The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-19
SOCIETY ON PARADE
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
LAST RECEPTION
A GORGEOUS AFFAIR.
The Last Card Function of the Sea-
son--only a Skeleton of the Army
Represented, but the Women Form
Bewildering Panorama Of White
Shoulders, shapely Arms and Ele-
giant Gowns.


simply gorgeous--the presidents recent
reception. 1t was the last card fuuc-
tion OF the season at the White House.
An opera wrap, swallow tail and
carriages found wide open doors an3
no questions asked. The polite ushcis
didn't know whether the guest was
self-invited or not. nor did he :a"e.
He was obsequiously polite to the opera
wrap, because he knew intuitively how
scant was the modish gown UNDER
meath.
And what the White House habitue
doesn't know about "the female form
divine is not worth knowing. The
army and navy reception is the most
brilliant of all the seasons social func-
tions at the White House. 1t is the
ambition of every woman who owns an
evening gown (whether her neck and
shoulders size up to the strictly con-
ventional standard or noD to attend
this great spectacular affair The time
was when brass buttons and SHOULDER
straps conspicuously dominated the
function, but the swallow tail had its
first triumph in last nights affair. The
boys in uniform were on the field or
In the camp defending the honor of the
American flag where American civiiz-
alton and American valor had planted
it--never to be hauled down.
Only the skeleton of the army was
represented. But the women. What
bewildering panorama Of white shoul-
ders. shapely arms and elegant gowns.
1t was "a low necked affair."" or "a V
shaped affair."" was repeatedly observed
in the writer's hearing. 1t was sug-
gested. too, that the old saying of
f,i
in justice to the women, be reversed.
TnGuestionably it took both uncommon
courage and phenomenal bravery on
the part of many spendidly gowned
women to submit to fashions inexor-
able conventionality and nonchalantly
bare their scrawny, pimpled shoulders
to the staring, ogling men and women
who. in the pursuit of anatomical re-
| search doubtless regard these eXhibi-
tons purely in the light of scientific
achievement. a striking coincidence,
! they certainly observed, was that the
more elegant and costly the gown the
lower the cut and the thinner the neck.
A magnificently gowned woman, her
neck and head blazing with great big
diamonds, was just ahead of your corr
respondent in the receiving line. 1t
was idle curiosity. If not a little mean,
to look for more, but it was just "the
man of 1t" to do that very question
able thing. 1t is the regret Of life
time
| NUDITY THAT APPALLS.
What a vision of blades. bones, moles
and frecKles, and the dear thing was
| charmingly unconscious of the nudity
that appals rather than delights the
! tot
| Perhaps it was the consciousness that
she had lots of company in the vast
throng, and so she did, or perhaps she
thought her flashing jewels would OBJ
scure the bones and moles, but, alas!
it was just the reverse. The envious-
minded of her own sex thought out
loud. What an ugly. scrawny thing
to be the owner of such magnificent
stones" The men We're not half so
cruel. That's brave woman" they
said. she would have stormed FL
Caney or Santigao with as little trepi-
dation as she will shake the presidents
hand, and she knows that the elect
and the elite behind the receiving line
will not look below the tiara of dia-
monds on her shapely head of raven
hair. And she was right She knew
that fashion behind the firing line
would acclaim her triumph. 1t was
| the victory of stones and gown. The
woman was not in it. But this woman
was not the rule.
There We're others and many others,
and they had beautiful shoulders,
round, plump necks. pretty, bright,
happy looking faces, fair types of the
bewitching, modest, gentle American
girl and matron. Nature had been
good and bcnefcent to them. They
We're not tailor-made. 1t was the love-
ly. sweet. unworldly, womanly Ameri-
! can woman. If the gown was, per-
chance, cut a little low--just a little
there was a pair of superb shoulders.
A string of pearls or diamonds around:
such faultless throat would have
been desecratiOn.
Nowhere else does Washington soci-
ETY. show to such credit.
At the private functions the exclu-
siveness of the salon seems to be a
license for more nudity than frock. But
that is not so at the presidents recep-
tions, or rather it is not the rule.
There is no society here for the pre-
! vention of exposure at public recep-
tions. But much that one reads in the
! society papers about the indecorous
lack Of wearing apparel by Washing
ton society people is exaggerated. 1t is
bad enough, but it might bring more
bushes than it does. The tendency is
toward abbreviated apparel, whether
indoors or on the public thoroughfares
The rainy day skirt" for instance. Is
now worn by almost every woman and
the more general its use the shorter
grows the skirt! And what more ap-
propriate place for this womans rights
tog than at a White House reception
Think Of the comfort. And isn't it toe
absurd that women sensible on every
other thing and subject (possibly ex.
cept matrimony) should wear such low-
cut frocks on top where the gown is
not in the slightest peril and such long
sweeping skirts, the prolific cause OF
SO much suppressed profanity. Wha,
a spectacle of torn, mangled, wrecked
mass of rich laces and rufiles and
founces.
THE CRUSH AND JAM.
But it is "lovely womans way" The
crush and jam at the White House
last night was absolutely appalling
Once crushed in the receiving line there
was\no escape. After weary waiting
the great, capacious east room was en-
tered edgewise. If the wedge fitted all
right, but there were so many rouni
people in square holes that misft was
the rule, The thing to do was to edge
along. push, shove talk loud and seem
unconscious of rudeness, whether you
were the victim or the offender. Every
body appeared to be in IA good humor
and it didn't seem to make any differ
ence whether it was a costly lace