Evening star., 1923-07-22
Tales of We'll Known Folk
In Social and Official Life
Historical Museum Presented Warrenton by
John Barton Payne Important for Stu
dents of Virginia History.

Warrenton, that brilliant social
center of ante -bellum days and which
even under the changing social con-
ditions of today still retains a, nu-
merous and powerful patronage. for
it's athletic events. has recently been
entertaining the former Secretary of
the Interior. John Barton Payne,
at present the director of the Ma
tional Red Cross and a semi-resident
Of Washington.
Mr.. Payne comes of the historic
family of Payne identified with Fau-
quier county since the early days of
Virginia's settlement and was born
and reared in the lovely little city,
and has always recalled it as the hap
piest home of the several dozen in
various locations which he established
in later years. He has recently pre-
sided over the laying of the corner
stone of the Warrenton Library As
sociation's handsome new granite
building, which is his gift in en-
tirety, together with generous sum
for Its permanent endowment. The
directors of the library have gathered
a most valuable assortment of old let
ters and papers, together with per-
sonal souvenirs of the oldest families,
and these are to be added to the his
torical museum relative to this entire
section. As its land warrants begin
with the first half century after the
jamestown colony and it's social his
tory is written into the colonial
annals together with the famous set
tlements on the James river. Mr..
Payne's gift represents serious con-
tribution to the colonial history of
Virginia and complete one of its
through the revolutionary era down
to present time.
This former governor of the Philip
pines and for many years resident
here as member of the lower House,
Mr.. Francis Burton Harrison. has.
with Mrs. Harrison and their infant
son, returned to their home in Air
shire, Scotland, after a delightful
month at Evian-les- BaineS. Mr.. Har-
riSon has at last obtained title to this
fine Scotch estate. formerly the prop
erty of the Duke of Abercorn, and he
will reside there at least two thirds
of the year. The hunting and fish
ing preserves had 4 large stone
manor house, once the residence of
the curate of the dukely mansion,
long since sold. and this has practi
cally been rebuilt and modernized to
the last detail The library was COM
posed entirely of homilies and of con-
troversial volumes of the followers
of Calvin with those of Luther and
Melancthon. and these Mr.. Harrison
offered to several nearby clerical Ii
brarieS. but in vain. He finally made
a holocaust of the stern Puritan lit
erature and is about to remove the
splendid collection of books OF his
father, the late Francis Burton Har-
riSon, and of his mother. who was a
distinguished authoreSS and mem
Der of the historic family of Carys
on the James river. The present Mrs
Harrison. who was but eighteen when
che married the former governor
three years ago, was Miss Elizabeth
W. Wrentmore and is thoroughly i'm
bued with Scotch traditions and takes
over the burden of becoming chate-
laine of this ancient place with much
enthusiasm.
Stanislas Szukalski, the gifted
young sculptor and designer, of Chi
cago, has been invited by the Polish
government to proceed to Warsaw
and study the present conditions and
future hopes of art in Poland. He
may undertake to reconstruct the ma
tional schools of art in Warsaw, Cra-
COW and other great Polish cities.
For many years Mr.. Szukalski has
been a towering figure in the art life
of Chicago and he has fairly battled
with the most unkind fate to secure
his present enviabl position. His
ers-were exiled to Siberia and under
the late czar practically annihilated.
He. as Il young lad, escaped to the
new world and for years struggled
under stinging poverty. enfeebled
health and the bitter loneliness of the
exile. His vogue now is stupendous,
and his departure under uncertain
terms of being gone for a prolonged
period has caused CONSERVATION
among his followers. A few years
ago this gifted Pole married Miss
Helen Walker, daughter of one Of
Chicagos most prosperous business
men and a member of its pioneer
families. She is well connected in
England and on the continent and the
visit will arouse interest in the art
world not only of Poland. but of Eng
land and France: Hon. Gerald Wal
lop, the future Lord Portsmouth. is
the sculptor and his wife in his villa
on the Thames and present him to
the eminent artists about Twicken
ham and Richmond. The dowager
Countess of Dudley, formerly Miss
Amy Walker, is her cousin, and SO.
TOO, those intimates of the Prince of
Wales the Hon Gerald Leigh and
Mrs. Leigh, who was Miss Helen
Walker Goudy of Chicago.
Interior decoration Is claiming
many apostles. Miss Margaret Wilson.
oldest daughter of former president
Woodrow Wilson, being one of the
latest to enter this particular division
of art; that the newest wrinkle,
which has taken New York by storm,
is sure to spread throughout the
country. Mrs owen Freeman Roberts
of New York city, who. with Mr..
Roberts. has just returned from a two
year stay in China, may be said to
have started the craze in having spe-
Cial rooms harmOniZe with the cos
tunes of Chinese servants. The tea
room or smaller drawing room in the
Roberts house in East seth street is
filled with gold lacquered screens,
chairs and tables, and the service is
exQuksitely gold covered china in fan
tastic shapes. Imagine servant clad
in golden embroidery and brocades
in such a room with a broad
gold band across his forehead from
which strands are gathered at the
top of his head with bright red but
tons. Such is Mrs. Roberts idea of
pdding Immensely to the charms of
her tea room, and Mrs. Colgate Hoyt,
In her studio in Sutton place fol-