Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-03
Kettledrum Parties,
A SKETCH OF THE LATEST RAaEIN THE BEs
SOCIETY

A SKETCH OF THE LATEST RAGE IN THE BEST
SOCIETY.
The New York correspondence of the Charles
ton News says:
A new style of private social entertainment.
imported from England, has come very much
in vogue lately in uptown fashionable circles
Ii is called the "Kettledrum Party.u Such of
your readers as have not participated in a "ket-
tle-drum and are anxious to keep up with the
latest fashions, Will thank me for sketching
briefly the forms observed at these gatherings
"kettle-drums' are invariably held in the af-
ternoon-ssy during the hours from four to six
O'Clock. They last half OF an hour. No cards
are sent out, the invitations being verbal. Re-
yond the front door no servants are used, and
the visitors are unann0unced.
Tea is made In the parlor by the hostess her
sell, and Is served In large cups of Dresden
ware TO the lady guests. Each lady takes a cup
ful TO the gentleman whose company, tste- A.
tete, she prefers. II he says "Sugar, please"
and that her company is desired. If he omits
this little request, she withdraws, and etiquette
requires that she shall quit the party. The la
dies, on the other side, have similar adyan-
tage. No one of them may choose to pass tea
70 certain male guest, in which case he l.
doomed to the service of drummer. Here
where the kettle-drum comes in.
One OF these instruments of superior QUALITY is
PROVIDED BY the hostess. IL Is placed in the cor
ner Oh the parior, and is beaten throughout the
entertainment in "A low monotonous tone nv one
OF the male visitors. When a gentleman finds
himself neglected by the servers II is his duty TO
take his place at the drum until he is r elIeyed
a.
notonous rub-s-dub will be apparent. The la
dies and gentleman being paired OFF in couples,
the noise, while IL Is not harsh enough to be
dspleasiug, is loud enough to permit each
couple TO indulge IN emotional conversation"
without being overheard BY the others. Thus
amid love-making, scandal-swapping and tea
slpping, the party passes OFF, and yet to each
guest IL has all the characteristics of private
tete- a-tete. The information should not be
omitted that spoons are dispensed with aud tea
II lmbibed through carefully prepared straws
which, we are assured, "preserve and brighten
The delicate bouquet of the herb"
MATCHING WIDOWS AND wIpowERs.-A
Few days since we made note of matrimonial
Green Bay, for the purpose of disposing of a
uo.en WIDOWS, and corresponding number of
widowers. For some reason the peiphbors were
bound to match these widows and widowers-at
least 70 mate them, whether they matched or
not Why this determination Is not recorded.
Perhaps In the absence OF amusements This was
deemed q good way TO enliven the winter Any
way, at meeting Of citizens IL was resolved as
o matter of ECONOMY to have them married.
and not Knowing how to pair them, a committee
was selected to hold counsel rs to the best mode
Of coupling" The committee says the Green
Bay Advocate-decided to dispose Of the lot Of
widows and twelve widowers and the drawing
took place ct early candle lighting on the Sth,
when it was decided that Mr.. r. Menten shall
marry Mrs. De Bruin; Mr.. M. Menten shall
Napdenberg; Mr.. Furstenbe-g shall marry Mrs.
kersten; Mr.. j. w. Wassenberg shall marry
Mrs. Wilde; Mr.. NJ. Verkuiien shall marry Mrs.
Perrenboom; Mr.. Weyenberg shall marry Mrs.
Heesakker; Mr. John Cobussen shall mary Mrs.
Tillman; Mr.. l.. Tenrusep shall marry Mrs
Van Doren: Mr.. X. Herremans shall marry
Mrs Rolf; Mr.. Score shall marry Mrs. Van Bloc
mer. The surplus widower, Mr.. Pentermann,
was jubilant over his escape from so many wild
ows, but the Committee enlarged its powers and
nave advertised Tor . nonresident widow.