The Washington times., 1935-02-23
NOW
More About Art
Gallery for d. C..
SAVING SILVER
By HELEN ESSARY

BY HELEN ESSARY
Andrew w. Mellon did not
suddenly, decide to present
Washington with masterpieces
on canvas. The idea of giving
an art gallery in some form
to the Capital has been in his
mind for years.
When Mr.. Mellon was Mr..
Coolidge'S Secre tary OF the
Treasury, he toll Senator Reed
Smoot of his plan to develop a
National Gallery of Art.
Senator Smoot was chairman
of the Public Buildings and
Grounds Commission. AS Sec
retary of the Treasury, Mr..
Mellon was particularly inter-
ested in the development of the
triangle and its place in the
Washington of the future.
Mr.. Mellon explained to Sen
ator Smoot that he thought a
National Gallery of Art should
be placed approximately on the
southeast corner of Consti5u'
tion Avenue and Fourteenth
Street. This building would bal
ance the National Museum, in
the same general area, and the
George Washington Memorial,
if that ever were finished.
The National Gallery of Art,
Mr.. Mellon thought, should be
taken from the National Mu-
scum where it now is, and
placed in a gallery of its own.
And-this is the important
part of our story-Mr. Mellon
said to Senator Smoot that he
had $1O,00O,OOO of his own for.
tune set aside for the erection OF
such a gallery.
A Washington newspaper man
heard of the plan of Mr.. Mel
lon. He told Senator Smoot his
suspicious. Senator Smoot asked
that the story not be printed
until Mr.. Mellon was ready to
give it out in his own way.
Mr.. Melons gift is bringing
the subject of paintings into
daily conversation. We have
discovered many priceless can
vases in Washington private
homes. Their owners have
asked that they not be written
about for fear the pictures be
stolen.
A form of stealing gently des-
ignated as souvenir hunting is
sometimes practiced by visitors
to the White House.
After each large party, din
ners, as we'll as receptions, va
rious small articles are diScov-
ered-missing.
When the gold-plated knives,
forks, and spoons, marked "The
Presidents House." disappear,
the Appropriations Committee OF
Congress isn't pleased. The COM
mittee must restock the White
House each year.
One of the men most inter.
ested in the disappearance OF
the gold plate was telling a lady
about the situation.
"Too bad," said the lady. "Ser-
wants are so dishonest"
"Servants!" exclaimed the gen.
tleman. NONSENSE! Visiting
firemen!"
AS a specific instance of the
risks run by souvenir hunters,
there was the woman who re-
Gently carried a White House
napkin downstairs under her
arm. The maid who was help
ing her on with her coat said:
"Perhaps, Madame, you forgot
you had one of the dinner nap
kins. Shall 1 take it back for
yOu?"
Dorsey Newson made a small
luncheon party laugh with a
story apropos of these we've
been telling, about a man who
was dining at the American EN-
bassy at Rome when Ambassa-
dor Draper was our representa-
tive there. The "silver," like
that at the White House, was
gold.
Our gentleman, who always
gestured as he talked, accident
ally knocked a spoon on the
floor. AS he stopped to pick the
spoon up, he felt the clutch of a
strong hand on his shoulder,
and a detective-Waiter hissed in
his ear:
"YOu leave that spoon lay!"
Town Talk:
Mrs. Mathew Hanna, the bril-
liant wife of the American Min
lister to Guatemala, who is Wis
iting Mrs. Leland Harrison, was
born in Germany but is about
to become an American citizen.
When Mrs. Hanna comes to
Washington, she is given more
parties than visiting royalty. E.
Mrs. Roosevelt addressed WelleS-
ley students one afternoon and
the residents of the Elmira State
Reformatory the next morning.
Mrs. Roosevelt did not say which
audience was more attentive.
Speaker ByrnS told Repub-
1ican colleague, If you hadn't
campaigned on a support-the-
President ticket, there would
have been a little more room
for the miniature golf course
that could be huilt on tho pc.