The historic times. [volume] (Lawrence, Kansas) 1891-1891, 1891-07-11
IMPERIAL GERMAN DINNERS.
Much Finer Affairs Nowadays Than They
Used TO BE.

Much Finer Affairs Nowadays Than The.
Used to BE.
A dinner in the new palace at Pots
dam, near Berlin, is much grander at
fair than it was under the more recen
predecessors of Emperor William II
The person honored with an invitation
receives great vellum card, carrying
the united coats of arms of the emperor
and the empress. The wording of the
invitation is:
| At the supreme command Of their Imperial
and Royal Majesties, the Head Court and House
| Marshal has the honor to invite - to din
ner. on --, at z o'clock, in the new palace al
| Potsdam.
On the reverse side are several direc-
tions as to the dress of the guests. Mil.
itary men are ordered to appear in un-
| dress uniform, and civilians in knee
breeches and shoes, dress coats, and
white cravats. Guests who are to ar
rive by train are informed that carriages
will meet them at the Wildpark station.
A small time table of trains returning
to Berlin after the dinner is also given.
The gorgeousness of a great dinner
in the new palace has been described
pretty fully by German snobs who wor-
ship this splendor and German radicals
who find in it a reproach to 'the work
lngmen's emperor" The details of
dinners at which only the nearer &C
quaintances of the imperial and royal
pair are present are, however, compare
lively unknown. The number of guests
at great dinner is usually about sixty
or sixty-fve. The dinner consists of
some ten courses and is served in q few
minutes less than an hour. There is
one servant for every two persons at
the table.
The dishes are prepared in the inn
perial and royal kitchens at some dis
lance from the palace, and are trans
ported thence on a little underground
railway, with its terminus near the
dining room. The principal dishes are
served on silver platters, the others on
china of the royal Berlin manufacture.
The crystal wine glasses have broad
gold bands and bear the combined mon
ograms of the emperor and empress.
The quality of the wines at the imperial
table is the best to be had in 'heimers
and 'bergers, and inferior to few in i'm
ported brands. German champagne is
drunk only with the soup; otherwise
French champagne is served.
The table is decorated with huge |
masses of flowers, mostly roses, which |
are the empress favorite flower. Be |
fore every cover there is a small bunch |
of roses in glass. The room is lighted |
by wax candles in silver
At every place there lie a
a menu and musical programme. Both
are on white vellum, are ornamented
with the united coats of arms of the
emperor and empress, and bear only
German type. Not a single foreign
word appears on the bill of fare. At
he top are the words Imperial Din
ler." The musical programme contains
between twenty-five and thirty num-
oers, mostly by the emperor's favorite
composers Wagner, Delibes, Meyer
oeer, Weber, Sullivan, as we'll as few
military pieces. After dinner the en-
ertainers entertain with conversati on,
'ut only chosen few participate in it.
The court marshal and chamberlai ms
Usually learn in advance whose society
desired by the imperial couple during
he evening, and these persons are es-
orted to the spot where the emperor
nd empress await them.
In Potsdam such dinner as the one
escribed is usually given in the Jasper
+allery, and coffee is served in the
hell salon. The music is played in the
Y. Sun.