The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-17
The GOSSIP OF WASHINGTON
Events in the Social World of the N.tiona,
Capital.

r,.sbington D. c., Jan. 16.-On Fri
.,,aning the President and Mrs.
o o" entertained a score of ladies
O.r+Iamen at dinner; and later the
HIO evening, Invitations read 10 p
Sam .aceived several hundred guests
d" .so first White House musicale
10 present season. The state din
o. roon was decorated very simply
ne fsrns and white carnations, and
WV" we're no flowers in the East
,n. where the musical programme of
ut, numbers was rendered. Guests
.ho p7tter function were welcomed
Mrs roosevelt in the Blue Parlor;
~, svmons, of the army, and Mai
,Sacawlev. of the Marine Corps maxi
the presentations. A dozen other
,re officers in full uniform escorted
-. Quests to the East Room. Soon
al we're seated the music began
,Gss Katherine Reyman, pianist Mr..
rsvid Bisphan, barytone, and Mr..
uovard Smith, accompanied. The
+.,ontv songs were divided into three
uro,ps. Indian, Negro and old familiar
S,slodies. Particularly pleasing among
tho Indian songs were the Sunrise
Csu" of the Zenis, and a strange Old
.,ov melody. Among the negro songs,
%1osblta Fit de Battle of Jerico," sung
18th true African abandon, made even
he dgnifed feet of the Chief Justice
- the supreme Court, who stands Tor
ct in
the country, beat time beneath his
hair while a broad smile illunined
his countenance.
For the remainder of the season the
white House will be, in fact as in
name. the social center not only of
Washington, but of the country. At
leasr two large entertainments will be
io6yen there each week, the guests
counting up among the thousands, and
the President and Mrs. Roosevelt will
also entertain a succession of visitors
at dinners and musicales, besides hav-
inq number of house guests. The
r4ception in honor of the diplomatic
corps. last Thursday evening, was the
first of the four great evening leVees
for which separate cards will be is
sued each of which are always at
tended by between 1000 and 5000 peo-
pie. The remaining receptions will be
given Jan. q, Feb 4, and Feb. IL.
These, with the state dinners, one in
honor of the diplomatic corps one even
ing. and one in honor of the Supreme
Court tomorrow, Jan. %, will bring a
large and distinguished company to
the White House every Thursday for
the remainder of the season. In ad-
dtion to these state functions, Mrs
Roosevelt's musicales will bring seve-
raj hundred carefully selected guests
to the White House every Friday even
ing for the next six weeks.
Even excelling the White House en-
tertainments in splendOr, if not in
numbers, are those so frequently Civ
en- by Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas F. Walsh,
the Colorado multi-millionaire mine
owner. Last week they gave beau
tiful ball in honor of Miss Alice Roose-
welt. to which only young people were
invited, TO the number of about 300.
This week nearly 500 guests were bid
den to the house warming" of their
magnificent new home on Massachu-
sets avenue. 1t was the most brill
liant occasion of its kind ever known
at the capital, as theirs is the largest
private residence in the city, as well
ds the most costly and artistic. The
mansion has d splendid setting with
terraced garden around it, and the
marble and stone approaches, and the
harmony that frames it's exterior is
carried out in every part of the spa
cious interior. The extensive hall has
d highly polished mahogany staircase,
its rich carvings showing all the way
up to the second landing, where sim
liar effects are repeated around the
raiI Of hn oil IN y fcH
the rooms open. The music of an or
chestra, stationed on the gallery hall
way up the stairs, and opening on
both hall and dining room, greeted the
visitors, although the musicians were
completely hidden behind a rich satin
curtain of dull brown color, which
also served as a background for the
group of marble figures lately brought
from London, the work of the Ameri-
can sculptor MacLean. The tapestries
on either side of the hall We're thrown
into prominence by the floods of cleo
trio light, which shone through the
delicately tinted dome of stained glass
covering the center of the house. Not
only are the walls of the main floor
hung with splendid tapestry, but
glimpses of others can be seen clear
up to the skylights. The hall floors
are mosaic, but are nearly covered
with the finest Oriental rugs. The
main salon, in which the host and
hostess received, is to the left of the
entrance. 1t is magnificent apart
ment, with a floor space about equal
to that of the East room at the White
House, and is finished in the style OF
Louis XIV. 1t is probably the finest
specimen of that period to be found in
America. The pink-toned walls are
paneled in white and gold, with a
painted ceiling of French figures
framed in bas relief of pink, gold and
white The space above the mantel
Is f1lled by a life-size portrait of the
only daughter of the house, Miss Eve
Ign Walsh, who though still a school
girl, is for the sake of artistic har-
mony, represented as a court beauty
Of the eighteenth century. Every ar
ucle in this immense room, including
the grand piano, was made especially
Tor it. The rich carpet follows in
shape the curved front, and the light
colors are in keeping with the soft
tones of the brocade in the furniture
and hangings. An equally spacious
apartment adjoining is the library,
done in rich, warm tints, and having
large organ. The book cases, tables
and chairs are magnificently carved
ana the arrangement of the electric
Nights overhead and in the side brack-
ets and lamps is especially beautiful.
The walls of the dancing room, which
is equally large, and the third in the
suite, are lined with oak, with rlch
awa.,- IL