Evening star., 1934-12-23
Tales of Well-KnOWn Folk
In Art, Literature, Politics
Washington Cathedral Holds Wealth of Interest
Diplomats. Spats, Canes and Boutonnaires
atState Dep rtment-Other Items.


thorn tree is very beautiful. AS re-
lated it is that Joseph of Arimathea,
after the ascension Of our Lord, went |
to Britain. On arriving at what is
now Glastonbury it is said that he
planted his staff in the ground as a
token that there he would remain
and begin his mission of evangelical
ton. The staff thus planted took
root and grew into a tree which was |
regarded for centuries with such rev. |
erence that it was cut down by
Puritan fanatic in the seventeenth |
century as an object Of superstition.
Soon a new growth sprang up from
the original roots and it is from that |
shoot that the tree at the Cathedral |
is cutting"
In medieval times there is a ira
dition that when a member of English
royalty visited Glastonbury, a bloom |
was plucked from the thorn tree,
placed in a silver box and presented |
to the visitor. In 1919 in the month |
of November, the tree had the good |
grace to put forth some blooms in !
honor of the Prince of Wales. who
was in Washington and visited the |
Cathedral. Some of the blossoms |
were placed in silver box and pre-
sented to him by Bishop Alfred !
Harding. An oak tree near the |
Peace Cross was planted by the /
Prince. |
The Walters Gallery in Baltimore
has arranged beautiful room for the
Christmas season, in which has been |
placed a creche and paintings Of |
Madonnas which appeal most to
children. There are also other objects |
dart commemorative Of the season,
while not far away there are cases
filled with exquisitely Illuminated |
books of the early centuries from the |
eighth down to the seventeenth. A
Book of Hours of the late fifteenth |
century-wonderful in its coloring |
and execution-is one of the compare
lively small number of medieval |
books of which the names of the |
scribe and artist are known; the |
original owner, the place where it |
was made and the date also make this |
book treasure to be desired. BY the |
way, it is of the French School of |
Tours.
Another gem of the school at Tours, |
1870, is the "Annunciation to the |
Shepherds" in which the figures are |
dressed in garments of pure white. |
This is one of the first examples of |
the kind and is unique. The gar
ments in most of the early illuminated |
manuscripts were vivid in color, the |
dyes being made from stones or
minerals, except those in the royal |
Tyrian purple, which were made from |
shell fish-the murex There are /
several cases of illuminated manu-
scripts which have not before been |
exhibited, being a part of the collec-
ton lately opened up after a period
of 80 years in the basement of the |
gallery.
Just one more: A tiny breviary
about an inch long and three -fourths
of an inch wide, bound in gold covers
elaborately carved with the text il
Illuminated in colors, and little chain
attached to hang over the little finger,
is a masterpiece. Imagine my lady
going to services with this, dressed in
her royal brocades and jewels.
Some of the older residents of Bal
timore who grew up with the Walters
Gallery when it was a part of the |
Walters private house, are not much |
pleased with the present modern ar
rangement of showing just a few |
no intinOc ond other orto at ono |
time and then removing them for a |
new exhibit. They say they simply |
cannot find the pictures they have so |
long loved and been accustomed to |
dropping in to see. Now they are told |
these pictures have been put away |
and will be again exhibited later with !
collection of a similar period.
Children's books this year are SIM !
ply fascinating. One of the most |
beautiful is The Lost Merry-Go- |
Round" Illustrated by the author,
Dorothy Lathrop. Lois Lenski illus
trateS her "Gooseberry Garden'-most |
intriguing. Berta and Elmer Hader |
illustrate their Midget and Bridget
fascinating, cuJe-a story of two bur- |
roS. II you have ever ridden on a
burro in Mexico this will not appeal. |
An anthology, Christmas" compiled |
by Alice Dalgliesh, has stories from |
Andersen's tale of The Fir Tree
Minister Ruth Bryan Owens likes
this - Hans AnderSen's fairy tales
taught her to love Denmark-to Eric I
kelly's In Clean Hay" Pirate stor-
les illustrated realistically are in un-
usual numbers this year, and there is
new Davy Crockett for boys.
Christmas is bringing no end of |
things of all kinds to Washington,
and among them American Ambassa- |
dors and Ministers. In just casually |
passing the Department of State, one |
sees rows of white spats and toppers-I
Bennett, Bond Street, etc-tripping |
up the steps, swinging swanky walk |
ing stick, and with debonnaire |
boutonniere blooming forth at just |
the right angle on the coat.
Shades of Sarto Resartus-arise and |
view the philosophy of twentieth |
century clothes as expressed diplo- |
matically Mr. Warren Delano Rob-
bins. Minister to Canada, and cousin !
to the President, is absolutely perfect /
sartorially. Like a well dressed per- 1
son should be. one does not know |
what he has on-its just there and |
as it should be-
The American Minister to Switzer- |
land, Mr.. Wilson, is uShered into the |
presence with some speed, for he
must know a lot about what is hap |
pening abroad-revival of the dis
armament conference. Close on his |
heels is Mr.. Grenville T. Emmett, min |
lister to the Netherlands and quite au |
courant with the latest about the |
Dutch East Indies, japanese inten- |
tions and the feet of new submarines |
which good Queen Wilhelmina has |
inst sent for q little turn around Java :