The Washington times., 1935-01-10
NOW
A Big, Old House
For Paradise
FINE MANSION
By HELEN ESSARY

paratlVe virtue WIN CIle GLlp w
Paris asked by good French
men, I shall be given an old
house. A big old house with
a serious past, and a reposeful
present, and adventure and
humor treading its wide
boarded floors and frolicking
up and down its broad stair
case.
Last night I saw the house
I Iwant-now-today. But since
Squatters Rights do not prevail
openly in the Capital and I'm
not related to the Marine
Corps, I shall probably have to
20 on hoping for that life be-
yond to provide a home like
that of General and Mrs. Rus
sell.
General Russell is the Com
mandant of the Marine Bar
racks. With Mrs. Russell, he
lives in that impressive man.
sion at the edge of the barracks
on the corner Of Eighth and G
Sts. 8. E.
Sixteen previous commandants
and their families have lived IN
the mansion before General
and Mrs. Russell came. During
their periods of residence the
mansion has seen great things
happen - great personalities
come and go. Not long after
the house was built it was used
as headquarters by the British
in 1913 during their brief In
vasion of the Capital.
Last night the house was
glowing Hospitality. A pink
checked, blue-eyed Domlnlck
opened the door and led us
through a wide hall to a large
drawing-room where General
and Mrs. Russell and several
guests were grouped around the
fireplace.
Two Of the guests were Mrs.
Thomas Chadbourne and Miss
Ellen La Motto, of Boston, New
York, Paris, Baltimore, Peking
and Rome, and well-the rest
of the world. Persons Of in
fluence and originality wher-
ever they go, and old friends OF
Mrs. Russell.
Ellen La Motto is well
known for her work against the
opium traffic. The Chinese
national government gave her
the Lin Use Hsu Memorial
in recognition of her efforts.
Miss La Motto is likewise wo-
man geographer, an author,
one of the organizers of the In
structive Visiting Nurses So
ciety and in general a crusader
for the under dog.
Moreover, she is very hand
some with a beautiful head and
. lovely speaking voice.
Mrs. Chadbourne combines
the culture and tradition of
Boston in one person. Her
taste for wide horizons has car
ried her into strange countries.
In Paris, her salon was the
center of inspiration for artists
and writer's. She has been a
collector Of glass and china and
furniture. Most of her collec-
ton she has presented to
museums.
At present Mrs. Chadbourne
and Miss La Motto are living at
Rock Ridge in the Adirondacks.
Their little house was Revolu-
tionary Inn, run by a smart
woman named Nancy Tuck.
Naturally I didn't discover
these facts about Mrs. Russell's
guests the instant 1 met them.
But I did suspect at once that
they were rare personalities.
And when the James Clement
Dunns arrived I knew the eve
ming was to be the delightful
sort that so seldom happens.
Mrs. Russell, who has the
divine gift for making every
body about her feel attractive,
bore us off to see her house.
She is quite mad about it.
revels in each improvement
she and the general have made
since they moved in last July.
Partitions have been taken
down, rooms enlarged, walls
painted white, chairs done over
in gay chintz, mirrors in heavy
gold frames polished until they
are almost invisible.
The tall Sconces added to the
drawing rooms are exquisite
Adam pieces. The seven japanese
prints, rescued after various mis-.
adventures and visits to the Cen.
tury Of Progress Exposition are
new at the barracks. They show
the arrival of Commodore Perry
and his American sailors in
Japan in 1853 when the country
was opened to foreigners.
Two chaiSe lounges, again of
the period of Adam, were prob
ably inspired by Madame Reca-
mier. Portraits of IL of the prev
1ous Commandments of the Bar
racks ado rn the wall. Some more
notlceably adorning than others.
General Henderson looked
down at me reprovingly at din
Y1er while I was eating Car
1otta's delectable italian spa
ghetti. General Henderson lived