The New York herald., 1921-11-21
LOOKING IN
on the conference
Conferees Resort to Poker TERMS Hughes Standing
Pat and Calling Any Raise-Balfour's Phiosoph-
ical Melancholy Cover for His Wit.

woman's contribution to the success of
the conference. This is due not alone
TO the valuable work being done on COM
mittees by Mrs. Eleanor Franklin Egan
and her associates, but to the definite
uplift of women's influence. The con-
ference has an ear turned to the women
of the world. aware of what Macaulay
called 1.-The sweeter sound OF woman's
praise" Cato an old fuss budget. said
that he most repented OF three things.
one being that he had trusted secret to
woman. Correspondents know that
women here are keeping secrets better
than the men.
Women suggest bobbed hair and short
skirts. Let us have the pleasure of as
surfing girls that have submitted to the
scissors that some OF the most intelligent
and forceful women connected with the
conference proceedings have done like
wise and are glad Of 1t. One. whose
hair is almost snow white and mar
vellously attractive, over fresh face. on
whom so years or so have left little
marks, says to this writer: "Oh, the
blessed relief of not having to do ones
hair three or four times day. and to
be emancipated from hairpins" For
eign women. French notably. are wear
ing skirts to their shoe tops.
Get hack to the peacemakers them
selves. Lord Lee of F'areham. for ex-
ample, He is no stranger in Wash
ington, having been here as an attHc''
In Sir Julian Pauncefote's time. b.
over. he was close and almost rev
erentially admiring friend of the late
President Roosevelt. They exchanged
letters every week or so (Roosevelts
correspondence was astounding, and
Lord Lee possesses remarkable collec-
ton Of letters revealing Col. Roose-
velt's points OF view and impressions OF
men and events. In the early part OF
the war he helped Lloyd George make
a no of II with munitions. became Food
Controller with much credit to himself,
entered the Cabinet as Minister of Agri-
culture and is now First Lord Of the
Admiralty.
Lord Lee owned in Buckinghamshire
an ancient and beautiful house once oc-
cupied by the daughter of Oliver Crom-
we'll. 1t dates back to the fifteenth CEN
tury. and is full Of wonderful old pic
lures and furniture and of historical OBJ
1ects very precious to antiquarians. Ten
wears ago workmen engaged In demol-
ishing a wall came suddenly upon
death mask of the old Lord Protector.
Lord Lee presented this house with con-
tents to the British nation. and Lloyd
George. as head of the Government,
occupies 1t now.
Flags, laughing at every jest the
breeze whispers, ornament the housetops
and are a source Of endless interest to
visitors. Perhaps the sequence of their
orderly arrangements Is not familiar to
all that admire the swapping colors OF the
nine nations comforting. There Is a set
and precise order employed, something
like the correct seating OF dinner guests,
nothing haphazard. America, the hostess,
is in the centre. with two of the major
allied Powers to the right and two upon
the left The other four nations invited
by special interest are disposed of alpha
betically-Belgium to the one side, China
to the other, with the Netherlands and
Portugal at the extreme ends because OF
the accident Of the alphabet.
Flags, like maps, are interesting.
Lafayette Is supposed to have originated
the French tricolor, adding the white OF
the Bourbons to the immemorial blue and
red of the city OF Paris. Napoleon Sc
lected the green. white and red OF Italy's
flag. Hollands Is the same that flew
over the doughty ships of Van Tromp
and De Reuter-. What do the five bars
Of red, yellow, blue, white and black
Of the Chinese flag stand for? That. Of
course, is the big puzzle Of the confer
ence. In theory they stand for China,
Manchuria, Mongolia, Tibet and Turke-
stan. 1t may interest Irishmen to know
that the harp was once in the British
flag. put there by Cromwell. Charles H..
batting all OF Crombelrs acts. took 1t out.
Prediction rules that the conference
will continue to be as sociable as bas-
ket of kittens. with no real discord in
the celestial melody.