Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-01-06
A State Reception at the White
House.
Letter to Boston Herald


A state reception is one to which only
officials and prominent private citizens
are invited. The supper, however, is
served by a caterer. Under the Hayes
administration it was provided by Ma
dame Demonet, curious old French
woman, whose modest shop on Pennsyl-
vania avenue is patrOnized by the lega-
tions and all the leaders of the gay world.
The Superintendent of Public Buildings
and Grounds, who is row ex -officiO mas
ter of ceremonies, prepares for the event
He takes the latest edition of the court
guide, the Congressional Directory"
and from it prepares the list of official
guests: from other sources he obtains the
names of those prominent people, tran
sient and resident, in the city who ought
to be invited. sometimes these addi-
tiOnal names are very kindly suggested
by rural Senators and hayseed Repre-
sentatives. Sometimes these suggestions
are accepted and acted upon. Oftener
hey are not. The list of guests, which
seldom contains more than 900 names,
having been prepared, 10000 men and
women would-be guests having been NOR
tally offended, the supper is ordered,
and the wines will have to be ordered at
the same time
Then the invitations are prepared and
sent out Those for the diplomatic corps
are sent through the Secretary of State
The Secretary of the Navy orders the
Marine Band TO be at the Executive Man
sion on the evening of the reception.
Crash is laid in the outer hall One
fourth of the police force of the District
is ordered to be at the front door of the
house on that particular night to care
for the guests and their carriages All
is ready. On the night of the reception
the mansion and its Conservatives are
brilliantly lighted. Supper is served in
the state dining room. The Marine Band
is stationed IN the tiled vestibule. Potted
shrubs and plants and bouquets and bas-
kets of sweet flo& ers are everywhere.
In TIE blue perlOr, on the north side of
the house, stands the receiving party
the lady of the mansion and her pretty
young assistants. The President, too,
is there, and the master of ceremonies
Leaving your carriage under the great
white pOrticO on the north front of the
mansion, you pass in through the north
door, showing your invitation card as
you enter, and are at once surrounded
with an all pervading atmosphere of
sweet harmony, scented and brilliantly
lighted. AS you walk with the throng
through the great vestibule to the cloak
room on the right, you pass directly in
front of the Marine Band, whose sweet
strains fell upon your ear while you were
still outside. In the cloak rooms the
wraps" of the party are placed in the
usual boxes, and the usual satisfactory
checks are given in receipt for them.
Walking across the broad corridor, which
divides the house into a northern and a
southern half, and through a small
parlOr, you enter the blue room in
from fifteen minutes to an hour
from the moment when you en-
tered the house An introduction to the
President Gf you are comparatively IN
KNOWN by the master of ceremonies, and
an introduction to the Presidents wife
by the President complete the formal
part of the visit. From that moment
you go as you please, and you can turn
aside in the blue room and chat with the
friends you find, Or you can find other,
in the red room or the green room, or,
even on such an occasion as this, in the
east room There is no limit to the mag
nifcence in Dire z, nor to the brilliancy
of some of the conversations. They are
delightful fields for the exhibition of
whatever you have of brains or of bullion.
You can remain five minutes or an hour,
ard you need not make your adieuX to
the host or hostess, or either of them.