Evening star., 1941-08-24
Brooks
Continued From Page D-1.)

and there the great Poet Tom Moore
was entertained. A mansion sup
planted the original cottage about
1889 and was standing until early in
this century when the D. A. r. built
Memorial Continental Hall, followed
in few years by the Pan-American
Union Building, which was dedi-
Gated In April, 1910.
Tropical Vegetation Adds
To Beauty Of Patio.
The beauty and stateliness of the
building is well known and the
neatly Handicapped and artistically
planted grounds are greatly ad-
mired, but few of the guests who
enjoy the parties and the concerts
know of the historic value Of the
growing things in the patio and in
the Aztec garden. The patio, just
beyond the bronze grilled entrance
doors, where DR.. Leo S. Rowe. the
director general, stands to greet the
guests, is bordered with tropical and
subuopical vegetation which con-
trasts with the unusual fountain in
the center. In this is introduced
an exotic spirit-the serpents with
water spraying from their mouths
have green jeweled eyes which wink
at intervals, giving a strange trans
lucence to the pink marble behind
them. Beyond this bit Of Latin
America that thrives under a glass
roof, which on clear starlit evenings
Is rolled back to admit the evening
air, is the museum and map room,
from which the guest steps out on
the esplanade. The view Of the Az
tee garden with the annex as back
ground is like a fairyland with its
blue lighted lagoon and the blue
light of the portico. Here the blues
and green's and blue-greens are
brought out by the tan color frieze
of Aztec figures against rich deep
red
The pool, or lagoon, at present is
edged with profusion of ageratum,
dusty miller and ivy and in the pool
are hundreds of tropical fish and
many rare species of water lilies.
One of these aquatic flowers, the
Victoria Regina, has round floating
leaves measuring from to feet
in diameter, the edges upturned
from the water from to 8 inches,
giving a platter-like effect, which
is the reason for its more common
name of water platter" or water
corn" The blossoms, from 6 to Is
inches across. open only at night
fall and close before noon, showing
as they expand creamy white,
gradually growing darker with the
age of the bloom to pink and on
the second night of blooming to a
deep purplish red. There is rich
fragrance similar to sweet pineapple
which is noticeable at considerable
distance.
Aztec God of Love Stands
Guard Over Pool.
Standing guard over the pool and
facing the back of the main build
| ing is Xochipilli, the Aztec god Of
love, the dance and sports. He Is
the symbol for summer, happiness,
abundance of flowers and OF harvest,
the reason for the flowers as dec
grafton of his body. The figure Is
sculptured frsm red basaltic ande-
site, very common in Mexico, where
1t is known as tezontle. The discs
on his ears represent jade and his
necklace and anklets are OF tiger
skin from which are suspended
claws of the wild beasts. Golden
bracelets are on the forearms and
red leather colored ribbons about
the wrists, and the hands are mod
eled so as to hold bouquets OF flow
ers or the rattles which gave the
measured beats for the dancers.
The panels behind the figure were
dedicated in 1919 when the then
recently elected President Of Brazil
visited Washington and was enter
tained at the Pan-American Union
About this embracing spot are
seated the guests at the concerts
In summer with the musicians on
the esplanade, and no more charm