Evening star., 1925-08-09
Tales of Well Known Folk
In Social and Official Life
ats Are Center of Group of Friends at Murray
Buy Home-Herr Bryn Holds Enviable
t. Place in Dip lomatic Corps

The Chief Justice and Mrs. Taft are
the center of group of Washington
and Cincinnati friends in their Muir
ray Bay home, and the head of the
judiciary has been deriving the ut
most enjoyment as well as needful ex-
ercise in taking some of the visitors to
his villa over the new golf course. de-
signed by the architect Herbert
Strong, and which lies most pictur-
esquely between the high hills and the
valley of the st. Lawrence River
Mrs. Taft has been engaged in musi-
cal affairs, and has made frequent
visits to Quebec and to the new hotel,
Manor Richelieu. which was erected
on the ruins of the historic hostelry
of the same name destroyed by fire
six years ago. Mr.. Charles p. Taft
and his family have joined their kin
dred in the Murray Bay section, and
the younger son of the Chief Justice,
Charles p. Taft. I'd, and his wife and
youngsters are also in residence near
by. Others in the intimate circle Of
the three Taft families-for Henry
Taft is also on the st. Lawrence-are
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles j. Livingood Of
Cincinnati and Mr.. and Mrs. Herbert
S. Houston of New York City. Sir
Charles and Lady Fitzpatrick have re-
Gently taken possession Of their villa
near the Taft group of homes, and so
too have Sir Arthur and Lady Harris.
These denizens of Ottowa have for
years been neighbors of the Chief JUS
tice and among his most valued
friends. Sir Charles Fitzpatrick is
perennially named as the Minister
Plenipotentiary, which the Dominion
plans to send to Washington.
Herr Helmer H. Bryn, who has been
the envoy from Norway for Is years.
is among the best liked and most ap-
proachable members of the diplomatic
corps, and a reflex of his personality
is that never before in the history of
transatlantic travel have so many
Americans journeyed to the land of
the midnight sun. Part of the duty
of a minister abroad, under the inter-
probation of the new diplomacy, Is to
make friends for his country and to
induce foreigners to journey thereto
The Norwegian diplomat has followed
this dictum most accurately, though
in the easiest and least obvious man.
ner. Norway makes everything just
as simple as possible for those who
land on her shores. She does not
charge the usual fee for disembark-
ing, nor would she ask passport
from any American. The State De
partment however, insists on this,
and charges a round SO for 1t. Rail
road travel and hotel rates in Norway
and in Sweden and Denmark also are
according to pre-War terms, ana IulI
value is given for cash charged. All
of which should be a valuable lesson
about the advantages of not going 10
war, since none Of the scandinavian
countries were drained of their re-
sources as were the nations engaged
in the world hostilities. No one who
visits Norway or her sister countries
has anything but praise of the food
served there, save those tempted by
the toothsome way the native COOK
prepares dishes with such lavish use
of cream and butter. These take on
flesh alarmingly within few weeks
and must watch themselves faithfully
or else depart at once Tor the coull
tries where culinary economy relsns:
Representative Martin L. Davey OF
Ohio. who, though a member from
Ohio for the past 8 years, remains
at the head of the unique firm found
ed by his father, the late John DaVey,
and which is known as the DaVey
Tree Experts, has just rendered an
estimate to the City of New York to
treat and restore the trees or Cen
tral Park. 1t will cost the big city
good 100000. This is staggering
sum, but Central Park is large
place and contains many trees, and,
according to the Davey experts, they
have been woefully neglected for 20
years past and nearly all require
heroic and patient treatment in the
way of pruning, feeding and other
wise restoring Mr. Davey explains
that a little precautfon used in the
past would have prevented Such an
enormous bill in the present, but that
with few exceptions the handsomer
and older trees are past the stage or
being brought back to their pristine
strength and beauty. The Park Com
mission has made a wry face, but or
dered the work begun as soon as pos
sible. which, of course, will be for
the hard wood varieties in the late
Autumn when the sap has run down
the trunk to the roots. The DaVey
Tree Experts are also to make
wide survey of the shade trees along
the streets and in smaller wooded
spots of the city and to undertake
the restoration of those which show
that such treatment Will restore
them.
Mr.. John r. Thompson OF Chicago
has d worldwide reputation as an art
connoisseur and to be invited to ex-
anime his treasures is an honor con-
ferred only on the most worthy. Art
for it's own sake and also for its as
sociation is Mr.. Thompson's creed
For instance, during his travels IN
Belgium and France, some % years
ago, he noted in d famous collection
a wonderful tapestry, which the weav-
er had signed and dated. something
rare in those days. but a circumstance
which was established by many docu
ments. The date was October u, 1892,
and the Chicago merchant became OBJ
sesSed with the idea of obtaining this
beautiful weaving, a forest scene in
the shaded browns, green's and yel-
lows. with just hint of crimson in
the western sun through the trees. as
much for it's historic significance to
any deniZen of the western world as
for it's artistic value. 1t required 90
years of patient effort before he was
able to hang this wall covering in his
famous corridor, where the only gen.
uine Ispahan rug in existence. save
that owned by the King of Spain, has
been laid. Mr.. Thompson is revered
throughout the artistic world in that
he and the late Potter Palmer were
among the very first TO recognize the
glory of the school of BarbiZon and
to purchase for substantial sums can
vases by Claude Monet. But though
he gave far in excess of the sum ask
ed by the then obscure painter, he
could now get many hundred times
the amount.
Miss Brenda Putnam, daughter of
the librarian of Congress is about to
complete her bust of Harriet Reecher
Stowe, which is being prepared for
the Hall of Fame. 1t has been pro-
nounced a splendid though idealistic
sculpture of the talented woman, and
though no one in Mrs. Stoves life
had ever noted her resemblance to
the most gifted of feminine novelists.
George Eliot, or Mary Anne Evans as
she was in reality, there is a strong
suggestion in the bust. Miss Put