Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-11-19
Tales of Well-Known Folk
In Art, Letters, Politics
President Roosevelt Gentleman Farmer-Secre
tary and Mrs. Hull Greeted by Overall Army.
Old Georgetown Fire-marks.

Of many foreign diplomat so fortunate
to be guest.
Mrs. Fish confesses to having been
taught to smoke by her debutante
daughter and while not an inveterate
smoker-Lke the old fashioned gourmets
who enjoyed their after dinner cigar of
a choice f1avor-a quiet smoke and chat
Is to her liking.
Miss Janet Fish, sister Of RepreSen-
tative Fish, Is superintendent of nurses
at Emergency Hospital, where she puts
into practice the efficiency she main
tanned in her war work abroad.
The French Consul at Philadelphia,
Mr.. Marcel de Verneuil. seems much
disturbed over the way so many Amer
leans "guzzle" their wine instead of sip
ping 1t and inhaling the bouquet at the
same time. He perhaps does not under
stand that this is generation of gin
and corn drinkers who doubtless find it
the better part of valor not to inhale.
Now that wines will soon flow into
and over the United States, Mr.. de
Verneuil is also concerned as to how
the American living in an apartment
house will be able to have a cellar in
which to store his champagne and fine
wines in order to protect them against
the temperature of steam heated rooms
and during the Summer. Then too he
emphasizes they must be protected frcm
the vibrations caused by traffic and
trolley cars.
Men and women Of another genera
ton can remember the famous wines
and choice lqueres served by Henry
Mouquin, famed New York restaurant
teur who just the other day celebrated
his 96th birthday anniversary on his
estate near williamsburg, Va. With the
passage OF the eighteenth amendment
he found the drough in the city was too
trying SO retired to the country.
His excellency, the Ambassador to
Cuba and Mrs Sumner Welles are
chatelains of the historic Oxon Manor
at Oxon Hill, Md, where on Wednes-
day was held services commemorating
the 150th anniversary of the death of
the FIRST President of the United
States" John Hanson. The services
were sponsored by the John Hanson
Society of Maryland, an organization
for the purpose of upholding the claim
that Hanson and not George Washing.
ton was the first President of the
United States.
This claim is based on notice signed
~ SAAdA4Co 4A4Ol1SO1l, ScCICtdIy 10 IllG
Congress, and sent to the Governors
of the States and other high officials,
In which he says: II have the honor
to inform you that this day, pursuant
to the articles of confederation, the
United States of America in Congress
assembled proceeded to the choice of
a President and have elected for the
ensuing year His Excellency, John Han
son." Later as commander in chief
OF the army, Gen. Washington wrote a
formal note of congratulation to his
friend on his appointment to fill the
most important seat in the United
States"
Mrs. Welles' town house at the COR
ner of Massachusetts, avenue and
Twenty-second street, is the most SYM
metrically beautiful example of private
architecture in the Capital This
mansion, whose garden is surrounded
by a high iron fence-the only one in
the city proper-was built by Mrs.
Welles' mother, the late Mrs. Richard
Townsend, who, during her life, was
the acknowledged leader of the con-
sentative smart set of Washington. Old
Washingtonians will remember the old
red brick house that stood on this site
and around which Mrs Townsend had
the present mansion built. She was
superstitious about having the old house
demolished.
1t is expected that Mr.. Litvinof, the
Russian foreign commissar. will journey
down to Warm Springs this week for
further conferences with the President.
Recently vessels of the Russian So
Wet government were welcomed at
Naples and answered by salute of
10 guns-and the the Soviets gave
salvo of 81 guns for the Dowager
Duchess Of Aosta-- rather surprising
concession Of Bolshevist principles to
royalty.
The fad of collecting fire marks" is
quite in evidence in Georgetown, where
1t Is not unusual to see them on the
fronts Of old houses and those which
have been restored. In the days before
municipal fire departments, properties
protected by fire companies operated
by insurance firms were designated by
these fire marks"
These markers are made of tin, lead,
brass, wood or iron, and served the pur-
pose of showing the insurance company
fire fighters that the blazing property
was one they should set about extin-
gushing. If the burning house showed
AZ 40 y hA1A NJ Viz AiAO l6AAbtlD tAAltC0
back to the fire house, leaving the unin-
sured to their fate
An insurance company in the East is
exhibiting the most complete collection
of them in this country. There are lit
fire marks, gathered from 10 States of
the Union, some dating back to 1852.
Some of the designs show a Phoenix
rising from the flames, and several of
them have four leaden hands crossed.
The use of these markers dates back to
the seventeenth century England, when
the Fire Office, original fire insurance
company, formed a fire-fghting COM
pany to protect property insured by its
employers.
| On November %. "a and 25 the
American Art Association and Erson
Galleries in New York will sell the
! Thomas Fortune Ryan collection of
paintings, objets dart. books, period