Evening star., 1935-07-07

London, near the houses of Parlia.
ment and also contains the foreign
office.
1t will be recalled that the builder
and first owner of this most cele-
brated building in the British EN-.
pire was a native of Boston, Mass.
and member of the first class which
was graduated from Harvard Uni
versity Sir George Downing was
the son of an immigrant from about
Kent, who came to the New World to
improve his fortunes; that he was very
successful is evidenced by the fact
that when young George after his
decided that Boston was too small
for him and that the opportunities in
London were much greater gave him
an adequate income to enable him to
return to the home of his ancestors.
Arriving in England young George
found affairs too exciting to settle
down to the practice of law and in
stead joined Cromwells army, even
tually becoming ScoutmaSter general
in Scotland. For his services he re-
ceived a handsome pecuniary reward
and it was with this. money that Sir
George bought the tract of ground on
St. James Square, and built the nne
manSion-for that day-which for
over a century has been the home
of England's premiers.
Since Sir Georges time the man
sion has been enlarged and changed
almost past recognition. and the pres
ent prime minister once remarked to
DR.. Abbott Lawrence Lowell, some
time president of Harvard, that If Sir
Georges ghost should come back ne
would need a guide to get to his for
mer apartments.
When Mr.. John Buchan, now Lord
TWeedSmuir. governor general deslg-
nate of Canada, comes over to as
sumo Office. it is hoped that he will
pay the States a visit. for there Is
perhaps no English writer of the
present day who has a larger reading
public here. To those who have read
and liked the late President RooSe-
velt's Cromwell" Lord Tweedsmuir S
story of the Lord Protector of Eng
land" seems a little tame There is
a kind of elan about the Roosevelt
Cromwell that carries one along
from page to page. In his later years
Mr. Roosevelt appears to have lost
much of the verve and freshness of
charm which were noted in his earlier
writings.
1t is reported that Mr.. Bernard
Baruch will finish his autobiography
begun year ago, while on his pres
ent visit to England. He has had a
life peculiarly rich in experience and
contact with society in its many
phases and his book is looked forward
to with much interest. Unfortunately
it is perhaps too early to shed light
on many events connected with his
association with the late President
Wilson and affairs here and abroad
during and after the World War
The public will expect a great deal
from Mr. Baruch's story of his life
because of the premeditated manner
in which he began it. He closed his
Office in Wall Street, moved up town
and deliberately set himself about
telling things-maybe some things the
public have long wanted to know
about certain happenings during the
war-how about it Mr.. Baruch? Con-
gressional committees have not found
you very fluent in conversation. But
they do ask so many questions. If its
about munitions, there is no rapid fir
ing gun ever invented that can keep
UP with them.
Perhaps never before has an Amer
lean author, or as for that writer
of any country, been so universally
honored as has Mark Twain, during
this year which marks the celebra-
ton of the centenary of his birth
which occurred in November, 1885
Beginning in the early Spring, there
has been an almost continuous sue
ceSsion of honorS and tributes paid
to the beloved humorist, and now. as
a delightful climax to the celebration
Mr.. Albert Bigelow Paine has edited
and arranged Mark Twain's note
books, which Harper and Brothers
have announced, along with other
fresh Mark Twainiana, will be ready
for the Fall season
The difference between a notebook
and diary must be that the former,
where ones thoughts are spontane-
ously jotted down offhand, more
nearly reveals the true state of the
writer's mind. While a diary, es-
pecially when kept by person of
distinction or some note, is too fire.
quently a premsditated offering to a
future audience-as witness Mr..
Pepys: And Mr. John Evelyn. founder
of the Royal Society.
To many people, both old and
young. the piece de resistance-with
whipped cream-will be Clara Glenn
ems offering of new edition of her
fathers translation of "Slovenly Pc
ter" which will be illustrated in color
by Mr.. Fritz Kredel. To this very
free translation of Hoffmann's classic
the humorist lent his most fetching