The times., 1898-02-05
SUPERB BANQUET SCENE
-------
Mr.. and Mrs. Bliss Entertain Mr..
and Mrs. Mckinley.
Silver w esldihg of the Rev. Teunis
S. Hamifn and Mis- Hamlin-Miss
McMilfan's Cotiiliun Party.

| Secretary of the Interior and Mrs.
! Bliss entertained the President and
Mrs. Mckinley last night at dinner
] that. for floral magnifcence, has aever
! been eouaied in The social history of
| Washington outside of the Executive.
Mansion, and which it does noL seem.
possible can ever be surpassed j. he
Secretary and Mrs Bliss occupy the
| private dwelling annex Of the Airing.
! ton, and the dinner was served in the
! banquet han Of the hotel.
A circular space of about fifty feet in
/ circumference III the center of the room
! was converted-into mammoth fernery
: in which were bedded one thousand
! fronds. Huge crystal vases We're
/ grouped about the plat and from them
/ countless pink roses and white lilacs
i rose into pyramids three feet high.
! Around the outer edge of the vast ana
! unique centerpiece was built q round
! table with seats for the guests along
| its outer edge, only the inner ring be-
| ing decorated with a scroll of pink and
green orchids that very nearly mingled
with the ferns and flowers that rose
almost to the tables brim. Placed at
intervals along the orchid line were
many-branched silver candeiabra, in
which burned pink candles under
shades of pink lace paper. The circu-.
lar scheme Of decoration was continued
by forest wall formed of four hundred
palm trees that lowered to the ceiling
and entirely walled from view the cor
nerS of the room, leaving a ring of space
between the table and palms barely
large enough for the guests TO get com
fortably to their places. The ceiling
was green with boughs of Alabama
smilaX. and, looking down the aisle be-
tween the palm trees that led TO the
reception parlors and that showed Wis
tas OF other forests and undergroWthS
of gay flowers, ii was easy to believe
| almost that a fairy had touched the
big brownstone hotel with her magic
wand and transformed it into a South
American jungle.
The mirror in the gold parlor, where
the Secretary and Mrs. Bliss received
their guests, was veiled with smilaX
and hundreds of American beauty
and bride roses were massed at every
point In the second reception room a
| hedge OF palm and bay trees walled
the musicians from view.
The distinguished company invited
by the Secretary and Mrs. Bliss to dine
| with the President and Mrs Mckin-
ley were the Vice President ana MRS,
Hobart the Secretary of state ana Mrs
Sherman, the Secretary of the Treas
ury and Mrs. Gage, Mrs. Alger, the At
torney General and Mrs Grigss. the
Postmaster General and Mrs. Gary, the
| Secretary of the Navy and Miss Long,
the Secretary of Agriculture and Miss
Wilson, Assistant Secretary of the In
terror Davis, Secretary Porter, the
Mexican Minister and Madame Romero,
MIR. Justice McKenna and Miss Me-
Kenna, Senator Hale, Senator and
Mrs EIkins. Senator and Mrs. Wet
more Senator and Mrs. Fairbanks,
Senator and Mrs. Hanna, Gen. and Mrs.
Miles. Representative and Mrs Hit,
Former Secretary John w. Foster and
Mrs. Foster, Gen. and Mrs. Henderson,
Miss AIger. Mr.. and Mrs. Letter. MIR.
and Mrs Curtis, Miss Taylor. of New
York, Miss Bliss, and Mr.. c. \. Bliss,
in.
DIR. and Mrs. Teunis S. Hamlin cele-
brated the twenty-fifth anniversary of
their wedding yesterday afternoon with
a reception at Rauscher's. which was
not only attended by the members and
pew holders of the Church of the Cove
nant all of whom We're cordially in
vited. but by hundreds of social friends
who have formed bonds of warm
friendship for the silver bride and
groom during the past eleven years
that DR.. Hamlin has been the pastor of
the church. The twenty-five years that
go to make up the silver" anniversary
have left so little trace of their pass
ing on the gentle face of the hostess.
who robed in white satin brocade and
soft, rich laces, scarcely seemed to be
celebrating the twenty-fifth anniVersa-
ry of her wedding day, and upon which
she was being congratulated on every
side.
Mrs. Hamlin selected large number
of ladies to assist her, so that those
who called would be sure to know one
or more of the receiving party Among
them We're: Mrs. Stanley Matthews,
Mrs Cullom. Mrs. McLanahan, Miss
Strong, Mrs. Mum, Mrs. Westinghouse,
Mrs. Dalzell, Miss Gary, Miss Wilson,
Mrs. Quaiffe. Mrs. Westcott, Mrs. Will
lis Moora. Mrs. Edwin Stewart, Mrs.
Leech. Miss Leech, Mrs. Alexander,
Miss White. Miss Parker, Mrs. Sey-
mour, Miss Bronson, Mrs. John B.
Wight, Miss Warner, Mrs. Brewster,
Mrs. Ballantyne. Mrs. Bird, Mrs Camp
bell, Miss Jackson, Mrs. Moore, Miss
Moore, Mrs. Greenlees, Miss Alvord
and Mrs. C. II. Smith.
The presents were both handsome
and numerous, many having been re-
ceiyed from members of the churches
n
Hamlin was stationed before he be-
came the pastor of the Church of the
Covenant here.
The dancing event of last night and
one of the prettiest of the entire sea-
son was the cotillion given by Miss
Mcmillan. which was danced by forty
couples. led by Mr.. Frank Andrews.
Among the favors We're large banjos
of Write satin, with silver strings; their
heads painted with pink roses, and tied
with broad satin neck ribbons of the
same shade. For the ladies also there
were gold and silver gauze butterfly
wings with dainty satin ribbons to fas-
ten them on the shoulders while the
gentlemen were provided with nets of
the same hue and material, hung with
tinkling silver bells. Sashes of blue
and pink satin, edged with ruches of
silver tinsel was another pretty con-
CERT for the maidens that had their
counterpart in tinsel decorations for
their cavaliers. each glittering order" |
being suspended from neck ribbons to |
match the colors worn by their part |
nerS.
Mrs. John W. Foster entertained at |