The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-23
W0MAN'S LATEST ADVANCE
NOW N HEARS THE SPEECHES AT
the PUBLIC DINNERS.

Changes Resulting rrou tho Prescnce OF wo-
men In the Boxen er the A-tor Gniirry-A
New Privilege which women Sees, to Like
-Erect on the Speeches aud on the Diners.
The use Of tho Astor Gallery at tho Waldorf.
Astoria for public dinners has changed these
functions very much, as regards tho women
who attend thom as spectators. A year ago,
when women went to such dinners at oil. either
at the Waldorf or Dclinonico's or Sherry's, they
wcro RELOCATED TO the gallery with the musicians
and were screened 'off from the diners by all
sorts Of pottcd plants and palms and floral doc
o%ratlons. The men at tho dinners regarded tho
presence Of the women little more than they did
that Of the walters. In fact, the walters. as
moro essential TO their material enjoyment Of
the feast. claimed moro OF their attention.
The Lincoln Day dinner of tho Republican
Club last year was one OF tho first Mt which tho
women in the gallery received any formal con-
sideration. That dinner was held in the largo
ballroom of the hotel. and almost q hundred
women wore in the long gallery on the Thirty
third street side. A luncheon was served to
thom just before the speeches began. Tho
speakers table was on the opposite side OF tho
room, and the mon on the floor turned thcir
backs on the women when the rhetorical exer-
cises began. Tho innovation, for IL was practi-
cnlly an innovation, was q great success. Tho
women in the gallery enjoyed very much hear
ing tho speeches at first hand, rather than re-
cciving fragmentary and sometimes rather
hazy and confused accounts Of them at the
breakfast table the next morning. 1t was al
most as nice os being allowed to
their husbands to the feast, like their sisters in
Brooklyn. As n matter OF fact, 1t is likely that
they would have scorned the solemn domestic
ity of tho Brooklyn mixed banquets. The speak
ers. addressing the men directly before them,
talked to them only and apparently were not
conscious of the women rs a part Of their
audience. What they said vas more forcible
and moro amusing than 1t would have been IL
they had been talking to men and women to-
gethcr. and tho privileged women folk in the
gallery had all tho pleasure of ovcrhearing
things not intended for them. combined with
the knowledge that they were present with the
full knowledge and consent of everybody.
This is n rather different state of affairs from
that which existed in the old days, when the
wives of the President of the society and half
a dozen of the committeeman would wheedlo
their husbands into letting them share with the
musicians the small gallery al Delmonico's, or
the corner Of tho Waldorf gallery, where they
would be least conspicuous. A reporter who
attended a dinner at the Waldorf q little more
than a year ago witnessed an incident that
illustrated the disagreeable possibilities of the
old arrangement. There were three women
in the gallery besides the musicians and two
reporters. The women were not visible from
the speakers table. A man who Is. perhaps. not
the. greatest after dinner speaker in New York,
but whose name appears on the toast list of
three Of every five banquets, began telling a
series of stories to which these women might
have listened with no improperly IL told at a
woman's tea, or by their husbands when the
young persona were not around. The plight
OF the women in the gallery as these stories
pathetic. They really had no right to be
offended. because they knew the speaker was
quite unconscious of their presence, On tho
or forty out of the two hundred diners on the
floor below knew that they were in the gallery,
hearing. Besides this, the stories were de-
liciously funny, and there was a main full de-
When the speaker sat down amid a roar OF
laughter after his final ana strongest story, the
oldest of the three women turned to her com.
panions, and said in n tone that was evidently
meant to reach tho ears Of the two rather EN-
ihsarrasssd repor!erS,L M Mo wSrG trying to T., make E
convenient furniture as possible in their corner
of q! !Ryd gallery ny o,rs :, or,.o. -. r,o,t 70, ~.
sisting upon coming. hero after we were told
that there was no desire for our presence.
gr perh s5sn this t incid Sns T nesn rG mpS%s 81 flor for the the
rangements for the presence OF women at tho
big dinners this year. such. for instance. as
Aston gallery OF the Waldorf-Astoria. The
Holland Society has so many members that they
get them all into the big hall. The men begin
to gather between half past 6 and 7 O'Clock.
p pnss Q s that aU the frst s,e sr S,STt Of w 70 @ss SrSef nsIf
They entered one Of the boxes in the first tier
OF, the gallery, and had no sooner settled them
selves when there arose u great contest
among them as to who would soonest find the
greatest number Of men Of their acquaintance.
siderable height have n way Of seeming very
much alike, and before the %spotting, process
made, One or two misdirectcd smiles were re.
turned by the mon wrongly selected in n way
so dazed and colby forma! that the women who
made the errors seemed inclined to get into the
back OF the box and give up all curiosity for
the time being. The, greetings extended by
a covert smile.nnd lifting Of the eyebrows to an
effTsive wavine Of napkin, according to the
Ali the time this was going on more and more
women entered tho boxes. Nearly all were in
evening gowns; Those who were not kept out
by men who had dined at homo, and only meant
to, claim their seats at the Holland Society's
master and orators. Others were mot by mon
who had left the long tables at a time previously
appointed and had lowered anXiously about the
entrance half of the hotel until their women
folk arrived.
band did not expect to see her there, and; more
over, was not pleased when she came. No ono
who had not made 1t his special duty and pleas;
evening il could not but become apparent. She
came with a woman who looked enough like her
TO be an older sister. They found the mans
place in the long rows of diners long before he
had any idea that they were there: He had al
ready ordered one extra quart of champagne
and 1t was almost gone. The women in the box
above him noted this, apparently, and their
comment, il, not expressed orally so that an out.
sidc~ could hear 1t, WAS quite easily interpreted
their noses, which rose. The young man fin
ished the last glass OF his extra bottle, sum
wine card, and the young man wrote an order
thereon. The women shifted again. Tho
waiter departed on his crrand and the young
man surveyed the gallery. lie began at tho
end furthest distant from that in which the
young women who were watching him were
situated. He looked with approval upon tho
fair groups In each box. Finishing one side.
he skipped the musicians. who sat at the back
of tho hall, and started up the other side. The
audiences with which the mir of calm bcnevo-
lence vanished from his face and was succeeded
by one of panic-stricken gloom when he saw