Evening star., 1924-01-20
Tales of We'll Known Folk
In Social and Official Life
Washington Iron-Clad Rule of Diploma attic
Precedence to Disregard Personal Rank
of Wife of British Envoy

! the time limit, though the most
strenuous OF American Chief Magis-
trates has been known to get up and
gravely bow to the company, bend
over the hand of the hostess and de-
| part before the salad was served
No President since has been quite
such a stickler for brevity in serving
dinners. though none of them have
relished the long -drawn-out affairs
which require two hours at least in
the process. In New York the Vim
! cent Astors are eliminating formaIity
! IN every manner they can. All the
Mr. Astor and daughter of Lady Rib
blesdale, have been "smalls and
earlies," dinners beginning at and
ending before $50 o'clock. followed
by dancing, and before midnight the
mansion being dark and it's inmates
snugly in bed. Mr.. and AIRS Astor
are, however, the sole followers of
this Spartan regime. but they hope
to have host of imitators next sea
son. Mrs. Coolidge is an advocate of
simple living and making the best
use of the passing hour. At her re-
cent luncheon for the Senate Women's
club she had delightful repast of
soup, cold meat, salad and an ice
posed of in an hour. apd which was
more than sufficient for the midday
meal of those who had yet to partake
OF heavy dinner.
Collectors of early American fur
nlture are becoming quite a distinc-
tive class and those who can boast
OF complete set of Duncan Phyffes
dining room equipment are more en-
wed and have more substantial
asset than those who own genuine
Windsor chairs or examples of Chip
pendale and Sherato. The authori-
ties of the Smithsonian Institution
have recently been on the look out
for early American clocks, for clock
making began in the Plymouth colony
IN the late seventeenth century and
some of those first manufacturers
like Seth Thomas. James Harrison of
aterbury. Conn. and the Willard
ErotherS of Boston, are still repre-
sented in the present industry These
first clock makers We're superb work
men. though i'll many instances they
We're compelled to import the cases
from Holland or Bavaria. since the
colonies lacked skilled wood carvers
No adequate collection of early clocks
has been nationally attempted and
students of such will watch with in
tense interest the Smithsonian coll
lection grow. Early samples of sun
dials Will be collected too. though
Emerson said that when civilized
man became the owner of a fine
watch or clock he ceased to tell time
by the sun.
Senior Tomasso Gomez. for the past
!" 60 z 'dl iiit VI ueS6 minis
ter to London, has been chosen pres
ident of the republic and was in
auGurated in Lisbon early this month.
Such an incident often befalls in
Washington. where envoys, especially
from the Latin American republics,
step from the ministerial class into
the executive chair. The Portu-
suese minister to this Capital Wis
count d Alte has been spending most
of his vacation in London and ac-
companied the new president to
Portugal. There was rumor that
the dean of ministers here might
succeed Senior Gomez in London, but
that honor has since been conferred
on the first secretary. DIR. j. A. di
BlanChi. who, like President Gomez
has been more than twelve years in
Ireat britain, and is entirely compe-
tent to take over affairs. But the
promotion of first secretary to the
rank of minister in the same capital
without an intervening term else
where is rather an unprecedented
event and marks the passing of an
other old tradition. Viscount d'Alte
has been in Washington since 1902
and there is a hint that he would
relish a change of post. Since he is
on the fr1endliest terms with the new
executive. there are PREDICTIONS that
he may be given an important cabinet
position. AS Portugal is branching out
in the commercial way. expert advice
about this country would be invalu-
able. ViScount d'Alte left Washing
ton on an extended leave of absence
la ST nd off foi