Evening star., 1935-09-08
About Well Known Folk
In Books, Art, Politics
President Enjoys Old Home Meeting Caro-
lima Plantations Lure Yankee Dollars.
World of Books.
BY ROBERT CRAWFORD.

By kObEhT ChAWfOnD
Just pinch-hitting for his wife is
what the President Of the United
States told his neighbors who had
gathered at a little old farm house
near his old home at Hyde Park one
evening last week to hear bit of
news from the outside world. When
the meeting was arranged they had
expected Mrs. Roosevelt to talk to
them-she is a member of the Demo-
cratic Womens Club up there-but
she had been called to Chicago to at
tend the funeral of her beloved friend.
Mrs. Ickes, who had met an untimely
death in an automobile accident.
1t was a familiar, honey scene ut
Hyde Park, such as was often enacted
in the early political days of the coun-
try. that took place that evening when
President Roosevelts old neighbors
and friends, some of whom had known
him from boyhood just frankie
Roosevelt to them-gathered in the
twilight about a simple farm house
that misty September evening to shake
hands with him and hear at first hand
the news of what was really going on
down at Washington.
Were dreadful things being done
was he absolutely pulling the roof of
Uncle Sans Government, tearing the
tnsides out of the Constitution, hay
wiring the Declaration of Independ-
ence. or just having few repairs put
on the White House, to preserve the
historic mansion and make it more
livable? Some of them remembered
that frankie always did do things, for
there is story among his neighbors
that on one occasion when he was
very much interested in some boyish
activity and was rushing ahead, his
mother asked him why he did not let
some of the other boys manage the
affair. He answered that he had
waited for them and that they had
done nothing.
Instead of coming to the meeting
that evening on horseback and in
horsedrawn vehicles. as they did in
the early days, the friends and neigh
bors came in utomobiles-there may
not be a chicken in every pot or a
slice of bacon on every breakfast
table, but there is certainly Sir
Henry in almost every family through
out the country. Nine times out of
ten the laboring man goes to work in
his own car and farmers trundle along
the countryside under motor power.
In England laboring men go to work
on shank's mare or ride bicycles.
One of those big 6-foot Roosevelt
boys stood by his father while he
talked to his neighbors. Citing a
parable with the White House repairs
as an example, the President told
them that, like the Mansion, the
affairs of Government needed some
going over, that neither the original
structure of the White House nor the
Government would be impaired-juSt
strengthened and made more secure
for the whole people. Using the
homely metaphor as he did, he said
that in human life in government
and in human structure, repairs must
be made.
Perhaps the President kept son
John by him that evening because it
made the road safer for traffic. John
appears TO have a large part Of the
sporting blood of the family-he just
doesn't mean to, but when that little
old car gets out on the road, the devil
seems to get hold of the wheel and it
simply streaks ahead
Along with strikes and few other
exciting things down in South Caro-
lima, the real estate men claim that
they are having a second Yankee in
vasion and Charleston seems almost as
alluring as it did in old reconstruc-
ton days. During the past two
decades the market in plantation
properties has been very active with
Northern sportsmen taking over the
coastal plantations for shooting pre-
serves and sea islands for fishing
and Aquatic sports. Recently little
group of South Carolinians discussing
the invasion in a jovial mood figured
out that about 100000 acres of land
had been taken over by Northern
people during the past 20 years and
that property worth something like
$4,000, 900 had been acquired. Now
even some of the lovely old houses
along the Battery are being negoti-
ated for as Winter town houses. Well,
the latter would certainly loose their
charm without the century y-old rose
wood and mahogany furniture, the
portraits and miniatures and the
Queen Ann and George III silver on
the beautiful old sideboards.
1t was in one of those charming
houses on the Battery that Scots
gentleman was invited for a weeks
visit and remained for 40 years-in
fact, until his death.
In return for the millions rich
Americans have put in the old castles
in England, it is rumored that Brit
1sh syndicate is on the eve of invest
ing about $3.50, 900 in New York prop
erty. The wonderful impetus housing
has received during the past two years
has spread all over the States. Rep