Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-30

am not sure that even dress is much re-
garded, for l saw there good many wear
ing boots. The females were all properly
attired, although few were ornamented
with jewelry, of course
One of the customs peculiar to those long
ago New Year receptions at the White
House was introduced by the ladies. They
wore, on that day for the rst time. their
new winter bonnets and shawls Fashions
were not as fleeting in those days as they
are now, and the New Year toilet did duty
till the next New Year 1t was in 1S22 that
the now famous Marine Band played for
the first time at the White House recep-
tons. Refreshments are never served at
any public presidential reception. Olly one
President ever attempted a wholesale feed
on New Year day, and that was Andrew
jackson. When Old Hickory came into
power he inaugurated new style of enter
telnment ana served "hand-me-down lunch
cons at his public receptions. A farmer
friend up in Jersey, once sent him cheese
OF mammoth proportions, and he conceived
the prllllant idea of treating his friends to
this delicious tidbit SO on New Year day
the cheese was cut into hunks of
quarter of pound each, and served along
with other edibles to the people who throng-
ed the east room. Hall the cheese thus
| served was thrown upon the floor by the
people who were abusing, while enjoying
the PRESIDENTS hospitality, and tramped
into the carpets till the odor became almost
unoearable. The carpets We're ruined and
had to be replaced. AS 1t required 515 yards
TO carpet the east room alone and the car
pet has to be especially woven for the pur-
pose. Mr.. Jackscn's receptions were expen-
sive affairs. When Mr. Van Buren, entered
the White House he very wisely discontin-
ued the feeding process, and it has never
since been revived.
Some Pleasant Incidents.
On New Year day 1880 Mrs. Abram Van
Buren,. the beautiful bride of the son and
private secretary OF the PRESIDENT. was in
troduced to Washington society as the mis-
tress of the White House, one of the love-
Hest women who ever presided over the
| Executive Mansion. 1t was at levee dur
ing the time of President Tyler that WASH
ington Irving and Charles Dickens met in
| the east room, and there are men living
who remember of meeting at receptions i'm
the White House Henry Clay, Daniel Web
ster and John {. Calhoun all at one time.
with dozen lesser lights.
| The New Year reception at the Executive
Mansion begins about IL o'clock am. But
hours before that long lines of people stretch
out for blocks down the driveway of the
| WHITE House grounds and up and down the
avenue. patiently waiting for the big doors
to open. The receiving party consists of
| the President-the New Year reception is
| the Presidents Beside him at his right
stands the lady of the White House and at
her right the ladies of the cabinet accord
| ing to the presidential succession of their
husbands. These constitute the line" The
male members of the cabinet can join the
| Zine" II they wish, but none of them ever
| wish" 1t is a lot jollier to stand behind
the line" where there is always a perfect
crush of elegantly attired women, who are
| invited to assist in entertaining such of
| the passing callers as may be invited to
| step back for a moments chat. The ladies
are generally in gorgeous attire.
The President receives in the blue parlor
| The receiving party forms upstairs and
| comes down the private stairway at the
west end of the corridor, preceded by the
master of ceremonies, who is always an
| army officer. and in this instance Is Col
John NJ. Wilson, who will be attired in all
the glitter of full regimentals. AS the party
| descends the stairway the Marine Band
plays Hail to the Chief. The line forms
along the front of the blue parlor. leaving
| a wide passageway, down which the callers
pass Col Wilson announces each by name
| Mr.. Cleveland grasps each by the hand
and, with a showing shake, passes the caller
on down the line. He looks like a man
| DARN to the six or eight in lire and slides
4 joyfuily on into the green room, and finally
| energies in the east room hopping his brow
and thanking the fates that he Is through
| III the caller Is woman she gets ratified
| about the second bow, and If she does not
| walk on her dress, drops her card case or
| handkerchief, or flowers. or does something
else awful. and thereby confesses herself
a 'tenderfoot" at official receptions The
| old stagers go through with it like a piece
of machinery, and make another mark in
| their memory to display to posterity how
many presidential receptions they have at
| tended.
| The Matter Of Precedence.
The Vice President and cabinet pay their
| respects to the President and his party
first. Then the Secretary of State takes
his station at the Presidents left hand and
IN turn presents each member of the corps
diplomatiQue. the one longest in point of
service coming first, as dean OF the diplo-
matte corps. After the foreign legations
have had their turn the justices OF the Su-
| preme Court have their inning After the
| supreme Court has exhausted its stock of
sH all talk Congress Is turned loose, the
Senators coming first. Generally speaking
| congressman and Senators fight shy of this
part OF the program. fro the reason, ex-
pressed rather tersely by a western MEM
| Der recently, that he could come near
enough making a holy show OF himself on
| ground that he was acquainted with"
After the statesmen come the men who
support the military dignity of the nation,
| the army, headed by the general command
| ing and his STAFF, and the navy with the
ranking commodores at its head. Then the
civilian chiefs of the department service
| present themselves followed by the repre-
| sentatives Of the Grand Army Of the Re-
public and they in turn by the Mexican
| veterans and the oldest Inhabitants That
| ends the strictly official program and at
l2:30 the great American public, without
| regard to color sex or previous condition
| OF servitude, Is turned into the line and
rushed past the receiving party at the rate
| Of forty-f1ve a minute while the Marine
Band plays its maddest, merriest airs.
AL o CLOCK the VIDE outer doors
closed in the face of the advancing popu-
lace and as the footballs die away the
band plays Home. Sweet Home" and the
Presidents reception is ended. In the three
hours he shakes hands with from three to
f1ve thousand people and the ladies In line
| have each bowed about as often
Immediately after the reception the Pres
| ident and his wife usually entertain at
luncheon in the private dining room all the
ladies in the line and behind it who re-
main to the end. BY II o'clock, however
the wives of the Vice President and of the
Secretary of State and most of the other
| cabinet officials find 1t necessary to retire
from the receiving line so as to get to their
own homes in time to greet their own
guests. The Secretary of State always en-
tertains the diplomatic corps at a break
fast between II and l o'clock on New Year
day. ISABEL WORRELL BALL
The Christmas Sunday school Scholar
From the Detroit Free Press.
The small boy hadn't been to Sunday
school since last Christmas, and the teacher
didn't recognize him.
"Who was It," she inquired after a num-
Der of questions had been unanswered who