The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-07-16


Bradley Martin left New York last
spring it required corps of
skilled men, working FIVE days. to pack
for shipment or storage the glass and Chi
ma alone of this wealthy lady, while set
of men was busy for a couple of days
storing in strcng boxes her silver and gold
plate. This is merely indicative Of the
way the wealth Of our Americans bring
them overwhelming possessions, for Mrs.
Martin. whose silver punch bowl, with its
enamel grape and fruit decoration about
the sides. is big enough for a fat baby's
bathtub, and who can serve a small din
ner party from silver in every detail OF
plates. cups, dishes, soup tureen, etc, is
but one of the many hostesses that have
astonishing collections of the precious
utensils.
The very top notch in gorgeous table
service seemed to have been reached this
past spring at the wedding of Mrs. VIII
liam Sloan's daughter. From her cousin,
Mrs. William X. Vanderbilt, jr-, came to
Miss Sloan set of one dozen exquisitely
wrought fruit platters OF gold. as solid and
pure as II is safe to make such articles.
The second most beautiful gold service
is a complete tea set of repousse gold own
ed by Mrs. Chester Griswold, and Mrs
William Astor's set of six slender gold
rose vases for ornamenting a banquet ia
BILE comes third on the list. So far among
the young brides, sumptuous as have been
their wedding gifts. nothing has surpassed
the great candelsbra to which Mrs. Lor-
lizard fell heir at her wedding. for the
deliberately wrought silver trunks, from
which branched eighteen arms. TO hold
thirty-six candles between the pair rose
exactly to the level of the brides own
head. and the workmanship on these no
bic towers Of light was estimated as cost
ing far more than the material OF the can
delabra had the silver been absolutely
without alloy.
Mrs. Hartwell's Siamese elephants of
silver bearing the 5ranched candlesticks
on Sheir backs is another notable piece of
plate. and Mrs. John Hammond owns the
prize pair of silver vases. They are tall
enough to hide a mans umbrella in their
tapering waists and measure twenty inch
es across the mouth; but the extent to
which silver is given as bridal presents, as
well as the lavishness of the rich American,
was proven at the wedding of Miss Brooks,
when seven complete tea services, COM
plete even to eaddies. silver sockets for
holding handleless Chinese cups and sugar
cutters, were received.
There is no reason TO believe that with
the rise of the motor carriage society Will
lose one iota of its affection for the snowy,
high-steping, travelling horse. In
proef of this the stables of some OF our
metropolitan Midases are yearly growing
larger and more luxurious, and the rivalry
TO possess the finest nag of its class is as
keen as ever
There is not better instance of the grip
horseflesh has on the New York affections
than the establishment of Mr. John T.
Williams This rich man has a taste for
fine roadsters to drive in his dozen and
one vehicles, and has collected exactly
twenty-four matched bays, and houses
them quite as sumptuously. in his SIAM
ford stables as does Emperor William. The
finest stableful of polo ponies, and it is
string OF some twenty five, is owned by
the Vingut brothers, who are the smartest
gentlemen Jockeys of the Long Island
horse-loving set. One OF these young men,
Harry Vingut, is a remarkable rider He
has carried his horses about quite as much
as Foxhall Keen, playing polo matches
IN England and India. and even Australia,
and he is quite inordinately proud of the
fact that with the exception of his spinal
column every bone in his body has been
broken at least once in the horsey cause
The chief aim, however, OF the wealthy
New Yorker is to own some conspicuously
nne pair of carriage horses, and for car
riage pair the decision always waivers, on
Fifth Avenue and Bellevue Avenue, be-
tween the merits of Hooker Hammersley's
and Mrs Ogden Mills victoria horses. ABB
solutely nobody disputes, however, the
superiority Of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt's
single brougham horse over all others. Her
favorite is always huge buckskin, inya-
riably harnessed to a claret-colored
broughem, lined with claret red skin in
side, showing red running gear, and her
own eoachman, Charles, and the groom in
ciaret IiFeries. Though the Cornelius VAN
derbiits make little bother about ii. their
stables shelter some of the costliest and
most thoroughbred equines in the States
and IL requires sixteen men to do the
horses justice. Among the women Mrs
Borden Hartman possesses the noblest
string of hunters, for she is a perfectly
fearless amazon in the saddle Mrs Regis
Post Owls the most faultless pair of Arabs,
sired by General Grants famous arab,
and Miss Virginia Coudert and Miss Lila
Sloan are the two most skillful four-in-
hand drivers Of the feminine persuasion.
The heart OF the fashionable woman
still goes out TO her dog but NOWADAYS
there is q bond of true intellectual sym-
PATTY between the canine and mistress.
aAd dogs are row sought for brains as
much as beauty. Or, In other words, the
educated pet is in keen demand. For this
reason the caniche still holds his own. and
the latest enterprise of the various minis,
Florissttes. etc, is that OF going gravely
about the drawing-room and offering not
only a paw, but a bark of welcome to
every guest. Mrs. Hazard Meetings. poo
die. Mrs Frederick Persons Irish terrier.
and Miss Julia Rhinelander's fox terrier
have all these gentlemanly ways, in add
uon 10 special accomplishments, and IL
your dog is not capable of doing the cir
Gus act then he certainly must be famous
for his depth of soul, his proofs of spirit
ual sensibility. or he is not worth having.
Mrs. John C. Moore, for example, owns
a butterfly cared Mexican toy dog. who
yisibly gives way 10 genuine large tears
and sounds easily interpretated as sobs
when his mistress is obliged to leave
him al home. This demonstration has been
witnessed too often to be doubted, and has
made him famros and coveted in society.
Another amazingly noble-minded dog is
owned by Miss Thore. His taste is for r1u-
sic, and he only likes the best He can
sit on the piano stool and strike out a tune
with one paw, and the tune Is "Old Dog
Tray" When there is music in the house
he remains in silent ectasy under the nj
ano. and for vOcaliZation he has an espe-
cial preference.
Dogs on whole, however. are not quite
as popular rs . few years ago Latterly
birds have Gown into many soft nests in
stately houses, and two OF the most nota-
bic specimens are Miss Greta Pomeroy's
white eockatoo and Mrs. Jonathan
Thorne's laura bird. The white cockatoo
owns a yellow toplinot, a bad temper. and
an exclusive attachment to his mistress,
who can carry him about en- her wrist and
does receive her friends often thus in or