The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-01-31
WOrIEN AT BANQuETS.

When the Last supper was partakon
of by the Lord and Ills disciples no
woman participated. although the great
Teacher numbered many among his
friends. This was I'm strict accordance
with the law of the Passover, which
| forbade women attending these feasts.
And the Last supper was eaten on the
eve OF the Passover. according 20 the
Synoptic Gospels. SAYS a correspond
| ent OF the Chicago mter-Ocean.
Going further afield into the remote
! past We find women are not permitted
| TO sit at meat with the philosophers
| AT their ttOpiap banquets. socrates
| improved the opportunity 10 speak his
1 mi:,d freely concerning Nantippe. Tor II
! was on one of these occasions when ne
| made his cynical remark hat ne mar
| ried Aantippe in order that her society
might inure him To the trials of lie
| an after-dmner speech that has never
| been equaled Tor meanness.
| Hawthorne i'm describing his attend
| ance at some public banquets i'm Eng
/ land. has this To say OF one given by
/ the lord mayor of London:
"Onc very pleasant characteristic
| which / never met with any at amy
| other public dinner was the presence
\ OF ladies'
| He docs not tell us what they did or
| said but confines himself to the gas
| Economical features of the banquet. lie
| says:
| There fell TO my lot three deloctable
| things red mullet, plate OF much
rooms, eXquisitely stewed, and part or
| q ptarnigan.'
And then the lord mayor passed the
loving cup, and 1T is easy guessing the
delight Of Hawthorne at seeing that
| dignitied and ancient custom for the
first time.
| AT the head OF civil banquets stands
the inaugural entertainment ut the
Guildhall on November 3. TO which the
| wives and daughters are invited. and at
! which the lady mayoress presides. n
| masculine description of this yearly
banquet, which Is provided for by The
| government, says that II is the most
| vague. aIistocratic. unsatisfactory and
uncomfortable" of all the public ban
| quets given within the sound OF Bow
| Bells Query-Because women are
| present? BE that so or no, that par
| ticular banquet interests all London.
| At IL the women retire TO the ball room
and a scene OF noise and gourmandiznR
ensues, and il is early next day when
the last banqueter departs.
| Fraternity, Masonic and civil BAN
| quets cling To the old idea that woman,
| being 1.-The lesser man. has no peace az
| their feasts. That argument does not
hold good i'm these days, and is simply
begging the question.
| The women can retort with justice
| and the truth: I'VE know why you
want us to absent ourselves from your
baronet. You desire to smoke freely
drink till you drown your sorrows and
Il tell risque stories. Well, have these
special occasions once "A year. but dc
not ask us to sit in the boxes and gal
leries. so near and yet so far that we
merely choke anc blink and watch you
through the incense. wondering why
people are always at their worst Wher
| feeding
Apr1pos OF which Is the story of ar
| old scotch woman. who listened to hei
minister quoting Solomon where ht
SAYS lone man among n Thousand
have l found. but "A woman among
! those have I not found
, moo. Sister McCleish. hood do ye un
derstand thot?" asked the parson.
lin. sure it's simple enough" wa;
| the quick answer. Nae respectable
woman would ha' been speaking wi
| Solomon"
So perhaps the richest complimen
| the average banqueter could pay hit
womankind is to invite them not Z
> | attend his banquet, but to leave TO thei
| vivid imaginations the scene which, be
ginning with the feast of reason an'
| how of soul. degenerates into "a hilarit!
| that IL neither humorous nor enter
| tanning. and ends with "a roar that ha
, | "A hint of the cracking OF thorns unde
| "A pot vide the laughter of fools. How
do we know? We listened in the cor
| rdors, being fearful Of catastrophe.