FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



of age. We spoke of the charming ItaUan and English officers 

 whom he had met recently (he speaks Italian and Russian). 

 I told him that I had met a number of these men in little 

 groups at the Club, and together we hatched out a plan to 

 bring them all together at an informal reception with the ambas- 

 sadors of the different allied countries. Invitations were sent 

 out at our suggestion by the Board of Management of the Club 

 on the 29th of October (the last of the wet Monday nights in 

 Washington under the provisions of the then new Prohibition 

 Act, which went into effect November ist). The different allied 

 ambassadors had been invited to bring with them their Embassy 

 staffs, and all of the expert officers and members of commis- 

 sions in town. 



The reception was largely attended. Perhaps two hundred 

 members of the Club were there, and possibly a hundred of the 

 Allies, together with other guests holding cards. The officers 

 wore their medals and decorations, and it was as brilliant a 

 reception as I have beheld since the Court reception in Vienna 

 in 1907. But only one of the ambassadors was there, and that 

 was Sato of Japan. Spring-Rice, of Great Britain, had gone to 

 Canada to attend a wedding, the Italian ambassador was sick, 

 and Jusserand had another pressing engagement. But a number 

 of the attaches were present, and there were many military men, 

 representing Italy, France, Russia, and England. 



It had been a question of some doubt in my mind as to 

 whether any of the German-American members of the Club 

 would turn up. As a matter of fact, I saw only one of them 

 there, Professor Schmidt, of the Congressional Library, a very 

 pleasant man, and probably a pro-Ally. I don't know. 



The house committee had provided a very good buffet supper, 

 with plenty of strong rum punch, and, after a litde initial stiff- 

 ness, things warmed up, and the crowd stayed in animated talk 



[264] 



