The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-05

Il
Bid-GentIeman Nus. Have Wallets and
Ladies Must be Accompanied by Maids
| Fussy FoIderol and Monkey Basiness
| without End.
Washington, Dec. 4.-Those persons
| who have the honor to dine with Queen
Victoria receive note which reads some
| thing like this:
''The lord steward is commanded by
her imperial majesty to invite Mr.. Carter
II. Harrison to dine at Windsor Castle
! on Saturday, the twenty seventh Of No
vember, eighteen hundred and ninety
seven. at nine o'clock p. m, and to re-
main the night
Inclosed with the invitation, which is
written with pen in old fashioned
script upon a large card. is smaller
card which reads:
"Paddington Station, $40 p. m. Please
| hand this to the guard
| Tt is customary and necessary to re-
| spond at once to an invitation from the
queen, and all other engagements must
|
| is considered a sufficient reason for de-
| clining to obey her commands, and they
are not issued to sick persons. Before
| the lord steward sends out one Of these
| invitations he takes care 10 ascertain
whether the person to whom it is ad-
dressed is in England and able to ac-
cept The proper form for acceptance Is:
"Mr. Carter H. Harrison accepts with
great pleasure the invitation OF her i'm
perial majesty to dine at Windsor Cas-
tie at nine O'Clock on the evening OF
| November twenty-seventh.
Upon arriving at Paddington Station
ner the guest presents his card TO the
al 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the din
station master or one of the guards, and
| is escorted to special car bearing the
royal coat Of arms and furnished with
unusual luxuriance. Sometimes when
| there are a number of guests there is
special train. Gentlemen are accompa-
| MED by valets and ladies by maids, and
| the servants nave their own apartments
| in the car. Tire ride to Windsor on the
quickest train. occupies usually forty
minutes and usually an hour. The dis
tance is twenty-four miles. Upon arriv-
| ing there the guest, find two or three
| footmen and other servants. One foot
man is tolled off for each guest, takes
charge of his luggage, escorts him TO
| mis- carriage and looks after him, or her,
| if it i. lady, until he or she is safely
aboard the train for London the next
morning. The entire party travels dead
head and the expense is charged to the
| minister of the household.
The lord steward receives the guests
as thy reach the castle and directs them
to their apartments, which include a sit
ting room. bedroom, dressing room
and bath. When the guest is lady
there is always a maid in attendance.
1t is not considered proper to leave the
rooms until called for, and the guests
amuse themselves the best way they
can. Her majesty is the soul of pune
tuality. She keeps her appointments on
tined OF, and expects iler subjects to do
the same. If a guest is ever late he or
she is sentenced to perpetual Danish
ment from the royal presence. No mat
ter what mis- rank or influence, he never
receives another invitation to the cas-
the habit of admonishing guests as to the
necessity OF being dressed in time. They
have fully two hours and a half after
their arrival and have no excuse for tar
diness
Precisely at a quarter before 9 O'Clock |
lady in waiting calls at the apartments /
Of each lady, and gentlema min waiting /
at those of a gentleman guest, to escort !
them to the reception room and present !
them TO each other. Each gentleman is |
informed by his escort whom he is 10 |
have the pleasure OF taking 10 the table, |
and is properly introduced. He is also |
shown on a diagram the seat he is TO oc- !
cupy at the table. After these prelimin-
aries are over the portiers that hide the |
second reception room are thrown back, |
to disclose the lord steward, in full court |
dress. with his gorgeous staff of officers. |
standing besidesa stout, re1-faced little |
woman, who sits on the edge of a great |
gilt chair. BY her side are usually two /
or three princesses and maids of honor,
and often one or more Of her sons or
sons-in-law. The guests then form a /
procession in the order Of their rank and |
pass before her majesty, who offers her |
hand to them and murmurs few plea
ssnt words. Loyal subjects always kiss
the seams on the back of her white glove.
but she does not like to have Americans
do SO, because she knows that this an
cient custom is 10 in vogue in this coun-
try. Therefore when she holds her
hand from an American guest il is an
act Of courtesy rather thaRa slight.
Americans are usually informed in ad-
vance by their attendants OF this pecu-
harity, and are prepared for il.
There is no tinlef or conversation. On
II few words are exchanged. Her ma
jesty usually asks Americans about the
health of the president and his wife and
expresses hr intrest in their welfare
II therenss been a notable incident .:
event in ttie United Stats sie may sllude
10 it. for She keeps well informed con-
cernig current events Sometimes she
invites guest TO take a seSt beside ller.
which il j mark of unusual distinction
which was conferred upon Ms. Grant
when she and TIE general were visiting
Windsor some years ago, sni upon Mrs
John Hay during 'zhe jubilee ceremonies
lest spring.
When those in the party have all pass
Ell in review they proceed in the same or
der to the dining room and each stands
behind his chair until the queen enters
upon the arm ot one OF her sons o. sons
in-!aw, or in thei- sl5sence on t1e arm
of a maid of honor. She Is saI7ays dress