The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-29
MISS RooSEvELT'S DEBUT.
To BE A VERY ELABORATE SOCIAL
EVENT.

The Spirit of Expansion Has
Changed 1t From "A Simple Ball to
Great Event of More Than One
Thousand Guests--The East Room
10 BE Remodeled and Made Into
Splendid Hall Room.
Washington, Dec. 2S.-Elaborate prep
arations are being made at the White
House for the ball to be given in honor
of Miss Alice Roosevelt next Friday
night. President and Mrs Roosevelt
are enthusiastic entertainers. They evil
IDENTIFY intend to make the coming out
ball of their daughter, who is the most
conspicuous debutante of this season.
memorable in the history of Washing
ton society. II was originally intended
that Mrs. Roosevelt would hold a re-
ception the first Friday in the new
year to formally introduce her daugh-
ter into society, the reception to be fol-
lowed by a dance limited to a few per-
sonal friends of Miss Alice, including
the most prominent social buds of the
year.
EAS NAAS NPoA oNAOhS lOl bIG GNGnL
went forward the spirit of extension
took possession of the President and
his wife, and the closer they scanned
the list of guests to be invited the more
apparent it became that somebody
whom they wished to invite had been
omitted from the original list. Addi-
tional names were added daily until
now the list of invitations exceeds one
thousand. Instead of a small select
dancing party, Miss Roosevelt's debut
is to be made grand national event
in society. and it will be attended by
all the ceremonies, decorations and dig
mites of a great state function.
The great East Room, which was.
away back in the early days of our
history, used as a drying room for the
domestic washing of the presidential
family, later the scenes of the social
revelries and gayety of Dolly Madison,
and still later the scene of the mar
riage of Miss Nellie Grant and the we'd
ding reception of Mr.. and Mrs. Grover
Cleveland after they had been married
in the Blue Parlor, is to be converted
into modern ball room.
A Splendid Ball Room.
AS soon as the New Years cere-
monies attending the Presidents first
official reception of the new year are
over, the East Room will be turned
over to an army of workmen and deco
ratorsS who will proceed to transform
the great historic parlor into a ball
room. The New Years Day reception
will be over by or o'clock in the
afternoon The beautiful gold cloth
and plush-covered furniture will be
banished to other apartments, and the
newly laid carpet will be torn up and
replaced by a tightly drawn linen
crash adaptable to dancing. The deco
rators will employ flags, bunting, cleo
tricity and Towering plants to convert
the great square room into a bowery.
The Marine Band Orchestra will fur
nish the music, Miss Alice Roosevelt
will open the ball by dancing the first
number on the programme with her
father.
other Social Events.
For more than two weeks past sew
eral volunteers from the ranks of
swell society have been engaged at
the White House assisting Mrs Roose-
welt in issuing invitations for the first
debutante's ball ever given in the
White House. Miss Isabelle Hagner,
Mrs. Roosevelt's social secretary, was
to have assisted in the arrangements
for the ball. but she is now in pri-
vate hospital suffering from a Stub
born attack of typhoid fever.
Mrs. Roosevelt has encountered
many difficulties in endeavoring to
prevent the entertainment in her
daughters honor from taking the form
of an official function. 1t is impossi-
BILE TO invite everybody in official So
ciety and it is equally troublesome to
know just where to draw the line
Those who have been fortunate enough
to receive invitations are naturally
elated, while there are again heart
breakings, almost to the verge of envy
and rage, to some of those who fancied
that they would be remembered on
such an attractive occasion.
1t is understood numerous delicate
hints have been dropped to the Presi-
dent and his wife by friends of aspir-
ants for those much coveted invita-.
tons.
President and Mrs. Roosevelt derive
genuine pleasure from social enter
tanning and they are setting a pace in
that direction which far exceeds any
thing in the way Of social festivities
known in the history of the White