The Washington herald., 1920-04-25

very much in evidence on the side
lines. OF course. the annual con-
gress of the Daughters of the Amer
ican Revolution and also the fash
ionable weddings attracted some Of
the prominent visitors to the city,
but there were quite q few others
who came to the Capital for divers
reasons. For instance. last Sunday
Maurice Maeterlinck, the noted Bel
gian poet. and his girl wife made
flying visit here over the week
end on their way to New York to
sail for home after touring the old
U. S. A. Contrary to the general
idea. they were not guests Of the
Belgian Ambassador and Baroness
de Cartier at the embassy, although
the De Carriers did give a reception
for them last Sunday. How the
public do feel the change in Maeter-
inck since his second marriage! 1t
seems to be quite general
Gov. Frank o. Lowden. governor
of Illinois. and MrG Lowden spent
the greater part of the week here
Medil Mccormick. and were the
cause of quite a furry of enter
tanning. though Gov. Lowden said
he came here to rest. One thing
certain. he did not get a chance to
rest any. He visited the Capitol
one, day, among other things. and
enjoyed the privilege of the floor in
both houses OF Congress, where he
held informal. receptions. had
never met Mrs. Lowden before. but
found her perfectly charming, and
think that she would make q dandy
First Lady. quite irrespective of
her husbands politics. She Is to
the manner born: very aristocratic
Il might say, queenly looking.
Another interesting visitor was
Hugh WaIpole. the famous English
novelist. who was the guest of Canon
William l.. DeVries. He didn't stay
very long but while here was en-
tertained by Canon DeVries and DIR.
and Mrs. James F. Mitchell. Ca
proni. the famous Italian inventor
of aeroplanes. who was here for a
while, having come down from New
York, where he is staying at the
Ritz. has departed. He entertained
some himself and was entertained
several times, by his Ambassador
and Baroness Romano AveZzana-
An intensely interesting visitor Is
coming shOrtly-arrIved in New
York a week ago: Maj. Gen. Sir
Charles ". F. Townshend. hero of
Kut-el-Amara."" where his British
forces. we'll surrounded. held out
for several months against the
Turks. He is on a. Ave months
leave of absence and will make a
tour of the country. The Minister
of Bulgaria and Mime. Panaretof
will have as their guests this week,
the president of Roberts College
and Mrs. Gates of COnstantinople.
1t was at Roberts College. you
know. that Mr.. PanaretOff met and
wooed his bride, who is an Ameri-
can
INTERESTING ARTIST VISITOR
IS FRANCIS v. BYRON-KHUN.
But by far not the least interest
ing visitor is Francis V. Byron
Khun, musician, artist. poet, ex-
plorer, and. 1 might add, philosopher.
Though accomplished in so many
ways. he e1cels in them all. And he
is only about 81 or % years of age.
He is staying at Wardman Park
Hotel with a very Interesting party
composed of his mother. Nine.
Thirese khun. and two brothers, AL
fred II. and Francis, and the beau
Russia. But more of her later.
Francis de Byron-Khun. whose
home is IN Nice. France. but who
has never stayed longer than three
months in any one place at one time,
is closing today a charming exhibit
ton of water colOrs at the Corcoran
Art Gallery. There are about fifty
painting. all small. averaging about
eight by ten inches, and all OF
scenes of the French and Italian
Riviera. charmingly pictorial and
colorful. Some were painted at
Cannes, others at Villefranche,. still
others at Nice and Monte Carlo.
There is one showing a flower-be-
decked pergOla of the villa La Ma
pOule. which was for four months,
some years ago, occupied by Oscar
Wilde, where he wrote the last
verses of the Ballad of Reading
Gaol" before he died there. Byron
Khun has it in his mind to buy the
villa some day as a memorial to
Wilde. At any rate the former Sec
retary of State and Mrs. Robert Lam
sing who. with Ambassador Jusser-
and. also MaeteFlinck, visited the
exhibit Monday afternoon, purchased
that picture.
The Lansings are old friends OF
the KhUns, having lived near them
about ten years ago on the Riviera
during a period when Mrs. Lansing
was in poor health. When Mr..
Lansing heard that the Khuns
were in town, he Immediately sat
down and wrote to the boy telling
of his pleasure in hearing that he
was here; of the pleasant memories
80 ha
recalled and telling him that he
and Mrs Lansing would visit the
exhibit. 1 saw the note and was
Intensely interested in Mr.. Lam
kngs hapdwriting-the entire note
was in long hand. I have seen his
signature, which does not at all
resemble his handwriting; IT has
evidently been affected by signing
his name frequently in a great
hurry. His letters are almost
square in shape-all of them. and
appear to have been written with
great. care and elaboration. I tell
you, his writing made me think a
bit of the handwriting of a small
school boy penning note to the very
first lady of his fancy, using a
ruler to keep his sentences on a
straight line and having uppermost
in his thoughts the desire to have
his note look just right.
LANSING GAVE BYRON-KHUN
FIRST PAINTING LESSONS.
But it took a stranger from a
far land to tell me first something
very interesting about our own be-
loved former Secretary of State
that he is an artist of great ability.