Evening star., 1898-12-05
Distinguished Guests Entertained by
the Gridiron Club.
SIGNIFICANT and ELEGANT SYMPOSIUM
The War Made the Theme For Bril-
liant Wit.
SOME OF THE FEAT L r. Z S

When the future historian of Washington
addresses himself to the delightful iuty Of
re recounting the record of the hospitality and
entertainment which mark the social cha!-
acter of the national capital he will give
the Gridiron Club volume to itself in
which every chapter will be an apOtheSis Of
the art of elegance in such regard. OF
these the one devoted to the dinner given
by the famous organization Saturday night,
December ). 1898. Will doubtless stand out
even above the other rectals of similar af
f2irs in briliancy of description. In every
particular it was a sumptuous affair;
meH and menu, wit and wine, fun and
fancy gladEess and good fellowship il was
surprising as it will be memorable. OF
course. it significant. Gridiron dinners
are always so. Invariably the theme that
is uppermost in national consideration is
taken by the brainy members of the club
to play upon with all the humor that keen
intellect can create. and thus it was Satu1-
day night, when the war with Spain
made the subject of the satirlsts. The as
semblage which enjoyed the evening could
no; have been more distinguished. 1t COM
prised the highest types of Anglo-SaXon
civilization whose potency in shaping the
affairs of the worlds peoples is growing so
h,althfuily and spreading rapidly.
Distinguished Persons Present.
The president of 4 South American re-
public was there. and near him man who
epitomized the long struggle which has
ended in the repuhlcaniZing of the whole
western hemisphere and ending monarch
iCal despotism upon it forever. For four
hours this impra ssive gathering enjoyed it
self to the utmost. The dinner was pre-
Ctded by half hours reception, and then
the hosts and guests were summoned to
the beautifully and brilliantly decorated
banquet hall of the Arlington by the clang-
ing notes of an Od-time dinner bell. Every
possibility of the florist and the electrician
had apparently been exhausted to make a
sumptuOus picture. and as the guests were
feasting their eyes upon it, a welcome
chorus rang out and the great electric grid
iron behind President Frank HoSford
flashed out the signal that the war was on.
The menu souvenir was model of clever
ness. The bright genuses comprising Mr..
Richard Lee Fearns committee had taxed
their ingenuity to excellent effect, and ac-
centuated the theme of the evening with
admira ble fancy.
The souvenir was an army order, in
which the routine verbiage had been played
upon with characteristic Grdiron humOr,
that created great merriment. The order
contained the usual provisions for the ap-
pOirtlnent of strategy, investigating, med
ical and other boards. and was decorated
with a strikingly funny engraving of the
plan of attack. Below the significant
words 'BOttiefield OF December J. iS:,S was
a grOtesque reproduction of the battlefield
in question. GridironhHfg was plated in
the lower right-hand corner, in the shape,
of course, of the emblem of the club, and
Immediately 10 the right of the center
''Hosf1rd's Comd. Hdqfs." In front was
"Fearis Cav" and to the left VESTS Bal
loon Corps Four divisions In front of
these were respectively marked "Dunn's
Div "Annin's Div" DE Graw's DIV"
"Carsons Div" Curtis Boomery" he'd a
position TO the right of Soon Won Hill''
and "Stofers Field Band fanked it.
soon Won Hill' properly protected the
advance upon Arlington" reposing on
"ClicquOt bay" shaped like a champagne
bottle. and between the hill and the town
We're "Trenchers and Retrenchers." The
line of retreat from Arlington was line
very much resembling the tracks certain
tired men have been known to make in the
snow, and led around C'licquot bay to Fort
Manana,' the significance of which was
merrily recognized. Champagne river
was shown flowing through the position of
the attacking army. emptying at last into
CLcquot bay, and its tributaries We're Sau-
terne creek, Appolinaris run and Coffee
branch.
Upon the souvenir the regular army ra-
tions were duly set forth and the announce
ment printed that they were displaced by a
revised ration which the volunteers were
Informed could not be commuted. This
vised ration proved 10 be the menu of the
evening and follows: