The Washington times., 1936-09-05
NOW
dupont in Peril?
Heavens, No
NOTABLE FOLK
BY HELEN ESSARY

BY HELEN ESSARY
I lay stretched out on the sand,
blissfully doing nothing. Think
ing nothing. The sun was warm
on my closed eyes. The sound
of the waves breaking on the
shore came to my droWsy ears
like the accompaniment OF a
dream. The voices flowing out
from the beach umbrellas were
. vague, unimportant.
Suddenly I heard a cry. Many
cries!
Good heavens! It's a du-
pOnt! A DUPONT! She can't
get back"
A dupont in danger! Heavens,
how exciting! mean how ter
rible! I sat up quickly and looked
toward the sea. Everybody on
Deauville Beach,, town OF Reno
both, State of Delaware, was
looking toward the sea.
Many people were running
through the sand toward the
jetty. A small crowd quickly
gathered. A life guard was cut
ting through the waves-they
we're as high as mountains
toward woman struggling
against the ruthless ocean.
ats a dupont! A duPOnt!"
The words went up and down
the beach. Somebody said the
woman was one of the cookbook
ing crowd that sat daily under
that luxurious blue umbrella.
Suppose, just suppose, the guard
didn't get to her in time. Two
black-haired young men were
there near her. They seemed to
be helpless.
Now the guard had reached the
girl Had her by the arm. was
towing her slowly back to shore.
Up. up now. And over the break
ers. He had got her on her feet.
She was able to stand, to walk
weakly through the shallow water,
leaning on the big fellows arm.
The crowd looked eagerly on. A
dupont! Saved in time!
"She's not a dupont"
So said a man with skin as
brown as Halle Selassie's.
"She's that pretty lOng-legged
girl with the big eyes and the
curly black hair. She's sort OF
a governess. They call her POca-
hOntas. She's very pretty"
"But not a duPOnt?"
''NOt a DUPONT"
The show was good. But 1t
could have been better.
The crowd wandered back to &C.
customed places.
I dozed off again in the sand,
thinking about that species OF
American life called dupont.
A dupont in Delaware is a COM
bination of King Edward VIII, the
Queen of Rumania, Adolf Hitler
and the Community Chest.
The dupont Dynasty is an octo-
pus, generally, a benevolent octo-
pus. It's long, powerful tentacleS
consume beauty, youth, brains,
strength and also sorrow and
gayety. .
A dupont has all the elements OF
life at his feet. and all Of its re-
sponsibilities. He has the finest
house, also the most poor relations
and dependents. To be generous is
his duty. He must support hos
pitfalls and keep up roads. But ne
may also make governors-and
sometimes presidents, and he may
marry and divorce as is his Whlm.
Next to the RooSeveltS, the duPontS
are Americas royal family.
AS soon as you cross the State
line into Delaware you feel the
pervasive influence of the duPonts.
In Rehoboth, as elsewhere in the
State, they have the right Of way
But they take it graciously.
In the beauty parlor:
miss DUPONT says you may
have her time"
To the umbrella boy:
"Mr. DUPONT says one dollar
a week isn't enough for looking
after all her chairs. He'll make
it five"
At the flower woman'S cart:
'I'm saving the lilies for Mrs.
DUPONT"
The houses of the duPonts are
mostly back in the pines. Big,
plain looking houses. Elegantly
simple and comfortable inside.
Felix dupont is often at Reno
both. Mr.. and Mrs. Lammot
dupont, jr., have a cottage here.
So do the Irenee duPontS. Mrs.
Rodney Sharp and Mrs. R. R. M.
Carpenter, sisters of Lammot,
have villas at the far end of the
beach.
Mr.. and Mrs. Campbell Weir,
who let their pink palace to Mr..
and Mrs. Francis Thomas of Wash
ington, are now receiving the very
special congratulations of their
friends on the birth of son.
Mrs. Weir, whom every one
knows as Essie, has been wanting
q child for years. She is the
daughter of Lammot dupont, ST,
The Emile F. duPonts have a
summer place at Rehoboth. The
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