Evening star., 1924-07-13
BY MARGARET h. DOWNING.

noNN NtNS.
King George of Great Britain. i,
investing Mrs. Whitelaw Reid witt
the jeweled order of St. John G
Jerusalem. paid homage to the pc
sonat. merits of this diStinguishe
American woman during a long re-
dence in his country, as the wife
the ambassador and in recent year
as private citizen. The king invited
Mrs. Reid to Windsor June "a. TIL.
feast of st. John, and conducted tbs
ceremony himself in the beautiful ole
chapel of the palace, the scene of sc
many historic events in the bestowal
of orders of chivalry. st. John of
Jerusalem is the most ancient of the
several decorations founded by the
Knights of St John. the celebrated
hospitalers of the holy city, and orig
inally it had to be conferred on the
sacred spot where, tradition says. the
Redeemer presided over the last sup
per, In $40 Charlemagne erected the
hospital in which the knights for
centuries ministered to the needs of
King George, since his country as
sumed dominion over the former do
main of the sultan in Palestine. has
revived the order of St. John of Jeru-
salem and has bestowed it on a few
exceptional women who rendered sig
nal aid to the allies during the world
war Mrs. Reid was the indefatigabie
henefactor of the American and Brit
iSh Red Cross and the founder and
continuous benefactor of hospitals
and rest houses for the invalided SOL
diers, and for many years previous
she had assisted all the worthy
charities of London, wherein were
fxx-in nd he ntr,t int re nf q n w
country and Great Britain. Follow
ing her usual program. Mrs. Reid.
after passing the spring and early
summer in London, will come to this
country about the end of July and
60 to her camp in the Adirondacks.
The Secretary of State. who with
Hrs. Hughes, has sailed for d vacation
IN London and on the continent,
,'sosed his desk in the happy frame of
mind that in the financial sense his
department ranks 100 per cent pro-
ductively. So swift and continuous
is the stream of tourists passing over
their $40 for a passport that for the
past three months about $4,000 is
what the clerks in charge enter each
working day on their books, certainly
sum to make Henry Ford or John
D. Rockefeller take notice and to
result in making Uncle Sans foreign
Office one of the most opulent con-
Germs in the world. There are COM
nlalnIS very pllltT anu ptl SlStSlie |
that this rich government continues
to hold to these onerouS regulations
and threats that if some party does
not take notice there might be reac-
tion somewhere. Not alone is the
protest against the so for d passport
and the same fee required at the
landing place of every country in
Europe and the east and OF crossing
the frontier of every inland country
but there are the most irritating de-
mands from the customs people about
the jewelry. wearing apparel and
other personal possessions which
once out of the domain cannot get
into it again unless these are met.
every one who takes out jeweiry-
and what woman desires to go to
Europe even briefly without her
bravest adornments-or a surplus
amount Of raiment of furS or kodakS or
x list ward long. must enter them under
oaln at the nearest custom house and
guard this statement during the absence
With as much care as the letters OF
credit or travellers checks. AS Washing
ton has furnished large quota or those
bound for the older world there nave
been gay scenes about the custom house
in Georgetown. for the only part of the
greatness which clings to the mother
city of the American Capital is that 1t
still boasts of controlling its port
While Miss Elizabeth Marbury has
been bearing the burden and excite
n6nC acting rs plHCldl IoSteoS "
the tempeStuous Democratic conven-
tion in New York City. her intimate
friend and co-owner of the lovely
chateau in Versailles. Miss Elsie de
Wolfe has been entertaining dis
ringuished guests all through June
and to mid-July. This estate. which
has figured in literature almost as
much under it's American chatelalnes
as during the Bourbon regime, IS
known as Villa ST. Antoine. sitting
fro ct
Of the same name just where it turns
into that magnificent shaded avenue
which leads to the palace. 1t is just
now a paradise of flowers and YER
dure and it's inner garden with a
fountain always tinkling has seen
many the festive gathering this pres
ent summer. Miss de Wolfe has been
entertaining Mr. and Mrs. John +. A.
Cecil. for the mother of the latter
Mrs. George w. Vanderbilt, is one of
her most intimate friends. The Cecils
were her house guests for week end
and, following the French custom, the
grand dining on Sunday evening was
the chief feature of the visit. A
sprinkling of American and British
guests was logical selection and
these included the Marquis and Mar
auise de Polignc, the latter mem
ber of the Eustis family; Mr.. and
Mrs. Cole Porter, the former a dis
tinguished American musical COM
luStrious painter Baskt, Nine. de
Sincay and the Count and Countess
de jane Mr.. and Mrs. Cecil passed
about month in Paris and its en-
virons and are now in England,
where they will remain until the
end of August.
Gen. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt,
who were in California for some
weeks visiting the young Cornelius
Vanderbilt family. are the latest ad-
ditions to the Vanderbilt clan now
domiciled for the summer and early
autumn in London. They have re-
Gently taken years lease on Spen-
Ger House, a splendid mansion over
looking Green Park and contiguous
to the long, open stretch which be-
gins with Hyde and Kensington
Parks Miss Grace Vanderbilt has be-
come quite addicted to London life
and is seen on Rotten Row every
day. Naturally, the return of the
family for another extended term in
London. and the presence of Lord Ivor
Churchill, younger son of the Duke
Of Marlborough and his former wife.
Consuelo Vanderbilt, revive the rumor
of a coming betrothal. Mrs. George
w. Vanderbilt has an apartment at
Claridge's until September, and Mrs.