The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-21
SOME WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
THE FIRST STATE DINNER OF THE
SEASON.

THE FIRST STATE DINNER OF THE
SEASON.
The New Dining Room of the White
House-A Description of IL and Its
Furniture-Mrs. Dewey VIII Make
Her Appearance in Society Again
This Winter-FI0wers Not a Fea-
ture of White House Dinners Now,
The Engagement of the Eldest
Daughter of Senator CocI<rcu An
nOunced-Other Matters of General
Interest.
Washington, Dec. 19.-The present
week saw the Inauguration of official
functions in the White House, as we'll
as the continuation of the delightful
hospitalities which have already made
the season unusually interesting and
brought together each week a distin-
guished company to greet Mrs. Roose-
welt. The first state dinner was given
Thursday evening, when company
OF seventy-five were seated around the
S shaped table that has been especial
ly constructed to accommodate so
ava o. - AAAA1Ott WAASA NoANS CfNh NAAS
increased dimensions of the state din
ing room. The new dining-room
by the way. is distinctly Colonial, and
such a complete change from the old
one that the White House guests of
previous years would never recognize
II, BY the addition of the space for
merly occupied by the west staircase
and the conservatory, an apartment
of noble proportions has been made of
the old cramped room. Hardwood
floors and rugs have replaced the vel
vet carpets. and the walls have been
paneled in old English oak. the upper
parts showing carvings. The conven-
tional ornamentation is probably that
which was in vogue when the mansion
was built-the so-called "early Eng
lish." A great moose-head, recently
presented to the President by the peo-
pie of Nome, Alaska, has the place of
honor over the mantel: and other heads
fill panel-spaces left for them around
the entire apartment. Over the man
tel also hangs a piece of tapestry,
which bears four-line text in old
English type, and may therefore be
full of meaning, since nobody has yet
been able to decipher it. On the north
wall is very large tapestry, repre-
senting a woodland scene; and its tints
are repeated in the covering of the
high-back chairs which are ranged in
stiff rows all around the room, The
highly polished dining table, when in
its normal condtion-that is, not con-
torted to accommodate an unusually
large company-stretches north and
south, and the chairs at the head and
foot have extremely tall and elabor-
ate carved frames, towering a foot
higher than the heads of the persons
using them. Only a margain of two
or three yards of hardwood floor
shows outside the large green rug,
down the center of the room. The
windows are not yet draped, but are
to have heavy curtains of green bro
cade lined with cream-colored satin,,
and under them hangings of real lace.
The room is no larger nor grander
than the dining rooms of many private
residences in Washington, but in 1t the
Roosevelts can come nearer to salts
flying their hospitable desires than has
been possible in previous seasons.
The private dining room-erstwhile
rather gaudy-has received such a
Christening touch in the scheme of
decorations that it now appears sing
ularly plain and unadorned. The cell
ing has been arched, the walls are pale
cream, the floor laid in hard wood.
partially covered by crimson rug.
Bullets and side-tables are of the Coll
onial type and old time china presses
replace other pieces of furniture. The
curtains are heavy crimson. over
cream-tinted lace.
To return to the state dinner:
Though given in honor of the cabinet
officers, it included numerous con-
gressional guests and a few personal
friends of the President from other
cities. Owing to the beautiful adorn-
ments of the new state dining-room
its wainscoated walls tapestry-hung
chimney-place, and great trophies of
the chase. the floral decorations of
past years, were considerably curtail-
ed. One of the greatest changes about
the reconstructed mansion is the alb
sence~ of the old-time set arrangement
of plants and flowers, which for many
years have been regularly brought out
for every entertainment from the once
hallowed conservatory. 1t is noticea-
bic that while the Roosevelts appear
Ito be fond of flowers, they do not care
for a surfeit of them. and a new idea
directs their arrangement. On the
Presidents official desk is a. small cut
glass vase; and every morning before
he appears two or three perfect sprays
of fragrant heliotrope are placed in it,
presumably by his order. Mrs. Roose-
welt has never been seen with the
enormous bouquets which have bur-
dened all her predecessors at every
state function: and Miss Alice wears
only a single rose. low down in her