Evening star., 1926-06-13

War and the chaos which followed
prevented, he would have launched
his campaign. after the manner OF
NJ. Cambon in regard to Rochambeau.
An unhappy fate befell the gallant
French naval hero. who sailed to AID
Washington and the allied fIehcl
army without instructions to DO so
from the ministry Of the marine IN
Paris. His splendid achievement in
Chesapeake Bay was nullif1ed when
after saving the day for the Ameri-
can patriots at Yorktown his f1eet
was destroyed by Lord Rodney Off
Jamaica, and he fell from favor in
the French court. NJ. Jusserand very
eloquently brought out this point
many times in speeches and in es-
says, and now that popular attention
is turned on the matter, this oversight
will probably be promptly repaired
Baron de Kalb is another foreign
hero to whom no honor has been paid,
although the Continental Congress
appropriated a sum for his statue and
publicly thanked him, in company
| with the others in the group OF aliens
who deserved we'll of the American
republic Rochambeau and Lafayette,
the two Poles, kosciuszko and Pulas-
| XII, and Won Steuben. the Prussian.
Baron Johann de Kalb fell upon the
! field Of battle at Camden, s. c.. on
| August 10, 1880. He was among the
| first of the noble warriors from
Europe to offer his sword to the Con-
tinental Congress, and he arrived In
Philadelphia early in September. 1776.
| But beyond the debt which the great
republic Of the United States owes
| foreign soldiers who bore arms on its
battle fields is the one remaining due
| the memory of Beaumarchais, the
| lover of liberty. who furnished the
| funds needful for Lafayette, for De
Kalb and for Won Steuben to cross the
ocean. Benjamin Franklin has left
indisputable evidence of Beaumar-
chais' devotion to the cause Of the
colonists, and yet his name is known
only to historical scholars, and to the
youth of America it is as allen as
something in the stars" Is another re-
| buke which NJ. Jusserand passed to
| the American people on the theme or
foreign heroes In the parks of the Ma
tional Capital. Ericsson's monument
has served to arouse attention from
scholars and statesmen to the fact
that many debts are owing the heroes
who helped win the war of Inde-
pendence, and that these should be
paid in full before any more statues
|
| later assistants in less important
conflicts.
| The American Ambassador at Rome,
Mr.. Henry Prather Fletcher. has re-
| Gently communicated to the Secretary
! of State that the diplomatic establish
ment in the Italian capital may, il
the powers that be are willing. become
| the purchaser Of the beautiful and
historic Villa Aldobrandini, the high
| lying gardens Of which dominate Via
Rationale at one Of it's important
points. An embassy building in Rome
solely the property Of the Government
| would be a boon to the much-har-
assed diplomatists sent to this capi-
tai, for there are comparatively no
small buildings to be obtained for love,
money or the most potent political
influence. The present quarters OF
the American embassy on the Tiber
are two floors in the mammoth
PalaZzo Amici in Via San Bernardo,
and naturally Mr.. and Mrs. Fletcher
would prefer an establishment of rea-
sonable size which would serve as
dwelling and chancelry and be ade-
quate for the amenities of all seasons
Villa Aldobrandini would serve this
end, having a marvellous garden laid
out by it's original tenant, an opulent
Aldobrandini who ascended the papal
throne in 1892 as Clement VIII. There
are the usual number of drawing
rooms, all of which are needful on
formal occasions. and besides all con-
venienceS for al freSco diningS and
concerts which form part Of the
Roman routine two-thirdS of the year
Congress recently appropriated the
funds for the purchase of embassy
buildings and Palazzo Aldobrandini
would be In every sense comparable to
the other establishments recently ac-
quired by the American Government.
In this instance the grounds are so
extensive that future demands on
space are secured at price not too
ezorbitant for the times or for their
potential value.
Gov. Smith of New York has re-
Gently signed a bill making the de-
struction of trailing arbutus an offense
for which severe penalties are decreed,
and he has special men Of the State
police who keep an eye out for
vandals in spots where this lovely wild
vine is most eXuberant. But the
governor and the flower lovers of New
York pin more faith in instructions
in the schools than in the efforts Of
the officers of the law, and in every
school in rural New York or In sub
urban schools films of these wild
vines and Of other flowers will be
made and exhibited several times a
week, to show clearly to children what
their ruthless gathering Of flowers to
be tossed away in a short time, means
to the aspect of the country. In
structions about birds nests will sup
plement the flower talks, but the
Audubon Society has proven quite eff
fective in stopping this kind of van.
dalism. But the governor and his
school board believe that cooperation
will be powerful with the end that
both birds and flowers will be pro-
tected. Wild violets have also been
included in the plants which it is
unlawful to pick or transplant, and
azalea. laurel and rhododendron have
been for years guarded along the Pail.
sades of the Hudson, as they are. all
over the States Of Massachusetts and
Connecticut.
Lady Byng of Vimy, wife of the
Governor General of Canada, had
been noted for many years past for
her extensive and practical study Of
plant life, but her interest is not the
dry dissection into a botanical classi-
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