The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-01-29
OUR BIG PUBLIC DINNERS.
WHAT n sEEN AND HRARD AND
EA1EN Ar OWE OF 1HE1G

at Ho-s saa Thea Goes Out TO speak.
There are a great many bie. formal dinners
In New York In the course Of each winter. and
a great many thousands OF men attend and
enjoy them. Each college mai IL apt to par
ticipate In two Of these sffairs-the dinner OF
his alumni and that OF his Greek letter society
but the majority Of the others by and for
whom these dinners are given only attend one
each year. Such is the case with the COM
patriots Of Burns. with tho Welshmen and
members Of the st. George Society. the print
ers In the TypothetG. tho jewellers. and the
rest To all Of these tho annual midwlnter
dinner. with Its scores OF well-dressed diners.
Its brilliant lights. and joyous reunion OF
friends and acquaintances. It's music and flow
OF humor and speechmaking and growing
hilarity as the night draws on. is q very i'm
portant, grand. ami enjoyable affair.
twill surprise all such persons to know that
there are many men In town who view 1t diner-
emily. 1t will seem incredible to thcm that
there is at least one man In town who has to
60 to these affairs. and yet prefers to eat q
modest meal ut home rather than bore his
palate with what he would get at these bril-
liant feasts.
The persons who presume to criticise these
great dinners are the public men, the Journals
l many Sa of Than t sssry ye yssr. T TsS h rsssd to e. sSe to
AMI aaG i. az WITH ! 4s! q that they srs Ersst1i:
t tSl,y az re stsss; Iaey 6 err ao DC s!n,o ihs B II Sn,y
s;SSat the sane way: si'h tss Sans General
tend oi!nr-dinner-wlth-w and there. is the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS itNtSs later saS ' bsvl IN.
been the new feature, inaugIrated by the
its Of these variations. tho scene ut each din
ner: the dining room arrangements and 1T
fool that ali tsstes alike and ia always the
one mould; TIC only happy relief for tso man
a biz dinner at great. round table in a a ffiiitR
put on his mettle. tho food comes on with as
many navors as there IRE courses. and there
.iIere is, the Routine that follows tho receipt
81 q card q, a. 81 admissiop h,to one OF the public
n'%n a 0 fo sn %n 's sHrly # ho 5n1s h ssssoni d Il er y =. at It
Is h in sp n :" " t Maii , R,se esorsD.s Fs'i ina THROUGH Id.s ngG
canes o. tho diners. nre exchanged for num-
about IL the hail in r pnrposeIess way. walt:
together struggle into a large reception room.
n which the man who has the chief, care OF
meadow: He has i piece Of. paper IA his hand
trunks, Will, the sansplank, Of a steam.
10 s9s It that nsifsd r. 2, is Hs going to take is about
s9 os no Weinr la' their hs rh hsnss. n sri tse to oe ians h ns
case. Induces conversation. and then bolts. OF
!Tha 4 the frss waiter Z Who Whispers to him
Ills mind ages perceptibly ike one who has
Toward the last he gives himself up to a hys:
terical laugh. and assures everybody. without
0s Frs a rscs1ti snai re eOs,ytihlo ose Is r 81. t,f fssre are
s swS s sSs of icons 8 i 2He very isss dark and ndw % n,isy
black suggests q gathering OF crows ina barn
yard. These men stand about in co4pIes.
rest taking stifh w" With those % PERSONS eises WIN Whom ma
few, very young men have insisted upon in
ONE the ineviisSie' wae or clown OF the
clique or society that gives, the dinner. He is
" %it haP eRa ye sSnfdf.sSssd 81 !h a iI hs ses' ii1s sss sGen
begins e. guy" every one he knows with
e%reasure he .6swso out the company ,,t and Serves
s1n sso; asa E Il he g s aiss 1 u irc 8 @G Sim th sntp !:
si # Il Is q d i sntll !H With slss" there syf IS s HH'; to
be z side or centre table carrying glasses and
eether: the couple. Of friends or neluaint;;
aST Ts m Mh n}s are 5 TSsrs !. tS aTs 9 are a Apt to ;, xii!
the tables and seats displayed in the room.
and each man studies It i@ntently: The discov-
over to some one else., with the remark:
and Sp'a 50! IT 7 to as al 0T b. s'" FLAG GF to ss ss''S hin s%;;
nut t f",ne dinarsm a eI mna WIG :Grs Is study study
out into the hnll and ba"k again In search OF
tl rn equally on he excited cited man with I'll. the . care o. the
cards I'll go home beiors Iii sit with th,t
bore" sometimes he says "scoundrel'l The
Which, he regards as sale. an regrets it tho
rest Of the night; when he finds that two old
years: aud who had ,%Ilannel to ST together.
were torn npart by his nction. The man OF
verge otinssnity as other men IN who fo' want T. seats ats
beside 3nS nn",her anneal to him; II he is
wiser ho nlanned ninoItentl,s oii. tn. distriSu.
ton OF sents 10y mail n week before the night
The "honored guests" and Spokesman of
The evening, who are 70 sit ut the Chairman's
sldswisc before them. arr usually the last to
come. and seem tn the rest quite self-impor-
f Th,t nnh stim, whether they really mr% Or not.
mosrhrro out ~ its own consciousness Of their
Grnins. or whatever may b" tho source ~ their
tint the crowd is d,inE I'M" the dining Laii:
IN the min a,iki ~. lnns table " the head
mace, by GERMAN and French culinary artists.
that look like bad dreams frozen into the
icing that IL put an an easl sid" wedding cake.
4 nontonpiar. that would he more ar"tn,abls,
his coat and hat. bat which is Of no service
after he takes the seat he IL. to Keep IN AL
night. IL found beside every plate. And 1t Is
always he same thing red or u white carna.
tion. With it's stem In tinfnil. Tho fashion may
demand huge chrysanthemums or tiny buds.
hut the men who, pnryey the stereotynea teL-
dollar or Ilve.doilnr dinner haze laws 81 their
w md ~ corner In carnations az well.
Then comes the old iaEilinr dinner WIFI
O.! sherry and u torrent OF claret that IL sus-
pected to he Californian, and - none me
worse for that. since when wins ms. to be
chean It is hest when 1t il from California
The ,chaTpnEne used to come or early IN me
fish. in former YEARS.. Now it L. BEGINNING a
dignilied retreat. aud is usually ranGht W
always the same. duck. The variety consists
u sonetimes calling it canvasbaek and some
| times redhend.
IL this which follows Is not the regulation
bill OF fare at all these dinners. II VIII seem to
| ha ~ II nst naranna WIN. have been out dining