Evening star., 1936-04-12

house Mr.. Cleveland, hearing about |
it, ordered the East Room thrown open |
and all the little ones invited to shake
hands with him.
Thomas Jefferson's
Great t-Granddaughter.
Within stones throw of the
Armory in Baltimore, where Presi-
dent Roosevelt Is expected to make
his Jefferson day speech tomorrow
night, is the house in which the late
Mrs Alexander Burton Randall, great
granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson,
spent her last days.
Jane Harrison Randall, grand
daughter of Thomas Mann and Martha
Jefferson Randolph. was one of Balti-
more's most charming and interesting
women. Scholarly witty, with that
simple dignity that bespoke the gen.
erations of distinguished ancestors on
both the father and distaff side from
which she descended.
Mrs. Randall lived in truly Jeffer-
sonian atmosphere so far as material
surroundings were concerned. When
one dined with her, one sat on the
very Sheraton dining room chairs her
famous great-grandfather used at
Monticello and dined off the table
around which had been seated the
great and noted men of the world.
jefferson silver, some glass and few
old pieces of china brought from
France were a part of the table deco
ration. 1t all went with the delightful
conversation, when the hostess would
sometimes relate delicious bits of inti-
mate family traditions and hand-me-
down quips and sayings of her dis
tinguished great.
Among the beautiful old portraits
which graced her drawing room was
the Gilbert Stuart portrait of Martha
jefferson, her grandmother. Over the
mantel was large three quarter por-
trait of William Byrd of WeStover
MRS. Randall's father was William
Byrd Harrison) in his royal blue velvet
coat embroidered in gold and his white
satin breecheS with handsome knee
buckles. He was one of the hand
soonest men of his time either in the
Colonies or in London. A charming
Sir Godfrey Kneller hung nearby, and
by the side of Martha Jefferson was a
small portrait of Ursula Byrd, who
was the wife of Robert Beverley. who
wrote the history of Virginia, which
has lately been brought out in quaint
edition by a Richmond, Va, publisher.
Mr.. James TrusloW Adams (by the
way, his new book, THE Living JET
ferson," is now on sale in the book
shops, in an article on Jefferson in
the last Sundays Star, in speaking Of
the inquisitive mind and democracy
of the sage of Monticello, said: In
testing government, as during his years
in France, Jefferson did not sit in his
study and talk generalities with pro-
fessors s; he walked through
the country, went into the novels of
peasants, sat with them at meals and
slept on their beds, to see how govern
ment worked -"
Now, if Mrs. Randall had heard
that last about the beds she would
have laughed and doubtless would
have told you that her great-grand-
father may have slept in the beds of
the peasants, but that he certainly
would have encaSed himself in one Of
his heavy travelling sleeping bags which
he always carried with him either in
this country or abroad. She had one
of the bags, which was made of a
heavy flax, woven on the plantation
at Monticello. 1t was so arranged
that it was absolutely impenetrable to
insects or dirt She also had a pair
of knitted, unbleached cotton half
socks which Mr. Jefferson always wore
under his silk hose to protect them
from wear.
1t was Mr.. JefferSon's custom when
travelling through France and other
parts of Europe. to pack his travel
ing carriage with books and writing
materials in order to keep up with his
work and official correspondence, as
well as to make notes for future use
on the country through which he was
journeying The roads were rough
and the carriage would swing on the
old-fashioned springs causing the
ink to spill, and other discomforts.
OU LlC 1liNSuUcu oil llkSLdLlU 81 ClcNcl -
ly balanced between upright pieces
attached to the side Of his carriage
that it vibrated with the movement
of the vehicle Mrs Randall had the
silver inkstand, which he had used
in all his travels. 1t was quite small
and sat on the drawing table he in
vented and on which he made many
of his architectural drawings. This
was a remarkably ingenius table with
a double top, the upper one so con-
trived that when the leaf was raised
it could be put at any angle, but the
legs of which slid down into the
legs of the table proper when it was
not in use.
First Easter Service
Held in District.
Just a little more ancient history:
; Today marks the 145th anniversary
of the first Easter service to be held
J in the present territory of the Dis
trict of Columbia. 1t was held in 1871
, in old st. Paul's Church, Rock Greek
Today another Easter service is be-
: ing celebrated in the same historic
!, place which is so filled with interest
ing and hallowed memories to many