Evening Star Newspaper, December 8, 1929, Page 113

- Presidents, Senators, Di plomats, Noted Visttors, Famous Flyers, Star Athletes, Movie Actors—All ““Sign Up”™ in the Album of This South Carolina Boy. BY NELL RAY CLARKE. &€ T IS easy enough to gzt celebrities to give ycu their autographs if you can just get to them. They are nearly always agreeable and gra- cicus about .it if you can break through the crowd of people about them. Only a few are shy and hesitant.” At least that is what Edward Ernest Jordan, a Senate page, thinks about it. Former President Calvin Coolidge and all the members of his cabinet have signed up in Edward's album. So have Chief Justice Wil- liam Howard Taft and all the asscciated jus- tices of the United States Supreme Court. Ed- ward also has the autographs of every S2nator now sitting and the signatures of every other man who has sat in the upper house of Con- gress during the four years that Edward has been in Washington, including those Senators who have died and those who have retired or failed of re-election. He has the autographs of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, perhaps thirty or forty members of the House. “Jimmie” Walker’s “John Hancock,” the autograph of Ramsay Macdonald, of “Doug” Fairbanks. and Mary Pickford, of “Big Bill” Tilden and numbers of others, = - d Senator Hefflin, of Alabama, who talks abou as much as any other man in the Senate, was a little hesitant-about writing his name in Ed- ward's little book of distinguished names, and when it came to Will Rogers’ time to sign up, there wasn't a wisecrack in him. EDWARD JORDAN is a brown-haired young- ster who came to Washington from South Carolina about four years ago, when he had just turned 12 years old. During every session of Congress sincs that time he has been in the Senate to answer quitkly when a Senator on the floor beckens and do his bidding. It is easy to understand after talking with Edward just why the grest and near-great would sign their -names in an album just to please the boy. He is a self-possessed lad, although a bit shy. He is dignified, quiet-and courteous, and -he answers all questions put to him with a . polite, “Yes, ma'am,” and “No, ma'am.” He has been serving as a page in the Senate, going -to school at night and preparing himself for .his entrance to the United States Naval Acad- emy at Annapolis, to which he hopes to be -appointed. His hobby has been collecting auto- graphs. . He= has made the best of the excellent oppor- tunity he has had for meeting celebrities, for “not only is he working daily among the most distinguished Government officials in the United States, but nearly every celebrity in “the Nation at some time or other ccmes to ‘Washington and the Capitol. A celebrity‘would have a hard time escaping recognition among the alert pages of the Sen- ate. When a celebrity is recognized word is passed along and Edward grabs off an auto- graph. By thus adding from day to day and “rom year to year distinguished names to his list, he now possesses one of the most inter- eting collections of autographs in America. The boy, of course, can’t be carrying around an autograph album with him all the time dur- “ing his work, so the signatures are written on picces of paper, on cards, on Senate memo- randum pads and in pocket-sized albums when Edward happens to have one of his several small booklets in his pocket. Some of them are dated, and occasionally an individual has expressed special interest by adding a motto. “Perhaps the most interesting signature I got was the last official signature of President Coolidge—the last time he signed his name while he was President of the United States,” Edward said. Hz explained that on the last day of Con- gress at the close of his term of office the President comes to the Capitol to sign bills which have been passed at the last minute. That day is, of course, March 4. On March 4, 1929, President Coolidge arrived at the gorgeous presidential room on the north side of the Senate chamber shortly after 11 o’clock. 1In a iittle while he was joined by all the members of his cabinet. At that time it is customary for one Senate page chosen from each of the political parties to act as official pag®s of the President on that day. -Edward Jordan was chosen from the Democratic side of the Senate. The honor shown him by that choice also furnished him an ideal opportunity to get the autographs of the President and his cabinet. And so, during the dying minutes of his administration, the President wrote his name in th2 little page's autograph album. So did Andrew W. Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury, whose signature is not easy to get. Then fol- lowed Secretary Frank B. Kellogg of the State Department—the same signature that appears on the world peace pact; Dwight F. Davis Secrctary of War: Harry S. New, Postmaster General: Curtis D. Wilbur, Secretary of the Navy; Willlam M. Jardine, Secretary of Agri- culture, and the others. Attorney General John G. Sargent added his best wishes. It is rather pleasing to think that one of the last official acts of those men who had been at’ the helm of -their country during such an important period of its history was a gracious one in ‘behalf of a youngster in whos: mind and heart the memory will be treasured. Later President-elect Hoover joined President Coolidge and the cabinet in the presidential room, and Edward Jordan got Mr. Hoover's signature, too, just before he took his oath of office. ¢ Vice President Dawes, who was always a great favoritz with the Senate pages, signed his name on a page of a Senate memorandum pad for Edward’s collection. And Viece Presi- dent Curtis, while he was yet a S2nator from Kansas, inscribed his name in one of Edward's small albums. THERE is one signature which Edward re- grets that he has never got.. He looked rather wistful as he told of his disappointment. *“I have never got Lindbergh’s signature,” he said. “I have met Lindy several times when he was up here at the Capitol, but he said he didn’t have time. There are always so many people trying to talk to him and he has so many things to do.” But then the little page’s face brightened. “I have ridden with him in his airplane several times, though,” he added. But Edward has the autographs of other transatlantic aviators. Clarence Chamberlin wrote his name in Edward’s album when- he came to Washington to rececive the Distin- guished Fiying Cross following his flight across the Atlantic in 1927 in the Columbia. And so did all the aviators who came to America from Germany in the Bremen—Capt. Koehl, the late Barcn von Huenefeld and Col Fitzmaurice. “I had a hard time getting those signatures,” Edward said. “They were about the hardest of any to get. I had to go all the way to the German embassy, where they were staying, to get them to sign their names. They were here at the Capitol, but I couldn't get near them. They were glad to do it for me, but the hard part was getting to them.” “And how did you get the autographs of the justices of the United States Supreme Court?” he was asked. “Well, you see, they won't let us go in where they are, so I got one of the pages of the .Supreme Court to get the autographs for me,” he explained. Even the pages in Washington soon learn the value of reciprocity and political trading. ‘Oh, yes, ma'am, I have Speaker Longworth’'s signature. He comes over to the Senate often. I also have the autographs of some of the other Congressmen. I haven’t the signatures of all of them. There are 435 in all, I think." Rep- resentative Allard H. Gasque of South Caro- lina—he isn't here now—was a good friend of mine and he introduced me personally to a number of them and about 25 or 26 of them are my friends. I have their signatures. Most all of them are Democrats. Congressman Gasque was a Democrat,” he €aid in.explanation. “I got Ramsay Macdonald’s signature the day he was here and spoke from the floor of the Senate. He seemed very glad to do it when I asked him to. where about. I don't know that she was down here. Not on the floor, anyway.” EDWARD is a polite, well bred youngster. His four years' service as a page in the Senate has not made him speak familiarly or flippantly of the men for whom and with whom I didn't see Miss Ishbel any-' . - jflfl’. SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. DECEMBER §& 1929. S A R X - - 1% seeces sz Paging the World's Grear for Autographs Mary Pickford signed her name in one of Edward’s little albums while on a visit to Washéngton. he has worked. Nor is he awed by the great and the near-great. He has been among them for a long time—more than a fourth of his life—and he counts many of them his friends. ‘He does not talk about them easily or volubly. _He has to be drawn out. But he remembers accurately all his contacts and he is undoubt- edly storing away many pleasant recollections. He regrets that he has not kept a diary. ) “Of course, I learn a lot around here, espe- cially about civics, but there are some other things I've got to study up on. We have to retire on account of age when we reach 16. I * won't be quite 16, but I want to catch up in my classes. “Billy Sunday’s was the first signature I ever got,” Edward said, returning to the sub- ject of the interview. “That was long before I came to Washington. Billy Sunday was preaching in my home town in South Carolina. I got an autograph because all the other boys were getting one. I hadn’t thought about col- lecting autographs at the time. “Yes, ma'am, I have the autographs of all the Senators who have béen in the Senate since I've been here—and of course that means a number of men who were not re-elected or who have died.” Some of the great men paused long enough to add a motto or a bit of characteristic patter for the boy who is always at their side during their busy hours on the floor of the Senate. Senator Samuel M. Shortridge of California, whose writing Edward thinks doesn't look so much like writing as it does engraving, signed Edward Ernest Jordan, Senate page, securing the signature of Vice President Curtis while the latter was a Senator. his name and beneath added his motto, “Be just and fear not.” Burton Wheeler of Montana signed himself Edward’s friend. Leslie F. Bliffle, superin- tendent of the Senate folding room, to whom the boy has gone on thousands of errands, wishes Edward “success in all his undertakings.” Senator Royal S. Copeland of New York signs his name under the greeting “yours for health.”™ Senator Simeon D. Fess of Ohio signs his name with “compliments of your friend.” Senator “Pat” Harrisgn signed himself Pat Harrison without the quotes, as he always does. Edward now has ambassadorial signatures in those of Senator Walter E. Edge, who was re- cently appointed to the embassy in Paris, and of Ambassador Dawes. i UT by no means has he confined his collec- tion to the autographs of political figures. He has a much-prized autograph in that of “Big Bill" Tilden, America's tennis ace. Edward captured Tilden when he came to the Capitol, as he did Charlie Paddock. He remembers vividly getting the autographs of the two Great Britain automobile race drivers, Ml.f. Sir Henry Segrave and Capt. Malcolm Campbell. They, too, came to Washington and to the Capi- tol when they were in America before they made their respective historic and daring spurts of speed at Daytona Beach. R “I got ‘Jimmie’ Walker's signature the firsg year I was in Washington. He made an ad- dress on the floor of the Senate at the time. I have forgotten what it was about, but I remember him well enough,” Edward said. “Harold Lloyd came to the Capitol, too. I got his autograph at that time. He was wear- ing his horn-rimmed spectacles. And I got Will Rogers’ autograph when he was out on the Capitol Plaza making a movie. He didn’t say anything funny. He was too busy. When Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford came té Washington on a visit I got their autographs. “I have the autographs of a number of the State Governors. Especially I remember that of former Governor Angus W. McLean of North Carolina. I also have the autograph of Bishop James Cannon, jr.” 5 What an interesting time a handwriting ex- pert would have reading the characteristics of the individuals whose names are inscribed in Edward’'s albums! The signatures range all the way from the small precise writing of Secretary Mellon to the widely open-spaced writing of Vice President Curtis. Senamr(fiuy D. Goff of West Virginia writes his name in letters nearly two inches high, with big, loose loops on all the g's and f's. There is the firm, well groomed writing cf Senator Walter P, George and the small, close writing of Ame bassador Dawes. Edward has often been approached by people who would like to buy some cf the autographs he has collected. But his answer to them is: “Why don't you get them for yourself? You :f“x]t get lots of pleasure and satisfaction eut - (Copyright, 1929.)