The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-04-07


steward every week on the evils 4 OK
,ravooonce. But the steward, au ex-
cslIent man named Frannces, who twcr-
shipped Washington and had Psoper
sense OF the dignity OF his posaion'
would mutter at the end OF each weekly
lecture: "Ay, he may discharge ms II
he will, but while he Is President art l
am steward hi. table will be suppled
with the best the country can afofd."
Washington had special fondness for
fish. Ono February an early Delawarc
sbod. caught In advance OF the season,
was seized from the market by Fraunces
and served up triumphautly at the Pros.
idential table.
.,Wbat fish Is thati' cried Washing.
ton. a, tho savory odor Aet his nostrils.
"a SIR; -szM Fradnces, gfeos~
fullv. "The only one In the mar%et,
the frat ono OF the seasou."
"But the price" Washingtons face
"rhrce three dollas, "stammered tho
steward.
Washing gton's sterincss In creased.
,;Tako it awav," he cried. ''It shall
never be sail that setisuch IA example
Ot cXtravaSauCe.
And the dish which WAS too great m
e1travaganco for the President was
carried of into the htcheu, where the
servants atc it with np qualm' OF con-
science
Washington's imm cfliatc successors,
adams aud Jefferson, yerc light eaters
in private, but the fot.ner gave stately
and magnificent banquets, while the
latter kept generous liable in tho large
iree-hauded Virginia style. Forty guests
| was no unusual number, aud it Is said
that tho marketing for single day lre-
Touentis amountsd tosasl puch as yoO.
TNasi;ae--sevived tue State dinuers Of
Adap,s's time with a a4gooa deal OF tho
attendant ccrem onial, which Je1erson-
had discarded. Vet Mrs. William
Winston Seaton in her diary rather
Sights one Of the bauquctsat at which she
was present. "The dnnsr," she says,
was certainly fine, but still was rather
have eaten in Carolina. There were
many French dishes, and exquisite
wines, presume, by the praises be-
slowed upon them; comment on tho
quality of the wine seems to form the
chief topic after the removal Of the
cloth. Candles were introduced before
the ladies' left the table, and the gentle.
men continued half m hour longer to
enjoy social glass;" But Madison
himself was light drinker. When he
had hard drinkers at his table he would
invariably dilute his wine with water in
order to keep up with them, or else
merely touch the glass to his lips while
In strong contrast to Madison's ban
qucts were those gwen By Andrew JACK
son. lie hated conventional etiquette
even nero than Jefferson did and set his
face moro sternly against ceremonial.
He always used steel fork himself and
provided his guests with one steel fork
and silver one. After dinner he
smoked long handled corn. cob pipe.
1t was his wish to throw the doors OF
the White House open to the people ir
general and allow them to partake Of his
hospitality without any special invita-
tion. But after a trial or two this ex.
pertinent was relinquished, though not
until the carpets in the East Room had
been ruined by tho punch which the
crowd split on the floor in their eager.
| uCSS W SCb az thO buSNSSS "hiSh SOu
tanned it, aud the dresses of numerou;
ladies had been i,letrifSyssAhkss spoiled and
glasses aud f4rait1ES,. ,5n Jacsen broken ..s
uucvd :. ~ curious novelty. This was au
enormous chccso yard thick aud as big
as barrel in circumference, which was
cut into three. pound pieces and dis.
tributed among the guests. This proved
such great success that Van Buren, was
, tempted to emulate tho example. But
scverely.from the greasy crumbs which
fell upon then that the experiment
was never again repeated, and indeed
tho custom Of serving eatables at general
receptions came to an end forever with
| Van Bnren's lost term. It had gro Sn
to be such a glaring abuse that just
prior to the election Of 1910 hungry
crowds had bcsiegc1 the East Room,
cininoring to be fed, and threatening to
vote against Van Buren, if they were not
| entertained.
The deaths of two Pre,idents may be
directly associated with the table. The
first President Harrison caught fatal
cold while out marketing, his invariablo
Of cholera morbus, resulting from q
hearty meal of cherries washed down
with ice milk, which he partook of on
his return from Fourth of July cele
bration. In an hour he was sez I'd with
cramps; in tive days he was dead.
With the exception of President
Arthur, tho later Presidents have oil
been rather careless eaters, paying small
attention 10 the delights Of TIL, table
when they dined en- fanille, anl allow
ing their stewards or the ls lies Of the
White House to take full supervision
over the State banquots. President
Arthur, however, though light eater
was essentially an epicure, who took
great interest in the affairs of the
kitchen, and mado tho supervision of
his dinners n matter Of earnest stuiy.
His private dinners are said to have cost