Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-01
LONDON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE.

Cynics were plentiful who saw an
omen In the fog which enveloped Lon
don the day the Ftve-Power Naval Com
ference opened, on January 81. It was
the hrst real pea soup" Of the Winter
and about the worst In q year, At once
the dismal suggestion was heard that
the conference was born in the atmos-
phere of confusion and contention which
would befog it from start to finish
Ambassador Dawes will probably re-
member the conference fog as long as
he does that other day, five years ago.
when his chair was vacant on another
historic occasion. The American ENJOYS
place was the only one unoccupied at
the horseshoe table of delegates when
King George entered the royal gallery
of the House of Lords. Gen. Dawes au-
tomobile, like thousands of other We
hicles in London, became fogbound and
he did not reach his destination until
after the Kings speech was over.
~ X
|, Britain's might. splendor, glory and
dignity are epitomized in the golden
chamber" which was the scene Of the
conferences formal opening. 1t is used
only for extraordinary occasions A few
weeks ago the royal gallery was BAN
quet hall, when several hundred wear
ers of the Victoria Cross-the empires
most distinguished badge of valor-sat
at dinner with the Prince of Wales. No
room In England is adorned with more
striking reminders of what the King
called "the grim and immense tragedy
Of war" Directly behind his throne
was q fresco hundred feet long, de-
plotting the death of Nelson at Trafal-
gar. Ahead of him, on the opposite
wall, he faced another monumental
Grating the meeting of wellington and
Butcher at Waterloo. In the foreground
of both the naval and military pictures
are the torn figures of dying and
wounded men herded amid the wreck
age OF battle,
George v is fine speaker His voice
carries with particular cIearneSs over
the radio. There is no trace in his die
ton OF the German accent which mark
ed King Edwards speech Though he
almost invariably talks from manu-
script. George has the faculty of stress
ing the right words with the proper
emphasis, introducing into his remarks
note of real oratory. The King took
part in an of1cial ceremony for the
first time in more than year when he
launched the Naval Conference. No one
who didn't know he was a very sick
man less than six months ago would
have guessed it from his appearance
on January 81. He looked well. strong
and happy. The King was almost the
only man In the whole august assem-
blage clad in a frock prince Albert)
coat, Nearly everybody else wore the
morning cutaway OUTFIT It appears that
the ancient frock is still the top-notch
ofacial coat for exalted occasions.
y n ~
Everybody In the American delega-
ton, who doesn't know her already, Is
anxious to meet Lady Astor, M p. At
the prime minister's reception for the
conference delegations, on the evening
Of January 20, the viScountess expressed
an eager desire to meet Senator Robin
son OF Arkansas. II want to see q good
Democrat for @ change" the vivacious
Virginian said to q compatriot. She was
escorted to the drawing room in which
Secretary Stimson and his colleagues
were holding an informal levee. The
Arkansan having been presented. Lady
Astor exclaimed, almost before the for |
malities were completed: Hello, you old |
Democratl You know, I'm a Democrat,
too"-a reference to her political an
cestry in the Old Dominion.
X X
Secretary Stimson spun q Lady Aston |
yarn for the newspaper correspondents |
aboard the Neorge washington. They'd |
asked whether she would be at Plym- |
cuth, which she represents In Parlia- |