Mr. Coolidge's Week

Mr. Coolidge's Week

P: Calvin Coolidge, Honorary Moderator of the National Council of Congregational Churches, opened the Council's nine-day biennial meeting at Washington with an address (see Page 32, RELIGION). P: Dust-covered, in a grimy automobile, a Pennsylvanian drove through the streets of Washington and pulled up at the curb to ask directions. A determined-looking, agile little man, with the alert step of a New England Yankee, was walking by. "Hey, there," called the motorist, "where's the White House? Where's the Capitol?" The little man (Calvin Coolidge) appeared to be familiar with Washington geography and obligingly gave directions. "Thanks," said the motorist, waved his hand and drove on.

P: Dr. Jason Noble Pierce, of the First Congregational Church, Washington, D. C., requested his parishioners to entertain delegates to the Congregational Convention. Parishioner and Mrs. Coolidge said they could accommodate nine guests. So seven pastors and two wives were billeted upon them.

P: Callers at the White House included Charles E. Mitchell, President of the National City Bank of New York (the largest bank in the U. S.), who on leaving, assured reporters that bankers would not make private loans to countries which had not funded their War debts to the U. S.; Roald Amundsen lately returned from an airplane visit to polar regions, paying his respects, accompanied by Minister Bryn of Norway; Governor Pinchot of Pennsylvania, who requested that Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler of the Marines should have his leave of absence extended another year. (General Butler has already had two years' leave of absence for the purpose of making Philadelphia pure by acting as head of city police. In renewing General Butler's leave last year, the President indicated that this year he would have to return to his job with the Marines.)

P: Meeting at Worcester, Mass., the American Antiquarian Society celebrated the acquisition of 3,821 bound volumes, 9,755 pamphlets and 1,137 engravings, broadsides and maps, and also elected Calvin Coolidge to membership in its learned ranks. Other U. S. Presidents who have been members of the Society: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Q. Adams, Andrew Jackson, Rutherford B. Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson.

P: Ralph Beaver Strassburger of Pennsylvania dropped in to see the President and ask whether Countess Karolyi might not come to visit him at Norristown (see CABINET).

P: A delegation of southern Governors, hot from the hearings of the Ways and Means Committee, where they had recommended repeal of Federal estate taxes, dropped in at the White House to see Mr. Coolidge, who agrees with them in that respect.

P: Mrs. Coolidge received the delegates to the Congregationalist convention one morning, and that afternoon she and her husband joined in receiving "the young people" attending the convention.

P: Mrs. Coolidge took three of her house guests, two ladies and one clergyman, to a performance of the Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet Russe at the National Theatre,

P: A delegation of Negroes called at the White House and addressed Mr. Coolidge thus through th?ir spokesman: "In behalf of the 15,000 colored Congregationalists of the United States, we greet you as a fellow-Congregationalist in whom we have full confidence. . . . "Particularly do we want to thank you for that great word you spoke at Omaha, the bravest word spoken by any Executive for three-score years. It sounds like Lincoln."

P: Judson C. Welliver, former newspaper man, was installed at the White House by President Harding as "Chief Clerk." His function has been to prepare material for speeches by the President, write letters, etc. Last week he announced that he had accepted a position with the American Petroleum Institute (at a better salary). Mr. Coolidge said he was very sorry to part with Judson Welliver.