The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-03-08
POINTS o CARDS.
Some New Styles Affected by
washington Society.

Some New Styles Affected by
Washington Society.
Elaborate Invitations for Swell Dinners
Hand-Carved Cards Made of tho
Finest Bristol Board Changes
In Visiting Cards.
"Fashion is showing a tendency just
now to elaboration in dinner cards"
said a stationer of the mode to a repre-
sentative of the Washington Star.
s'Life-size orchids made of paper 40
artistically that they look like real ones,
almost, are the latest thing, the name OF
the guest being written across the mid
die of each. Here are big roses too,
somewhat conventionalized and fiat
! tened out, stamped from paper for
menus, with single rose petals for the
names. II these latter are used the
table should be decorated with pink
roses to match-real ones, OF course
and the same principle would hold good
with the orchid cards. A coat-of-
arms In colors and gold is a very swell
| device to have on ones dinner cards; II
no coat-of-arms has been inherited or
secured by purchase a monogram will
do. But there should be something. A
fad at present Is q conundrum for each
card to help start conversation The
conundrum notion Is managed in u very
pretty way. The question is written
upon a white satin ribbon tied to the
card, while in u gilded English walnut,
also attached, Is discovered, upon open
ing the shell, tho answer"
The Star man was not able to learn
any of the answers, because to open
the nuts would have been to spoil them,
but some of the couundrums were:
"What does a man take who has a mean
wife2' What relation Is n door-mat to
q scraperP" ''Who can speak all Ian
guages?" What Is that which is often
brought to table, seldom cut and never
eatenP" You can puzzle these out for
yourself at your leisure.
The quotation cards are, perhaps,
adapted to less intellectual company,
requiring, as they do, less thinking.
Here are a few of them: I'm after-din-
ner talk across the walnuts and the
wine" "The merry guest the host
doth bless" Eat and drink as
friends" "Well met and we'll come"
"And, therefore, let US be merry"
"a very new thing" continued the
stationer. sis hand-carved dinner-carda
Of the finest bristol board. cut with q
knife so as to lift up designs delicately
representing leaves and flowers from
the surface. Also parchment cards with
cameo stamped upon them are rather
ugly but fashionable novelties II you
like you may have little paper flowers
stuck through the corners Of each card,
and In casa your dinner BIO a pink one II
will be highly correct t o have cards
with pink edges, pink lettering and
pink monographs. Corrsspondingly with
feasts of other colors. Menus, by the
way, are not used much 10Y at dinner
parties-they convey too distinct q sug'
gestion Of the restaurant. The host
only should have a bill Of fare. SO tina,
he may see that the banquet Is going
properly"
slow about visiting cards2"
"Oh, there has beer no marked change
in them Of late. Strangers in Washing.
ton are apt to be much struck with the
fashion which permits certain persons
Of official prominence here to put on
their cards, instead Of their names,
merely titular designations. They
think 1t seems quite too awfully SWELL
and SO 1t is, In fact. Mr.. Reeds card
reads now, of course, simply: The
Speaker in like it Is with The
Vice-President,' The Chief Justice and
all the Secretaries Of the Presidents
Cabinet. The President himself is not
supposed to have any visiting cards, be.
cause he and Mrs. Harrison are exempt
from the necessity Of making calls. The
wives Of these dignitaries are entitled
to print plain Mrs. Norton Mrs
Reed Mrs. Blaine and so on on their
cards. The wife of the Chief Justice is
likewise Mrs. Fuller but the wives oil
all the other justices OF the United
States Supreme Court must have thcil
full names, as Mrs. Lucius Quintus
Curtius Lamar Tho Commandant of the
navy yard has his title only on his card
That Is the list Of Americans who are
allowed such official distinction. Mem
bers OF the diplomatic corps are also per
United 1t. For instance, an invitation
from the British legation would read
The British Minister and Lady Paunce
tote request the pleasure OF your com
pany, etc. A plan coming into use Il
for three or four ladies who receive to
gether to have their names printed al
on the same card. Rather q curious
thing here is q death notice card, thu
revival of an old fashion. originally
German, which, with o wide border O
black, the dead persons name and til,
date of his OATH IL sent around Il
friends by mail"