The Washington times., 1935-01-04
NOW
Quaint Customs
OF the Danes
BYRNS' STORY
BY HELEN ESSARY

MOST Scand1naVlanS speak
English or American. An Ameri-
can who speaks a Scandinavian
tongue is extraordinary.
So when Miss Helen Lee Do
herty, secretary for Ruth Bryan
Owen, American Minister to
Denmark, spoke to Mr.. Muenthe
de Morgenstierne, Minister
from Norway, in Danish Dan-
ish and Norwegian are the
same written languages), Mr..
Morgenstierne was delighted.
Miss Doherty, who is return
ing to Copenhagen in February,
speaks Danish fluently. She
learned it in a year. This was
q triumph of perseverance.
Most everyone in Copenhagen
speaks English or American.
Miss Doherty, who is prob
ably one of the richest girls in
this country (she is the daugh-
ter of Henry L. Doherty, the oil
magnate, and had a gorgeous
debut in Washington several
years ago), visited in the re-
mote Danish provinces, and
spent hours with the country
people and the shop keepers in
the small towns speaking their
lang dage.
Miss Doherty has adapted
herself charmingly to Scandi-
navian customs. Immediately
after the dinner which the Nor
Wegian Minister and Madame
de Morgenstierne gave for their
old friend, Madame Eide Nor
ena, I saw Miss Doherty grave
ly shaking hands with her din
ner partner, Mr.. Offerdahl,
counselor of the legation.
Very gravely Mr.. Offerdahl
shook hands with her. In Den
mark, it seems, it is the custom
for a guest to arise at the end
of a meal and say to his host
Cor his mother or father, Il
thank you."
Many entertaining things did
I learn at this dinner party.
For instance, "Skaol," that toast
to ones good health and hearts
desire, is drunk at almost every
social gathering in Norway.
But it is not good manners for
guests to drink "Skaol" to q
host.
You see, the person to whom
the toast is drunk must drink
heartily in response. Too 1naay
enthusiastic responses, particu-
larly in champagne, would be
difficult for even the Stoutest
host.
Mr.. Muenthe de MorgenStierne
Observation-Disclosures of the
Morning Starr is the youngest
minister or ambassador in
Washington. His pretty, grace
full wife is undoubtedly the
youngest chatelaine of a lega-
ton.
Mr.. Morgenstierne was ad-
vanced quickly in diplomacy
over many older heads, and
came from New York, where ne
was consul general.
In the library of the legation
is a sketch of DR.. Nansen, the
Arctic explorer, which DR.. Nam
sen did of himself for Mr.. Nor.
genstierne, who came to Amer
lea with him in 1914.
Joe Byrns, Representative
from Tennessee and yesterday
elected Speaker of the new
House Of Representatives, adores
the memory of another Tennes-
seean-Andrew Jackson. Here
is Speaker Byrns' fapsEite Jack
son story, sent to me by Mar
shall Morgan, of the Federal
Trade Commission:
Uncle Alfred, the body servant
and worshiper of General Jack
son, was for years a guide at
the Hermitage, the Jackson
homestead outside Nashville.
Uncle Alfred loved telling the
mighty exploits Of "Ginl Jack
son."
With pride he showed the
"Gin'Ps" swords and decora.
tions, his dueling pistols and the
bed in which he died.
One day a visitor said to
Uncle Alfred:
"T believe all you say about
your bOA@s Uncle Alfred, but do
you reckon a fight'n', cuss'n'
man like Andy Jackson ever got
to heaven?"
Quickly Uncle Alfred an.
Swered:
"DOes I reckon GinI Jack
son went to heaven? Course he
went to heaven. Who in
heaven gOin' to keep him QUIT"
Now there's a Public Seating
Industry. It asks, not James
Clement Dunn, Chief of Protocol
of the State Department, but
the NRA to approve it's code.
Mr.. c. R. Niklason is the in
dustry'S acting deputy admins
traitor. 1t is rumored Mr.. Mix.
lason will extend the powers of
the Public Seating Industry to
put fat dowagers at the foot of
the table and nice young things
beside dining dignitarieS.