The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-04-17

NOW
OAR. Aspirdnt
Wins Praise
COLONIALL LIFE
BY HELEN ESSARY

I don't know a thing in the
world about the qualifications
Of Mrs. Flora Myers Gillentine,
Of Tennessee, and Mrs. William
A. Becker, of New Jersey, for
the office of president general
Of the D. A. R.
But 1 have heard lots about
Mrs. Becker. Last night I lis
tened to Mrs. Gillentine at the
Tennessee dinner of the D. A. r.
and I bet on Mrs. Gillentine.
Why? Because she is the per-
Sonification of Southern guile.
And as between Southern guile
and Yankee sharpnesS-in a
woman, I bet on Southern guile.
Mrs. Gillentine has the un-
beatable technique necessary in
o world still run by men, of pre-
tending she "looks up to the
stronger SEX" She kept saying
last night, in soft Tennessee
drawl, that she wanted to hep
the men" (the "l'' in help was
practically silenD.
She called the Secretary OF
State, the Speaker of the House
of Representatives, and the
chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, Judge" and
mentioned every gentlemen's
pretty wife" It takes a smart
woman to remember to do all
of these things. A woman smart
enough to get herself elected
to the presidency of a society
as big and powerful as the
D. A. r.
Of course, it was authentic
to call Hugh Tate, chairman
of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, Judge" But If 1t
hadn't been, Mrs. Gillentlne
would have addressed him that
way anyhow.
I was astonished to see the
Secretary of State at the din
ner. He never goes to evening
parties. But there he was:
Plain Cordell Hull, smiling and
bowling and making all his "tel-
low Tenneseeans mighty happy
to have him so honor them"
Mrs. Gillentine might have
spoken to all these distinguished
public servants by their first
names (she and Representative
Sam McReynolds went to the
same Chattanooga school bare.
footed. But to say Judge"
every time she smiled Good
evening"" was more flatterlng.
I know Mrs. Becker, of New
jersey, hasn't remembered to
talk that way.
Mrs. Edith O'Keef Susong,
the chairman of the meeting,
said some nice things at the
dinner, too. Mrs. Lucille Foster
McMillin, Of the Civil Service
Commission, talked very anus
ingly and looked mighty hand
some.
And well I certainly did
enjoy myself. And so did every
body else at the dinner. All OF
us "just natchelly" revelled in
the agreeable atmosphere. And
felt especially set up. For
Southern blarney was the theme
song Of the evening.
Next week from April % to
27 is Garden Week. Great
crowds of visitors from all parts
of the United States will motor
through Virginia and reVel in
the beauty and tradition OF the
annual festival.
One of the finest houses in
the Garden Tour is WoodlaWn
where Mrs. Oscar Underwood
now lives. You have seen Wood
lawn. It's that fine big red brick
Georgian mansion on the hill
side on the Richmond road not
for from Mt. Vernon. Nelly Gus
tbs, the adopted daughter Of
George Washington and her
husband, Col. Lawrence Lewis,
once lived there.
Mrs. Underwood sent me a
copy of a letter written more
than a hundred years ago by a
guest of Nelly CASTS and
Colonel LeWis-RepreSentatiVe
Thomas Mill Hubbard. It's a
delightful letter and suggests
the agreeable life in the home
of a rich Southern planter dur
ing the winter of 1917.
I particularly like these para
graphs:
cat Mr.. Lewis house, Wood
lawn, everything is on a grand
and liberal scale. We were en-
tertained in the most Sump-
tuOus fashion.
I'VE had a light and late
breakfast and dined at 4.
The table was spread with
double tableclOths, and the first
course consisted of beef, NUT
ton, oysters and soup. The first
cloth was removed with these
viandS and the clean one below
was covered with pies, puddingS,
tarts, jeIlies, whips. floating
island and SweetmeatS, and
after these we came to the plain
mahogany table.
Clean glasses were brought