The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-02-01
White House Dinners.

as last year, which was on large care
and read:
The President requests the honor Of tn
company Of, ut dinner on--
Thursday was the usually the day O
tho week he chose last year for his dinner
which was the day Washington preferred
when President. have before me, saw
a writer, copies which have made from
the original invitations Of several Presl
dents.
First, OF course, comes ono of Genera
Washington's. This have copied frou
one in tho possession Of Dir. j. G. T.
Kennedy, whose grandfather, Major Ell
liott, was one of the engineers who laid out
this city. The invitation roads:
The President OF the United States an(
Mrs Washington request the pleasure Of
-CompaDy to dine on----uext at 4
O'Clock.
| -, l79-. An answer Is requested.
Dir. Fillmore, whlo President, had one
style of invitation on note-paper and an.
other on a large card. Sometimes Mrs.
tlllmorc's name appeared with hts and
sometimes NOT. One style was worded:
The President requests the favor oi
IS company at dinner on Thursday
next at o'clock.
An answer ls respectfully requested.
Another style used by him substituted
the word honor for favor. One of Dir. Bu
chanan's, which Judge Blacks daughter,
(Mrs. Horusby) has, reads much the same
rs Mr. Ftllmore's:
Tue President requests tho honor of
Miss BlacS's company at dinner on Friday
January the 8 h, at o O'Clock. An early
answer Is rcqcsted.
General Grants dinner invitations GEN
orally read 'lhe President aud Mrs Grant
request tho honor Of" etc., but when .hcy
gave the reception ia honor of the King of
the Sandwich Islands. the invitations were
wOrded:
The President of the United States re-
quests tho company Of at the recep
lion IN honor ot his Majesty, the King of
the Hawa,ian Islands Oh Thursday evening
December 18th at 8 o'clock.
This ls the olly invitation Of a President
which have found, except that of Gene
ral Washington, where the form .'rresi.
dent OF the United States is used. As
has been mentioned, General Washington
invited guc-ts to dinner st four O'Clock,
hlr. Fillmore at five o'clock and slr. Su.
cnanan at six O'Clock. President Grants
and those of President Hayes were at 7
o'clock, while for all that President Ar.
thur had last winter half past seven was
the hour named and the dinner USUALLY
began at eight.
General WashingtOn's invitations we're
gotten up IN very flne style for that era,
but he frequently, as | lind from the writ
inSs oi his contemporaries, extended YER
hal .nui"ii-... c;,I,s- a., :-~-~>,, o. .,,..-.,-
one OF his secretaries. to "oliicial charac,-
'rs, members OF Congress. strangers or citi
ztn5 Ot ;tiStiic: i0m.' John Adams. when
Consulted hy Nnshil gon as to rules Of
etiquette soon after Their INAUGURATION,
recommended this and said that such IN
vltatlons should always be extended with
out Formally" Nevertheless it was con-
sldered during the very first year ofWash.
ington administration a mark OF his fa.
yor when any one received an invitation
to dine with hlm and an intimntlop that
the course OF public man had excited his
dlspteasIrc when no such invitation was
rendered.
For instance Senator Maclay wrote De.
cember 10. 1889. that MIR. lard gave him
'cienr hints Ot his loss OF character at
court and Of the direct influence OF the
President with members OF Congress" in
stanccd IN extending invitations to them.
Aiacay had lost favor because he wanted
votes by ballot in the Senate on Washing
toms nominations, and Senator lizard told
HIM that all tho other Senators had been to
dine with the great man. A week later,
Washington attended sc ,sion of the Sen
ate III person, accompanied by General
Knox, the Secretary Of War, to advise
with the Senate about treaty with In.
dians, and the day OF his second visit to
that body Senator Maclay was called out
by The dnorkceper TO speak to Colonel
Humphreys, one of tho Presidents house
hold, and was by the latter verbal " invi-
ted to dinner with the President on tho
following Thursday at four o'clock, that
being Monday. Senator Maclay writes:
81 really was surprised at the invitation.
1t will DO my duty to 90; however, I will
make no differences whatever. I am con-
vlnced all the dinners he can now give or
ever could, will mako no difference In my
conduct
"When the dinner occurred the com.
pany were President aud Mrs. Adapls, the
Governor and his wife, Mr.. Jay (Chlcf
Justicc) aud vile, Mr. Dalton and a lady,
perhaps his wife, and Mr.. Smith, Basset
and Maclay, Lear and Lewis, the Preai.
dent and Mrs. Washington sat opposite
each other in the middle of the table. This
custom hus always been followed at
dinner given by a Prlsiccnt who has q
wife, but l presume few know how far
hack the precedent for 1t goes. The two
secretaries, Lear and Lewis, each sat at
one end OF Tie table. 1t was a great din
ncr and the beet OF the kind ever sat at.
Inc room, however, was disagreeably
warm"
This was In August. President Arthur
has revoltcd againot following this prece.
dent. thought II is the general complaint
that other host or hOstcs ses here do have
their rooms, even in winter, too warm.
heard President Arthur last winter when
giving orders, just before ono OF his din.
ners was ready, to open the windows and
cool the house. He added, lauphingly,
turning to another lady and myscli: "1here
Is an engineer here who has been so &C.
custoned to ovcrhcating The rooms that,
having demonstrate d in vain, 1 feel tempted
TO order him to be slam and his tody
thrown in the river. But man cannot
40 everything he wants, even If he ls
President !"
To return to Washlngton's dinner, tho
writer OF tho description continues: "FIrst
was soup, fish, roasted and boiled meats.
CANNON, fowls, etc. This was tho dinner.
The middle of the table was garnishcd In
the usual tasty way with small images.
flowers (arliflclaD, etc. Tho desert was
first apple pies, puddinge, etc.; then iced