Evening star., 1934-06-03
Tales of Well known Folk
In Art, Literature, Politics
Mrs. Arthur Vandenbere Authority on Girls
Senator Vandenberg Authority on Hamilton.
'Smith of Smiths" Rafting Lively Story.

Mr.. Bruce's conversations with Mr..
Franklin are sometimes quite dra-
matte and always interesting. There
Is an elan about them and one re-
ceives an immense amount of old facts
in a new guise. The dear doctor liked
to talk and lived in time when con-
versation was an art. There was
more times, subjects were more thor
oughly digested and wit and wine
flowed more freely. Franklin's wit
was not of the sparkling, frothy kind.
it's true, but partook rather of mix
ture of homely expression and phi
losophy. That Franklin could turn
pretty compliment is shown in his
contact with Nine. Brillon, and that
he could indulge in clever repartee
Nine. Helvetius.
John and Abigail Adams thought
DR.. Franklin was capable of going far
where a pretty woman was concerned
and that his conduct was sometimes
too ilirtatioGs to be-well at least
dignified. His compliments a trifie
risque, but Mr.. Bruce, endowed with
the gracious manners and courtesy of
Southern gentleman and reared in
a drawing-room atmosphere, looks
upon Franklin's life at the French
court in a different light.
Mr.. Bruce is a cousin OF the late
Thomas Nelson Paige, author and
diplomat. and comes of family of
men who expressed themselves grace
fully as we'll as forcibly in both the
written and spoken word. Read I'm
aginary Conversation With Franklin"
just to enjoy and not to contro-
vert.
And while speaking of literary
Senators, recent reading of Senator
Arthur H. Vandenberg's If Hamilton
Were Here Today?" and his earlier
book on Hamilton-it must be his
hobby - The Greatest American:
Alexander Hamilton" the old mys-
terry of who the unknown lady was
who gave the beautiful statue of
Hamilton. which adorns the south
plaza of the Treasury Department,
raises a query that 1t looks like only
Senator William Gibbs McAdoo of
California can solve.
Senator Vandenberg, in his first
book. The Greatest American"
which he dedicated to the Hamilton
Club-like giving a decoration to an
inanimate object?-of Chicago. says
he asked Mr.. McAdoo, then Secretary
of the Treasury, who donated the
statue. but the Secretary said the
gift was to be kept secret. This
is perhaps only another inexplicable
something about the great statesman,
of whom Senator Vandenberg writes
so clearly and sympathetically
During these hectic days in the
Congress since the new deal. when
the constitution is tossed back and
forth and subject to as liberal an
Interpretation as a statistical report,
it is interesting to read If Hamilton
Were Here Today" The earlier
Hamilton. published in 1921. has
delightful final word written by the
actor and author, George Arliss, who
is as great an admirer of the early
statesman and first Secretary of the
Treasury. as Senator Vandenberg.
Well, maybe after the charming
lady departs this life her name will
be revealed and a grateful people will
thank her for presenting to the Gov
ernment. at Washington, its most
beautiful and artistic statue-and
Senator MacAdoo will be thanked for
having 1t placed just where it is-for
he chose the location
A lively review of the Smith of
Smiths, Being the Life, Wit and HUI
mour of Sydney Smith," by HeSketh
Pearson. makes one just want to run
right off and buy it. Reviews are
sometimes very tiresome and leave
nothing to the intelligence of the
buyer of the book reviewed. When
they are more or less just indicative
unless for the high school student
of literature, they fulfill their purpose
in more satisfactory way.
Mr. Edward M Kingsbury, in re-
viewing the great wit and preacher
of the eighteenth and nineteenth CEN
turtles, is very happy in saying just
enough and leaving the rest to the
reader. He does not, however, mention
the delightful and immortal Smith
recipe for potato salad which, when
in process of assembling, was the
medium of some of Canon Smiths
wittiest remarks.
Sydney Smith was doomed to live
in the country most of his life, but
that he did enjoy London when he
was there, is shown by his saying on
one occasion that. between Oxford
street, Piccadilly, Regent street and
Hyde Park there was more intelli-
gencs and human ability, to say
nothing of wealth and beauty, than
the world has ever collected in such
a space before"
A dispatch from Stratford -on-Avon,
says that the poet laureate of Eng
land. Mr.. John Masef1eld, who at
tended the Shakespeare Festival there,
was much disappointed in the opening
scene in THE Tempest" he said the
laundering of the galleon was lad
mirable, but hardly nautical" He
pointed out that there was no main
brace connecting the masts. Mr.
Bridges Adams, who had spent hours
OF research and experiments to deter
mine the behavior of a galleon in a
storm, explained to Mr.. Masefield that
he left out the brace deliberately-as
otherwise he could not work the
thrilling stage effect of the mast
splintering and falling.
There were fewer Shakespeare
Clubs from America at the festival
this year.
May and June are the months of
pageants and unique festivals every
where, but the quaint Breton city of
Saint Brieuc, in France, expects to
celebrate the tooth anniversary of
Saint william, in the Autumn, when
Williams, Guillaumes, Guglielmos and
Willems, are invited to attend the
celebration of the canonization of
Guillaume Pinchon, which took place
in Rome, in the thirteenth century.
Many things must have happened
when You and I Were Young, Mag
gie," but then we were never quite
sure who you were. Now Col. c. r.
Mccullough, one of the founders of
tho Canadian Ntph ond widelv