Evening star., 1921-05-22

If some one would only take up .
windowbox crusade. what q change
would be wrought in the spring and
autumn aspect of Washington's May
fair. Lady Geddes has remarked the
absence Of window gardens all along
that broad and sunny thoroughfare
IN which the embassy is situated.
Connecticut avenue. Not relishing the.
role of fnnovator. she did not install
flower boxes in the renovated British
mansion. though she had selected
that special hue of bun in which it-
is now painted, because it lights up
SO wonderfully in the vicinity OF
climbing geranium. pink and white =
petunias and hydrangeas, the gay
and varied climbing nasturtiums and
all those other flowers which fairlX
riot in London windows from early
spring until the frost nips them. Bus
no one else had window boxes, %,
Lady Geddes reluctantly followed the
and summer seasons are firmly,
wedged into the social calendar. and
the sittings of Congress, often far
into the autumn make the Towering.
m9Ishs in Washington Wa Syte hs, as I,,~
the householders do not emulate the !,
example of Annapolis and many near
by Maryland towns and decorate the
window ledges and the entrances to
formal-looking homes.
+ Until the round figures could be
read it seemed impossible for Amer
leans to realize that the British no.
bility was selling out it's ancestors NJ
incredibly high prices and at just
as high a rate of speed. Gainsbor--
ough's Duchess of Devonshire" is now
in New York awaiting the pleasure
of the directors of the Metropolitan
Museum or the higher bid OF some
millionaire. Now. the Duke of Devon-s
shire is among the richest mobiles OF
Britain. and why he parted with this
/ treasure. seems unexplainable. But
he seems hard pressed because OF
the special taxes, and a quarter mill
lion dollars in American gold was .
| lure he could not resist. Romney's
loveliest lady on canvas. Anne de La
duchess and has gone to Chicago.
The Earl of Pembroke. has sold or
all the splendid armor which was the
principal treasure Of his castle. and
nearly all Of that has come to AnssY.
lea, too. Many Of the new mansions
in Long Island and in WestchesteS
needed just such a bit of wrought
iron or steel for the big halls. and all
the leading American architects and
artists have agents in London to
cynical British critic. says that in
return for its ancestors and its armor.
which goes back to the crusade with
Richard the Lion-Hearted, America,
is kindly sending over Bud Fisher
and other new art creations. Some
fine interior furnishings will go into
the mansion Mr.. Irwin Laughlin il
about to erect beyond Henderson
Castle. Mr.. Laughlin has recently
come from London and as he is pos
sessed of an artistic sense. he was
not loath to buy sixteenth century
carved marbles and wood which was
even older. splendid old candlesticks
and urns, especially when their own
ers were so panicky to sell.
Americans are rushing to Rome In
phenomenally large numbers. and one
of the attractions is the series Of
superb events staged from the bound
aries of Lombardy and Switzerland
to the extreme end of the bootleg on
the Mediterranean sea, in honor OF
the Dante centenary-the sixth since
the immortal Tuscan died. The cere-
monies in Rome will be in the middle
of June, and so congested are the
hotels and pensions. that already en-
terprising agents are Offering tent
accommodations on the Campaigns.
Every city in Italy plans to have
something distinctive, and as the
American ambassador-Robert Under
wood Johnson-was known long be-
fore he went to Italy as In admiref
and student of Dante. he will have .
strenuous time delivering all the ad-
dresses for which he Is scheduled,
There are hundreds Of Dante societies
in this country. one Of the largest OF
which is situated at the Catholic Unt--
yersity here, and numbers nearly All
the bishops and priests and lay scno--
lars, who study Dante habttu1lly.
and all these have commissioned dele.
gates for the ceremonies at Rome ana
N RaVenQ2.