Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-15
prince In his empire being subordinate Ia
that OF grand duke and several others.
Etiquette Of the First Call.

that Of grand duke and several Others
Etiquette Of the First Call.
In the Supreme Court circle the household
OF the chief justice demands first calls
from those Of all Of the associate Justices
whose social rank depends upon the chron-
illogical order Of their appointments. An
associate justice and his family must pay
the first call at the houses Of all of his COLI
leagues longer in the service. Because OF
the chief Justices uncertain rank with re-
lation to ambassadors, hosts careful to
avoid friction never entertain him and an
ambassador at the same board. for in off,
cfal Washington the honor seat at table
must be awarded to the person of highest
rank. The Supreme Court families call first
at the houses of the President and Vice
President, but nowhere else.
Next to the Presidents household, the
cabinet circle is that most socially active.
Its families are expected to keep open
mouse once a week, when they serve re-
freshments to vast assemblages of callers,
many of them lunch route fiends' who
have no acquaintance with their hostesses
The cabinet women receive with the Presi-
dents wife at all state functions and on
account Of their social obligations are ex-
cepted from returning calls in person, ex-
cept upon those Of higher official rank. To
others they return calls by card only. The
Secretary of State, however, receives the
first call from all ambassadors. The Presi-
dents wife Is, of course, excepted from tho
necessity of returning any calls except
when foreign ruler or royal prince visits
Washington. During each season the Pres
ident and his wife are dned by each mem
Der of his cabinet In turn. Until this ad-
ministration II was customary to invite only
cabinet members and their wives to these
dinners. but the sameness of these gather
ings becoming monotonous, no cabinet host
OF the President now invites his colleagues
to dine with the chief executive.
Senatorial Exclusivezess.
The two congressional sets are sharply
divided, the senatorial affecting to be one I
of the most exclusive in officaldom. 1t has
disputed the first call privilege even with
the cabinet on the ground that the Senate
The Senate Is commonly dubbed 1.-The mil
uonaireS club" because of the great wealth
usually represented in its membership. In
deed, some of the most lavish entertainers
that have ever graced the society of the
capital have belonged to this circle. notably
Calvin Brice Of Ohio, who paid a profess
sionu entertainer a handsome salary for
arranging his functions, many of which
cost thousands.
One Of the most notable dinners ever
given In Washington was that of Senator
Warren Of Wyoming, who lately dned 100
guests about a table representing a map OF
the lsthmus OF Panama with the canal
completed, with models Of battleshps SAIL
ing through 1t and with miniature ordnance
along the banks, the whole framed In a bor-
der of costly cut flowers.
The army and navy sets, next to the Dip
lomatic, are the most picturesque on full
dress occasions. These two military COTE
ries are more clannish than any of the
others. the ambition to marry brass but
tons and gold lace being fostered in the
heart of each daughter, in spite of the fact
that an army navy wife must content
herself with being either constantly ION
the jump" from post to post, or left at
homo several years at time, while her
husband is In foreign parts.
The men of the literary and scientific set
are all members of the Cosmos Club where
every international genius visiting the cap
ital is entertained. This coterie is courted
by the others, especially by those leaders
who aspire to ho'd salons. after the fashion
of the French. But the literary and scien-
tiic geniuses Of the capital. being temper
amentally Bohemian, generally hold them
selves aloof from the artiflcialities and con-
ventions of society.
The capitals rich civilian set worry not a
jot over pedigree, while the "old resident
set roost high on their family trees and
miss the real gayety of that brilliantly cos
tuned drama of passing events known as
Washington society, which takes ac-
count OF great-grandfathers. and the only
open sesame of which is ones own attain
ment-either intellectual or financial
JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS.