The morning times., 1895-12-16
GHOSTS ARE NOW
The PROPER THING
No Swell Mansion Quite Complete
Without Some Kind Of Spook.
TO the City-Chinese Minister
Expected In u Few DAYS.
The Iatest fad out is a ghost.

count of the scarcity ofgame for fashion has
caught hands with a brand new theory of
some unspeilable sort. that ghosts are al
ways around If not always in evidence.
so III you have your fair share OF rats and
bats. and are located within hooting dis
tance OF an owl. though far enough from
your next ne,ghbor to get supernatural
reverberations from his baying dogs. there
Is no reason why YOU can't get along as
satisfactorily with "A mock spook. as you
can with, say, mock turtle
Naturally, real Enosl would DE prefer
able to these makeshiits-but you mustn't
expect too much IN this world
The Christmas ghost hunt is an importa-
ton from England. where the houses are
ancient enough to harbor spcctres who
were there before William The conQueror.
and that Is where the fear comes in. that
the fad over here ruay fan. We have no
DANISH towers, nor Norman keeps. nor
ghosts can prowl around IN costumes tn
match the architecture The American
spectre has to choose between a sheet and
his best suit. and the poverty of the choice
Will most likely unfit him for the spectacu-
lar part fashion bids him 10 play.
OF course, there are exceptions. for
even in this very city there is one of the
treasure-guariing ghosts you read about
an out-aDd-out buccaneer Of the Spanish
main, with cooked hat. gold lace ruffles.
hign yellow boots, red lacAet, and a most
unpleasant smell. These acquainted with
him say ne cliDks his chains of stolen coin
To the rythm of women's screams. but
that otherwise he is harniltss and wouldn't
be half bad To have around II il wasn't
for habit he has of wearing his head
in his hands.
If you have only mcdern home with
CHEEKY belongings, don't he discouraged.
but get yourself invited to spend Chris tmas
week with some dear and haunted friend.
That is what the London girls do.
Fashion is Interested in the evolution
of the specter. She considers it Possible
that there may be such thing as the
! new ghost-hencc the Christmas hunts
And their habits have changed. You
don't catch the modern ghost proving
around mouldy, midnight churchyards.
and haunting ruined castles with bats
He turks IN the warm shadows of nurseries.
where babies frolic and sleep. Goes. in
cogniio, TO teas without being obliged to
I aste things; gets into theaters-dead
around with mock Hamlet, sups with
mimic BaDquo. throws out personal IE-
situations concerning the specter bride
groom's cold huckleberry pudding, and
leaves for the electric lights of the avenue
the minute the curtain goes down.
This latest whinl of society has already
found its critics. but after all. We must
not hope to evolve a fad that VIII suit
everybody nntil we learn to turn people
out in molds like candles or measure
item like potatoes. by the peck.
Mrs. Bricc and the Misses Brice have
returned TO the city, and their handsome
home is the scene or the gay reception OF
friends. after long absence Miss
Katharine Brice, who preceded her mother
and sister, arriving Saturday, was among
those who took part in the various teas
gwen Saturday afternoon,
The misses Brice will entertain at
dance, December 81.
The Chinese minister and suite arrived
in New York Yesterday on the steamship
~. - : ana are expected at the icgation
in few DAYS.
Among the many passengers who arrived
Lately on the steamship Majestic were Mrs.
John Davis and Miss Bessie Davis of this
city. Miss Davis will spend the sreater.part
OF the winter with her aunt. N ISIS Freling-
huysen. Mrs. Davis is established in h"r
Washington home.
Mr. and Mrs. George N. Curzon have ken
a lease OF several years of No. Carton
House Terrace. London. the residence OF
Hon A J. Balfour. First Lord OF the
Treasury. and viii occupy it in January.
Miss Maize Houston OF South Washington.
gave social and concert Friday evening
10 the q Z. NJ. Club. of which association
she Is an honorary member. The parlors
were prettily decorated with Christmas
gaTlands and StniiaX sprays, ana 'untS
supper was served.
Among those present were. Miss Katie
Ellis. Miss Maud LETTERS. Miss Eta Price.
Gertrude Banks. NJ r. John Davis. Mr. How
| ard Banks, Mr. Paul Jeffers. Mr.. Mark
Page Mr. John Withers. Mr.. Horace Dona-
van. and Mr.. j. ID. Ball.
Mr.. and Mrs Augustus Wilber left Satur-
day for the Atlanta Exposition.
Miss Jessie McDonough of Georgetown
Heights viii return Tuesday from three
months visit to st. Paul.
Mr. John Wright. accompanied by his
sister. Alice Wright lett Yesterday for
Asheville n. c.. where they viii remain
until the severity of the winter has passed
Miss Pauline Massey gave n parlOr picnic
Saturday to her Sunday school class at
her home on Second street. Capitol Hill
Each child was presented with sInaii
basket upon entering the parior ana tables
were scattered about so that the little
ones could enjoy their refreshments at
will. After the improtnptu feast was over
games were played. the children pretending
that the flowers on the carpets anu walls
and the pictures in the frames were real
blossoms and trees. This little festival was
in memory of a projected picnic last August
that was given up because !t.9 OF ri me illness
and death of one of the little girls.
Among the children present were: Misses
Halle and BERTHE James, Dotue DAVIS;
Maize Hail, Flossie Beall and Mary ard
Lottie Moore.
Mrs. Charles F. Lincoln and Mrs; James
Walter Heustis Bessie Lincolnl VIII be az
home this afternoon at No. 1850 Fourteehtn
street.
Mr.. Charles II Wilson of Omaha, is i'll
the city visiting his parents, Col. and Mrs.
Wilson, ON Nineteenth street.
Mr. Edward Brooke of Thirty-sccond
street extended and Mr.. p. T. Hall of
Wisconsin avenue have left for ten days
hunting trip to North Carolina.
Mrs. Best is spending the winter with
her daughter, Mrs. Lambkin, OF Atlanta,
Ga, and will not return until spring.
Mr.. W G Zimmerman of No. 1929 Thr-
teenth street northwest is convalescing
from recent attack of pneumonia
Rev Mr. and Mrs Falls and family have
left st. Albans and are residing in the city
for the winter.
Mr. and Mrs. S. F. Richardson. of No.
1885 n street. announce the engagement
of their daughter, Helen Gertrude, 10 Mr..
Charles l.. Billiard. of Bowling Green, Va.
servaDce of the Sabbath viii be held Tues
day at 1O:45 a. m. in the New York Avenue
Presbyterian Church, when addresses will
be made by Mrs. Darwin r. James of Brook
lyu, Mrs. Knowles of New York, Miss Kaye
and Mrs. Mnrgare5 Sangster, the authoresS.
\ committee of ladies from the different
churches will have the meeting In charge.
An entertainment and sociable will be
held at Fletcher NJ. e. Church, corner Fourth
street and New York avenue, on Tuesday
evening at 6 p nl., under the auspices OF
Sunda y-sciiool class, No. 3.