The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-17
BLENHEIM'S FETE.
VANDERBILT Dollars VIII Foot the Bills
For ROyaIty,s Pleasure.

British society on November %. 1t will
be great day for the Marlborough,
a greater day for historic old Blenheim,
and the greatest day of all for the
house of Vanderbilt.
A home party viii be given at Blen-
helm from the 23rd to the 9th of the
month, which will eclipse anything of
the kind that the people of England
have seen in many a long day. For
hVe days, from Monday to Friday, in
! elusive, the great structure will shelter
more of the real powers of British
SWelldom than are often gathered I'M
der one roof. The leading guests will
be the Prince and Princess of Wales,
and right here ii should be stated that
IL is a premier honor for the princess
TO grace house party. Within the
past half dozen years she has not been
a members of more than three or four
house parties, and these were given by
her Oldest and most intimate friends.
Ordinarily, the intimates of the prince
are not honored with the friendship of
the princess. They are too gay and
! frivolous for the sober dignity of the
lady, and, moreover, some of the hus-
bands choicest friends have reputa-
lions which deny them admittance to
that division of society which prides
itself upon genuine respecta bility.
At all house parties honored by the
prince he has the privilege, by one of
those unWritten laws in the code of
etiquette, 10 name the guests and
usually this list has included several
titled ladies whose names have been
linked altogether too closely with that
OF the prince for the wife's liking. This
IS one of the principal reasons why the
princess has declined to visit the coun-
try homes of the nobility 1t would be
most embarrassing for her to meet any
OF these ladies, and humiliating to be
forced to treat them with ordinary
civility
AN IRREPROACHABLE LIST.
But there viii be no danger of any,
thing like this happening an Blenheim
The list OF guests is absolutely ire
proachable. 1t includes the very cream
OF the peerage, the principal guests
pelng the Duke and Duchess of Aber-
corn, the Duke and Duchess of Devon
shire, the Duke and Duchess of Ruc-
clouch, the Dowager Duchess of MARI
borough, Lord and Lady LansdoWne
Lord and Lady Londonderry. Lady
DIandford and her daughters. Lord
and Lady Pembroke, Lord Durham
Lord and Lady Wimborne. Lord and
Lady George Hamilton, Lord anu Lady
Georgiana Curzon. and Sir George and
Lady Julia Wombweu
These are all the intimate friends of
the princess, and it is 'shrewdly sus-
pected that she made out the list of
guests this time instead of her hl1s-
band There will be a big crowd of
county notabIes at Blenheim on Thurs
day, the 10Th, when the annual county
pall VIII be given. But these folk are
not of the caliber which causes tha
domestic worries of the princess. and
this important event will doubtIess
pass of as it has been planned.
INTERESTING FOR AMERICANS.
Americans should be deeply inter-
ested IN this fete at Blenheim. for the
single reason that American dollars
VIII loot the bills. And these bills will
amount TO pretty penny. Entertain
ing the Prince of Wales and a select
company of dukes and duchesses is not
a responsibility to be lightly assumed.
me prince is practically the master
OF the house during his stay. That is
British etiquette. The family chef con-
suits with the secretary of his ROYAL
nlghness each day and receives orders
Iof IN menu Of the day. The cost
never bothers the prince He is no. |
torlously careless about heaping ND |
DIS which he must pay himself, and |
When 1t comes to accommodating bills
Tor other people to pay his careless !
ness is quite remarkable.
MOI only does ne control the chef and /
the care-taker of the wine cellar, but
ne maps out the amusements for each |
Gay Lord IonSdale has spent 5000. 600 /
IN a single week in entertaining the
prince, and it is fair to assume that /
the expense at Blenheim during the |
great fete viii not fall much below |
that stupendous figure.
Even for Vanderbilt this is an
enormous amount to get rid of in a,
H.
ever that Mr.. William K Vanderbilt !
1ather OF the young duchess, has de- |
termlned that nothing shall be lack /
ing IN financial way to make his
daughters social success absolute. AS
is wei known, the young duke has
next TO nothing in the way of avail |
able money. All of his wealth is on
tailed and the property sadly run rlr d down Tm
Dy the extravagant encroachments
made upon it during the careless life /
time of his father
A BEAUTIFUL CHAPEL.
Already good 100000 have been
spent by the young duchess in furnish
ing up the great house and in covering
up the spots made barren by the late
duke, when a money raising fit seized
him. Particular attention has been
paid by the duchess to the private
chapel at Blenheim, one of the most
beautiful interiors of its kind in the
country.
In the days of the former duke this
chapel was more of a mockery than
anything else, but the Duchess Con-
suelo is religiOUsly inclined and the
Sunday services are held there regu-
larry. 1t would be we'll worth a jour
ney TO Blenheim to Sc the chapel alone. +
Its most conspicuous feature Is the
tomb Of the first duke and duchess.
the builders of Blenheim 1t faces the
2ews occupied by the ducal party. and
is gigantic mass of beautifully scIup
tured marble. The pulpit stands lust
to the left of the entrance doors and a.
dozen pews for other worshipers.
The programme for the five davs'
fete has not yet been decided upon. and
1t Will not be known to the outside
world until after the prince and prin-
cess have passed upon it, and even
then it viii be subject to revision at
their will
1t is beginning to be regarded as
somewhat strange that Mrs. Belmont.
mother of the duchess, and Mr.. Bel
mont, have not yet been guests at
Blenheim, and some people hint that
the young duke is not anxious for the
friendship of his mother-in-law's sec
ond husband If it turns out to be
true that the Belmonts have purchased
a country place in England, the young
duke viii be forced to declare his posi-
ton in regard to the Belmonts one wav
Or the other
At any rate, the position of the x-o,,ncr