, 1888-03-10
A STATE BANQUET.
ABOUT FORMAL WHITE HOUSE DIM
NERS, PAST AND PRESENT.

1he Highest Social Event In washington
Life-Tho Invitations and the Guests.
Flowers, sculpture, Wines and the
Most Exquisite Cookery.
The president gave his first state dinner
not a great while ago. 1t was to the cabi-
net, and each guest received a heavily en-
graved invitation inclosed in an envelope,
which bears the natiaual coat of arms. The
White House paper and cards havea gigantic
eagle printed in gold upon them. 1t bears n
gold shield ON its breast, and its beak holds
the words "E Pluribus Unum.n The card of
invitation TO a state dinner is almost as big
as a cabinet photograph. 1t is engraved in
black, and it bears the words: 1.-THE Presi-
deat and Mrs. Cleveland request the pleasure
of the company Of - at dinner on -
evening, at - o'clock, lSSS.n
These dinners last several hours, and the
guests first assemble in the East room, and IL
is hero thar tho president and Mrs. Cleveland
receive them. They go to the table at once,
and there they eat often as high as twenty
courses. Tho dinner just mentioned was one
of thirty covers, and tho state dining table
was set in its ordinary form. There are
three ways in which the table may DO mr.
ranged, according 20 the number of guests
who are to be seated, and tho table, us it
usually stands, is fitted to scat thirty-six. 1t
Is loHS ONuli anu IL runs tus lull lcnBJn Oh
the state dining room. When moro than
thirty-six sit down it is changed by adding
to each end, making in one shape n gigantic
letter II and in another, by following out
tho sides, O figure like the stand of an anvil.
The dining room Is gorgeous during q state
dinner. 1t IL n great oblong parlor, as largo
as the ground floor of a house thirty feet
wide and forty feet deep, and its ceiling is so
high that 1t would reach to tho base of the
- - IL 800
1t lies ct the left of the great promenade cor
riGor, and its windows look out on the Poto-
mac and the monument. 1t adjoins the Red
pnr!or on tho cast, md it has windows on the
opposite sido Of tho room which look into tho
grand conservatory OF tho White House.
Tho flowers OF n state dinner table are bo-
yoaI description, and the florist puts his best
efforts on tho gold Lake which lies in tho con-
ter OF the table. This Lake runs nearly the
whole length Of tho table, and it is n mirror
with Il gold rim about three inches high, and
this, during a great state dinner, is framed
with the choicest of flowers and greens. A
thousand roses ure often used at state dinners,
and about the same number of %carnation
ptnss. During sinGles season the state dinners
haze consumed 5000 sprays o. lilies of the
valley, 400 strings of similnx and thousands
Of other flowers, such rs camellins and Gala
lilies. At times canoes are made, and ships
OF Covers in full sail are seated upon tho
table. At others there may be bridges and
castles, and once there was n design which
represented tho Hanging Gardens of Semi
rami& To these flowers is added the bril-
lance OF the state china, and the wine sparkles
in cot glnss.
1t goes without saying that guests ut state
dinners always appear in full dress. Tho
Iaan wear boiled shirts and the d~ecollcte dress
Prevails, as 1 ruio, with the Indies. AT the
dinner referred to Mrs. Fairchild's dress WINS
G21ollcte ard Mrs. Endicott's dress was we'll
filed in with lace at tho front. Mrs. Con.
Joe Iiawicy wore q blao satin train OF silver
Lrocadc and her corssgo was low, and Mrs.
J. V. l. Pruyn wore u ruby velvet, with n
low nccked waist Mrs. Whitney appeared
in pearl gray satin, and Mrs. Ingalls, looked
rel in u trained robe of black velvet
Tie men looked well, too, and Bayard
walked out With Mrs. Cleveland, while tho
president sat with Miss Baynrd on his right.
Speaker Carlisle looks like a statesman in O
swallow tail coat, and Senator Hearst was
straiGhter than ever in his claw hammer
garment. Secretary Lamar appeared almost
judicial, with his long hnir hanging down
over his collar, and Admiral Porter and Gen.
Sheridan were us courtly as usual. Put
thirty such guests around this big table,
let the light glitter, mako tho vino dow and
add tho gorgeous table decorations and you
have some idea OF tho sccnc. Bring on wait
ers in full dress suits and have tho dark
eyed steward presiding over tho whole, and
you may begin to appreciate n state dinner.
To this, however, must be added the food,
and it comes on in shapes that please your
eye while at the same time it tickles your
stomach. The cook of the White House gets
a better salary than n New York bookkeeper,
and he is as much of an artist us some Of the
big chefs of Europe. He builds his dishes
with the care of the painter or the sculptor,
and castles and boats and nearly every OBJ
Ject in nnture is represented by him in tho
form that the dishes assume ON the state din
ner table At the recent dinner there was q
curious stand for the pates, and there was q
sugared building covered with conserves and
candied fruits He had near these tall and
low candelabra, and the tapers were tipped
with white, pink and ruby shades.
Tn cooking in the White House is done in
the kitchens below stairs, and tho chief room
is directly below the dining room. The
White House kitchen consists OF two large
rooms, hung with cooking utensils of every
character and color. Ranges big enough TO
roast an OK arc spt into the walls, and on
these kettles and boilers smoke
with an appotizing favor. A big zinc table
Glands in tho center of the room and tho
cook has n number of assistants. He wears a
white cap and an apron, and he takes pride
in his calling.
Tn ices for state dinners usually come on
the tables in forms as widely different as the
flowers, and an old French woman here has
rnado u fortune in furnishing ices to noted
dinsCr tables. She has supplied the presi-
dcGtB with their ice cream since the days of
buchanan, and She is almost as much Of an
artist Us tho ~chef.-Frank G. Carpenter in
New York World.
A Novel Pencil.