Evening star., 1935-06-02
BY ROBERT CRAWFORD.

nODLn1 I'M"
The queen of the sea, the pride Of
France, the giant leviathan the Nor.
mandie, is expected to reach New York
today or tomorrow. Old Neptune will
certainly rub his eyes when she steams
up the bay in all her majesty and
beauty carrying on board Nine. Albert
Lebrun, wife of the President Of the
French Republic and godmother of
the ship.
A signal honor to America and the
ship. It is the first time the United
States has been honored by visit
from the wife of the President of a
European republic. and while her visit
is unofficial-at least as much SO as
the visit of a prominent dignitary can
be-and of short duration. she. will be
accorded every honor-how about
those 81 guns? Her visit is pretty
compliment on the part of France and
her friends here will give her hearty
welcome for she has always been ex-
ceptionally nice to American visitors
In Paris.
Mr.. Richard Southgate, chief of the
division of protocol and conferences
of the Department of State, charm
ing with an engaging sense of humor
visible in his eyes. most observing. will
board the revenue cutter in spats,
topper and formal dress and go down
the bay to receive the distinguished
guest That sort of thing is one OF
his cherished duties and one he per-
forms gracefully never looking bored
or "its not quite worthwhile. bit
tiresome. you know" a sly wink now
and then at the gentlemen of the
press, ahem!
The chief of protocol has lovely
old office in the State Department with
beautiful high arched doorways and
windows looking out on the park to
the south of the building. Quite a
simple room for the social arbiter of
q great republic No fuss and feathers,
no long wait in the ante room as there
is with some of the dignitaries of the
newer Offices who take themselves
most seriously. Mr.. Southgate comes
quite across the room to meet the
reporter, looks interested.
1t is not known whether Nine. Le-
brun will be the guest of Mrs. James
Roosevelt. mother of the President,
while here but it is very likely she
will be before leaving New York on
the return trip of the Normandie. 1t
is not quite a year ago since Presi-
dent and Nine. Lebrun entertained
Mrs. Roosevelt at a delightfully."- in
formal luncheon at the palace in
Paris. An intimate little party and 1t
was not long before they we're gayly
chatting away in French. Mrs. Roose-
welt speaks the language fluently hav-
ing spent a great deal of time in Paris
since her early girlhood and now fire.
ouently visits her sister Mrs. Dora
Delano Forbes, who lives there.
Nine. Lebrun brings with her q
large encourage composed Of relatives,
ministers of state. senators and
friends. M. William Bertrand minis
ter of marine, and Nine. Bertrand
will be of the party. NJ. Bertrand.
D. L. L., former financial officer of
reparations and socialist deputy for
Charente- -Inferieure in 1914. was un-
dersecretary of state in the Chau-
temps cabinet in 1888 and minister
of mercantile marine in the Dou-
mergue cabinet in 1884. He Is well
acquainted with official Washington.
The description in recent issue
of lie Figaro of the launching Of the
Normandie was more like the honors
other countries would pay to a con-
quering hero, 1t was so full OF Senti-
ment and so intense. AS she left the
ways at Saint Nazaire. thousands of
people came from the surrounding
country to pay her reverential and
enthusiastic tribute. A marine salute,
with M. Bertrand present. The Naz-
areens looked upon the giant paque-
bot as their child. and each of the
5000 workmen who had been en-
ployed during the four years in her
building looked upon her as their own
chef d'oeuvre. France has the gift of
putting sentiment into what other
nations would look upon as mere
perfunctory duty.
When England's giant ship, the
Queen Mary. is finished it would be
delightful if Her Royal Highness
would come across.
Could the Blue Eagle have been in
that migration Of several thousand
eagles which passed over the Black
Sea recently? A late dispatch from
Sofia, Bulgaria, relates a remarkable
sight was witnessed of flight Of
eagles making their way northward.
They must have been a discouraged
lot, for the 4-mile line was described
as uneven and struggling, and flying
at a height of about 1000 feet.
1t is a foregone conclusion that,
come Whitsuntide, next Sunday, will
see Mr.. Stanley Baldwin, lord presi-
dent of the council, prime minister Of
England in the place of Mr.. Ramsay
Macdonald. who will doubtless take
his place in the peerage-a jubilee
honor long expected. He will find his
old associate. Viscount Snowden,
there. As late as 20 years ago it would
have been difiicult to believe that
either of those men would have ac-
eepted such honors. But history re-
peats itself, and honors and position
often encourage a broader outlook on
life. M. Pierre Etienne Flandin Of
France. who has been making q fight
to keep his country on the gold stand