New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-05
A PARIS RECEPTION.
LORD AND LADY LYTTON ACHIEVE A
SOCIAL SUCCESS

|
| easy of manner with strong Inducements of i'm
| pressionabilty and emotion. He may be Tory,
| but he is not stupid one. aud he bows 10 the
power of the day democracy whether he liKes that
| noyer or not An instance: Though EngIaDds
greatness is based upon her commercial enterprise,
no ambassador of Her Britannia Majesty ever con-
descended to attend the ANIMAL banquet oil the Bit
| ish Chamber of Commerce or TO notice so
! cioI,v tbo members of that body until last
summer on the occasion OF the Queens
Jubilee Lord Lyons asked them to his grand garden
party dare say that even he-so shrewd and
| sagacious-would rot have invited them to house
| party Lord Lytton had them all at his first re-
ception and he has accepted in the most charming
| terms an invitation to their banquet, which Is 10
come off in the Continental Hotel. have not
| heard whether Lady Lytton and her daughters arc
| to be Mt tho dinner the ball which is to follow
| for the delectation of the young people OF the
British settlement here.
| Lord Lytton receives differently from and in
some resnects better than his two predecessors
| whom remember. Lord C0wley who was here
| during the greater part of the Empire was dry
sticE-pompous solemn and wholly unsympathetic.
| Without his wife, quick, bright. managing
aud active woman he would have been nowhere.
She always did unpleasant duties which she had
to get through with good grace Lord Cowley
|
J in his house on festive OCCASIONS. And with this
| righteousness of negative character he was not
| even ornamental. The wife always busting
! about near him n CHEEKY way. If she saw that
he gave offence by his distant manner and owllsh
| stare which took cognizance of small folks she
endeavored to cut in and by pleasant word or a
| warm shake of the hand repair the mischief. She
managed to have very pleasant evenings. Her
! Saturdays were the most successful things OF the
| kind under the Empire. The clever woman
| chose Saturday because in her time Sab
| batarianism was rampant in English circles
and she and Lord Cowley had good excusc the
moment the clock struck twelve to send Wallets
around the saloons to extinguish the lights 1t
was impossible for representative of the Queen
to suffer in her house any fcStivity to be prolonged
| mic Sunday morning. This made all the difference
in cost between burning long SKIES and short SKIES
| in the chandeliers, of which there were q vast num-
Der to be lighted up. On the buffet all the edible
part of the refreshments purely decorative. If
| any 1lsked eating, some whipper-snapper of the
| Consulate would report on 1t to his Lordship
| Were the treSpasSer parsonage or marx no notice
would be taken. Were he a person of no conse-
ouence a cross would be set before his name IN
the visitors list and he would be overlooked at the
next issue of cards of invitation. once ventured
on taking q red-cheeked apple out of an epergne,
aud found that it was of painted wax.
Lord Lyons was at his best when he entertained
! few friends at dinner. He such an occasion
got rid of his shyness and was the incarnation OF
| old fashioned hearty hospitality. But big dinners
worried him. and big balls in still greater de-
gree He looked bored and peevlsh in the night on
which in compliment to the Prince and Princess oil
! Wales and in their names he gave grand Dali
little less than eight years ago. tie mated cheese
parinp and dreaded waste, abhorred quarrels and
| l,x-t.a aAaar n
impose upon him by suffering the wrong The
sense of his weakness in this respect was cause
of worry to him. What made him
| miserable was the adoption of late years by num-
Der Of his compatriots OF the French mode OF ask
ing for Invitations to his big dinners. This placed
him often under the disagreeabe ne cessity OF re-
fusina. When receiving his guests he stood
Lord and Lady COwley used to do and had his
| back TO chimney-corner, or rather to the end OF
| the hearth rug Between him and the first door
stood ged the grand persona9es who spontane-
ously fell into line and stayed to watch his lnpour
of guests Each person advanced through the first
or red saloon to door of the second or blue one at
which was an usher. When the usher bawed the
name the person answering thereto advanced to
the opposite door, beyond which was a long
perspective of rooms. LORD Lytton
shook hands with all tine ladies, and Lady Lytton
did so TOO. But gentlemen had the honor Of
band-shaking with his Lordshp only. There was
good deal of the Indian Viceroy in thic cere-
mouial arran cement The noble host and hostess
wore the Star of India on their breasts. Lady
Lytton had bestowed some thought upon her dress
She did not wish to be prominent for plainness
because she represented the Queen and Is herself
an ex-Vice Regent, and at the same time she
wanted to comply with the social rule IN virtue OF
which the hostess should not be the best dressed
| woman at the fete she gives How reconcile
| sufficient magnifcence with this unwrltten law
The Star Of India in itself is prominently decora,
tive White ii was decided, should be the color OF
the robe it being the least self-assertive Trimmed
with the pearl embroidery now 50 fashona-
BILE 1t would have n rich. soft sheen, free from gan
duess Some pearls and diamond ornaments Tor
the neck and hair would be kept IN subsection by
the stronger blaze of the Star OF India. Lady Lyt-
ton Is tall and slneularly ladylke; The hzure Is
pentine line prevail in its contour. IL Is gothic
figure, like that of Middle Ages saint, and though
il has grace of its own, because in harmony with
the general character of the countenance, 1t is not
in high degree physically graceful. should
rather describe 1t rs nice-lo0klng ngure; but the
physognomy is so sweet, so mildly intelligent, so
refined distinguished and so apt TO brighten when
she smiles, that one hardly notices how she dresses
There was a great crowd-1 ,5O0-and everybody
was there The Duc de BrogIie rubbed shoulders
with NJ Clemenceau, and he and NJ GTeard, VINO
was to be received next day at the ACADEMY. Were Were
bothered by ladies for tickets OF admission 10 the
sitting There were. of course. representatives OF
the Empire. The Princess de Sagan ana the Mar
Guise de GallIfet are now to be ranked among the
veterans who have survived that gay epoch. The
Marquis also came, but he and his wife were on an
Independent footing. He was full of Gascon tai
talk tempered with gcntlemanly tact ana VII,
| The MARQUIS always knows when to leave OFT.
Prince de Sagan did not accompany his wife either
Oh no! GuZman BlancO covered with the stars
of orders which he granted himself when he was
President of Venezuela and nobody knew OF the
writs out against him IN the United States. Lord
| IYtton could not well help asking him. don't
know whether he and Lady Lytton invited Madame
| Rouvler, who shone by her absence But NJ Roi-
vier was certainly asked for he came lie and NJ.
fnr
utes in a lonely conservatory in an animated colo
guy. All the animation was on NJ. ClemenceauS
side. NJ Rouvcr is tall, hgh-shouldered, thicK-
Tipped, wears glasses and poke out ms heai as
many near-sghted persons do. lie has snort
body, very heavy. When he stands be Keeps ! his
feet wide apart The complexion is dark ana 'he