Evening star., 1938-05-22

THE excitement in New York
this week has been the ar
rival of the Nieuw Amster-
Il dam, the largest ship ever
built by the Holland -American Line,
and the neatest job that has sailed
into these harbors in many a year.
Like the country that built her,
this new liner is small. trim and
beautiful. That is, small in COM
parison with those giants. the
Normandie. 82.779 tons; the Queen
Mary, 80.773. and the Bremen. ST.
556. Her tonnage is only 36.287.
Guthrie McLintic. producer and
director and husband of Catharine
Cornell, arrived on this maiden
voyage. so we went over to see the
fleet and graceful liner steam up
the bay, with all flags flying and a
shiny brass band playing alter
nately the Dutch national anthem
and The Star Spangled Banner"
She turned into the dock with the
ease of a canoe Mrs. S. STAN
wood Menken. whose bespangled
and intricately lighted costumes for
the annual Beaux Arts ball have
become historical, was there,
meeting her son. He is q press
photographer and has been doing
up the wars.
The next day the boat was
opened for inspection. 1t is
fascinating comparing it to the
other big European liners and to
our own Manhattan. the largest
passenger ship in the Merchant
Marine. The latter is 24,250 tons
and is decorated in a fashion to
bring shudderS to even the most
conservative. What with stuffed
buffalo heads and paintings of
Hiawatha and the dark walnut
bar and the painted cupids on the
overheads of the dining room. with
wealth" and power" scrolled
across their fat little stomachs, the
decor is not in our most distin-
guished American period. The
Normandie looks like an immense
and luxurious hotel The Queen is
much the same, only the color
scheme is far quieter The Europa
is depressing, with its turkey-red
upholstery and bronze lamps and
dim halls.
The Nieuw Amsterdam is light
and very airy There is a lot of
soft. wood panelling. The deco
rators used no less than 26 va
rieties, silver sycamore, silky oak,
African cherry. weathered SATIN
wood, etc, and the general color
scheme is blue and gray. The
Holland d-American Co. arrived at
this harmonious result by consult
ing Is different independent in
terror decorators who, in turn. en-
ployed so young Dutch painters.
BY some extraordinary machination
the whole thing jelled!
The safety devices on the boat
are fascinating. There are some
$500 sprinklers and in the boiler
room there is a special carbon
dioxide eXtinguishing installation,
beside steam and foamite. This
latter contraption fills the room
4 feet high in soap bubbles, ap-
parently death to fire.
*4 4
WE WENT this week to the most
amusing art show OF the year.
It was the annual exhibition Of
the New York Physicians Art Club.
Here you can see your doctor. that
godlike creature who scowk 80
ominously over your mysterious
ailments, turned into one Of the
most simple of human beings. DR.
w. w. Herrick. for instance, one
OF the most distinguished profess
sors at the great College of Ply
sicians and Surgeons. apparently
spending his spare time carving
delicate leaves on oak paneling.
DR.. Manges Morris. retired
stomach specialist, exhibits pas
toral water colors, and DR.. Nathan
Chandler Foot. who, when not
editing his current book, Studies
on Tsutsugamushi," dreams over
his oils.
One picture, rather distressing to
any potential patient, Is called
Exploratory Operation. It shows
q large question mark lying on
the operating table, surrounded by
q group Of eager student question
marks. Another graphic medical
artist has portrayed "Streptococ-
Gus" as an unhappy man, drawn
In white chalk on black paper,
with his throat and sinuses out
lined in a sinister red.
But most of the pictures strike
q cheerful SvlVan and snrinpljko