The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-03-12
A State Dinner at the White House.

1t is the evening of the Presidents state
dinner. The guests are not only invited,
but expected to be punctually in their places
at seven o'clock p. NJ. President and Mrs.
Grant are already in the Red Room await
ing the company. The ladies have disrobed
themselves of outer wrappings and like
graceful swans, they sail slowly into tie
presence. Mrs. Grant is i'll full evening
dress-jewclS, laccs, and all the ct cetcras
to match. Her lady guests are attired as
handsomely as herself, and the gentlemen
are expected to wear black swallow tail
coats and white neck-ties.
President Grant leads the way with the
wife of the oldest Senator present on his
arm-nvt the oldest Senator in years, but
the one who has enjoyed the longest term
of office. The President is followed 10y
the other guests, whilst Mrs. Grant, assisted
by the husband Of the woman who honors
the President by her exclusive attention,
brings up the rear. and after slight COIL
fusion the guests are most comfortably
seated. When no parson is present the
Divine blessing is omitted. unless it be the
Quaker thankfulncss-the silence of the
heart. In the beginning of the feast. fruits,
flowers, and sweetmeats grace the table,
whilst bread and butter only give Spartan
simplicity to the first course which is
composed of French vegetable soup, and
according to the description 10y those VIII"
have tasted il, no soup. foreign OF domestic.
has ever been known to equal it. 1t is
said to lie Il little smoother than peacock'>
brains, but not quite So cxquisitcly favored
rs Il dish of nightingale's tongues, and yet
Professor Mclah " is the only man in the
nation who holds in his haMds the rccipr
for this aristocratic stew.
The ambrosial soup is followed by
French croquet of meat. Four adm RI
bly-irIined serv-nt, rem we the plates
etwesn each course, an III l.. no
tia are us perfect as clock wo k
These servants are clad in garments of
faultlcss cut, which serve to heighten to
the last degree their sable complexions.-
White kid gloves add the finishing touch
to this part of the entertainment. The
third course of the dinner is composed
of Il fillet of beef, tllnkcd on each side 10y
petatocs the size of a walnut, with plenty
of mushrooms to keep then company
The next course is dainty in the extreme.
1t is made up entirely of the luscious LEGS
of partlidges, and bab,ized Ivy a French
name entirely Leyond my comprehension.
1t will readily he seen that a full descrip.
ti~n of the twenty nine courses would lie
altogether too much for tie healthy columns
of Il newspaper to Lear, so we l,ass to the
dessert, not emitting to say that the mt ri
dian OF noon of the feast is marked 10y the
guests being served ioun,irully with frozen
punch. AS Il general rule. wine is served
about every third course. Six wine glasses
Of different sizes and small banquet of
flowers are placed before each guest at the
beginning.
The dessert is inaugurated by the des-
truction of rice pudding, but not the kind
which prompted the little boy to iun ava.
to the North Pole because his mother
would have rice pudding for dinner
1t is not the same dish which our Chinese
brethcrn swallow with the aid ofchopsticks.
but it is such pudding as wsuld make our
great grandmotherS clap their hands in Joy
Charles Lamb has made roast pi. classic;
Professor Mrah's rice ru ding is worthy
to he embalmed in romance or story, or at
To- IN,
This Presidential dish cannot he described
except by the pen of genius. therefore il
can only be added that no plebeian pos or
other pastry are allowed to keep it com
pany. After the rice pudding. canned
peaches, pears, and ounces are served
| Then follew confectionery. nuts, ice cream,
coffee, and chscslatc, and with these warm.
soothing drinks the Presidential entertain
ment comes to an end the host and his
guests repair to the Red Room, and after
/ fifteen minutes spent in conversation the
actors in state dinner rapidly disappear
These dinners cost from three to fifteen
hundred dollars, though the average cost is
about seven hundred. The state dinner of
which Prince Arthur had the honor of par
taking was composed of twenty-nine cour-
SEES and cost fifteen hundred dollars: bat it
is only when royalty is to he entertained
| that these feasts assume such costly pre-
portions. This modest sum docs not in
! Glide tie wine and other beverages, for
these come under separate "itcm'
1t must lie remembered that all these
! state dinners are paid for out of the Presi-
dents private purse. The President, how
ever, had put this delicate matter inte
Steward Melal's hands, and the Italian
gets up" a dinner according to the quail
ity of the guests.