do exactly as she pleases, just as she would do in any other home.” i Mrs. Filmore’s Innovation. It was Mrs. Filmore who introduced 8 cooking range into the White House kitchen and thereby raised a rebel. lion among the dismayed domestics, who were accustomed to fireplace and crane. and Dutch ovens. There was genuine glee among the below stairs residents of the mansion when after the fire was built the stove refused to draw and the President himself had to go to the Patent Office and look over the model before he could master the draughts. Mrs, Benjamin Harrison, when mis- tress of the mansion, undertook to economize by dismissing the French cook, but she got Into hot water, for the chef, who had served Lord Sack- ville West refused to leave, and M"Tm de Chambrun was called "in to settle the difficulty. But it was not & First Lady of the Land who brought down public wrath by turning the green and the red parlors of the state suite into dressing rooms, but President Arthur, who chafed more over the limitations of the White House in those days than had any of his predecessors. In High Official Circle. After all it is not so much the social qualifications that the great American public is caring about in Mrs. Hoover, for in fact only the official element of Washington will meet her in a critical ‘way—high officials and diplomats, with a few society folk from other cities. It is more to the point with the man and woman voters of the country to know what is the nature of the new President-elect’s consort. How does she size up in the bigger way— in an understanding of the world as it exists today. One of her associates in the cabinet has said that if you visit the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hoover you are likely to find ‘her on one of the porches or in her rugged garden at the back of her house. Her gecreation is in sitting in an easy chait on the wide porch overlooking the garden, knitting a baby sacque of soft yarn—something for her little granddaughter or her baby grand- son—while she studies the trees and birds or watches some little flower she has just planted in a pot of earth, or takes stock of the squirrels that are so tame that they roam over the porch as well as through the garden at will. One can vision the south front lawn of the White House a rendezcous for Girl Scouts, the organization in which she is so vitally interested. Mrs. Hoover was president of this organiza- tion and later became executive chair- man of the national board. If tradi- tion carries out, one of the first garden parties held in the President’s grounds will be an open air any for the offi- cers and members of the Girl Scouts. Mrs. Hoover never misses an oppor- tunity to wear her uniform, and when & year or two ago the Girl Scout con- vention was held in Washington she was never absent from a session, and she generously entertained the dele- gnm and members while they were ere. It is sald by officials in the Girl Scout movement in Washington that Mrs. Hoover knows hundreds of the STEAMSHIP AGENT?... Any room on the Leviathan from New York November 14? HIS is Mr. Johnso n’s secretary. He would like his usunal stateroom, if possible. You know, he always sails on the Leviathan because he likes a fast, comfortable, and above all, an American ship....You have his room? Fine. Thank you. Good-bye. United St ates Lines OPERATING THE Leviathan, George Washington, America, Republic, Pres. Harding, Pres. Roosevelt TO EUROPE 1027 Connecticut Ave, N.W. Washington Stoneleigh Court Bldg. Phone Main 7431-7432 MRS. HERBERT HQOVER. —Harris-Ewing Photo. girls by name and she is not averse to teaching them in the arts of garden- ning, using the hoe and rake with which to demonstrate her work when- ever necessary. Organizer of Kitchen Gardens. It was she who started the kitchen- s;rden movement during the World ‘ar and made & Small patch of ground 3 ly part of the family gZom during the days.of food shortage and economy. She instigated the gardens in Puwngac Par:( wund watched % inovement grow into great magnitu and become so popular that it is-only in the last year or two that garden- ing is not carried on there and in other big parks of theCapital. " Annually Mrs. Hoover_ presents the f:nutl}ez s&o{v:l ?ngges, the highest honer e of the organization, to the girls who win them. 4 It is' quite well known ‘that Mrs. Hoover will not attempt to make a great impr on the residents of the United States #,‘ social light. She man, and very few of . predecessors have been. like most of those who have held'the exalted position, cares far more for humanity at large than .in the mere tea-drinking and social-calling atmos- phere. She likes women and men: who do_things worth while in life. However, in her social Mfe she is faultless, being a generous hostess and presenting a charming hospitality that has never been exceeded in the cabinet circle in’ Washington, ‘When cabinet Wednesday came around hundreds of visitors were wel- | of that State. | structing baskets of flowers gencrflg comed beside the great open fireplaces | and at a tea table laid generously with dainties. California, her adopted State, always was represented—just as it will | be in the White House—by the rarest fruits and flowers and other products Where tall, view-ob- stand in the center of a banquet boar be it for dinner, tea or luncheon, on her table there always is a low, grace- fully shaped basket filled with luscious grapes, oranges, lemons, apples, plums and, in fact, all that the orchard pro- duces, and from the kitchen garden or farm lands golden color squashes and other bright hued products. It is probable that even the splendid Monroe gold ‘mitror, used on the White House table for banquets of State, will reflect just such”e beautiful picture as this. Has Wealth of Beautifal Things. Mrs. Hoover will have a far greater wealth of beautiful -and interesting | things with which to adorn.the pri- vate part of the White House than has any woman' before her, unless perhaps Mrs. Taft. In her. travels over the earth with Mr. Hoover 'she has ac- quired many lovely things, some of which she has purchased, while others have been presented to her by some grateful friend. That is what has made the Hoover home interesting to visitors all through their’ cabinet days here. In Mr. Hoover’s study is a splendid por- trait of the King of Belgium, suitably inscribed, and another-object is a richly carved box of dark wood, serving as a safe {’“"‘ in which to keep the won=- derfully embellished expression of grat- itude to Mr. Hoover of the Belgian people. The wording on the parchment is in Flemish, and rests on a richly embroidered pillow within the box—the needlework being that of Belgian chil- dren—the back of the pillow or cushion showing & flour sack with the big let- ters advertising the Oregon source of the product plainly visible whenever the pillow is reversed. From all around the world Mr. and Mrs. Hoover have brought such treasures, and while there is no needless bric-a-bracin their home, it is gay with reminders of their prow- ess in travel, “Tut” o Succeed “Rob Roy.” Accompanying them to the White House will be the great German police dog Tut, Who, understands and takes care of his: master just as the late Rob Roy loved and took care of Presi- dent Coolidge. There will be other dogs there, too, and cats and birds, of which there are always a number in the Hoo- ver_home. Children in the White House have furnished many pages of interesting history, and from the time Thomas Jefferson_entertained his grandchildren there up to the present time many little ones have romped through the White House, and now the little granddaugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs, Hoover, Peggy Ann, an Herbert 3d, their grandson, are to become the Nation’s pets. They are the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Clatk Hoover, jr—the former always called Pete by . his father— and are with their parents in Cam- bridge, where at Harvard the young father is completing a course in busi- ness administration.© It is for these bables that Mrs. Hoover is always knit- ting or embroidering something. ‘Allen Hoover, the younger of the two sons of former Secretary and Mrs. Hoover, is |'ingto 21, also of Stanford University, of which his parents and his brother: grad« uated. Peggy Ann has achieved the age of 3 years, while her baby brother, the king of the nursery, is 9 months old. They are pretty and wholesome. ‘The courtship of the young Hoovers, like that of his parents, started at Stan- ford, from which university they both graduated. ) Others in White House List, Beltg:t the Hoover boys there will be other interesting figures in official life here. - Mrs. Hoover's sister, Mrs, Jeau Henry Large, will continue hey Wash= ington visits. She has-often been with Mrs. Hoover for short visits and to be with her daughter, Miss Janet Large, who has been in a girls’ schoal in the Capital. Mrs. Large, however, kept house for her father in his comfortable home at Palo Alto or in the rambling white house at Monterey, Mrs, Large has ‘a Son who is preparing to enter Stanford. = Mrs. Hoover's supervision over Miss Janet Large has been so care- ful that whenever she spent the week (Continued on Page 12, Column \MI/// %;% N'S WEAR MRS. GANN T0 BE CURTIS' HOSTESS Half-Sister Will Make Home for His Family in Capital. While Senator Curtis is a master mind in the Senate, and will know ex- actly how to ide over that body, he is rather helpless when it comes to domestic affairs, and his half-sister, Mrs. Edward Everett Gann, stepped into the breach after the marriage of his daughters and the death, four years ago, of Mrs. Curtis, and assumed full control ~of her brother's domestic affairs. Not only will she be the hostess for her brother, but she will make a home for the members of his family when they come to Washington. She will lay hostess to her nieces and their gusband. and to her nephew and his wife. This part of her task is easy enough. The ition of the President’s wife is a mild proposition, soc! speaking, compared to the dutles of hostess for the Vice President. It is for those who fill the second highest ‘filue in the land also to fill the social chasm between the White House and the public. Hostess Not Exempt. Not since the days when Mrs. Monroé iclly refused to return visits have such duties fallen on the First Lady of the Land, except on rare octasions when she wished to make a call or visit some intimate. The hostess for the Vice President is not exempt in this way, and as the President and his lady are not supposed to dine outside thelr executive family, the duties of dinini out, fall entirely. upon the shoulders of the Vice President, His hostess is ex- empt only in that she does not make first calls, only returning those made upon her. l>Bc.uc whatever the duties are for the vVice President, Mrs. Edward Everett Gann, his half-sister, will know how to fulfill them. Long before the death of Mrs. Curtis she was an invalid who never left her room. To keep her in the independent position of being the head of her own home, Mrs. Gann, Who maintained & charming home of her own, went daily to the house of her brother and sister-in-law, talked over domestic affairs with Mrs. Curtis, who was a superb cook and housekeeper when in her prime, and after maki out the orders of the day, Mrs. Gann did the murketlngwlnd the day's routine for her brother's. family. The correspondence of a Senator's wife and the demands made upon her are not inconsiderable, and Mrs. Gann also filled p::‘r“ed breach, :nd mun.“cuunlg name. 8 as_patron 3 that mdpthe other in the way of Wash- spark of contact with the outer world nll)l:ht be given her. Mrs. Gann did She made her home with Senator and Mrs. Curtis until her marriage about 14 years ago, and while assisting in running the home and assisting the daughters of the family, she also acted as secretary to the Senator. Married to Officer. The elder daughter of Senator Cur- tis, Pamelia, was married to Maj. Charles P. , U. 8. A, about 14 ago and y are now at Fott gx.Ln Their elder child, Anne, is the godfather of Mr. and Mrs. Gann and in the eight or nine years of her life she has always felt that her Aunt Dolly Gann_ always presided over her destinies with powerful effect. The son of Maj. and Mrs. George, Curtis George, now six years old, is the young ntleman who Tealized the power of ance in politics and started a Curtis Club at Fort Sill, with a rushing sale of Curtis buttons to the members of the club. His mother discerned a delicacy in the matter which Curtis simply could - Sidney West (INCORPORATED) -14th and G Streets N. W, No Doubt or Dispute in OVERCOATS Tailored by MES§RS. STEIN-BLOCH n local charities that the vital|age . They are cotrectly styled in the latest precepts of authentic fashion, They are properly tailored by master craftsmen. Woolens chosen from the best looms. here and abroad. Exclusive pattern designs and color effects. A broad range of desirable models. justify their choice by men of prominence. $50 Al‘\ID’ MORE In' all, overcoats that in every way T MRS. EDWARD E. GANN, Sister of Semator Curtls. not feel, and even yet, with the election all over, he refuses to understand why he had to return the money to the club members that they or his own ‘grandfather’s cam| .buttons. He and Anne will accompany their parents here for the inauguratfon in March, and will, of course, be with Mr. and Mrs. Gann. Henry Clay Curtis, the second child of the Senator, is a lawyer and prac- tices in Chicago. He is.m: but has no children. He and Mrs. Curtis will also be here for the ceremonies March 4. The younger daughter of: Senator Curtis, Leona, who ' married Webster i | Knight, a business man of Providence, R. I, seconded her father's: nomination at the Kansas City convention. She is @ remarkably han ne - . accom~ plished girl and, like elder sister, is a college woman. She graduatéd from Wellesley and before her marriage 10 years ago was a prime favorite in con- gressional ‘society here. Mr. and Mrs. Knight have a son about 8ix years of who also bears his grandfather’s name, Charles Curtis, while sister, & year or so younger; bears t name of Constance. This family will ‘also spend considerable time in the Capital. How- ever, neither daughter would beable to relinquish her domestic -affairs to live in Washington and take the helm of their father’'s domesti¢ ship-of state. Popular. With Youth. Mr, and Mrs. Gann have no children, but are always surrounded by the young- er element of soelety. Mrs. ‘Gann, nedrly always spoken of a8 Dolly Curtis, has all the elements of ‘a great soclal hostess. She will leave & record for hospitality that will even exceed that of . Thomas Riley Marshall, of whom it is said. she never slighted a social obligation. Tall and handsome, Mrs, Gann is always well dressed, fault- & 'Was $57.50 $27.50 Attractive Odd Lamps Above we illustrate an espe- cially charming lamp of Italiaa pottery with s shade te mstch, Dulin & Martin Company 1215 F Street 1214-18 G Street “Serving [ Washington —Bachrach Photo. lessly, so, and is Very pgguhr with the congressional women. ¢ is & mem- ber of the Benate Ladies’ Lunch Club and of the Congtessional Club, devoting much time to both. After the death of her sister-in-law, Mrs. Curtis, and she had assumed the place as hostess for her: brother, she was shown all of the attentions and given all the privileges accorded the head of a Senator’s family. She made and returned calls and ex- ténded and accepted invitations in just that way. ‘Whiile Senator Curtis’ wife, formerly Annie E. Baird of Topeka, took but slight interest in politics, it not being the way of women of her time, it is different with both Mrs. Gann and the Senator’s older sister, Mrs. P. M. Colvin of Topeka, and they are both political {:;u :fl!l. l{u‘.hg‘nn h;fiubeen a lead- g figure & Repul \n_women's national heads here ever since the cam though that was not the of her political career. The only e she has missed a recep- tion, luncheon or any other kind of a Republican rally at. the headquarters was when she was campaigning out- side ‘of Washington. Just as at Provi- dence, Indianapolis and , Ohio, where she recently visited, she has awakened great enthusiasm. ¥ Champien for Brother. As she made the fun and kept spar- kling with g:od humor the women at the Kansas City convention, so she does wherever she goes, and truly she has proved a champion for her brother's cause in his entire political career. ‘The of Mr. and Mrs. Gann, the former well known lawyer here, which they have shared with Senator Curtis, is one of those delightfully informal, ar- tistic houses that are plentiful in the outskirts of the Capital. It is com- fortable and roomy and there will be ELECTION RETURNS HEARD BY WOMEN Democratic Club Has Open- House Dinner—Officials Went Home to Vote. ‘Women's National Democratic Club headquarters buzzed with activity last night when a large group of members and friends gathered for the final open house dinner at the New Hampshire avenue clubhouse. This was followed by a general gravitation toward the radio corner in the parlors on the main floor, where the group settled themselves for the evening to listen to the election re- turns. Mrs. Woodrow Wilson was absent from the circle. Being one of the few fortunates of the Washington group who has a vote, she had gone to her Virginia home to cast her ballot. Mrs. J. Borden Harriman, vice chairman of the Democratic national commttee: Mrs. Emily Newell Blair, president of the club, and other officials were off on similar_voting expeditons. Members of the National Woman's Party who had not gone home to vote were for the most part gathered at the Republican national headquarters to listen to returns. Mrs. Burnita Shelton Matthews, Miss Maude Younger and Miss Laura Berrian were among this number. the inauguration March 4. Mrs. Gann has a charming garden at the back of her house, from which one gets a splen- did view of Washington Cathedral. No one has been more interested in the planting and culture of the flowers than has Senator Curtis. His home in To- peka is noted for its well arranged and prolific_garden, over which his elder sister, Mrs, Colvin, presides in his ab- sence. While Senator Curtis is not a society man, he is very hospitable, likes to entertain his friends and interesting people, especially his colleagues in the Senate, and Mrs. Gann encourages this trait in her brother. It s no trouble for her to invite and entertain 2 dinner company, and they are always well selected and compatible. When she en- tertains a luncheon party, one is likely to find her sitting with her guests at the finish with some dainty piece of needlework in her hands. She usually designs her own dresses and hats, makes her own curtains and is such an adept with the needle that her lace pieces used for household adornment are the envy of her friends. May Go to Hotel. Knowing so well the demands that will be made upon the Vice President’s household socially and the necessity of living within ‘& convenient radius of the calling district, it is probable that durln%the official season he will main- tain the entire household at some large downtown hotel where entertaining be- comes elastic and can quickly be adapted to a com| large or small. Nothing less than a convention hall or the Auditorium could comfortably accommodate one of the crushes of an evening reception given by the Vice President. Diplomats and cabinet mem- bers have been known to pile their hats and coats on the front lawn of a Vice President’s home when unwittingly he selected a too house as an official abode. Senator Curtls is the devoted friend of Dr. James Shera Montgomery, chap- lain of the House and pastor of Me- moral Methodist Episcopal Church, at John Marshall place and C streets, and no difficulty in housing there the entire Curtis family when they come on for MARTIN Was $33.50 $16.75 An Assortment of Discounted by l/sm This lamp and shade are in. the modern manner, espes cially appropriate for in- teriors in the ‘nouvesu art style. i for over three-quarters this is the church where the Vice Presi- dent-elect and his family will worship. COMPANY Was $37.50 $25 Shade was $15—3$7.50 French Empire base in yellow and peacock blue porcelain with gold-bronze ormolu. Shade of ' parch- ment with French Empire print decoration. century” of