Evening star., 1930-03-30
BY MARGARET B. DOWNING.


The Ambassador to Paris and Mrs.
Walter e. Edge maintain all the Gus
tomary state in the embassy which had
been purchased and handsomely
equipped by the late Myron Herrick,
but there is perhaps a simpler note in
the general outlook to the public. Mr..
Edge did not relish the brilliant liveried
retainers which are seemingly as jm-
perative in the French capital as they
are in Rome, but nearly all other Euro
pean seats of government have dis
pensed with gorgeous liveries In Lon
don the visitor may penetrate even to
the private apartments of royalty with
out encountering other than black clad
Quietly-moving uShers as those in the
White House, who make up in cere-
monious manners what they lack in gold
embroideries and buttons. The Ambas-
sador in Paris has retainers in the
chancelry and in the mansion who are
minus the usual trimmings incident to
the diplomatic establishments, but who
present trim, almost military appear
ance. Satin-clad footmen are not rare
in Paris at such elaborate diplomatic
homes as that of Baron de Wedel Jarls-
berg, envoy from Norway, or at the
home of the Italian Ambassador; or, in
deed, any of the foreign domiciles where
q royal court has its representative.
the same tradition as does this Repub-
lie. Their Ambassadors or Ministers
wear the usual apparel OF the civilian
with such decorations as they may have
received and their equipages bear the
great seal of their state.
*t*
The Ambassador to Rome and Mrs.
John w. Garrett have to follow the
traditional gorgeousness which with few
breaks has been maintained on the
banks of the TibeT since the days OF
the Caesars. They have liveried usherS
and footmen, and, although they seem
modest as wrens beside the birds OF
paradise which other foreign eSts lsh-
uaents show, or compared to the splen-
doris of the papal court or that OF the
Ouirinal the domestic staff Of Mr. Gar
rett would cause a sensation here or
in his home city, Baltimore. But 1t
is plain that in Rome they must act
as Romans do. The embassy from
Uncle Sam makes q grand feast on
Washingtons birthday, since on July
4 the Italian modish world is dispersed
and on Thanksgiving day 1t has not
vet assembled. The handsome home OF
the CARROTS was well filed with v1s-
itfns citizens of this country as well as
from the official world OF Rome. In
Warsaw February % is observed with
elaborate ceremony and the same pro-
gram has held in Prague. In London,
Paris and Berlin July 4 causes phe-
riofnerai activity IN the diplomatic eStab-
iishnnents of those capitals. The AM
bassador to London last independence
day entertained nearly 1000 visitors
and twice that number OF Americans
domiciled in England. fE
y X X
Mrs. Mary Harlan Lincoln, widow of
Robert Todd Lincoln the last slrviv-
ing son Of the great President lives IN
the fne old house on N street, George
town. with her granddaughter, Miss
Mary Lincoln Beckwith, as her COM
panion, This old mansion, which Mr..
Lincoln. bought about 10 years before
his Death, IS ione of the. best specimens
of the domestic. architecture OF the
opening nineteenth century, presenting
the same exterior appearance that 1t
did when Georgetown was the chief
tobacco port of the Union, but within 1t
has been remodeled TO meet all modern.
demands for comfort and elegance:
Mrs. Lincoln keeps the same state
which marked the household during
her husbands lifetime, but she enter
I tains only her closest friends. Miss
Beckwith inclines more to sport than
to drawing room pleasures and once she
was seen almost constantly on the
bride paths. Many months ago, how
ever, she turned her back on equestrian
activity and is now entirely committed
to the air. She has taken lessons in
Hoover Field and intends soon to apply
for q pilots license. There are few
davs. no matter what the weather, that
this recruit of travelling in the air
does not take a. flight or two, some
times going Co Richmond and back the
same day and often with q larger plane
than she usually hires, taking q party
of friends for some special theatrical
! feature IN cities s6s. far. distant as New
: York Like; all the enthusiasts, OF the
latest mode IN getting about, Miss
Beckwfth hopes TO have plane In
schedules.
s..at* &&
King Alfonso Of Spain is not too en-
crossed in the political crisis of his
country to keep an eye on more frivol-
our affairs. Recently, according to
Madrid rumor, he declared that since
woman had returned to q more. grace
full, elegant and feminine style Of dress.
why should not man get back some
Of the frills which accompanied powder
and patches on their womankind, the
flowing graceful cape for evening wear,
for instance. rather than the bald SNUG
, oNeICOdb 4QW n use. ~ ~ aouiIIeo
that the cloak will give sthe most COM
monplace man dashfng and romantic
aspect, OF course soft hat with a
long flowing plume would enhance this,
but the King has not gone that far
in his suggestions In the Latin coJn-
tries the cloak has never been entirely
discarded and even in New York many
Of the older men who attend the opera
regularly have their capes and look
exceedingly we'll In them. Also some
clerics, many here in Washington. have
adhered to this outer garment at least
when they go abroad in the evening
Some years ago cloaks were quite the
mode in the. diplomatic circle, but even
in this coterie they are rarely seen now,
except when the masculine members
visit each other informally
~
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