Show THE T IFE presidents P RESIDE NT IS NEW NEAV YEARS YE ARS RECEPTION democracy had its day under a republican administration on new years when president and mrs harding threw 0 open pen the doors of the white house to the public and shook hands with thousands of their countrymen as they passed in line hue this time honored custom was abandoned by former president wilson who always shrank from personal contact with great crowds of people the white house functions are always popular in washington but the new years reception is the only one in which everybody can join A bright newspaper reporter in describing the reception at its close used the following rather clever description the presidential hand is weary and languid tonight from tho the cordial shakes ot of cabinet officers supreme court justices congressmen diplomats oldest inhabitants of the district of columbia and just plain citizens not to speak of the extra weariness derived from frequent twi stings into the position required by the fraternal grips of the mystic shrine the knights of pythias the loyal order of moose the woodmen goodmen of the world and divers other orders charged with important and beneficent secrets it if george washington had been a joiner his arm would have been too sore to throw that silver dollar across the potomac its a wonder president harding has the strength left to pitch a horse shoe |