The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1927-05-10
The "BIOck Party Is Introduced
TO WnsltingtOn--- With Variations
NeighborIiness Found to
Exist in "0ur Village
Capital"
BY JEAN ELIOT

by JEAN ELAOI
SCctMALLToWN FOLK" have a
- way of complaining of the
lack Of neighborliness in a big
city. But Washington. apparently.
combines something Of small-town
friendliness with the cosmopolitans
ism of Capitalize Judge from the
'sneighborhood" entertaining that
Is going on here and there. now
that most of the formalities, of the
official season are out of the way.
The long square in Massachusetts,
Avenue between Seventeenth and
Eighteenth Streets, for example, is
having series of what might be
called 'block parties although the
term usually implies something
quite different. The Minister Of
Uruguay and Nine. Varela live in
that block. So do Representative
and Mrs. Henry Winfield Watson,
who own the house in which the
late Senator Henry Cabot Lodge
lived so long, and Comdr. and Mrs.
Frank B. Freyer and Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles H. Woodruff and several
other pairs of pleasant persons.
And, of late there has been a series
of dinners with each of these
couples as hosts in turn and with
pretty much the same neighbor.
hood group as guests.
Masseys Moving In
It is into this friendly atmos.
phere that the Minister of Canada
and Mrs. Vincent Massey are NOV.
Ing, the newly purchased Canadian
legation being just across the street
from the Freyers and Watsons. And,
since the Masseys have already
made the acquaintance of many of
this hospitable group, it is probable
that there will be another round of
'meighborhood parties" to welcome
them.
This isn't manifestation peculiar
to Massachusetts Avenue, however,
for / remember Mrs. Kenna Elkins
telling me, apropos of a dinner Mr..
and Mrs. Thomas Bell Sweeney had
for her not long ago. oh, it was
Just given to welcome me into the
neighborhood." She had recently
purchased and moved into Mrs. c. c.
Calhoun's picturesque little house
In New Hampshire Avenue oppo-
site the home of Mr.. and Mrs.
Sweeney.
Mrs. Freyer's Peruvian Art n
Mrs. Freyers house. by the way,
well repays a visit, for it is filled
with extraordinarily beautiful ex-
amples of primitive Peruvian art
and with lovely old furniture of
the colonial period of that pic
turesque South American republic.
The collection was made while
Commander Freyer was heading an
American naval mission to Peru.
During that time Mrs. Freyer be-
came so enamored of the country,
of it's romantic history and its
highly developed arts, that she has
become an ardent propaganda for
Peru.
To this end she has made
Veritable museum out of her house
and she has thrown it open on
several occasions this winter to
various groups who might be in
terested. Moreover, she has bean
at home informally almost every
Sunday afternoon through the sea
son to old friends-the Freyers
were on duty here for a long time
before they went to Peru and were
very popular-and new. The art
Of old Peru, as shown in Mrs.
Freyer's collection, has tremendous
variety and vitality, showing the
Spanish influence on the ancient
Inca civilization.
X ~ y
The Albanian Minister, Mr..
Konitza, will entertain at a stag
dinner Friday evening in compli- |
ment to the Lithuanian Minister. |
Mr.. Bizauskas, who is sailing shortly
for Europe.