The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-29
A THIRSTY PROSPECT
Most Of the Cfncial Ladies of Wash
ington Shut Down on New Years
Wine,
Fron z Melr York 81

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.-The New Years
reception is dying out In Washington. Year
by year the ladies receiving calls decrease
IN number, and the reception of Jan. l, 1890,
viii be confined TO the white house, the
mansions Of the cabinet ministers, and the
houses Of some few ladies of the Senate and
the supreme court. The wife Of the Presi-
dent and a number of the senatorial
ladies tel me that the reason for
this comes from the custom of serv-
ing punch at New Years, and the day
when New Years calls make the excuse for
grand Washington spree will soon be gone
forever. This year Washington society,
with the exceptions above spoken of. will
leave g butler and a basket to receive the
cards of the backwoods congressman aud
others who have not kept up with the times.
Many of the girls will go to the matinee in
the afternoon, and there will be a number
OF big balls In the evening In all proba-
bility not dozen houses which viii be open
next Wednesday will have punch bowl
The sentiment among the people which
has made Kansas, Iowa, and Maine prohi-
bitlon states has affected in great part the
rest of the union. and senator's wife tells
me that the leading ladies in all the aid
societies of the churches in her little town
held prayer meeting just before she started
Tor Washington and asked God TO enable her
capital.
There is, however, only one public man
here who dares to give q dinner without
wine. He is a senator, and when he came
in few years ago he announced brashly
that he would give rs many dinners as ne
chose, with never a drop to drink. He did
give them. and on each occasion his roof
covered more suppressed swearing than the
roof of a cowboys ranch. One senator went
into the dressing-room after the seven
course dinner and violently asked of every
fncomer If such course should go unre-
buked. In this administration there will be
only four besides the President who win
give dinners-Vice President Morton, Sec
rotary Blaine, Secretary Tracy, and prob
ably Secretary Window. The Postmaster
General would like to do so, but his enter
tsinments will run to receptions and balls.
Mrs. Wanamaker says a dinner Is not a
dinner without wine. and, as she disap-
proves OF that because of the example to the
young, there will be no formal dinners at
the Wanamaker house.
Nearly every social law here but one
ennanates from the executive mansion, and
that one is the serving of wine at the New
Eear's reception. Custom has it that the
multitude need not be dined or wined at
the white house on that day. OF the cab
met ladies all but Mrs. Proctor will keep
open house, and but three will serve wine
Vice Presidents wife she said:
REALLY. don't you know, have been
away from Washington so long that have
forgotten the customs. / really do not know
what they do serve here on New Years
day"
There is a deep-rooted opinion, however,
that no one will leave the Vice-President's
mansion thirsty next Wednesday.
AS tho wine drinkers Of the capital, the
foreigners and navy officers form the bulk
of the guests of the secretaries Of state and
of the navy, they will have punch bowl
and decanter
Secretary Window will have no wine on
Wednesday In little talk at the Presi-
dents table few weeks ago, when Mr..
Wanamaker was also present, the Secre-
tary OF the Treasury advanced the opinion
that every cabinet officer should follow his
own pr op es on thes ubject.
-, OF course, we will keep open house, :"
said Miss Nellie Window when asked the
question, shut l am quite sure papa will
not have punch or wine, although he does
not disapprove of them on all occasions
my husband and I have one quarrel, :"
said Mrs. Noble, when asked whether she
would serve wine at her first New Years
reception. sit is the Daniel Webster an
ecdote, and it comes up every year. 1t
seems that Daniel Webster went to the
house of friend for a weeks visit, and
when he found that his friend did not serve
wine he packed up his goods and departed
the first night Mr. Noble SAYS that a man
of Daniel Webster's genius should have had
his wishes respected | say that the other
man had as much right to his principles as
Mr.. Webster to his wine. | shall not serve
wine at any OF my receptions or dinners.
Two or three years ago in st. Louis Mr.
Noble wanted to give dinner in honor of
some judge. He felt that he could not give
it without some wine. said that there
should [ @ no dinner then. Well, he gave
the dinner without wine, and the day fol-
lowing one of the guests congratulated him
on his courage. Don't praise me. said he
sit was ny wife who had the courage"
"What will you substitute for wine New
Years dayg'
Substitute? There is no substitute. 1t
is a case of wine or no wine, for nothing
will take its place. Wine is good. like it.
sign | mean to servo it to young men and
mixed companies"
what will you do when the foreigners
callgn
''I am not O foreigner"
The wife Of the head of the department
of justice, when asked as to wine, replied:
II have never served wine in Chicago.
and shall not do it here on New Years
day. The harm in the custom comes from
giving it to young men,
When the question was asked of Mrs.
Secretary Rusk, she said emphatically:
II shall have coffee, bouillon, and choco-
late, but no wine. Neither nor my hus-
band is averse to the temperate use of
wines. but we will never give it to mixed
gathering such as New YEARS. reception.
When was here years ago / saw many q
New Years caller who showed the effect Of
TOO much drinking"
The wife Of Chief Justice Fuller is an
other woman who objects to the use of
wine. She said: II shall never serve wine
at another New Years reception. / have
always been used to it, as in my fathers
family it was the custom to serve it to
guests, hut after what I saw in my first
winter in Washington, have decided never
to have punch, and if anything at all, only
a light claret at my receptions. ! shall
never give punch made Of rum or cham
payne to any but people l know well. Do
not think have seen any cases OF genuine
sntoxication in Washington society. But l
have really seen men and women, too, who
showed signs of two frequent potations. l
probably saw mora of it than most host
esses as lived so far out; people came
in cold and tired and before they knew 1t
had taken too much"
Mrs. Stephen J. Field is one of the best
entertainers Of the capital, but she does not
believe in the New Years punch bowl. She
says:
49, 4 II. sslE