Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-25
Finance and
Frivolity at
Capital
Arts Club at Washington
Plans Great Carlton
For the u. S.
Bee Bureau.
Washington, Jan. "a.
TINANCE and frivolity have gone
at a merry clip throughout the

n at merry clip throughout the
= week; debated all day at the
an-American Financial congress
and frolicked nights at one brilliant
function after another. The con-
gress has brought to Washington
many men of mark from many coun-
tries, Costa Rica being the only one
of the 20 countries of South and
Central America not represented,
this exception being due to our not
having recognized the presen, gov E
eminent there. q
The reception for the delegates in
the new Cuban legation on Thurs
day was most brilliant, an added in-
terest beng that this was the first
affair given in the new official home
in Washington of the sunshine
island republic off our southern
coast. DR.. and Nine. Cospedes, in
the half dozen years they have rep
resented Cuba here, havc won for
themselves distinguished following,
without as we'll as within the diplo-
matte circle. The Peruvian ambas-
sador and Nine. Pizct, the minister
from Uruguay and Nine. Varela and
many others entertained for the
delegates, with trips to Mount Ner-
non and a day Indianapolis to make
the week memorable and complete.
The Secretary of State and Mrs.
Lansing had a reception in their
honor on Thursday and Mrs. Lam
sing gave luncheon for the women
on Friday.
Miss Margaret Wilson is always
up aud doing and in the doing is :
most useful, progressive and at
tractive personality. She has had
a very busy week and one OF the
most encouraging signs of the pres,
ident's gradual Improvement was
evidenced by the afternoon tea Miss
Margaret gave in the White House
on Tuesday. 1t was for the presi-
dents OF the civic centers Of the
district, a work in which Miss Will
SON has been of much service and
distinct success. 1t was through
her efforts that the public school
buildings of Washington were
placed at the disposal of the big
community chorus and similar. or
ganizations. The tea was the FIRST
affair to which guests have been in-l
yited to the White House since the
president was first taken i'll. Mrs.
Wilson, too, has been able to get
out in the afternoons, during the
week, to the matinee and for. :
breath of fresh air, further gratify-
ing proof that the president is at
least on the improve.
Arts Club.
The Arts club, the members of
which are musicians, painters,
sculptors and writers, and whose
president is Henry K. Bush-Brown,
has sent forth letter to the rnusi-
cal people of the country, and 9TH
ers, to interest them in establishing
a national peace carlton in the city
of Washington. Each state is to
have its own bell and it is hoped
thus to give the memorial the truly
national character it should have.
In Client, fine carlton of 81 bells
rang out on Christmas eve 1914,
when the, treaty of peace between
Great Britain and the United States
was signed and, but for the outbreak
of the great war, these same bells
would, in 1914, have celebrated the
completion of 100 years of unbroken
peace between the two great Eng
lsh speaking nations.
In the Low countries, bordering
on the North sea, especially in Bel
gum and Holland, tower music has
reached its highest development.
Here, the carlton, composed of SO,
40 or more bells, takes the place OF
chimes, with a marvellous improve
ment in the quality of the music.
Chimes are composed of a few
bells, rung by swinging and have Z
narrow musical range, so that not
many tunes can be played upon
them. The bells of carlton are
chromatic, are tuned TO harnionize,
have range of four octaves or
more, and, consequently, have al
most as many tones and half tones
as piano. Carlton playing in the
Low countries is an honored pro-
fession, having its Bauers and Pad
erewskis, muster bell players, known
everywhere and able to sway null
titude with concord of sweet
sounds.
Those who have heard the music
of the bells of Antwerp or Bruges,
of Client or Termonds or Louvain,
filling the air with its sweet tremor,
drifting over a whole Getty and far
into the quiet countryside, do not
need to be told how wonderful it
is, when a master player is at the
keyboard
For centuries, the bell towers Of
Belgium and Holland have stood
for the communal life and service,
civil and religious liberty, individual
and national freedom.
In the old days they rang out the
duke of Alva and his minions, ID
Napoleonic days they were rally
ing points of civic liberty, and in
every great national festivity or
crisis, they have cheered and heart
ened thousands.
| AS result of the great war many
of the Belgian bell towers are now
sorrowful ruins, but they called 1
brave people to the defense of theft
land, and some of the master bell
| men played sweet, defiant music until
| the Germans were at the very gates.
The stolen bells will be returned
| and the towers rebuilt, let US hope,
| but meanwhile there is silence in
| the land. In our own country we
have never had anything corre-
spending to the Belgian and Dutch
Y carillons. At the best our towers.
/ have had only fine chimes composed
: OF a few bells.