The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-15
LENTEN GAIETIES
The Curious Clubs of Our Ma
tional Capital.
THE BELLIES OF THE KITCHEN
The Dancing Club, and How the Obnoxious
Were Frozen 0ut-Yery Wicked
Girls Who Play Poker.


this week, and on Ash Wednesday society
infete its lungs with the air of sackcloth
and ashes. During that day society tasted,
out on Thursday the plans were laid for
series of mild entertainments, and the pros
pect is that the Lenten season will be even
fuller of social gatherings than usual.
There viii be quiet little breakfasts and
luncheons mixed with church goings and
prayers and the scanty meals OF the day
will be made up by big dinners at night.
There will be 5 o'clock teas and there Will
be big ball III the centre of the season.
The theatres are always well patronized
during Lent, and the thousand and one
societies which have been organized in
Washington will hold their little entertain
ments and the clubs will flourish in all
their glory. Washington is peculiarly
city of classes. There is nothing in the
heavens above or in the earth beneath or in
the waters under the earth that is not rep
resented by club at Washington. These
clubs are literary, social, gastronomic,
terpsichorean, athletic sewing, aud of
every other imaginable character. They
are really clubs but they are called classes,
society which you do not find otherwheres.
FAIR LADIES WHO DANCE.
The dancing class, organized year since
and which, during the past season. has been
holding fortnightly Dances is perhaps the
best entitled to prominence, although it is
in reality the one of the whole list which
resolves itself into nothingness during
Lent. The articles of incorporation having
been duly drawn up, it was found at the
first dance given last season by the class
that several undesirable elements had some
how crept in despite all efforts to make the
organization most tremendously exclusive
in its character. To eliminate those detri-
mentals without being aggressively rude
was the problem which the swell members
propounded among themselves, finally hit
ting upon happy solution of the difficulty.
The rule being that the class should meet
each week in turn at the house of different
member, the proposition of several of the
detrimentals to be among the early enter
tainers, was quickly accepted. When the
evenings arrived the unsuspecting host
esses at the very last moment were over
whelmed with an avalanche of dainty notes
in which the writers deplored their inabil-
ity to attend the meeting of the class on
that especial evening. BY preconcerted
arrangement the male members down on
the list of swells failed to put in appear
ance and the notifying consciousness that
ohey were being treated to a genuine
freeze out was gradually borne in upon the
consciousness of the unfortunate female
who had aspired to identify herself with
those who considered themselves the elect
of society. On one occasion where an elab-
crate supper had been prepared for 800
guests there was hardly score present to
partake of the lavish hospitality The
chaperones selected We're in the majority
of cases, those who had ball rooms attached
to their residences IN which they could en- :
terrain the dancing class. Among the mum
Der were Mrs. Senator Hearst, Mrs. Viii
liam A. Hammond, Mrs. John Mclean.
Mrs. Howard Ganson White, Mrs. Dahl
greu and Lady Pauncefote, while the mem
bers included Miss Sheriff., the Misses
Pauncefote, the Misses Ernest, Miss Ever
EFT, Miss Dahlgren, Miss Eide, Miss Ban
croft, Miss Wanamaker, the Misses Myer
Miss May Williams, Miss Mitchell Miss
Cox, Mrs. Richardson Clover, Mrs. Mckee
and Mrs. Russell Harrison. At the begin
ming of the present season it was decided
after much discussion to abandon the plar
of having the class entertained by the vari
GUS chaperones, and accordingly the Ma
Eonal Rifles hall was engaged for the alter
nate Tuesdays throughout the season.
THE BOWLING BEAUTIES AND THEIR READING
CLASS
The bowling class is another fashionable
organization of which the membership is al
most identical with the dancing class The
meetings are held once a week, SATURDAY
afternoons having the preference at tie
fine bowling alley attached to aeurich':
brewery. Tea is served on these occasion:
and such of the members as do not care Il
take part in the game converse with friend:
and deport themselves generally as they
would at an invited reception, the chap
erones present constituting an informal re-
ceiving party.
The reading class, first organized som,
half dozen years since, is in reality The
most exclusive of all the Lenten classes in
asmuch as the membership has never beer
allowed to extend beyond the dozen wei
known society women who composed it a
the start. Among these were Mrs. n. S
Lincoln. Mrs. Washington Mclean. Mrs
Hazen, Mrs. Rodgers, Mrs. Edward Nc
Cauley, Mrs. Seth Ackley, Mrs. John Crop
per and Mrs. Lothrop Bradley. Meetins
every Thursday during Lent, the mornine
hours are spent II the reading aloud by
member of one or more chapters of the lat
est book attracting puolic attention here Of
abroad after which its relative literar,
merits are discussed at length over lunch
con fit for the most exacting gourmand
Why not-because it is Lent one need no
20 hungry neither is ii wise to spoil diges
uion with ill-cooked food. There is sag,
ole maxim as worthy Of acceptance now a
when first uttered, that in Lent it is NOR
wholesome TO the soul to starve ones sill
and not her bin.n
OAnother class of more ambitious literary
character was that organized last season b,
Mrs. Madeline Vinton Dahlgren. whic
held fortnightly meetings Wednesday even
ings during Lent. On these occasions tn
programme generally included a reading b.
the hostess of her own work or extract
from those of well known authors, afte
which the lion Of The evening was intro
duced in the person of one of the popula
writers of the day in prose or poetry VIII
favored the company with the recital of al
article especially prepared for the occasion
The late historian, Bancroft, was anon
the number selected for that purpose, tn
stipulation in each case being that the per
son chosen for this honor should have pub
lished at least one book.
CLUBS IN FRENCH AND SPANISH.
The French class was another popula
assemblage of last season and one of tn
few which held its meetings in the evening
AS may be imagined, it was largely com
posed of the foreign element of Washingto
society represented by the diplomatic corp
and membership outside of that angus
body was limited to such of the younge
members of Washington society as con
versed fluently in the French language a
spoken in Paris. Miss Batcbeller, daughte
of the present minister to Portugal, was
prominent member. Among the most men
orable entertainments given by the F'renc
class was that of Countess Sponneck, wifi
of the Danish minister
The Spanish class held its meetings j
the morning, and unlike the French elias
was wholly lacking in the male elemen