Evening star., 1924-07-19

| in crossing Asia Minor on horseback
Mr.. Imbrie had been commissioned
by the National Geographic Society
to take photographs in Persia for
the National Geographic magazine.
Mr. Imbrie told how he found
Asia Minor to be unchanged by the
centuries. The styles of women
unlike our shifting modes, seem as
| immutable as the centuries he said.
THE problem of a traveller in that
region" the speaker humorousIy re-
marked, 'is not so. much a matter
of language and supplies, but rather
how proficient he is in smoking and
drinking coffee.
The weed and the berry" he con-
tinued, must precede and accompany
any sort of business negotiations
whether it be with a humble mer-
chant or an exalted government
official"
Theye was an important change In
the styles OF mems dress, MIR. Imbrle
said. The well known fez has all
but disappeared, giving place to the
"kalpock," which is a sturdler fuzzy
wool cap without a brim Mustapha
kemal Pasha has about a hundred OF
them and the fact that he wears no
other headdress has been a factor In
the kalpock's popularity.
Mr. 1mbrie described IAngora as a
world capital with few more con-
Feniences than a village Its lead
ing hotel he compared to m.
| wagon yards of Americas frontier
days.
Practiced Law Here.
For some time after school the
young man was connected with the
Legal Aid Society of New York. an
organization providing relief for sea-
men. He later entered the practice
of law in Baltimore, and then came
10 washington, where he was for
some years, practiced law with
Howard Mccormick, now professor of
English at the Naval Academy at
Annapolis.
When the war broke out in Europe.
lmbrle Joined the American Ambu-
lance Service, an Organization of
Americans, which was later brieaded
INTO the French Army. He served
with valor at many points in France,
and went through the seige of verdun
IN 1918. Volunteering in the French
Oriental expedition. he followed the
French flag to Salonika There he
served until stricken with fever. and
was Forced to return to the United
States.
Entered Consular Service.
Feeling that he was too wsakensd
| nhySira1lv hv
enter the American Army when the
United States Joined the war Robert
lmbrie went into the consular service
and was sent to Petrograd Upon the
departure of Ambassador Francis from
the embassy there he took charge of
American affairs
Although official representative of
| this Government there, it was only with
| extreme difhculty, 1t is related by his
| friends, that 1mbrie escaped from Petro-
grad and returned again to the States.
He was appointed United States con-
sui at Viborg, Finland. 1t was his serv-
| ice at this post which is picturesoue-
| ly depicted by cartoons upon the walls
of his room here, drawn by friend
who was familiar with his difficult
problems at V1borg.
Imbrie's next assignment was to the
Allied High Commission at constan-
tinople, where he not only served his
Government with distinction, but
where he fell in love with an Amer
ican girl from Boston, Miss Catherine
Gillespie, who was engaged there in
| relief work with the Red Cross.
Married I'm Near East.
The romance, budding under orien-
tai skies. was followed by marriage
at Constantinople while the young
diplomat was on leave from Angora-
where he had been sent as special
observer Of the new Turkish regime;
him to be of able service at Lau-
same during negotiations between
the allies and the Turks. At the
conclusion of the Lausanne treaty
again, where he received the latest
and unfortunately fatal appointment
to Persia. While here he was ap-
pointed major in the United States
Army Reserves.
When he left Washington his plans
called for going to Tabriz, but the
American consul (Gottlieb) at Te-
iheran asked for temporary relief
this capacity at Teheran that the
major met his death.
Collected Rare Weapons.
One of Maj. Imbries hobbies was
Icollecting weapons, and his collection
at the 0 street home includes curious
lsharp-edged instruments from all
parts of the world. Many of them
lWere gathered on an expedition in
Africa prior to his military service
with the famous anthropologfst and
explorer, Garner. On this trip into
the Kongo the two were said to have
followed a trail deep into Africa,
(which had been penetrated only once
before, by a famous French hunter
Imbrie, his friends say, shot a fine
lcollection of big game.
For his military and diplomatic
service, Maj. Imbrie was much deco
rated and cited. A list of his medals
lfollows: French croix de guerre,
French white rose croix de guerre
French ambulance medal, French field
service medal, Verdun medal, victory
medal, the French medal of recog-
initfon for serving six months at the
lfront, the interallied Russian cross,
the Russian medal and the first Rus
sian Order Of Nobility. He wrote
book on his experience in the war,
entitled Behind the Wheel in
France"
Maj. Imbrie was member of the
University Club of this city and of
1.-THE New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church.
-,