Evening star., 1926-04-28

John Hays Hammond Of Washing
ton, who is to be honored at national
dinner gathering of his friends in
New York on May 5, is just back from
Europe. Asked for his outstanding i'm
preston Of men and matters there, he
summarizes it with one word, Mus
solini." The Italian dictator received
the famous American mining engineer
in private audience at the Palazzo
Chigi. Having the habit Of checking
up in advance on everybody admitted
to his autocratic presence. Mussolini
greeted Hammond cheerily with the
observation, "Well, both of us have
been in jail in our time, haven't we?'
That was a reminder of Hammond's 8
sojourn in durance vile at Pretoria,
South Africa. 80 years ago, when
loom Paul Kruger, President OF the
Transvaal Republic, locked up the en-
gineer and a score of other Jameson
Raiders" for many months, while they
were under sentence of death. Musso.
lini told Hammond that, in the dicta-
tors Judgment, jail and it's depriva-
ton of mems liberty are the cruelest
form Of punishment. Mussolini said he
had been in prison, during soctalistic
days, on three different occasions. He
presented Hammond with life-size
autographed photograph for the engi-
neer's celebrated collection of notable
portraits, and sent duplicate, by him,
to Miss Janet Richards, widely known
lecturer on world events.
Herbert Hoover was in Boston the
other day on private business and
was honor guest at dinner given by
his former private secretary, Christian
A. Herter, now editor of the Inde-
pendent. A score of the Hubs in
telligentsia and leading captains of
commerce were invited to meet Hoover.
There was no speechmaking, but, amid
the coffee and the cigars, the host
turned the evening into round table,
with Hoover submitting endlessly to
an informal QUESTIONABLE. For three
hours he was bombarded with powers
on about every subject under the
political, commercial, humanitarian
and international suns. He had in
formative answers to all of them.
Names, dates, figures, comparisons
and plain theories were uttered with
a readiness and apparent authority
that left the Bostonians gasping.
Mrs. Coolidge has an incorrigible
habit of doing some of the little things
of life that account for her universal
popularity. She patronizes a fashion
able hairdressing "parlor" in Wash
ington's Fifth avenue" section.
When the First Lady began going
there for treatment" the pro-
| prietress thought she'd make an enor'
nous hit by assigning as her regular
attendant the young woman who
ranks as the "parlor's" champion op.
erative. But Mrs. Coolidge announced
that she'd much prefer to be waited
on in turn by all of the ten or dozen
girls employed in the place, because
| she doesn't believe in playing
| favorites.
Sixteen men who comprise the
United States Board of Tax Appeals
, will be guests of honor at dinner IN
| Washington on May 26. Secretary
! Mellon, Senators Simmons, Smoot and
Reed Pennsylvania) Of the Senate
| finance committee, Representatives
Green and Garner of the House ways
and means committee and Undersec
| retary Winston and Assistant Secre
| tary Moss of the Treasury Depart
ment will be among the guests. Sc
| will the big chiefs of the tax division
| of the Government, David H. Blair
commissioner Of internal revenue, an6
| A. w. Gregg, solicitor of internal rev
enue. The purpose of the dinner is
| to manifest some form of public ap
| proval Of the work of the appeals
board by the lawyers and accountants
who have had occasion to appear be