The Washington herald., 1915-08-09

who was forced to leave his country
| last December, has been spending sew
eral months in the United States. max
ing a study of business and shipping
! conditions here in the hope of turn
| ing the knowledge to advantage when
| the war ends. When seen at the Hotel
McAlpin yesterday. just prior to taking
the st. Louis" for his return passage
to England, he laughed heartily over
the story related in the newspapers
which told of a hundred or more of his
countrymen who had entered in a bicy-
Gle race near the border of Holland,
and instead of stopping at the finish
line. continued on into the neutral
country and freedom, right before the
astonished eyes of the German soldiers
and officers who were experimenting g
the race.
IF the tale is true" said Mr.. votion,
lit is typical of the Belgian, both in
humor and devotion to his purpose. II
there is one thing we like il is a
wholesale joke or hoax of this kind;
one in which a whole village or coun-
tryside participates. and l can picture
the men preparing diligently for the
race, assisted by the whole population
of the town who were in the joke, but
would never even so much as smile in
anticipation. Many a wheel must have
been borrowed. and as literally offerd,
and the German disposition played
upon to the limit in the preparation
for the race. More than the joke.
though. 1t proves the deep patriotism
of our people, who though subdued al
most numberless times in past CEN
tures. can never be conquered. That
is the one point Germany has failed
10 study in her abominable invasion.
and it will eventually mean her utter
failure in this world war"
Mr.. Votion has two sons in the war,
Vivian, aged II, prisoner in Ger
many, who was captured twice when
with the Grenadiers. Belgium's crack
regiment At Arras he was taken and
."r"d to escape with some of his
comrades, but later was taken by a
ruse when a body of Germans advancs
ed with hands upraised in token of
surrender. but were masking a body
of well-armed soldiers, who made the
Belgians prisoners. A younger SON,
Jack. Il, was too young to Join
the Belgians. and is with the British
Colors in France.
Arrivals at the McAlpin on Saturday
included: NJ. l.. Healey. Cedar Rapids.
Iowa: G. w. Metcalfe. kennett. Cal:
Mr. and Mrs. II. L. NJ. Waller. Toronto.
Ontario: Mrs l.. B. Livingston. Column
bus Ohio. and Mr. and Mrs. G. II. Bliss.
y Northampton, Mass.
Ernest Hussar. the young Hungarian
orchestra director Of the McAlpin roof
garden. has a little canary called
'Blinkie" which has learned to accom-
pany him in his violin practice. The
singer is about year old, Hussar hav-
ing received It as a gift from a musician
half a wear ago. when the latter reached
this country from his home in Poland.
from which he was forced by the war.
It was not until three months ago that
Rlnkie would utter a note. and then
only when Hussar played on his violin.
so the young musician often played to
the canary I'm his room at the McAlpin.
Little Blinkie showed a preference for
the Hungarian melodies and now he has
learned to follow the strain and has be-
come very proficient in this number.
The feature of next Wednesdays cot
tagers' dinner-dance at the Trouville at
Long Beach. will be the appearance Of
Alfred lima, the Arabian barytone. who
will sing several selections. He will be
in his native Arabian costume. Miss
Amparito Farrar, soprano, who sings
each evening on the McAlpin roof in tho
blue bird room and the summer garden.
will also sing several operatic and popu.
lar selections at the dnner-dance.