Evening Star Newspaper, March 17, 1929, Page 93

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 17, 1929—PART 1. Eyve for Business and HERBERT HOOVER, JR,, An enthusiastic aviator, who the White House. will make real flying visits to Haris & Ewing. A new pet at the White gouse — Tut, President oo ol o Wide World Photo. taken during the recent campaign. Standing at back are HERBERT, Jr., MRS. HERBERT, Jr., and ALLAN. ‘Underwood & Underwood. BY REX COLLIER. E may be a robot when there is| work to do, but America's new President is just packed full of every-day emotions and homely traits when business ceases to| call him. | The fact that Herbert Hoover is a| glutton for work has tended to give those unacquainted with him the - | pression that he is an apathetic auto- | maton, actuated by a machinelike | brain. | He likes work, yes, but he also N!lshu“ Tecreation. | The kind of work that appeals to! him, moreover, is not that inspired by thoughts of self-aggrandizement, but by an unaffected desire to serve. One needs but to look in retrospect upon his record to satisfy himself of that. It takes more than a self-centered brain to sacrifice opportunities of wealth for opportunities of service—to forsake the heights of professional success for the sloughs of human misery left by war, famine or flood. An automaton conceivably might have achieved organization of the great relief agencies with which the name of Hoover has been identified, but cer- tainly no automaton could have breathed into them the compassion | which made of them the living organ- | isms they were | A little incident that happened dur-| ing the Mississippi flood will serve to llustrate how Mr. Hoover, by personal! example, injected the essential spirit of | human kindness into those vast or- ganizations. The mighty river was at the height | of its rampage, Scores of thousands of valley residents, driven from their homes by the rising waters, were clus- tered in makeshift refugee camps at Memphis, Natchez, Vicksburg and other concentration points. Relief funds were being doled out by the millions, and the end of the emergency was not in sight. A small group of Red Cross officials ‘was assembled around a council table to discuss the mounting problems of relief. At the head of the table sat the Presi- dent’s personal representative in the flood emergency, Secretary of Commerce Hoover. Pencil in hand, he lstened intently and made notes as one after another of the relief workers recounted their troubles. “The morale in my camp,” sald one of the conferees, “is zrnln? pretty low. The men, and even some of the women, are clamoring for tobacco. They say they can't do without it. They've had it all their lives. They'd rather do without bread. But we can't use Red Oross money, contributed for such es- sentials as food and clothing, to buy gocrehry Hoover looked up from his | a pad. “Tobacco is not a luxury to those old | folks,” he said, quietly but firmly. “Iv is as essential to them as food or| clothing. The morale of these refugees must be maintained at all costs. Let them have their tobacco.” “But, Mr. Secretary,” protested the official, “there is no appropriation for tobacco. I don’t see how we can do it. Our funds are running low, as it is. The allotments——" “Hang the allotments,” Hoover broke in, impatiently. “Give them all the tobacco they need—and charge it to me, if necessary!” They got the tobacco. oo B GJJUMAN interest stuff,” this, in! newspaper parlance. Such inci- dents as these have special appeal to the searcher after feature material for the press, because they are difficult to dig up. Hoover “human interesy stuff” is not manufactured for pub- licity purposes. Many of the best Hoover stories never have been told. They find their way into print usually when some writer stumbles upon them in conversation with persons of the I-knew-him-when ilk. ‘This does not mean that President Hoover does not enjoy & good story, nor that he does not do a little rems- niseing himself when among close Iriends. As a matter of fact, one of his keen delights is to settle back into a chair after supper, light a cigar or pipe and talk over old times with his guests ot the evening. He is an easy conversa- tionalist. It has been said there is noe a subj~ct in the world he cannot dis- cuss intelligently and readily, without special study. Finance or fishing, poli- tics or playgrounds—Mr. Hoover can more than uphold his end of the con- versation. One does not listen to a Hoover story | out of respect for him who is telling it, nor laught at it because it is polite to do so. Those who have been privileged to sit in on some of those friendly chats around the Hoover din- ner table will tell you that “the chiet” is a master entertainer. His humor one moment may plunge the whole company into unrestrained laughter, while his huskiness a moment later in recalling some war-time tragedy of life | | will startle his auditors into sympa-| ! thetic slence. | Gifted with a remarkable memory, his varied, colorful career has provided { him with a plethora of anecdotes. He never has to tell the same story twice. His early days at college, his exper:- ences in remote quarters of the globe as a mining engineer, his services as them tobacco. I've tried to explain that to them, but they won't litsen to rea- minister of. mercy in Europe during .and after the World Waw and his work in the Mississippi Valley have cram- med his brain with a seemingly inex- haustible supply of interesting recol- lections. e e e i THE recent presidential campaign added a fresh increment to this supply. Politics was a new field of ad- venture for him and it proved to be a most interesting one. There were whimsicalities attached to campaign- ing that appealed to the Hoover sense of humor, and he finds pleasure in re- flecting upon them in conversation with other veterans of the campaign. He told a few “good ones” to his van- quished opponent, Al Smith, when the latter paid him a visit in Florida some | weeks ago end he laughed with the i “Happy Warrior” over some of the lat- ter's experiences. President Hoover's ability to lay aside completely the cares of his office when it comes time to relax is a characteris- tic that has proved a boon to his health in the past, and that should stand him in good stead in the burden-laden role of President. He enters office in per- fect health, blessed with an appetite in need of restraint and favored by a happy capacity for sleep when night- time comes. He intends to step out of ths White House in the same good physical condition. If he adheres to past routine, he will be out of bed at 7 or 8 every morning and down to breakfast less than half an hour later, He has resumed his previous practice of going through some setting-up exercises before the morning meal, although it is something of an ordeal for him to do so. An expanding waistline has caused him to curb the cravings of his appetite from time to time, even to the point of passing up the intriguing dish of salted peanuts or almonds which is a mealtime weakness. For breakfast the President has a hankering for the well known ham- and-eggs combination, preceded, per- haps by half a grapefruit or a glass of orange juice. Luncheon may consist of cold sliced meats, a crispy salad, pototo chips and some cool drink like iced tea, orangeade or grape juice, or it may run to more substantial foods, such as broiled chops or a small steak, with | stewed vegetables, French fried potatoes and tea or coffee. Supper will call for turkey or chicken or roast meats, with all the trimmings. ‘The President is easy to cook for, they say. He is not finicky about his meals. He eats heartily and rapidly, often being the first one through at the | table. In additlon to his regular meals he is apt to send for an iced orangeade or fruit punch in midafternoon, espe- clally in warm weather. ‘The Hoovers rarely eat their meals alone. Nearly always there is at least one guest for luncheon or supper, and ion Sunday evening there may be as imany as four or five—all intimate | friends. The Sunday night suppers at | the White House appear destined to be- {come as famous as the Sabbath evening Prepasts at the Hoover home on § | street were during Mr. Hoover's service in the cabinet. On these occasions Mr. and Mrs. Hoover have as their informal guests of the evening their old neigh- bors on S Street Hill and other close friends. The topic of conversation may range from some current event of na- tional importance to the latest mystery novel. * kK % PEAKING of books, the President's %) library now contains a new supply of the latest detective fiction, as well as many works of biographical and travel character, Mr. Hoover enjoys relaxa- tion in an easy chair of evenings, with a newspaper, magazine or book on his lap and a smoking stand at his side. Some- times he reads himself to slr«g. He is as familiar with Albert Bev- eridge’s “Life of Lincoln” as with Fra ces Noyes Hart's “The Bellamy Trial or 8. 8. Van Dine’s “The Greene Mur- der Case.” Of course, he reads many other kinds of books, too. Usually he waits for the recommendation of some members of his family or his staff be- fore tackling a mnew book. If Mrs. Hoover or Allan or orge Akerson or Larry Richey gives W favorable report \'The New President, a Dynamo of Energy and a Machine for Work, Isa Good-Natured Man of Kind- ly Traits and Generous Char- acter Who Knows How to Combine the Qualities of Hard Toil and Hard Play Hitherto Unpublished Anecdotes—The Hoo- ver Family at Home. on the work he seldom misses rl‘ndmgl it. He regards with particular esteem Akerson’s verdicts on mystery novels. Reading and fishing are President Hoover's favorite vacation pastimes. He enjoys also an afternoon nap when a surcease from official dutles makes this possible. The reading and napping are closely allied functions, the latter fol- lowing the former with considerable regularity. So much has been written about Mr. Hoover's piscatorial proclivi- ties that little more need be said in that connection, except that fishing is virtually his only sport. He is not ad- dicted to golf or horseback riding, nor to such indoor “sports” as cards or dancing. Lieut. Comdr. Joel Boone, the White House physician, has found the Presi- dent's evasion of exercise a serious prob- lem confronting the White House health program. Mr. Hoover has no mechani- cal horse, and it is extremely doubtful that he would use one were it given him. He finds some pleasure in walk- ing, but undoubtedly will have but little opportunity to indulge in hikes in his role as President. He shares with Mrs. Hoover a fondness for quiet little strolls in secluded byways, but these unfre- quented pathways are not so numerous in Washington as they are near the Hoover home in Palo Alto. Automobile drives through the city’s parks and over Heart for Humanity Is White House Cree " The new President’s favorite sport is fishing. This photograph was Virginia and Maryland highways prob- ably will be substituted for the hikes. The President and the Pirst Lady are not what might be termed inveterate theatergoers. They derive enjoyment from a good movie or stage show, how- | ever, and undoybtedly will be seen in the local theaters from time to time. | On board the U. S. §. Maryland and the Utah during the South American trip Mr. Hoover rarely sat through the whole movie show, leaving, as a rule, after the news reels and educational | features had been run off. Mrs. Hoover usually remained for the entire per- formance. Mr. Hoover stayed to the end one evening when “Ben Hur” was shown, however. * ok ok ¥ ’I‘HE President is amused by a lively comedy, either on the screen or on the stage. It is said the favorite actors include Douglas Fairbanks and Will 1 Rogers. phonograph records by the “Two Black Crows." The radio long has held an important | place in the Hoover home. There are | expensive models in the White House {and in the Palo Alto house. They are ion much of the time when the Hoover | children are around, and their parents | like to listen to special programs of | musie, speeches, etc. Mr. Hoover's only pet is Tut, a beau- tiful police dog given him several years ago by a friend. Tut is becoming ac- customed gradually to his new sur- roundings at the White House, and is up to his old tricks again. These in- clude bringing his master the morning his chair while he reads the latest news. | Tut also is credited with ability to re- | trieve sections of the paper when a | breeze scatters them around the room, and to sit on them when they are col- lected to prevent them from blowing i away again. ‘Tut narrowly escaped having a South | American wild cat as & companion in the White House kennels, One of the Marines on the Maryland gave Mrs. Hoover an untamed tiger-striped speci- | men of the feline family, called an ocelot, which he had captured in the | mountains of Nicaragua, but its be- {havior was so disconcerting that Mrs. Hoover had to return the cat to its previous owner. She also returned a monkey which refused to behave under leash. ‘Tut is cared for by Kosta Boris, Mr. Hoover’s indispensable valet and fac totum, who has been a faithful me ber of the Hoover household since war days. Boris, a tall, pleasant-faced native of the Balkans, first came to the notice of Mr. Hoover during his relief work in Europe during and after the World War, and he has been with him ever since. Tut has to take a back seat at the White House when the Hoover grand- children are around, however. Peggy Ann and pets of 13 Executive Mansion. They are the children of Mr. and Mrs. Her- He has laughed heartily at| newspaper and then sitting cozily beside | erbert the 3d are the real | snapped off the goast of st of Florida. PEGGY ANN HOOVER, Granddaughter of the President and Mrs. Hoover. She is expected to spend considerable time at the White House. Harris & Ewing Photo. | bert Hoover, jr, and they just about run things at the White House -when they pay their grandparents a visit. President Hoover pampers these youngsters frightfully. When Peggy Ann, who is 3, and Herbert, who is all of 1 year old, tire of riding horseback on grandpa’s knee they vie with each other for possession of his papers or books or pipe. Mr. Hoover is an indul- gent grandparent, and he will chuckle merrily at the antics of the little mis- | chiefmakers. N * % % % LL of the children and grandchil- dren were at the White House dur- ing that memorable first week of oc- the older son, took time off from his new duties as radio adviser with a prominent aviation concern to witness his father's induction into the presi- dency and, with his charming young wife, stayed at the White House until {all the festivities of the period im- | mediately ensuing were over. Allan, the other son, took leave from his senior classes at Stanford to spend inaugura- tion week with his parents. .Allan is going to be an engineer, like his father. The two are great pals. Allan ac- companied his father on one of the flood rellef trips in the Mississippi yican journey. Both sons are likely to be frequent visitors at the White House during the {next four years, as are also the grand- ichildren and their mother. Allan is jathletically inclined and he will make good use of the tennis courts in the | White House grounds. He is a good iterf;ll.s player and shoots a nice game of gol |" The President is expected to make frequent use of the presidential vacht, | the Mayflower. A week end cruise on jthe lower Potomac or Chesapeake Bay will afford him a respite from the bur- dens of White House routine and give ihim a chance, perhaps, to drop a line overboard and try his luck on native trout and bass. Other week ends may be spent at the inew “Summer White House,” Mount | Weather, in the Blue Ridge Mountains {of Virginia near Bluemont. Just how much of the President’s regular vaca- {tion period will be passed at Mount Weather is problematical. It is known that Palo Alto expects the Hoovers to {return to their home on the campus of | Stanford University every Summer. Mr. yand Mrs. Hoover are deeply attached to their California home and it is possible they will continue their former practice | of going there at vacation time. Some time during the next four | years Mr. Hoover intends to make visits to Texas, Mexico, | Haitt and possibly other points far from ithe Capital. He already has promised | President Machado of Cuba that he 1will call at Havana at some convenient time in the future, and he has indicated his intention of paj his respects at several other West Indian ports. With this full m ahead of him, it is apparent that Mr. Hoover's career as President of the United States will not be devold of color nor lacking in human interest. There will be much for avariclous feature writers to expound upon, and it will not be “stunt stuff,” either. He would not kiss babies for the camera men during the heat of a polit- ical campaign, and he will not change his policies in that respect now that he_is President. The story of the Ho&er administra- cupancy by the Hoovers. Herbert, jr., | Valley and on the recent South Amer-| Cuba, Porto Rico, | ton will be interesting enough and human enough without such arti- Acialitles. | Preserved F:od 'HE taste of the American people for preserved fruits and vegetables has | suffered somewhat of a decline, or the housewife has become unduly active in :rarrylng on home preservation of food- | stuffs, figures issued by the Department | of Commerce indicate. From 1925 and | 1927 figures a loss of nearly 9 per cent |in value is indicated in this importan: industry. When it comes to dried fruits, the total output was 1,012,795.660 pounds, ‘ur nearly 10 pounds per capita, while |In the case of canned vegetables and | soups each man, woman and child counted for an average of one case | during the year. The bill for pickles, | jellies, sauces, preserves and otherwise processed fruits and vegetables totaled | $552,894,510. Canned tomatoes led all other canned products under this heading with a | total of 18,870,894 cases, while wax | beans were lowest, with only 610,037. | Altogether there were 2,136 plants en- ‘gtlgf;d in turning out this type of food- | stufr. 2 S A Salt in Furnace. A LITTLE ordinary ice cream salt will go a long ways toward solv- | ing one of the problems of the home- | owner, the problem of economically heating his home. ‘The burning of bituminous coal, which, of course, is much cheaper than anthracite, can be freed from one of its principal drawbacks, excessive soot, | by the use of a handful of salt now and then when the interior of the fur- nace becomes coated and the draft “ somewhat curtailed. | For best results with the salt, the | fire should be built up to a good heat |and then the salt thrown on. After | a few minutes the interior of the fur- ! nace will be found to have whitened | appreciably from the chemical action of the burning salt, and shortly the soot will be found to have been almost entirely removed. | Incidentally, keeping the ash pit free | from ashes to allow a maximum velocity | of air through the ash pit, and running | the fire with the slide in the coaling door open will aid materially in keeping | down the soot. N - , . | Subway Service. ! SOME idea of the speed at which the | New York subway trains are op- | erated may be obtained from the fact | that during the rush periods as many | as 30 trains an hour can be put through stations like the Grand Central or Times Square stops. That means a {train every 2 minutes, and deducting the time taken to load and unload pas- sengers, very little time is left for start- ing and stopping the trains. They are forced to come hurtling up to the stations at terrific speed and yet slow down to a stop without undue jostling of the passengers, and, having unloaded and taken on new patrons. & train must almost leap away from the station like a sprinter, to make room for the next train bearing down at the same terrific speed,