Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-05
The New Year Begun in a Most
Attractive Manner.
EVENTS OF The COMING WEEK
1t Would Seem to Be a Great
Winter for Debutantes.
OTHER INTERESTING TOPICS

Society has no reason TO find fault with
the attractions offered this week. The new
year opened up in the nveliest way Off
cially, and since Monday night, when Mrs.
Bugher's ball engrossed the attention Of
the dancing set. there have been the gay
est opportunities for the same kind of en-
joyment. Mrs. John Davis ball at the
Country Club was another great success.
The weather of the week was not just the
thing either. for suburban delights in the
way of late parties but when there is a dis
position to get anywhere ordinary diff
cuIties are easily surmounted. Many of the
guests. who think more of their horses
tran other people do of their uncongenial
relations, hired big herdics to carry large
parties, and went that way. Some prudent
folks among them provided themselves with
hot water bags. foot warmers, lap robes
ard other essentials to comfort. and did
rot care bit whether the wind blew or
not during the long drive.
New Year day has completely changed in
the public estimation. and if there ever was
a time when people did as they pleased, re-
CARELESS of moss-grown rules and regula-
tons, IL seems to be now. Instead OF re-
ceptions, eggncg parties are the rage Tor
New Year afternoon, and the ladies are IN
yited, too. There were several of them IN
progress last Tuesday, and right merry
events they were. 1t Is not so far back
when ladies in the West End were never
seen the streets on New Year They
were suppo sed to be receiving, and conse-
quently the I'd of January got to be called
"ladies' day." when the gentle sex turned
out AMI went calling. The official recep-
tions were very jolly events Many ladies
accompanied their husbands on their
rounds calling, Lot entering the houses,
but enjoying the lively scenes in the neigh
borhood while waiting in their carriages.
The West End streets were almost as full
of passing carriages filled with ladies out
for their regular afternoon drive as they
would be any other afternoon in the win
ter. Thus do the social. suns and stars
move along in new directions.
In the language of an irreverent young
lady, whose debutante sister has oyershad-
owed her own prominence in the family
circle Just a little: There are buds to
burn this asinter|i 1t is a strange day in
deed now that at least two of these in
teresting young personages are not launch
ed, and the list is not by any means eX-
hausted yet The qpian titfes Of Swiss mus
lin and ValeRcieEnes lace or white satin
and chiffon which have given moral and
substantial support to these charming
phases of young womanhood have been
simply astonishing. The coming out of a
dozen or SO was expected, but as the list
grows longer is it any wondei last years
girls and the year before girls think it
rather hard luck that so few men are here
for the winter? The fact is that reyers-
Ing the usual thing. 50; many men have &C
quired nervous prostration and the means
to get away on at the same time, that not
able departures Tor the beauty spots of the
south are Dot.iinfrequent announcements.
The imporla ussis of men from neighboring
cities for mostFof the large balls lately
show the lamentable gaps that now exist
In the ranks Of dancing men:
There was very pretty luncheon given
here one day lately by young lady whose
cleverness in providing the artistic novel
ties that women like much was only
equaled by the exquisite taste which dem
mated throughout the entire serving of the
pretty midday banquet Instead of having
name cards there were little water color
pictures at each cover whereon was de-
picted something characteristic of the lady
whose place il was to be. Each guest
looked around the. table until she found
what Enthusiastically her own place,
and the amount of information that mer-
ry group of young ladies can give each
other on seItcffoa hunt added of course,
greatly to the fun. One, whose happy lot
IL has been to encircle the globe entirely
once and half way round again within the
last two years, found a very pretty minia-
ture of herself, clad in ulster and alpine
hat. with umbrella field glasses and satch-
ell. tripping lightly round the earth, and
had no trouble in finding herself desc ribed
as a globe trotter. Another, intended for
a young lady from the west, had a pretty
maiden. evidently belonging to wild west
show, shooting at a target, a suggestion
that in the state from which she halls per-
formanceS of this sort are quite everyday
events. So it went all round the table.
creating no end of amusement, and each
souvenir that the guests carried away was
well worthy place in water color eel
lection.
Outside of the Importance of bhe news
feature in the invitation so cordially Of
fered by the President and SO pleasantly
accepted by Senator Hill for the state din
ner. IT seemed rather an unusual thing to
see the Senator from New York in any
social gathering. He has hitherto passed
the social body by and if II is possible that
he is going 10 do better In this regard dur
ing this, the debutaute winter, he would
add an interesting personality to neigh
borhood where he would be appreciated.
There have been other delinquentS in a
social way who were converted from their
errors and have lived long enough not only
to thou oughly enjoy, but also to really
hunger after these frivolous things upon
which the fate of republics, via elections
ana other realities, often depend. 1t is only
few years ago that eX-Speaker Reed be-
gan to get fond of society and gddding
about in drawing rooms, and there is no
man who receives more invitations out
now than he does. III he and Mrs. Reed so
desire, no girl can have more successful
coming out than Will be accorded their
young daughter a few years hence Mrs.
Reed. however, does not get any nearer to
liking gay life at the capital than she did
before SO many opportunities We're given
her to enjoy it. She is as bright intellectu-
ally as her husband, and well-fitted in
every way to adorn social life: but she
cares little for II that she rarely accepts
any invitations, much preferring the quiet
err sOciabilitieS of her own drawing room
or to spend the time with good books. In
like other women. however. she likes her
husband to shine. and does not permit
her distaste for 1t to keep him from going
about.
The Secretary of War and Mrs. Lamont
gave dinner and reception last night in
honor of Gen. and Mrs. Schofeld. The
table decorations combined the three colors
of the service. the artillery (reD, the cav
airy CyellowJ and the infantry (white). The
centcrpiece was of white roses fringed with
jonquils. and red satin ribbons formed
wavy lines on the cloth. The idea was
Mrs. Lamont's and il was carried out with
splendid effect. Maj. Gen. and Mrs. Nc
Cook, Senator and Mrs. Brice. Mrs. Per-
rine. Mrs. Bryant, Mrs. Sanders, Brig. Gen.
Kruger and Brig. Gen. Otis were the other
guests. After dinner. company of about
seventy five Joined the dinner guests. 1t
was composed entirely of army officers and
their wives, residing in this city, and the
cabinet families. This reception was in
line with the courtesies so continuously
shown by the Secretary and his wife to
the army families, a special honor which
had not been thought of by any previous
head of the War Department. The house
was taStefully decorated with plants and