The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-10-07
BY MARGARET MASON.


Down in "B. A."
Out to the races,
on to the play;
On with the dance.
Down with the te'.
Those who are strait-laced
Best stay away.
n UDNOS AIRES. Oct. 7.-Down
here In the Argentine they re-
member the Sabbath Day and keep
IL wholly for pleasure. In the early
morning It Is true the women 20 to
mass, but the masses go to make merry
or motor every fine Sunday morning at
Palermo, the big city park Of Buenos
Aires. Then home for an elaborate
luncheon Of many courses, which is
called breakfast here. In the afternoon
TO dash OF to the races OF a boxing
match IL the racy or striking thing to
do, topped on with a cup Of "te" and a
dance or two at the Plaza After a late
and lengthy dinner there Is always
grand d. opera y, r or the theater 30 endeth
No wonder some Of the papers are too
exhausted to get out a Monday edition
and the art museum hasn't the strength
to open It's doors. When you do pry
;however, you feel there is not much iosS
to art by Its Monday closing.
At present there In q modernest exhi-
billion of the works of zito Cittadinl IN
an annex Of the museum. New York,
am sure. would go quite mad about
appreciate him.
One tasty little bit Of his, conservat-
lively dubbed "a Study" seems a hectic
and sanguinary portrayal OF an infiamed
tonsil Several small canvases, how
ever. OF sea and rocks In gorgeous scoi-
oring look. at safe distance, strangely
ike what they are intended for.
Not Long On Art.
Art may be long. but Buenos Aires
isn't exactly long on art. That Is art as
combined to painting.
Achitecturally. Buenos Aires ranks
we'll and as to its monuments and
groups or statuary. they put those
sculpedmonstro stiles In most OF our
North American cities, especially New
York. to shame. To be sure, like every
thing else In Buenos Aires, whether II
be TO eat. to drink. or wear. the sculp-
tured art Is imported, but even so good
taste has been shown in its selection.
The numerous imposing and beautiful
monuments commemorative of historical
events and Argentine heroes and the
many rarely lovely marble nudes in the
draperies OF our SNUG North American
ultra-squeamishness will undoubtedly
do much to stimulate the native art to
a higher level In the coming generation.
The Avenida de Mayo; SO startlingly
one end by the beautiful and stately
capitol and at the other by the presi-
Dental palace. An atrocious coat of
old rose paint has earned for this lat
ter edifice the name of the Rose palace.
It's more fitting sobriquet would be the
Pink Palace for Pale Presidents" Just
adjacent. the cathedral in the impress
sive style OF an old Greek temple. IL also
hopelessly ruined by a coat OF dread
nAnRht ha u
after the paint pots Is beyond me.
At the shrine OF musical art, the ele-
CANT Colon Theater, where grand opera
Is adequately and artistically presented.
all Buenos Aires nightly does devo-
ton.
Women Exquisite At Opera.
Here the Argentine woman comes into
her own and In exquisite evening attire
she sits for the nonce in regal equality
with her lord and husband. Not only to
the strains Of Leoncavallo, Puccini and
respond. He sways 'as rapturously to
the syncopation OF North American
ragtime as II Is mangled by every ubiqui-
tous hotel and restaurant orchestra
however; Buenos Aires has remained
unmoved.
This undraped nymph of Terpsichore.
Injured to the cold and drafts OF many
retire shivering before. the blighting
frost of her reception here.
And while on the subject OF the
dance let me off Immediately with this
Idea. The real Argentine tango ia
danced only by the primitive and ele-
mental natives outside or in the low
dance halls and dives within the city.
No cultured Argentine lady or gentle
man could or would do this dance in its
true elemental state. The Argentine
tango that we know was evolved In
Paris and owes little save it's title to
the original native dance. Because OF
the associations Of the name when the
dance was first introduced down mere
, the smart set were very loathe to take
II up, and even at its's height 1t was
danced but mildly In British America In
comparison with it's vogue In Paris and
the United States.
So here's where your long cherished
delusion. anent the Argentine tango
goes bang o.