The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-04-02
A STATE DINNER.
How the President and His Guests Dine at
the White House-GOrgeOus Plate
and Flowers.

| and Flowers.
Entering the corridor, we find the
servants busily engaged in setting the
table of the State Dining Room, into
which two doors give entrance, one at
either extremity. 1t measures forty feet
from east to west and thirty from north
to south, and is plainly decorated and
contains only the necessary dining-room
furniture. During the administration
of President Arthur and in accordance
with his taste, the walls which had for
merly been paneled, were painted tan
or light leather color, with frieze three
feet deep, in lighter tan, crimson and
gold. The ceiling is a lighter tint still.
Three large windows looking south over
the intervening gardens, the Potomac
and the monument, and two looking
west into the conservatory, have green
brocade curtains with Topped side drap-
cry and lambrequins, over lace. The
one nearest the corridor is seen in the
illustration, together with the large
mahogany framed mirror surrounding
the long sideboard, wall ornament
plaque of hammered brass-and the
marble mantel and mirror at the eX-
IRENE western end of the room. The
green figured carpet here has seen long
service
The side-board, mantelpiece and mir
rors are duplicated, so that the reflec-
tons from the superb crystal chandel-
iers, second only to those in the East
room, mingling with those of the eight
candelabras upon the table, seem to
create an endless succession of vistas on
every hand.
The mahogany table. five and a halffeet
wide, can be made sufficiently long to ac-
commodate thirty-six guests, and half
as many more if converted into dou-
BILE I by end wings. On one memoir
able occasion Mrs. Hayes entertained
sixty-two young ladies at luncheon
party, q greater number than have ever
been seated together in that room, at
any other time.
CHANGING along the table, we find that
the service used at the first and second
courses is that decorated by Mr.. Davis
at the instance of Mrs. Hayes. 1t rep
resents American scenery, figures, fish,
foliage, fruits and flowers, painted di-
rectly from nature. We are informed
that the Haviland's, who furnished the
set, paid the artist $4,000 for his decor
alive work, which was all they received
from the government, though their own
outlay was not less than $4,000. AS
compensation therefor they were allowed
to make duplicate sets of some portion
of the original, and sold many dinner
services at the rate of $1,000 for 1875
pieces. They had been sufficiently far
sighted to know the publicity this trans
action would give them, far exceeded
all they might lose.
Beside each plate were grouped six
Bohemian wine glasses, a cut glass
tumbler and carafe, and a champagne
glass. The pepper stands were silver
and the salt holders glass with golden
shovels. Each plate was covered with
the fantastic foldings of damask nap
kin, the alternate ones containing
large corsage bouquet, no two alike.
One was a dainty cluster of Marshal
Neil roses: another of Bon Silene; an
other of Lilies of the Valley. They were
tied with broad white satin ribbon
with long streamers. One end of each
was crossed diagonally with the blue
and the red; on the other appeared
fine etching of the White House and
grounds, with a gilt-lettered date of the
day underneath. A long corsage pin
with round gilt head. lay also beside
the bouquet, and card bearing the
name of the guest, surmounted by
golden eagle and its accompanying
stars. The other alternate set of plates,
held for each gentleman, only Gouton-
niere of green with single rosebud,
and the card with his name, by the side
of short white satin ribbon also bear
ing the name, and the eagle in gilt.
Down the center of the table extend
ed narrow mirror lake with raised
side pieces. bordered with smlax and
white blossoms Directly in the middle
rode the ship of state, ut anchor, yard
long, formed Of pink and white carna-
lions with masts and rigging of smilax.
There were tall stands of parti-colored
flowers; four lighted candelebra of sill
yer and as many of glass, and high gilt
stands covered with flower-filled cornu-
copias at either end, quiet hiding the
view down the length of the table. In
terspersed among the decorations were
conserves. bonbons and dollhouse fruits,
and two triumphs of the confectioner's
art in the shape of fancy moulds of jelly,
upborn by large swans and eagles of
white sugar.
There were flowers everywhere. They
over flowed the mantels, rippled along
the walls, breaking the lines of the par
allelogram, and made deep bays of
greenery, islanded with color, in every
window. The conservatory, even, flood
ed the corridor, where tall palms filled
the central niche, and the brOad-leaved
India rubber was flanked by trees of
Azaleas, blushing at the reflections of
their own loneliness. Looking at the
triple east window which ended the
vista, we saw only a pyramid of noble
verdure rising to the ceiling, edged with
blossoms of scarlet and white and firing
ed with vines. The mantels of that
room were concealed by solid bands of
greenery, edged with the leaves of the
pointsetta. Out of these rose the odor-
Gus spikes Of the hyacinth, in which
were interlningled the rich hues of
orchids, roses, violets and carnations. All
the window rccesses of the East room
were filled with small pyramids of plants
and the mantels and tables of the other
parlors, all held their quotas of floral
Wcdltu, luOSc III tiiC Diuc thu SiiNCl
room, in holders and baskets of silver.
The decorations of these dinners are
usually indicative of the profession of
the guests For instance, at the last
diplomatic dinner. the principal floral
ornament consisted of an immense ball,
representing the globe, formed of bios
SONS. Sea and land, countries and
islands were made of different flowers.
The whole was not less than four feet
in diameter, and was suspended from
the pillars over the dining table. In
that given to the Justices, the scales of
Justice were formed out of red and
white carnations with dove resting on
the beam.-Hester NJ Poole, in Good
Housekeeping. I,
"Here is new Daniel Webster
story" says the Washington correspon-
dent of the Philadelphia Record. Dan
iel once invited Chester Harding, the
artist, to dine with him. The day be-
fore the dinner another friend sent
Harding bottle of rare old Scotch
whisky. When Harding went to Web