The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-04-02
Capital Capers
GEORGE E

A N affable gentleman who up till now has
IA been known as the Minister of Persia, Mr..
DALAI, is nobly beginning an uphill battle to
make the new name Of his ountry-1ran-Safe
for democracy.
Both Democrats and Republicans, incident
ally, still continue to speak of Persia" and the
Persian Minister" Only Senator William H
King of Utah, so far, correctly refers to the
"Iranian envoy and recounts his fascinating
experiences in the magic land of Iran"
One nuisance which Persian ~(pardon-Iran-
ian) Minister Djalal is undergoing is the chang
ing of mis- official card plate. No longer will
The Minister of Persia and Nine. Dalai" re-
quest the pleasure of some ones company. In
v~itations will read THE Minister of Iran" etc.
Then, the name must be changed in the lit
tie diplomatic blue book issued by the State De-
partment, and in the telephone directory. The
PoStoffce Department must be notified to send
all mail addressed to the Iranian Legation to
the old Persian Legation. This business of
changing the name of a nation is a weighty
affair.
But Minister Dalai, despite daily small wor-
ries, smiles uncomplainingly through it all. And
there is just one thing which doesn't bother him
in the slightest-that is whether New York de-
cides to make an Iranian Room out Of the cele-
brated Persian Room at the Plaza.
THE late Speaker of the House, Henry T.
Il Rainey, was an inveterate pipe smoker, and
a collection of his pipes-sent here from Carroll
ton, Ill, by his widow-gives a faint idea of the
wide range of his tobacco tastes.
There are rosewood pipes, curiosly carved,
briar pipes with octagonal bowls, undressing
pipes a la Charlie Dawes, and great Oriental
pipes on which a smoker might puff contentedly
an entire evening. One of the most interesting
is a Turkish pipe inlaid with silver designs of
star and crescent.
A friend to whom Mrs. Rainey sent the COL
lection, selected the Turkish pipe as a memento
Of the late Speaker.
TOHN HAYS HAMMOND, the famous engineer,
u who celebrates his 80th birthday Sunday by
publishing his autobiography, has a great deal
to say about social life in Washington.
Discussing this phase of existence in the cap
ital, Author Hammond declares that he found
it "far more interesting than similar aspects Of
living in any other American city" He adds
that my wife and I took great pleasure in the
dinner parties, the old-fashioned elegance of en-
tertainment, and above all in the fact that we
discovered ourselves making new friends, inter
esting friends, and warm friends"
In reference to the various social sets, Author
Hammond states:
The Army and the Navy add q certain CLAM
our TO various dinners and parties. Not only
those occupied actively in the Army and Navy
departments are present, but also many men
who have served with distinction in one or other
of the services and who have, as Is their GUS
tim, made their residence permanently in Wash
ington.
NO description of the characters of Wash
ington life would be complete without mention
of the Cave Dwellers.' They are the real Wash
~ingtonianS. For many generations their ances-
tors have lived there, some of them in George
town, even before the founding of Washington.
Feeling themselves the real aristocrats, they do
not seek society, and p~atronize somewhat the
shifting governmental population"