St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-21
Little Luncheons, Dinners, 8 O'clock Teas
and Theater Parties to Prevail
During Lent.
Lavish Expenditure of Money In En-
tertaining--How Mrs. Whitney
and Manning Receive.
French Affected by Society Dudes--
The Wonderful $4,000 Dia-
mond Necklace.
Correspondence OF the Glohe.

tivities of the past two months. People
who have been spending their days and
nights in social dOings are resting or attend
ing church. Only day or two ago your
correspondent had occasion to call on a SEN
atOr of prominence at o'clock in the even
ing. The servant who answered the door
seemed somewhat dazed when the card was
handed in, but went IN search OF the sena-
tor only To return i'm moment with the an
nouncement that the senator had
retired. This time two weeks
ago you might have found that same
senator frisking about in a swallOw-tail
suit far into the small hours. A good many
have followed the example of Mrs. Whit
ney and others and have left the city, some
going far south. some to the seashOre. Al
ready the thoughts of the gay world are
| beginning 10 turn To the summer and its
seaside privileges. The society papers are
beginning to blossom out with the an
nouncement that this or that dignitary or
| official or society person has rented cot
tage at this or that seaside resort. Cape
May, Atlantic City and Newport are al
ready receiving their share of attention,
and the column of 'summer-resort" adyer-
| tisements in the daily papers is beginning
TO make its appearance again.
The end of the fun in Washington has
not come yet, however. There are to be a
good many interesting social features Even
the Lenten season will not by any means
prove as devoid of social entertainments as
was at first anticipated. Numerous quiet
little luncheons and dinners are already
mentioned for next week. Theater parties
are always in favor at this season, but the
amusement of the hour par excellence is
the custom borrowed from
OUR COUSINS OVER THE WATER
of having tea served every afternoon at
o'clock. The hostess presldrs on these Oc-
casions, pouring the tea for her guests
whom she has invited to run i'm informally
after the o'clock services at church, meet
mutual friends and chat for an
hour. Miss Cleveland will hold
receptions during the Lenten season
on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from
~ to l O'Clock, and the president has an
nounced one or two dinners to members of
congress during Lent. There are to be
some mi-careme festivities, the details of
which have not yet boon announced. The
British minister usually gives mi-careme
ball, which is a brilliant event, and il was
announced when Mrs. Whitney left that
she would be back i'm time for participation
in the events of this nature. A good many
/
tinue their receptions, informally" you
know, but they bear striking resemblance
TO the formal ones which have run so
brilliantly through the season now nomi-
nally closed.
Looking back over the season, there are
some features which make it a notable one.
One of the special features has been the
lavish expenditure of money in asOcial way
by a few of the new officials. The amount
of money which Secretary Whitney has en-
pended IN this direction since he came here
has been something wonderful. First he
put some $50, QUO or more into an enlarge
ment of leased house. which Secretary
Frelinghuysen's family. when they were
leaders of the fashionable world. thought
quite good enough as it was. Then he
finished and furnished it in a most expen-
sive and elegant manner. Then. during
the entire season, there was a constant
round of entertainments, the cost of which
was out of all proportion to anything Wash
ington had ever seen before i'm general So
cial entertainments of a cabinet officer.
Secretary Manning did not attempt to keep
pace with his millionaire cabinet associate
yet some Of the entertainments given by the
wife of the secretary of the treasury were
remarkable for the expenses which have
attended them. A sample case is that of a
| closing lunch given Dy
MRS. MANNING
during the last days of the season, and Il Is
so pertinent an illustration of the subject
that it is worth while to give some of its
details. Just to give an idea of the cost of
an incident of this trIfiing nature in society.
This. you will bear in mind, was simply a
lunch" to which a few ladies were in
vited one afternoon. Upon the table the
center-piece was a circle of lilies, orchids
and ferns. At either side of this
elaborate repousse brass chandelabras held
white wax tapers under gilt shades. A
large Worcester bowl in front of the hostess
held roses and camelias, while at the oppo-
site end of the table in a wrought silver
pitcher were annunciatiOn lilies and long
stemmed Mareschal Neil roses whose re-
Election showed on the circular plaque of
plate glass on which the pitcher rested.
There was no cloth on the table, fine
fringed damask napkins resting on the poi
ished surface of the mahogany beneath
each dish. Epergnes heaped with fruit,
cut-glass saucerS of Salted almonds, decan-
tiers of wine, dishes of candies, viOletS and
small fruits were artistical!y arranged. The
plates for the first course were of royal
| Worcester, the center of each pOrtraying
different scene. The butter dishes were
OF Dresden china, the gilt ground bearing
each the portrait of some famous beauty.
Besides these was small japanese teapot
in gold and white filled with bOn-bons and
tied with gold ribbon. These were for the
guests 10 carry away as mementoeS. In
place of the customary corsage bouquet was
flaring-edge basket brimnng over with
flowers of the color most becoming to the
one for whom they were intended Several
OF the guests being in mourning Parma viO-
| lots and iilicS nj thn valley stood in front of
their place at the table. Other flower, used
were pink tulips, daisies, daffodils- zenias
and roses. The card bearing the name of
each guest was emblaZoned on the left hand
corner with a
sILvERED COAT OF ARMS
of the Misunderstanding. At the conclusion
| OF the luncheon coffee was served i'm Min
ton cups, pink and gold on the exterior and
lined with turquoise blue. Twelve courses
were served with the following menu: /,
little neck clans; 2. boallion in cups; 5,
creamed lobster and fish; 4, chicken bread:
5, venison, stuffed, eggs. celery and lobster
salad; 6, Roman punch; z, quail, water
cress salad; s, cheese and straws; 9, Baya-
rian, cream; 10, ices; IL, fruits; IL, coffee.
Society has been pretty busy with amuse-
ments during the past week or two. Aimee
and Emma Abbott have drawn crowded
houses. French opera always attracts. for
there are good many people in and out of
society circles who have more or less knowl-
edge OF that language-many of them less
and they delight in an opportunity 70 air il.
Sometimes they do so intelligently, some
times otherwise. A society paper speaks
of this feature of the Judic performance by
saying that most of the French was unmis-
takably widowed and moth eaten. A
| young lady was especially mercilesS in in