Evening star., 1935-04-28
About Well-KnOwn Folk
In Books, Art, Politics
Musings of Senators rs-Audubon's 15Oth Ami
versary elebrated-New-OldW White
House Library.

wild turkeys of America-he must
have seen them In Tazevell County,
Va.-that to paint them life size re-
phant Folios, the rarest Of his works,
four of which are in the Rare Book
Division of the Library Of Congress.
These folioS are filled with perfectly
beautiful colored plates: the frontis-
piece of the first volume being a
glorified picture of the great Ameri-
can wild turkey. Sorry, but some
bird! Engraved on copper plates by
Audubon himself and then colored,
the technique is marvellous and the
coloring as If of yesterday. Another
of the very large illustrations is of
the bald eagle which the naturalist
calls The Bird of Washington"
Twelve thousand dollars was paid for
the Elephant Folios, which now are
worth much more.
These folios are feet 2 inches by
25 inches wide Dr. Palmer pointed
out in looking over the books that
while the smaller birds, songsters and
other varieties were carefully drawn
and accurately colored. Audubon paid
but little attention to the feather
structure Of the smaller birds.
Three rare volumes-almost as large
as the Elephant Folios-first editions
of Audubon's "Quadrupeds" or ''Vivi-
parous Quadrupeds," the original
title. were brought out with great
pride by the doctor, and exhibited
with the same interest as If they were
seen for the first time. These books
are bound in red morocco and exqui-
sitely fooled in gold. The illustrations
are Audubon's own and are things
of beauty.
The library is rich in Auduboniana,
owning many of the original plates
made by the naturalist, also rare
copies of his books There is also
being shown in one of the corridors
collection most interesting to Aud
ubol Societies. which consists of the
works and letters of the late DR.. DAN
iel Giraud Elliott, the distinguished
naturalist and ornithologiSt who was
the first American TO bring out plates
after the style of Audubon-splendid
colored plates-oh. those pictures of
birds of enthusiastically.
Last Tuesday was gala day at the
Folger Library, where hundreds went
to pay tribute to the Bard of Avon.
Inquiry is always for the Shakes
peare Library, instead Of the Folger,
and tourists get very confused. When
Mr.. Palma. curator of the rare book
division of the Library of Congress,
was asked about the Shakespeare
treasures in the library. he said there
we're the first four folios and copies
of the first edition of Shakespeare's
works printed in America. The
American edition was printed in
Philadelphia, in l795, by Bioren and
MADAM. and sold by them
But Mr.. Palma made it quite plain
that they considered the Shakespear
lana in the Congressional Library only
supplementary to the wonderful COL
lection in the Folger library, their
neighbor just across the street-and
he looked wistfully in that direction,
for to mention a rare collection OF
books to him is to start him to |
dreaming and visioning the untold |
riches in the great libraries which |
he has visited.
Speaking of librarieS-that'S peach |
of new one in the White House. This
is intended more for the room than |
the books. 1t is just lately opened |
and is downstairs to the right of the |
east corridor as one enters the Man
sion A charming room paneled in |
white with little secret looking closets !
in the paneling here and there, and |
draperies of hand-blocked linen in a
soft ecru with bright flowers. at the
deeply embrasured windows-about |
four foot window seats. The furniture
has its Summer coverings of the same
lowered linen. The books are mis-
cellaneous lot: Nevins. Grover Cleve-
land and the Conquest of Tibet are |
side by side. Thomas Jefferson, |
Adams, Monroe. Madison, mystery |
stories, poetry. sexy novels, Aristotle /
and the Lives of Plato are happy .
democracy in the charming bookcases !
which have to be screened with heavy |
wire. Too bad, takes away the charm
Of the room.
Next Saturday is Derby day at |
Downs and the hegira to
the old blue grass State is going to be |
a-plenty. Mr. Jouett Shouse's Wes-
ton, Mrs. Dodge Sloane's Psychic Bid |
and Mrs. Payne Whitney's Plat Eye |
and a hundred others will tread the |
good old Kentucky soil. The radio on |
the day Of the running is better than |
nothing but a sad travesty-still one
can get bit of thrill if they are Of /
the blood.
In the Springtime the young mans
fancy may 60 sentimental but Wash
ingtonians go a-gardening and the |
gentlemen up on Capitol Hill go a.
xool-gathering and a-speculating
about 1886.
The pilgrimages to the gardens down
in old Virginia began last week. when
here was an almost continuous stream
of automobiles over Arlington Bridge
and out Mount Vernon boulevard to
some of the loveliest garden spots
on earth. The World War gave an
impetus to gardening of vegetables.
and this led to the cultivation of
flower gardens, many of which had |
long since fallen into tangled dis