The Washington critic., 1888-02-25
WASHINGTON HlGHfLIFE
Social ExtravaganeeS That Prevail
at the National Capital.
PATHWAYS PAVED WITH GOLD.
China Plates That Cost stO0Apicce
and Ten Served In Cold Tea
Sets.

amount, all told, il Is said, to $780,
000,0OO,0 900, or $1,000 to each man,
woman and child in the country.
We are fast approaching the condition
of Rome in its most prosperous days,
and the old motto of Easy come,
easy CO." is in force. Our citizens
spend more, proportionately, thanany
other nation. We have dudes who can
sport their 100 suits of clothes, and
our statesmen order their pantaloons
by the dozen. Our society bellies
wear silks and jewels that queens
could hardly afford 100 years ago, and
the era of Jeffersonian simplicity is
matter Of history.
THE ExTRAvAG.NNcE
shown at Washington during the past
social season would make Andrew
Jackson turn in his grave, and the
economical soul of John Adams would
quiver with indignation If it could APP
preciate tho wasted money of to-day.
President Adams could not grow fat
OH his snack of oat cake and lemou-
ade while he read paragraphs describ-
ing the luncheon of Mrs. Senator
Stanford, which the Pacific coast la
dies ate off china plates that cost 500
apiece, and the tea of which was
served from gold set of six pieces,
and the sugar dropped into itwith gold
sugar tongs. George Washington's
plain meals of toast and ten, at which
Martha herself made the, toast while
the guests waited, would hardly COM
pare with the simple little dinners Of
Senatorial millionaires, where each
plate represents cost of from $40 to
$50, and Zach Taylor's love for fitch
and eggs would hardly be satisfied by
one of Secretary Bayard's terrapin
stews.
We pile our silver up in the Treas
ury, but our gold is fast going into
jewelry and plate. During the
wealthy days of Rome it is estimated
that more than $3,000,000 worth of
the precious metals went into female
ornaments every year, and the pre-
oious stones and knicknacks worn
here at Washington are quite as ex-
pensive. uaJ4 g1
Apicius spent fortune on his stom-
ach, and we read of dinners in ancient
Rome made of nightingale's tongues.
THE DINNERS OF WASHINGTON
could not be more expensive If their
pepper and salt were grains of gold
dust, and in this letter will write of
bills of fare that will make your
| mouths water.
At Mrs. Stanford's luncheon, where
the gold tea-set above spoken of was
used, it took two hours and a-half to
serve the twelve courses, still it was
only luncheon, and Its bill of fare
was as follows; Raw oysters, con-
somme in cups, baked bass and pota-
| toes, macaroni, roast beef and toma-
toes, Roman punch, brown SQUAD,
salads, cheese and olives, fresh straw
berries and cream, charlottes, ices,
| dessert, coffee and sweets. At this
little luncheon the Strawberries must
have cost about ten cents apiece, and
the statesmen's S wives, who had eaten
| hearty breakfasts and who expected
to make their big meal at dinner, got
away with this bill of fare like the
dear, dainty little eaters that they are.
SECRETARY WHITNEY
gave q dinner to,Joseph Chamberlain
and Sir Charles Tupper, in which, in
the ten courses, number of English
dishes were served. There was fillet
of English hares, dressed with
truffles and served with mushrooms,
and another dish was wild turkey
| dressed with chestnuts. The hare in
this case represented the English and
the turkey the American, and the
| terrapin which followed was served
in small silver saucepans with long
| handles and movable lids, engraved
with a "W." Then came q cheese
! soufle and canvasback duck, with
| celery, ice-cream, cafe mousse and
coffee. This was q right decent feed
for Joe Chamberlain, and doubt moi
it compared well with the rare roast
beef Of Old England
1t is the same with the bills of fare
at the Presidents dinners. They are
gorgeous TO an extreme, and the guests
sit hours at the table.
1t isnot in their food alone, how
ever, that these Washington dinners
are noted. The serving of the din
ner and the preparation of the table
are quite as important as the dinner
itself. At
STATE DINNERS AT THE WHITE HOUSE
the table is veritable bouquet, anC
both cook and gardener become artist
in getting up ornaments for it. TIL,
cook sculptures his figures in wax
and the gardener makes his decora
tions OF flowers. There are Away
corsage bouquets at the plates, and a
q state dinner not long since thest
were entirely of orchids, which is by
no means the poor mans flower.
Take the decorations of Mrs. Stan
ford's dinner. When Mrs. Grant wa
dined by her the centre of the tabl,
was an old gold satin scarf, bordereC
with blue plush, and the ends were
embroidered in the patterns OF {
begonia leaf. A silver vase was filleC
with Jacqueminot roses, and at thu
ends of the table were tall silver can
delabra, each of which consumed
silver brick in its making. Th'
each plate, and upon each of thesl
cards was painted a water colo
sketch representing the flowers o
California, and these were given t.
the guests as souvenirs.
AT another dinner Mrs. Stanfor
had centre scarf Of canary satin OF
this long table, and the end of it wa
covered with duchesse lace woven il
one, piece. The plates of the Dime
We're decorated with paintings an
the cards were bordered with tn
Stanford monogram in gold. Senate
Hearst is the other millionaire Cal
fornia Senator, and
THE DINNERS MRS. uRARsT GIVES