Mr. Coolidge's Week

Callers at the White House, the usual wide variety, came and went.

P:Came a delegation of alien-born U.S. citizens, 40-odd strong, and the President read to them: "It is not very long, as History views matters, since all of us were alien to this soil. I suppose that if Methuselah . . . should drop in on our little party, he would regard us all as upstarts."

P:Came Secretary of the Navy Wilbur escorting Dr. Hugo Eckener and other ranking members of the crew of the ZR-3. The President hoped they had had a pleasant trip, recalled a telegram he had sent Dr. Eckener at Lakehurst, N.J., in which he had said: "I congratulate you ... I hope that your stay in the United States will be enjoyable and that the notable services you have rendered in bringing over this airship will be a matter of satisfaction and pride to you throughout your life."

P:Some Coolidge letters of the week: to National Commander Frank J. Irwin.of "Forget-me-not Day" (Nov. 8), endorsing that movement's re- membrance of and aid for, disabled U.S. soldiers; to Harry C. Meek, of the Uptown Lions' Club of Chicago, endorsing the observance of the third Sunday in October as Father's Day, an idea Mr. Meek originated four years ago; to Henry Ford, acknowledging Mr. Ford's withdrawal of an offer to lease Government property at Muscle Shoals, Tenn. (see Page 5) ; to Commander Marion Eppley, National Chairman of the Navy League, approving the observance of Oct. 27, the birthday of President Roosevelt, as Navy Day.

P:Early one bright morning, Mr. and Mrs. Coolidge stood on their thresh- old. Up drove automobiles, out piled twoscore laughing, talkative guests. Everyone shook hands and then Mrs. Coolidge said: "Let's go in to breakfast." Immediately the President offered his arm to a tall, deep-voiced, blonde young lady named Charlotte Greenwood and led the party into the state dining-room. Mrs. Coolidge took the arm of a dignified gentleman named Colonel Rhinelander Waldo, then spied a smiling man called Al Jolson and took his arm as well. Said she: "I want two partners for this occasion."

Soon the Executive Mansion "rang with merriment." Within three minutes the President's lips were parted, his teeth showed, his mouth opened, he laughed outright. The guests were delegates of the Coolidge Non-Partisan League, actor-folk all (except Col. Waldo), come to assure the President of their support next month and, incidentally, to gain headline publicity. Colonel Waldo, the League's head, seated at Mr. Coolidge's left, sought to be serious over the pancakes and coffee, but Mr. Coolidge was in a lighter mood. He smiled and smiled at Miss Charlotte Greenwood. He laughed and laughed at Messrs. Ed Wynn and Raymond Hitchcock, the latter of whom talked incessantly. He permitted himself to be mildly convulsed with all the rest at a story of Mr. Al Jolson's about two frogs and a turtle*

The pancakes dispatched, the coffee finished, all strolled to the White House lawn, where Mr. Hitchcock continued to talk until all the guests, and a band, burst into a new campaign song written by Mr. Jolson. The burden of this song was that it would be wise and appropriate to keep Mr. Coolidge in the Presidential chair for the reasons that: "Without a lot of fuss he did a lot for us" and "He's never asleep; still water runs deep."

Mr. Coolidge's Cabinet was waiting, so the party dispersed and said "thank you." Mr. Jolson said: "I ate everything but the sausage.

" "Does that include the doilies?" asked Mrs. Coolidge.

"No," said Mr. Jolson. "I have those in my pocket."

P:Other incidents of the week were less gay. Mr. Coolidge attended two funerals -- that of the late Senator Brandegee of Connecticut, and that of the late H.H. Kohlsaat, publisher, who had died at the home of Secretary of Commerce Hoover. He joined with and spoke to the high apostles of Methodism at the unveiling of an equestrian statue to that sect's first U.S. bishop, Francis Asbury (1745-1816). In this address the President said: "Our Government rests upon Religion."

P:Into the custody of his naval and military aides, the President gave a silver loving cup, purchased by him and presented by him as a trophy to be played for annually by football teams composed of ten enlisted men

*The story: A frog, having a headache, asked another frog to fetch aspirin. Frog No. 2 refused. A turtle volunteered. A month, two months, passed. Said Frog No. 1: "My head has ached for two months. I knew that turtle would never come back." Just then the turtle raised his head over a stone wall. Said the turtle: "Now just for that I won't go and get your aspirin at all!"