The Washington times., 1927-11-28
JEAN ELIOTS NEWS OF SOCIETY
Luncheon Parties Will FOILOw Mrs. IOUnsend's
Famous ''NusicaI MOrnings'' This Season
Distinguished 1mpresario
Is Power in Washing
ton; Knows Everybody
Worth Knowing
By JEAN ELIOT

N COHuSCtIOn With HeF muSl-
i cal mornings" at the May
flower, which will begin on
Wednesday, December z, Mrs.
Lawrence Townsend will RE-
sumo her pleasant custom of
entertaining at luncheon after
each recital for the artists TAX
ing part and inviting to meet
them the diplomatic representa-
tives Of the countries from
which they hail.
No inkling has been given as
to the artists who are to take
part in Mrs. Townsend's con-
certs this season, beyond the as
surance from this distinguished
impresario that her program is
to be bigger and better than
ever" But the subscribers, most
Of whom go on from year to
year, have learned by experience
that they can take Mrs. Town
send on trust-just as the SUBJ
scribers to the famous Bapby
Concerts in New York take
season tickets without having
the list of artists announced,
knowing that they can depend
on Mr.. Bagby's taste in music
and showmanship.
NAMES which have been re-
~ Gently added to Mrs. Town.
sends list of boxholders include
the Ambassador of Cuba and
Nine. Ferrara, Miss Belle Gurnee.
or Ne York, who Is to make
Washington her home for the next
two years; Mrs. George T. Marye.
Mrs. Charles McNafy and Mrs.
Delos Blodgett.
In discussing an order from a
magazine for story on the most
versatile woman in Washington,
a well-known writer told me re-
Gently that he had decided to ''do''
Mrs. Minnigerode Andrews, philan-
thropist, enthusiastic worker for
patriotic organizations. artist, poet
and writer OF "reminiscences. whose
Memoirs of a Poor Relation is
now enjoying a considerable vogue
In Washington. IF they had
asked for the loveliest and most
useful woman in Washington. he
continued, I'D have named Mrs.
Lawrence Townsend" a verdict
with which many would agree.
\ r.
MRS. TOWNSEND is herself a
AVA philanthropist, giving of her
time, her strength and her ability
when she cannot give money. No
body knows except herself-and
she won't tel1-how much she has
done to help struggling musicians;
and she has had no small in.
huence in developing the musical
life of Washington. Moreover, she
is a person of great influence in
the social world. She knows every
body worth knowing in town and
she has contacts with most Of the
celebrities FROM overseas who come
to us, many of whom she has
known during residence in half a
dozen foreign capitals. Her hus-
band, it will be remembered, was
long in our diploma tic service and
served as minister to Portugal and
to Belgium.
IT was in the days when she
4 was living in Brussels nearly
a score of years ago that Mrs.
Townsend first knew Princess
de Ligne, wife Of the new Belgian
Ambassador. The Ambassadress
was then a slip of girl, very
lovely and gifted and described
as "the toast of the town"
Princess de Ligne was married at
eighteen and is now in her
thirties, very youthful and full
of life and interested in every
thing-including music. More
over. there is a daughter, Princess
Elizabeth. of debutante age in
the family, so there is every
prospect that there will be con.
siderable social activity at the
Belgian Embassy this winter,