The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-14
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Guggenheimer of New York
Gives an Imperial Feast.
Fountains Play and Birds Sing
In the Foliage.
40 GUESTS PRESENT.
Real Grapes Hung From Leafy
Vines.
Rare Fruits at the Waldorf
Astoria Banquet.
GUESTS PRESENT.

heimer, president of the municipal coun-
Gil of New York, gave a dinner Friday
night at the Waldorf-Astoria which, IN
decoration and appointments, surpassed
any function of the kind ever given IN
this city. 1t set the mark above the
Laclzmeyer dinner of 1878, which has
always been spoken Of as the most
costly feast ever served on Manhattan
Island. That banquet was known as
the "swan dinner" because three of the
sort of bird that rested upon still
Street Mary's Lake. f1oated about
fountain surrounded by the circular
table.
The dinner, at which Mr.. Guggen-
heimer entertained 40 personal and po-
litical friends, was given beneath the
spreading vine in a garden which ex-
hailed the fragrance of the flowers OF
spring and sang with the rOundelay OF
nightingales, blackbirds and canarles'
Real grapes hung from the trellls be-
meath which the guests were seated, ana
flowers actually growing nodded at
their feet.
There had been talk of this banquet
for several days. Mr.. Guggenheimer
had hidden to it his most intimate
friends Among them was Mayor Van
Wyck. Others were city officials, Judges
of the supreme court and some who are
not known in political life at all. Ihose
of the guests who were married were
accompanied by their wives.
All the guests were assembled in the
east room OF the Wal0OrI-ASIOFla Sl
7:30 o'clock. Then the door of the Myr-
tie room, which is connected with the
east room, was opened and the guests
were hidden to enter fairyland or
spring. Electric lights were turned on
with the opening of the door and the air
was @illed with the notes of woodland
oratorio attuned to the threats of birds
hidden in the foliage. The flash OF 1ght
was to them the breaking of another
dawn. They greeted an artificial sun
and a morning which was the beginning
of night. From beyond was waited the
1ninstrelsy of Stringed instruments.
Softly glowed the light upon the gar
den. 1t was like the sunrise in the
spring. The guests were walking Gown
a garden path. Tulips raised theIr
chaIices where once had been Well
waxed floor. A bank of ferns bearing
the dews of morn had upon the top the
roses of June Here were hedges OF
frs, the boundaries of the tangled thick
cts of palms beyond. The walls OF
stone and plaster had disappeared:
The guests had come from the land
of gilt furniture and brocaded settees
to an Arcadian glade. Here they found
what might be called a grape arbor,
save that the smilax twined itself with
the vine The arbor had u sides of
equal length. In shape it closely APP
nroached the circle. 1t was &c feet
across, if measurement must be applied
to a woodland bower
1t was of light trellis work The TIM
bers, painted green, were wide apart
The vines hung loosely, revealing the
cool green depths beyond Full, round
punches of grapes hung from the IeaIy
canopy. over all was the nght Whlcn
came from Venetian lanterns, wrought
from iron after the manner which made
famous the artifcers of medieval Italy
The electric light shone through panels
and medalliOns of richly colored glass
From the leaves on the roof of the bow
er shone scores of electric lights so tiny
that they hardly gave the suggestion of
color.
only two sides of the tweIve-sided
arbor were open. The guests stood at
the threshold, as if they were in an
Aladdin's garden which would suddenly
disappear. Before them was a circle
which beamed with color and light.
There was a marge from which the
white cloth showed; beyond were beds
of flowers and in the center OF All a
brOnzed boy leaned against a stork
looking with laughing eyes at purling
fountain. A sparkling jet rose to within
two feet of the lamp which hung from
the apex Of the bowers roof. The chairs
weer drawn back. The guests sat down
at a board which told them of what
this old earth gives for the comfort Of
mankind.
yer There were instead flowers and
fruit, the most perfect known to man.
Bunches of grapes glOwed on the white
cloth. There lay cOrsage bouquets OF
pink roses and lilies of the valley and
boutonnieres of white carnations. The
menus were painted in letters OF gold
upon cocoanutS, from part of the shell
of which the rough fibre had been
scraped away. The menus at the places
for the women guests were painted upon
fans, which they might use if the season
of spring was too quick translt1on
from the temperature of the east room
beyond.
Those who sat at that board could
hardly keep their eyes from the beau
ties beyond the rim of white napery
Here was a miniature garden, which
seemed to grow before their eyes From
the edge of the basin of the fountain,
more than two feet from what had been
the floor, sloped a bed of tulips. Then
the flower beds reached to the table.
Sometimes a drop of water would
splash upon the floral borders, glisten
in the light and disappear.
Then the dinner. Epicures had come
to Arcadia to dine. The serving men
appeared in the conventional uniform
of those who serve and wait. They
came and went quickly and so unOb-
trusively that one might have imag-
ined they were but the invisible spirits
of the place, the dryads who ministered
to the wants of men and disappeared
again in the palms 1t was feast of
novelty. Toward the end of the dinner
the music of stringed instruments
sounded in the distance. 1t grew more
distinct, and then six Neapolitans. in
their picturesque garb, passed around
the table, playing upon guitars and
mandolins. The favors were exquisite.
There were beautiful engrossed vinia-
grettes for the women and jeweled
match boxes for the men. The dishes
were in gilt, and the glasses trimmed
with gold.
All the first fruits of the earth con-
tributed to that feast.
There We're strawberries which looked
as though they were products Of the
early summer. Then there were rasp-
berries of a new kind. They We're
grown in an out of the way corner of
New Jersey by a process of forcing en-
tirely new. They were an inch in length
and fully an inch and a half in width.