Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-28
WASHINGTON soCIETY NOTES.

some Revived Incidents of Life sc
the Capital During the Hayes Admin
istratfon.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 25.--As Secretaries
Endicott and Whitney are the only men,
bers OF the Cabinet who have houses large
enough to entertain as many guests at
once as a Cabinet officer and hIs wife is
expected by long-established usage 70 in
vlte If they give any other style Of eve
ming entertainment than a dinner party,
1t is thought the Cabinet, as well as the
President, will entertain chiefly by having
company at dinner. though. OF course. the
President, after New Year, will have
evening receptions and his sister viii
recelye formally one afternoon in each
week.
In discussing dinner-giying at the
White House the memory has been re-
called Of one of the most remarkable
groups, in respect to the relations several
OF those composing it subsequently bore
to each other. which has assem- Oled dur
ing the present generation in the dining
room Of the Executive Mansion. IL was
al dinner given within the nrst year of
President Hayes administration, the pres
else date being Tuesday, Jan. %, 1o18.s
The Republican candidates for the Presi.s
dency in three successive elections--I876,
were there, and three Secretaries OF
State-Eyarts, Blaine and Bayard.
just before she left the White House
Mr.. o. l.. Pruden, then and now one Of the
private secretaries OF the President, COM
pleted for Mrs. Hayes an album, iliumi-
mated by himself IN the most beautiful
manner, In which were the dates Of all
the dinners, lunches, and day and evening
receptions given by the President and
NF,.s II .,,as II, she KVhfta Houaa during
their four years residence there, and the
names Of all the dinners and lunchers, arr
ranged In the order in which they sat At
table, diagram being made OF the table,
with the guests grouped around 10 In each.
instance, while the names Of those who
assisted In receiving at each day and
evening reception were given, with the
dates and hours OF the receptions, and thei
rooms in the White House In which they
occurred.
One who saw this album not long ago
says that at the dinner given on Jan. %,
1878, II seemed as II many Of those pres
ent we're sitting at table with those who
were waiting FOR their shoes, and one who.
was prominent at the dinner replied t0l
this observation: "That 10 true, but had
not thought OF II In that way before"
There were the President and Mrs.
Hayes end their Successors, General and
Mrs. Garfield. Justice Swayne, Of the SUI
preme Court. and his wife and their sue
cess0rs, Senator aud Mrs. Stanley Mat
thews The having taken Justice Swayne's
place on the bench Of the United states
supreme Court, and Secretary Evartsi
and his successor as Secretary OF state
Dir. BlaIne) and the wife Of each. That
is probably the only time those mentioned
ever dined together At the White House.
II Is the only time Mr.. and Mrs. Blaine
were AZ any social gathering In that man
sion while Mr.. and Mrs. Hayes lived there,
and IL was at that dinner that Mrs.
Blaine, as many who were present have
told the writer, refused to eat at all and sat
with her chair pushed little back from
the table. Nor did she speak 70 Mre.
Hayes that evening nor anywhere she met
her Afterwards. though no quarrel had
ever occurred between them personally.