The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-27
PERSONAL AND SOCIETY
THE TEA-DRINKING FAD IN NEW
YORK TAKES A NEW TURN.
one Young WOman's Rage for violet.
"A Young Man Who Fees wait
ers at Evening Parties.


OAiCdBO GNeCutu.
The latest fad in New York is to drink
tea at the Waldorf-Astoria, and every af-
ternoon between and O'clock the tea
parlors Of that hotel are crowded with
women, who make it a rendezvous to meet
their friends and place of rest and re-
freshment after their shopping. The aver
age attendance is about five hundred. but
on Wednesdays and Saturdays you will
find from 1850 to $500 women drinking tea.
eating ices and sweetmeats and taking
cocktails, which are made weak and gerved
in dainty little Japanese cups as thin as
egg shells and about as large as an after
dinner conee cup. OF course no woman of
refinement would call for cocktail at q
hotel or anywhere else, for that matter,
but that's what they get when they ask
band of music, an orchestra or mandolin
club playing, and generally a programme
Of vocal and instrumental solos through the
two hours, ana the very best class of music
is furnished.
Il don't go visiting any more" said one
Of the fashionable women of upper New
York Il come down to these teas two or
three times a week and meet everybody
that / want to see. 1t saves lot of trouble
friends here in the same time it would take
you to drive to and from the residence OF
any one Of them"
1t cannot be said that because purple is
the lenten color that it has anything to do
favor months before Lent began. For sew
eral seasons violets have reigned supreme
and not even the appearance of the wood
violets lessons their popularity. There are
scores of women who cannot resist buying
violets on market morning, and even If the
family has to have short rations on spring
vegetables, the one who goes to market
gets her boutonniere. She buys it first and
whatever is left goes for butter, eggs and
other neceSSarieS. There is young woman
of this city who said she would do without
a new spring coat before she would go
without her violets, and her remark was
true for she has her violets twice or three
times I'VE, week, and proposes TO make he, her
has such a fancy for violets that everything
she has Is Of that color and design, She has
made her room blossom like a piece of
from Wa1l paper to doilies and sleeve but:
tons. In the height of their season, which
can be selected as the time when they are
highest in price, violets cost 81 a bunch,
and later drop to 8 cents.
A new feature of floral decorations for
dinner or luncheon is to have the flowers
suspended from the chandelier, low enough
to be seen, and not so low as to obstruct the
view OF guests from each other. A fiat
wreath on the table fills the center A novel
idea introduced at dinner party was to
have small wreaths or crescents of flowers
leaning gracefully against the honbon
this season the center of the table has sim
ply held mound of flowers At one the
mound had ribbons from 1t to each cover,
and at the conclusion of the luncheon the
ladies drew the ribbons and the mound
disappeared into corsage bouquets. At an
other luncheon the ices were in The shape
of flowers and were brought in in a basket
decorated with smilax and maidenhair fern,
and the hostess served the guests.
A well-known lady of a church Of this
city invited the members of Christian En-
deavor society to spend an evening at her
home. To entertain them she prepared sew
eraI sheets of paper with picture cut from
an advertisement. The guests were not
asked to name the advertisement from
which it was taken. but TO make a. rhyme,
using the picture to suggest a subject for
an advertisement. A number of the mem
hers knew the pictures and used the proper
names. The best rhymester was given
prize The set Of rhymes is kept by the
hostess rs a memento of the evening.
The story is told of certain man in this
city who always gives a fee to the waiter
at an evening party and in a low voice asks
him to bring enough supper for two on his
plate. He probably does not enjoy the sam
Pile of salads and ice cream so frequently
served under the name of refreshments,
believing they are really not refreshments,
but aggravations for the palate.