Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-06-02

Written fo- The EVENING STAR.
| copyrighted 1882
IL IS growing question with people who live In
small cities villages, and in those suburban settle
ments where the conflicting claims OF business and
fine tables render railway journey necessary, as
| 10 now they can easily entertain their guests.
And to such, as indeed to many who live In the
larger towns, the matinee is priceless boon, and
the question OF the refreshment table comes up as
practical dificulty. People who drive out TO a
country entertainment on cold days like a cup Of
hot boullion or tea to begin with. Many hostesses
who give three or more OF these matinees prefer
q "bunet" entertainment for the more solid cOnso-
lations. Frozen coffee, delicious beverage, cold
birds salads, salmon, 1ellies ices charlOttes, bis
cults sandwiches and several kinds Of punch,
standing where the guest helps himself during the
afternoon is very convenient, as one or two serv-
ants can attend the table This is rayorite way
! In England, where they rarely have the universal
OYSTER NO foreigners give their guests 80 much to
eat as we DO, however. Pate de foie gras, sand
and tea, or some OF the various cups, champagne
cup or claret cup, these are quite enough.
HIGH TEA.
There is another entertainment quite delightful
in the country or at Newport, called high tea
The hostess sits behind her silver tea and coffee
service and pours the tea herself. She offers hot
rolls wafies, sweetmeats and also cold ham, chick
en-, salads. pate de foie gras and other solid re-
greater favorite with ladies than with gentlemen,
VINO prefer their soup, fish, wine, indeed regular
dinner. In the country, where an early dinner has
nghtful form OF easy entertaining. WaffieS and
hot cakes, honey and maple molasses, preserves
as we call them, and cream. and many pounds OF
fndigeStbe cake make this meal very agree
able at the .tme to be repented OF afterward. 1t
Is doubtful II this meal viii ever be popular In New
vail The people find 1t antagonistic TO digestion.
IL is violent change Of the habit OF living. Tea
and coffee, taken in the evening" keep many peo-
pie awake A simple little cup OF black coffee is
asmOst all that the delicate American digestion
can endure OF "the beverages which we tnfuse.'
Tea at o'clock Is 4 form OF entertainment which
means to dispense with formal etiquette and to
save time. A lady or gentleman who accepts
this invitation has made his call; he need not
make another. He should leave his card in the
hail, nor need a lady do more than send her card
TO the hostess on this day. Her duties are then
over Tor the season, unless dinner invitation fol-
low
RECEPTIONS IN THE DAY TINE,
taking on the form OF party are thought by
many to necessitatea CALL but this point society
is divided and most ladies consider card left as
being equivalent to call. II there is any doubt
on this subject call had better be made. Never
economic your pOl1tenesS, but 1t is not strictly
de rigaere. Lie would be but sorry burden did
every > O'Clock tea demand q call afterward. PeO-
pie should remember that card Is ones SELF
Those little white parallelOgramS are people.
Therefore, a card is a call The original O'Clock
tea arose in England from the fact that English
people, coming In from riding or driving, needed
cup OF hot tea and got in the habit OF taking II
some lady'5 parlor infOrmally-the Princess or
Wales setting tine fashion as TO tea gowns by APP
pearing at one in her own house In a very becOm-
ing Heglige at 5 O'Clock tea. With our mixed way
OF copying foreign fashions the O'Clock tea be-
came party, the tea-kette a floral emblem; half
the ladies In tea gowns, the other half In low
necked ball dresses The O'Clock tea-card got to
be used when a lady wished TO introduce daugh-
terShe in full dress and her guests in thick clOaks
and overshOes, common bonnets and furs, very
absurd DeidRge And this has confused people as
to the etiquette OF leaving card afJerward. But
assure the doubtful that neither Is the invited
house required 10 call on those who come TO her
o'clock tea. Her card and theirs has cleared the
books for year.
AMATINEE
has got to mean an afternoon performance at the
alter or opera, but in France it means party in
the daytime, as matinee Dansante." "The Dan
sante" and matinee means all day, until dark. For
a busy woman nothing can be better than matt
nee, which begins at and ends at D. 1t does
no. interfere with her o'clock teas, her drives
in the park; nor does it unnt her for dinner or
an evening entertainments Two O'Clock is good
hour for large and informal lunch II a lady
wishes TO invite many friends. But while busy
women can go TO a matinee, busy men cannot;
ana as men Of leisure in America are fortunately
few, morning entertainment at theater or In
society is almost always an assemblage OF women.
But when some foreigner OF celebrity comes to our
nee is one OF The most satisfactory forms OF enter
tanning. The primary business OF society Is to
bring together the various elements OF which 1t is
made up. It's strongest motive should be to tighten
up the mOInentouS business or life by an easy and
friendly intercourse and change OF ideas 1t is
great pity that American society is so unattrac-
tive TO its men OF affairs. In England a man like
MIR. Gladstone regards the business OF going TO q
queens ball or dinner as peremptory. Who OF
ball at the White House? To persuade these
elderly men who are maintaining the great Amer.
lean name at its present high place In the Pan
theOn OF nations to spend a couple OF hours at a
matinee one must offer tempting bait The au-
thOrs, the artists the lawyers the Mr.. Editors, the
statesmen, the influential and public-Spirited citi-
zens are hard to catch.
ATTRACTIVE RECEPTIONS
No doubt one reason is that they are all at work.
But II the American woman who is The custodian
OF society would bring about higher tone to So
ciety, such men would come to her matinees The
best American man Is not tempted 10 go into so
ciety which lives only by vanity, rivalry, excite
ment, and gossip. They would rather stay down
town and buy and sell stocks. Not that the one
occupation Is better than another, or always more
profitable but It is more vire nor that all society
IS open TO the above reproach but Its tendency Is
to lightness. vapidity, and an awkward absence OF
what entertains men, and we rarely find our most
valuable men seeking 1t. Therefore, a lady who
would make her house attractive to the higher
order OF men must offer something better than
that which we call fashion dress, music dane
ing, supper. They are ornaments and stimulants.
They are not the essential. In poor society we
need men and women who are 'good company"
as they say in England men and women who can
talk. Nor is the advantage all on one side. The
OF society Is useful to men as IL Is agreeable to
women The occasional matinee given for some
distinguished perSonageS, like the Chinese legation
we will say, is apt to catch some very good speci-
mems Of the American man, and II II is early 1t is
proper TO offer some substantial refreshments on
the luncheon table,
THE EVENING PARTY.
1t is deeply to be regretted that the odfashioned
evening party is gone out OF fashion. The queen
gave one at Buckingham Palace In the jubilee
year. and 1t was hoped by many that 1t would be
renewed. II Is much interfered with by the late
ness Of English dinners but In our country 1t
might be renewed. This sort OF party, called in
France a sOiree, does attract gentlemen. In
America the young hostess should try TO prOpitate
those men who are being driven from the ball
room by the 1nsOence and pretension or the lower
elements OF fashionable society. The two great
factors OF success In America, learning and gen.
Jus for affairs, do not always mt man for ball
room; but they should Mt him for the dinner party
and the evening party. Indeed, women can do
much TO improve society by studying the art OF
early and easy parties. No lady should even wear
house. A concert or theater allows the bonnet,
although to give any evening reception elegant
air ladies should come without their bOnnetS.
CHARM OF ENTERTAINING.
That Utopia which all people desire. the salon,
where the woman OF fashion shall weekly assem-
BILE about her the linerateur, and the artist, the
aristocrat, who has long been at the top of the
social tree, and the millionaire, who ceased his
climbing yesterday, would seem to be still far on
We either have not found the woman who Is great
enough to found IT, or OurcOndiuOns OF society for.
bid Il. But We see In every city some attempt a.
IL. We see people Hooking TO a small ana unpre
tending Daen0ge at the bidding OF q quiet woman
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