The Washington critic., 1888-03-17
THE LUxURlEs OF WEALTH.
What It Costs Woman Worth Three
Millions 60 Entertain Her Friends.

hhat ~ costs u woman worth Three
Millions 60 Entertain Her Friends,
IT wonder how much money Mrs.
Cornelius Vanderbilt has spent on So
cial entertainments this season ?" was
asked yesterday of an intimate busi-
ness friend of the family, says the
New York Journal
"I happened to know" said she,
''that at the beginning of last year
Mrs. Vanderbilt set aside the sum of
100000 for social entertainments.
This amount does not include the
toilets she has worn, or even the cost
of wine or the payment Of servants.
She keeps her own chef, who has a
yearly salary of $4,000, and two as
sistants, each one receiving 81 1000,
and so she is virtually independent of
caterers
With the 100000, which is indeed
a small fortune, but merely q modest
sum out of a yearly income of SO, ,000,-
600, Mrs. Vanderbilt has contrived to
ner parties, grand ball, a musicale,
several luncheon parties, and dozen
smaller entertainments. The ball
was, indeed, the finest private dance
of the winter, and the favors alone
for the cotillion cost 5000, the floral
decorations 900, and the supper for
the 200 guests something over 81 900.
OF course wines are not included in
this amount. The wine cellar Is
stocked yearly at cost of $4,000,
and il is safe to say that it was quite
well emptied for the ball. The entire
cost of the ball was over $4,000.
AT the musicale which Mrs. Van
derbilt gave few weeks previous to
her ball there was one specially large
item-that Of $4,000 paid to Mr.. Alb
bey for the pleasure Of having the lit
tie Hofmann play for her guests.
Some 400 guests enjoyed hearing the
child musician and three or four we'll
known singers, and after the music
the chef served refreshments in the
large picture gallery. The cost Of the
musicale, including the engraving of
an exquisite souvenir programme, was
over $S,000
Little Josef played forty-five min
utes altogether and was paid at the
ldit vi VDO u AuOIC tuuh tNtu
Patti has received.
Mrs. Nanderbilt's dinner parties
during the season just closed were
only about dozen in all. Yet each
one was work of art so far as the
menu and the serving went. Twenty
is her favorite number to ask for din
ner, and with herself and husband
there were generally twenty-five
covers placed.
The table was always set in the great
art gallery, which opens on one side
into large conservatory and on the
other into smaller room, where
fine collectiC n of water colors are to be
seen. Both rooms are to be lit by sew
eral hundred electric burners, which
shine through aceiling of opal-tinted
glass, and the paintings which adorn
the walls are valued at $780, 900,
While the guests eat, an orchestra
plays softly in the dimly-lighted con-
servatory, and the splash of tiny
fountain may be heard. Amid these
S2,000,000 surroundings the dinner of
twelves courses and seven wines is
served. The centre of the table is
always mass of rare orchids or roses,
which cost during the winter from 81
to 50 Il single blossom, and at each
plate is placed bouquet of roses or
a boutonniere of white buds.
At the last dinner party given by
Mrs. Vanderbilt the Roman punch
was frozen in the heart of great, deep
pink Gloire roses, and the guests ate it
with little golden spoons, the handles
set with rubies. The tutti-frutti ice
cream came frozen in yellow and
crimson tulips, and the hot-house
| strawberries were served with cream
on little golden platters.
The dinner service which is gener-
ally used on these occasions is of the
finest royal Dresden, Mrs. Vanderbilt
preferring it to silver. The terrapin,
however, is always served in little
silver, gold-lined canoes, and the
spoons are formed to look like small
paddles.
The usual cost of the viands and
music for one of her dinner parties is
$500, and with the wines the sum
easily reaches $500. Luncheons are
not so expensive. Indeed the gather
ings to which Mrs. Vanderbilt invites
her most congenial feminine friends
are comparatively simple. One given
in December to sixteen guests was q
pink luncheon, all the decorations
and several of the dishes being in that
color, and it cost trihe less than
5000.
The little item for visiting cards
makes great void in a small pocket
book. Tiffany has furnished Mrs
Vanderbilt with 1000 cards this win
ter at 81 hundred. From this one
can have some idea of the number OF
calls this energetic little social leader
has made since November |. Allow.
ing four cards for each call would
make 800 calls in four months.
When one counts up the 5000
spent on the ball, the $4,000 on the
musicale, the $4,000 or more on din.
ners, the $1,000 on luncheons, the
$1,000 spent on breakfasting friends al
Delmonico's, the $4,000 on an opera
box for the season, the S., 900 on con.
cert and theatre parties, the 1000 fol
afternoon receptions and at homes
with the many Incidental expenses Of
social life, the 100000 Is easily ac
counted for.
Bill Arp on the Tariff.
Get about three lawyers and two edi
tors and one doctor and two or three gen
tlemanly loafers together, and they will