Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-29
A Modern Social Institution and Its
Origin.
THE MAN IN FULL DRESS.
A Typical Tea and Some of Its Features-The
Advantages of the Tea to the HOstess-Some
of the Nuisanees Observation-Disclosures
Kinds of Tea Fiends.
Written for The Evening Star.

pecally appropriate to the present season, when
the afternoon tea is beginning to get under way
again. In his left hand he grasped a silk hat
and it had been much rubbed up against and
80 generally misused that it resembled nothing
so much as one of Mr.. Evarts' famous tiles. He
looked at it discOnsolstely.
What on earth am / to do?' he remarked to
a friend. IF leave this hat outside some fell
low will walk off with it by mistake or some
body will sit on it or tread on it. If | bring il
into the rOOm-well, just look at it. and, truth
to say, il looked like hat that had been
through a South American revolution.
In his right hand he held cup of tea and he
was endeavoriDg 10 navigate it through a surg
ing sea of humanity toward girl who was buff
feting the waves in another room. He was a
pretty skillful pilot and he succeeded in bring
ing the cup to port with only portion of its
cargo spilled. The girl took it and drank it as
best she was able. IL Is said that he who runs
" read, and 1t is equally fact that she who
10 ing bumped at an afternoon ten may drink,
hc be Quick enough.
This was a large tea and everybody had been
invited. That II to say IL was a typical tea,
and was no particular tea at all. but an mag
mary tea which is being used simply an il
lustration of tea in general. Let Us so on
with it and see it through to the end.
TYPICAL TEA.
1t is nearly O'Clock and people coming to
the corner of the street may hear the loud buzz
that emanates from the house where it is being
held. buzz that increases in volume 10
mighty roar as the house i approached. and
inside the drawing rOOn reaches pitch that is
absolutely GC.Ifeaing. This goes for about
an hour. and grows worse If possible. Then.
all of sudden. the uprCGr ceases. Tor every
body has gone home. There Il this advantage
IN an afternoon tea: 1t dOcSn last long.
Gou can go home Just after YOU have
come to it, but you keep wondering to
yourself why vcu did not so home before you
went Nothing i so popular as the custom of
giving teas. and not many thing are more I'M
popular than the custom of going to them.
The typical tea that Is here discussed was given
i'll this wise: The lady took her visiting list and
sent a card to every human being whose name
was there Some Of the people were dead and
they didn't come. others had changed their
residences and they failed 10 appear. OF the
remand -, all the women but two tsho were
ILL were there. and Of the $50 men who
were asked 10 turned up. The day
that the not came of the hostess
cleared all the furniture away down stairs ex-
eept two tables On one OF these she placed
two tea urns and some cakes, and on the other
she had "a large bowl of beady rum punch
which the twenty men who were present man
aged 20 empty three times. Then when the
hour for the arrival OF her guests approached
she stationed herself near the door of the
parlor and wrestled with the crowd as it came
H. The strain Was intense, but it was over
ITS ORIGIN.
The origin of the afternoon tea is matter of
doubt, but 1t would seem to be probable that it
originally from a certain East Indian
custom. In that country the ryoto whenever
they have agricultural season so bOuntiful
IN the harvest that they escape absolute star
vatlon- get together and have an entertain
ncnt called a ryotjano. which Is limited to two
hours Uursi-IOU- The. rgfrpshvnEufz
hight ard the affair. coming of between the
hours of and o'clock in the afternoon, is
known as o'clock ryotjano. AS soon
rs the people are assembled it is
usual for them TO set up a howl. which
they keep up until they leave. Lord Ripou
when he returned to England, after his service
as governor general of India introduced modi-
he'd o'clock ryotlanOs III the west end of Lon
don, from whence they were gradually waited
on the sweet breezes of fashion to 9TH avenue
In New York and from there they came to Con-
neeticut avenue and Its vicinity in Washington.
They have been here now for about ten years
and have steadily increased III favor things
70 give, and have steadily declined in favor
rs things To GO to.
You see. they are so easy to give. Your house
IS not turned upside down. Only the ground
floor is used You have no supper to provide
and no music. In fact, the thing does not cost
You much, and. az there is no real chance for
conversation in such a crowd and such short
period OF time. you can ask every one YOU
know. Then, there is no trouble i'll entertain
ing your guests, but you simply let them shift
for themselves. You hardly expect them to
have good time and you don't care much
about it,
TIE MAN N THE DRESS SUIT.
One thing, however, that even the most
callous hostess cares about and is made misera-
BILE by is that wretched man that appears upon
the scene clothed in a dress suit. He makes
her unhappy, but just think of his own agony :
he enters the room, SO carefully arrayed in his
sables and hne linen, only to find himself in
among mel IN frock or GETAWAY coats. The
Few Peop.s who know him don't greet him en-
Enthusiastically. but his acquaintance is small,
LOT ne Is generally somebody's country cousin.
Inc Ady VINO brought him Is unhappy at being
with him, and sometimes leaves him to his own
devices He Is an excellent man. no doubt
but so, as some one has pointed out is a
bull an excellent animal. but bull in a china
establishment IL, to the least out of his ele-
ment, and IL disagreeable to people who have apv
interest in china or In bulls. In the same way
the man who comes To an afternoon tea in a
dress suit IL the cause of annoyance to every
one who takes an interest in him or the tea
As man he nay be very fine one: as a guest
at an entertainment he Is ANYTHING but fine
he realizes hls position painfully and he tries
to hide, but. as he Is apt to be n large man. he
b always extremely visible holding up portion
OF the parior wall Perhaps he sees another
man III dress suit and then the light Of
hope and happiness breaks out upon
his countenance. only to be rudeIv ex-
tinguished by the discovery that this is
merely the waiter. Even the waiter looks al
him askance. Yet he won't 60 home. Why
doesn't he slip out quietly and vanish? He l.
helpless and hopeless, and he is among the last
TO say goodbye. and when he does go he thank.
his hostess warmly and assures her he has had
very nice time. and she thanks him for hay.
ing come; wherein, you understand both are
lying, for he has not enjoyed himself at all and
she has been very sorry that he came. IL is a
very generally known rule that street costume
is the only proper thing to wear at an afternoon
tea, and yet there are few large teas given
where the solitary individual in evening clothe,
Is not found
SOME GENERAL DESTINATIONS
Now, this dissertation on teas is not intended
TO be a condemnation of them all. 1t has al
ready been pointed out that they are an cas-,
way Of entertaining and that. therefore, the,
are not bad things to give, but some of then
are not bad things to go to either A small
tea, to which only limited number of peopl
have been invited. affords a pleasant oppor
tunity for agreeable chat before dinner
Then the cup of good tea hot and CAREFUL,
made, is an excellent appetizer. Connoisseur
In tea like il rather weak. not sweet yithou
cream and piping hot Many seorn the suga
and take IL straight. as il were but hi
is often an a1iectatiOn. In is also a,
affectation to say that ices and sweet cake
taken at 9 o'clock don't spoil the ap
petite for the dinner that is eaten "A few mo
ments later, and 1t Is an afcctation TO go HON.
before the tea, array yourself in the best clothe