Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-17
Tales of Well Known Folk
In Social and Official Life
Memorial Association Planning to Honor Early
Day Patriots-Personal Notes of Distin-
suished Americans and Others.
BY MARGARET B. DOWNING.

field Manor making giant strides to-
ward restoration as a park worthy OF
its significance as the birthplace OF
the founder of the Nation, the Lee
Memorial committee is putting forth
every effort in behalf of STAFFORD Hall,
that noble brick mansion which STANDS
on a high bank of the Potomac about
% miles from its mouth. This me-
mortal association Is about three years
old and with admirable modesty has
awaited the completion of the Ken
more and Wakefield campaigns before
beginning a nationwide drive to pur-
chase Stratford Hall. Col. Richard
Lee, the immigrant of this illustrious
line came to Virginia in 1641 as Secre-
tary of State under Gov. Sir William
x4srkley. Col Lee was the first white
man to settle in the Northern neck of
Virginia. His country seat was In
Northumberland County. His son.
Richard Lee, I'd, was born in 1647,
and early in life established himself In
Westmoreland County 1t was his son,
Thomas Lee who founded Stratford
Hall, and established the dynasty of
Lees which figured so eminently in
Virginia history, colonial and revolu-
tionary, and during the first century
of the republic. In Stratford were
born Francis Lightfoot Lee, the sign
er and one of the authors of the arti-
his brother. was appointed by the
Continental Congress to be commercial
agent in Nantes, France, in The
Hague, Berlin and Vienna. Richard
Henry Lee. who also was signer
and the first Senator from Virginia
for two terms, was born at Stratford,
and Arthur Lee, distinguished diplo-
matist and associate of Franklin, John
Adams and Henry Laurens during the
revolutionary era. Gen. Henry Lee,
Light Horse Harry Lee" was not
born in the old manor, but became its
master through his marriage to his
cousin Mathilda, only child and heiress
of Phillip Ludwell Lee. But his son,
the gala mt leader of the Confederacy,
Robert Edward Lee, was born there
in 1907 Stratford Hall is in perfect
preservation and it's acquisition as a
historic and national monument seems
well and logically founded.
The future Lord Fairfax and Thir-
teenth Baron of Cameron was born
during the past month at the home of
his parents in London and is thus the
first peer of his line born in Britain for
the past 235 years. 1t was the sixth
Lord Fairfax and Baron of Cameron
whose birth occurred in 1891 who
came to Virginia and took possession
of the estate of his mother who had
been the daughter of Lord Culpeper.
This friend of Washington died in his
Massillon Greenway Court, in Fred
erick County in December, 1882, and
his son declined to return to the
fatherland and assume the British title
and estates. From the Sixth Lord
Fairfax until the Twelfth. the Amer
lean inheritors of the purple declin-
ed to assume it until the present
holder, the son of the eleventh baron.
-. - h~l% h.vt
clan in Northampton, Md. The present
Lord Fairfax determined, on the death
of his father in 1900, to revive the
ancient glories of his line. Lady Fair
fax, like her husband. is a Marylander
and was Miss Maud WiShart Nickel
vie. The young heir has been named
Thomas after the Lord Fairfax of
Revolutionary days.
1t was in the old garden of Mistress
Dolly Madison's home at the corner of
Lafayette Square that Owen Mere
dith. son and private secretary of
Lord Lytton. British minister, wrote
the celebrated passage in Lucille"
about man being able to live without
hope or love, but that he must dine
every day. Dinners formal and in
formal, with and without purpose.
make a long chapter in local social
history and the news from New York
that Mrs. Schuyler N. Warren, Mrs.
Horatio Slater, Mrs. Glenn Frank and
several other of the brilliant coterie
who form public opinion, have evolved
a novel way of giving formal BAN
quet where there is a guest of honor
or notable group of persons actually
or intellectually affiliated. Mrs. Schuy
Ter inauEurated the new way when
she entertained the brilliant British
economist, Sir George Paish, when
with her invitations a line was in
closed saying that at table the educa-
ton of the future would be discussed.
AS only brainy people were asked, Mrs.
Warren was convinced that each guest
would have something to contribute
worth listening to. and so instead of
long, dull after-dihner speeches there
were short snappy talks between
courses, followed by a leisurely dis
cussion as the food was consumed
Mr.. Glesasi Frank believes with the
learned DIR. Johnson that dinner
should mean good talk, veritable feasts
of conversation, and not the desultory
meaningless comment, which is the
usual procedure. These dinners with d
theme are having vogue in New
York and will without doubt reach
Washington before the next season
opens. What a boon it would be to
the President and Mrs. Coolidge and
the cabinet hosts, in fact all of official
dom, to have such an order estab-
lished as the many formal dinings
they must give through the year.
1t was a foregone conclusion that
the Secretary of State, having listened
TO the plants on the passport ques-
ton, should be heartily in favor of
renting these fines, for so they are
now regarded on both sides of the
ocean. Mr.. Kellogg heard much about
this grievance in London and he is
still hearing of it from many sources.
The delay in getting passports at the
State Department is not the least of
the troubles engaging the attention of
this amiable and far-seeing chief of
the foreign Office. Mr.. Kellogg firmly
believes that executive departments
are to serve the people promptly and
according to their expressed wishes
and not to exasperate them and cause
unnecessary hardships. He Is con-
WINGED that the attitude which the
State Department had to assume dur
ing the war should not continue in
definitely. This Nation for the best of
reasons required a passport of its cit
liens going abroad during war time
and in the unsettled period following
it and also asked all foreign visitors
to prepare themselves for entry
through the American consuls abroad.
European governments, noting that the
United States charges their citizens
$40 to land on Its shores. promptly re-
quired Americans to pay $40 when
they crossed each border in their trav-
els. Mr.. Kellogg hopes to do away
with the restrictions here and this
will be followed by the same latitude
abroad.