Evening star., 1935-03-10
BY ROBERT CRAWFORD.

OAsDs
A quaint little book of some 141
pages, Washington Directory for the
Year 1922" which has just come this
way is most interesting. It contains
a CODY of the charter of Washington
or act of incorporation, and gives
in detail regulations for taxation in
the Federal District. A tavern keeper
was taxed $50 year; but tavern
keeper who retailed less than pint
was taxed $50; but one who retailed
not less than quart paid only $40.
A curricle, chaise, chair, sulkey or
any two-wheeled carriage on iron or
steel springs was only SO, but a coach
was SIS year.
The houses were not numbered but
were located by some well known
landmark, such as Mr.. So and So.
the butcher, or Mr.. X, the grocer.
His excellency, the Right Hon. STRAIT
ford Canning, Minister from Great
Britain, lived on the north side of
Pennsylvania avenue, near the West
ern Market. 1t was from this house
that the amusing story about MIR.
Canning eminated.
His excellency was very punctilious
about White House invitations, and
treated them as a command from
court. The story goes that on rag
ing, stormy night in January. he was
about stepping into his carriage to
drive to a state dinner at the man
sion when the axle tree snapped.
There was no time to lose. and away
trotted the coachman with the horses
to the nearest livery stable with orders
to return at once with any kind of a
vehicle. AS the stable man had sent
cut everything he had on wheels ex-
cept a hearse-carriageS being in de-
mand for President Monroe's dinner
the horses were clapped to the hearse
and in five minutes was at the Min
ister'S door where Mr.. Canning was
waiting, watch in hand. The hearse
ratified up and with true British COM
posure he stepped in and lying down
on his back was whisked away to the
White House.
It was the sensation of the Winter
when 1t rolled up to the door and a
live man crawled out But the climax
came after dinner when in stentorian
tones the door man called out: THE
carriage of the Secretary of State, the
carriage Of the Secretary of War and
the hearse of the British Minister" !"
Maybe the days of Mr.. Ramsay
Macdonald, as prime minister of
England, are numbered, but never
mind, Mr.. Macdonald, the jubilee
year is almost here and there are
other worlds to conquer and one of
those wigs with croquinole curls and
marcel wave would become your
handsome face, and at least sir"
would be the reward.
That was great anatomical dis
play at the dinner the members of
the cabinet gave IN honor of the
President and Mrs. Roosevelt last
week. A gorgeous dinner with beau
tiful women on the whole distin-
glished, good-looking men whose
black evening clothes made an effec-
tive setting for the charming, back
less evening gowns of the women.
Queen Mary says nothing doing in
backless gowns at the court this sea-
son. Positively taboo. As it's her party
she should have something to say
about it, and besides when it comes
to a becoming decolletage her majesty
is not a bit Puritanical-neither are
other English women. But last year
extremeS-well the waist line was in
evidence.
The dictionary says that anatomy
is the separation by dissection of the
various parts of the body with \ view
to the examination and determine
zion of their structure, etc. That
being the case, there would have been
no difficulty last Tuesday night at
that dinner to determine the struc-
ture Of the spinal column. There it
was: An excellent exposition of the
vertebrae when on dress parade.
What q handsome dowager duchess
Mrs. James Roosevelt, the mother Of
the President, is. Her eyes fairly
glow with interest and pride when she
looks at her great, big, handsome son
FRANKIE is so much like her.
That old adage, boy who looks like
his mother Is born for luck seems to
be true in this instance-coupled with
hard work.
Washington is indeed in bellicose
mood. It does not look as if the
lenten season would bring peace and
meditation. Everybody is in a stew
and Capitol Hill puts on an exciting
stunt daily. The suave, courteous
floor leader Of the Senate, Mr. Robin
son Of Arkansas, let forth a volley of
oratory on Shrove Tuesday, which
drove his adversary, the Senator
from Louisiana, to seek the classic
shades Of the cloak room. Secretary
Of the Navy Swanson and the con-
troller general are in a tiff-put it
mildly-it seems to be a case of II
will, you won't" New Dealers and
Secretary Wallace, the Postmaster
General and Huey Long, the aristo-
cratic Senator Byrd of Virginia
(where else could that kind of Byrd
come from) who asks an accounting
NJ the millions Of dollars Snent or in