Evening star., 1925-09-20
Tales of Well Known Folk
In Social and Official Life
Editor of London Spectator Soon to Visit
Here-Miss Cerry's Betrothal in London
Climax of Wartime Romance.
BY MARGARET Ii. DOWNING.

brilliant editor Oh isie Spectator and
author of that delightful book. The
Adventure of Livinsl. comes to Wash
ington in the course of that 10 weeks
vacation to which .le is now treating
himself and his wife. it is safe pre-
diction that he vii, receive a rousing
welcome and all the honor possible
from the corps If overseas CORE
spondents during 'he World War who
happen to be fsre. Mr.. and Mrs.
Strachey are al present in Ottowa,
where they are the guests of Gov.
Gen. and Lady Byng, old friends
since war times. and they propose to
make a leisur.ly tour of the Domin-
ion and of Newfoundland and the
countries north before coming to
Uncle Sans domain.
Newspaper men hold this versatile
and erudite editor in the highest re-
gard because of the clever way In
which he ntanaged to have them meet
the bigwi,,s of the hour in London
and thus get a passing glimpse of
what was occurring behind the scenes.
The prime minister at the time the
great war began, Mr.. Asquith, now
the Earl Of Oxford. would not hear
of receiving a delegation of newspaper
writer's: but he had no objection to
meeting .hese same people at a re-
ception at Mr.. Strachey'S, and there
iV oIS"SiOu quSSlIOIls Quitc
frankly. Mr.. Asquith, thus accus-
toned to the ordeal. soon began to-
receive certain important scribes in
his Office, and so was an old British
tradition cast to the wind. Sir Ed
ward Grey, Sir Douglas Haig Admiral
Jellicoe, Lord French, all in turn
were asked to the Strachey teas and
mingled on easy terms with the news
writer's. Afterward they proved ac-
rpSSthla whom there mead tn
them. Mrs. Strachey is as we'll known
in the world of letters as her dis
tinguished husband and she will re
ceive much social attention during
the Washington visit.
Gen. Pershing and his staff. advance
guard of the a. f. F.. landed at
Boulogne sur-Mer on June 49, 1917.
on almost the exact spot where on
August 14t 1914. Sir John French had
disembarked with the first division
OF the British army which was to aid
Belgium and France to turn back the
Teutonic hordes. On the ocean front
of this quaint little Norman city so
much history has been written that
the contemplated shaft to be erected
detailing the major events receives
an enthusiastic support. In the year
43 A. D. the Roman legions gathered
on these same sands and set sail
to conquer Britain. In 1904 Napoleon
collected a vast army for the same
purpose, design frustrated by Mel
sons victory at Trafalgar When
Gen. Pershing set foot on the quay
of Boulogne it was an epoch in that
he was the first man in full military
uniform of the United States ever to
land in Europe for the purpose of
making war.
This shaft is to be an international
monument, and on the section in
which the landing of the A. f. F. Is
to be commemorated it is proposed to
inscribe words which convey the SEN
timent that with the advent of
PerShing and his staff the United
States of America became united to
the United States of Europe
Miss Mabel Gerry's engagement to
prominent Briton, F. S. E. Drury.
son of the late Archdeacon Archibald
Drury, for many years chaplain of
the House of Commons, has awaken
ed the keenest interest on both sides
eral seasons maintained her own
establishment in the Eritish capital
and was a leader in the Anglo-Amer-
ican circle, especially where the ac-
tivities touched on philanthropy. 1t
was in Miss Gerry's home in st.
James place that the American Home
for British War Orphans. >as estab-
lished while it was seer<i.sS perma-
nent quarters, and it was in that in
stitution that she met Mrs. Arthur
Coke. widowed daughter of Mr..
Drury. The Hon. Arthur Coke. who
was the younger brother of the late
Earl of Leicester, was killed before
Tyres. and his widow has since de-
voted herself to works of mercy. The
romance began under these serious
conditions but ripened in the proper
way. Like all of her family. Miss
Gerry Is true to the traditions of the
older gentry of New York. and spends
more time in charitable works than
in social pleasure. She is the young
est of the five children of Commodore
Eldridge Gerry and his late wife, who
was Louisa NJ. Livingston. daughter
OF Mr.. and Mrs. Robert J. Livingston
Of New York City. The bride pros
pective's brother, Peter Goelet Gerry.
is United States Senator from Rhode
Island, and her elder sister, Miss An
gelica Gerry. is recognized leader
of the more stately and intellectual
circle of New York City. The oldest
of the family is Robert Livingston
Gerry. whose wife was Miss Cornelia
Hartman. and whose home is at
Aknusti. Delphi, New York. Commo-
dore Eldridge Gerry. who is the
grandson and namesake of the signer
and afterwards Vice President of the
United States, maintains q handsome
home in Newport-Seaverge, Bellevue
avenue-and it is probable that the
marriage of his daughter and Mr.
Drury will take place there in Oc-
tober.
No books of memoirs published this
season will have a wider appeal for
Washington people than that just
issued from the pen of Elihu Root,
and which he calls Men and Poll
cies." Few are in a better position
to discuss the makers of policies in
the past so years than this versatile
and brilliant statesman and lawyer
The Is years and more that Wash
ington knew Mr.. ReS as a member
of President AIcKinley's cabinet make
absorbing reading. 1t will be remem-
bered that his service of Secretary of
Wax for Mckinley lapsed into Roose-
vets assumption of the reins of gov
ernment. That stormy period which
followed the Spanish American War.
with the rival claims of generals and
admirals and lesser military chieftains
which resulted in courts of inquiry,
are all luminously treated in, his. me-
moirs. After the death of John Hay
Mr.. Root was for a few years Secre-
tary Of State, and it was in this posi-
ton that he made his memorable
voyages to South America and made
such stanch friends of the Latins.
He was elected to the Senate while
premier of the Roosevelt cabinet and
remained in Washington in that role
from 1909 until 1915, and at frequent
. intervals ever since.
Mr.. and Mrs. Robert P. Skinner,
fo,- ca ,,oo,v yoarc roSidcnfc af an