Evening star., 1927-05-29
BY MARGARET b. DOWNING.


but in a different form, those recep
stions to the public formerly held by
the First Lady on certain Saturday
afternoons. Mrs. Cleveland was the
last to observe this custom and in the
last weeks Of January and February
1897, preceding the end Of her hus
bands second term. Washington then
was almost a village and those who
,.clamored at the White House door
were received in less than an hour and
a half. But the Federal City has gone
. forward on seven-league boots since
the Spanish-American War and like
all social centers with a complex pop
uiation, there has been general re.
:. organization. with the consequent
elimination of all public receptions ex.
Cept that at New Year. Small after
noon receptions were part of Mrs.
Roosevelt's program and their num-
her increased under succeeding First
ladies. But none reached the annual
proportions of Mrs. Coolidge's, and it
may be said that while general re-
ceiving has passed, this mistress of
the White House. in the course of the
year, greets every one who has the
slendeFeSt claim on her considerable
These informal events have the charm
of being individual. giving opportunity
to say few words to the distin-
guished hostess and to accept her hos
pitality in the hroadest sense and while
some voice regrets that the good old
days have passed, the present custom
1s generally held better by far than
the former one.
Miss Elizabeth Nelson. whose re-
cent debut at the Field and Turf Club,
Belmont Park, Long Island, wfll be
-n6 INV I.ay. ,fot at
port, boasts a distinguished naval an
cestry, with strong strains represented
In Washington. This prospective bud
Is the granddaughter of the late
Rear Admiral Christopher Raymond
Perry Rodgers, long resident in Wash
ington, whose grandson married Miss
Julia Meyer, daughter Of the former
Secretary of the Navy, Georg Won
jLengkerke Meyer. She is the grand
niece twice removed of those heroes
of the sea, Oliver Hazard Perry and
Matthew Galbraith Perry, for Ad-
lniral Rodgers mother was Anna
Maria Perry, only sister of the re-
nowned seaman. All Of the Rodgers
men who chose the sea for a career
attained high rank. and the naval
records contains the names of five
rear admirals, all closely related to
the, pretty bud. These are Thomas
Slidell Rodgers, an uncle; c. Raymond
Perry Rodgers, her grandfather, and
John Augustus, William Ledyard and
Frederick Rodgers, her cousins. She
> is the daughter of Mrs. Park Nelson,
and is of a rare type Of beauty, hav-
ing rich auburn hair, a dazzling COM
pleXion and golden-brown eyes. From
the Park and Nelson side of her fam
lily she will inherit some fine prop
sya Tcr,r.1 at,lD
and on Long Island. Mrs. Nelson has
country place in Westchester, and she
is an active member of the hunt club
there. She also spends much time in
Rosemount, Pa, with her sisters, Mrs.
William H. Reeves and Mrs. William
Gray Park. 4s-...~.It
SacIia Guitry, the versatile French
actor, who is now in this. country, has
an extensive acquaintance all over the
United States, for in his villa in one
of the suburbs of. Paris bordering on
the Bois du Boulogne he has been the
generous host TO many -citizens Of
Uncle Sam staying in Paris. But the
Renowned French city in the outlying
districts suffers, as all others in the
same fix, from the servant question.
n. Guitry, in fact, often had to take
over the personal supervision Of his
guests, and when labering very hard
to get breakfast ready he became an
noyed at the CONSTANT ringing Of the
service bell in the guest rooms. So,
being an artist, he decorated a neat
little card, showing himself perspiring
over his culinary tasks, and then in
French and in English a line saying,
"Do not forget that one is never so
we'll served as when he serves him.
SELF This naturally caused the bell
TO stop ringing, and also SO much
amusement that the actor soon had
helpers in the kitchen during domestic
upheavals, and his guests aiding in
the household tasks generally. A
clever actress in California who could
p not always keep a maid, and whose
obsession was an immaculate bath.
room, especially the tub, drew a
starched little girl leaning over the
tub scrubbing it brightly and singing
the word issuing from her mouth.
piece, pictured TIL" usual way, Rub
the tub, scrub the tub, when your
bath is DONE" and words to the effect
of what pleasure would be given the
next person at the bath. Like NJ
Guitry' 8 -davice, this was most ef-
fectual. 4Besides, a magazine bought
the sketch for it's household depart
ment and pays this clever actress
handsome royalty on its appearance.
The STtalian Ambassador and Nobil
Antoinnette de Martino have been the
I frequent guests Of DR.. Carlo V. Pa
terno in New York City during the
installation Of the splendid Florentine
equipment given by the premier,
Signor4 4Mussolini, to the Casa Italiano,
a social adjunct of Columbia Univer-
sity, and located at 117th street near
the campus. DIR. Paterno is the chair
man OF the committee that established
this center for the culture of the trans
lated people Of italy. and the Ambassa-
dor has accepted a place on the hon.
orary board Of management, and his
wife is on one of the committees Of
women, Magnificent palaces formerly
used ~ royalty in visiting Florence,
now the property of the italian gov
ernmeht,l have been carefully scrutin-
lied to select only the best of the six
teenth end seventeenth century treas
ures they contained for Casa 1taliano.
: This was the golden age of 1taly's
interior decoration, and not outside
the gorgeous city Of the Medicis can
such a salon be viewed as that which
is used for the dual purpose of a lee
lure hall and for social occasions as
a reception room. Even the ceiling
has been transported from the banks
of the Arno 10 the upper Hudson, and
is sons Of those marvellous effects in
golden circles on duH unfbef ground.
and The walls are Of time-stained oak
heavily carved. The long windows in
stone Iedges are draped in rich bro
cade Of the seventeenth century, and
the curtains are of bobbin lace. Long
: tables in carved oak and deep arm
chairs are placed about when the
chamber is not used as lecture hall
when Miss Rachel Warrington
narries Baron 1vor Holger Rosen
rr7nty the 2Sth of June there will be