St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-13
Gay People at the National Capital Taking
Rest Before the Formal Sea-
sons Opening.
Disappointed Modistes From Gotham Who
Cannot Sell Their High
Priced Dresses.
Earlier Hours to Mark the Beginning
and Closing of Social Enter
tainmentS.
A Caterer Tells Some of the Secrets of
His Trade--How Rooms Are
Decorated.


WASHINGTON, Dec 10.-This is period
of preparation with society in Washington.
Last week saw the arrival of several fam
lies of congressman and senators, and
this week there is great activity in prepar-
alton TO- the months of busy social life
which are to come in the near future, The
death of the vice president has had the eff
feet of delaying the beginning of the Sat
urday receptions at the White house. and
without a signal from the presidential man
sion society would scarcely think it proper
to begin its festivities. 1t is rather glad of
the delay, too, for it is very much engaged
in preparing for the season. which is not
expected to formally open until after the
holidays. There are some calls being made
and new acquaintance formed. but in most
cases the week is being given to putting the
finishing touches upon the new homes or
retouchIng the old ones. Another matter
that is interesting the ladies' good deal
now is the arrival of some modisteS fri
New York. About this time of the year,
as the families of members of congress ar
rive and the season is about to open, there
is all influx of
MoDISTEs FROM GOTHAM.
They come with thousands of dollars
flourish of trumpets. They usually go
away sadder and wiser. however. for they
find little sale for other than the cheapest
grades of dresses at this time of the year.
Most of the people who take any consider
able interest in social affairs have already
made up their seasons collection of dresses.
Those who buy at this late day are usually
the families of new members of moderate
means who preferred to wait until arriving
and consulting friends here before deciding
what they would want. The people who
do the most dressing are, of course, sup
piled with their winter outfits long before
this time. Yet the arrival of these modisteS
naturally interests good many people, and
the experienced ladies are quite willing to
put Off the beginning of the season and eX-
change for it the opportunity to inspect new
dresses. Usually these m0distes who come
here with dresses and dress goods go away
disappointed and inclined TO give Washing
ton society people very hard name. They
bring hero lot of dresses worth from $500
to $500. and then wonder how it is that
they don't get custom. and that the demand
upon them is mostly for 500 dresses in
stead Of those COSTING six or eight times
this much. The fact is that the people
who are able to pay the high prices don't
wait until their return here or for this time
of the year before buying. Many of the
finest dresses seen in Washington come
from abroad. The diplomats are. on the
whole, probably the finest dressers Wash
ngton society sees, and they get all their
''t0gS" from abroad. Then. too, the wealthy
society people manage to get abroad every
two or three years and when they do so
bring back four or five thousand dollars
worth of dresses with them. These they
have made over after the first seasons wear
with new front and some changes in the
ribbon and lace trimmings generally.
BETTER HOURS WILL PREVAIL.
There is quite flutter in society over
the annOuncem ent that the president and
some OF those near him are going to ask so
ciety to inaugurate earlier hours. The pres
ident is an early riser and Il hard worker
and he wants to be at his desk at 9 O'Clock
this winter. as he has been thus far. Not
that he expects to go into society so very
much, yet he will be obliged to do some
thing in this line, while his sister will give
much more attention to matters of this kind
So he decides to set a good example, and it
is announced that his leyeeS are to begin at
s instead of and terminate promptly at
10. The president will make his dinner
hour. which is now Z, 6 o'clock. So that his
private dining-rOOm may be utilized as a
passage or cloak room for the guests, and
that they may have pleasant place to wait
until the reception begins. Many intluen-
tial ladies last winter named S on their cards
as the hour for evening receptions and once
it is made fashionable a. the White house
others will do so. Nothing seems to be
gained by commencing an evening party at
time when the same people. if quietly in
their homes, would have retired for the
night. The season this winter will be so
long that it will give every ambitious hos
tess ample time for contemplated hOSpitaI-
ties, and there will not be the necessity for
crowding three or four elegant parties into
one evening.
OTHER CHANGES AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
Not only is the hour for the evening re-
ceptionS at the White house to be changed
to an earlier one, but there will be other
changes in the general program. Formerly
there were cloak rooms provided on the Sec
Ond floor. but last year a warning came from
the settling of the west stairway that the
weight was dangerous. This stairway was
strengthened and braced so that now no OF
binary burden can displace it. The main
objection to continuing the custom of throw
ing open the whole house was that the ex-
IRENE curiosity of some of the guests made
it necessary to literally dismantle the rooms
upstairs, to which access was permitted of
all the small things which could be injured
by handling. 1t actually left no spot priv
ate for the family. For the future the
cloak room will be provided for on the first
floor.
CATERERS SECRETS.
A caterer here who supplies many society
people with the dinner feature Of their en-
tertainments has been giving one of the
local papers some interesting points
about the ways of those people. Many of
them, he says, are rather suspicious of peo-
pie. and before they will take person to
cater for them at their entertainments they
find out all about him. especially one thing
that is. if he can keep his mouth shut.
Many reasons can be given. The most
prominent one is that oftentimes promi-
nent family announces that reception or a
dinner will be given to their friends. The
family want to look well before the guests
and make an impression by the lavish dis