Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-05
TAFT FAVORS
TEA FOR MEN
AFTERNOON FUNCTIONS AGAIN
IN FAVOR
MOLLYCODDLE NO LONGER APP
Piled TO ATTENDANTS
Custom Frowned on During Roosevelt
Regime Taken Up Even by
Sterner Army Men and
Diplomats

WASHINGTON March 4.--After q
| seVen-year lapse during the Roosevelt
administration men are again giving
teas, because President Taft does not
consider tea drinking mollycoddlish.
During the last year of the Roosevelt
administration men at teas were very
scarce. Even the displomats who were
! careless of Roosevelts vigorously ex-
pressed views (Which often they did not
understand) finally yielded to the infiu-
| ence that eventually caused but a
handful of them to be present. Teas in
the afternoon practically were wiped off
the social slate.
Now this is all changed. Even the
United States army is becoming host at
teas, and Capt. Sherwood A. Cheney
gave a tea recently to Miss Roosevelt,
daughter of the man who believed that
an officer who would be host at a tea
was no soldier. The officers at Fort
Myer and the marine barracks expect
soon to give teas.
Three Popular Teas
That tea OF Capt. Cheney was the
third big tea of the season, although
the first to be given by an American.
Two other large affairs were presided
German embassy on the occasion of
the Emperor Williams birthday and
the other by the Marquis de Villa
lobar, the Spanish minister who took
advantage of the occasion to receive
who is who" in Washington by way
of official Introduction, although his
transfer to Lisbon had been gazetted
by his government three weeks pre-
viously.
t.
by Washington hostesses who have the
spirit of continental entertaining as a
happy medium between the breakfast
and the dinner. Breakfast usually oc-
ours at an hour when men are already
busy with their affairs, while the din
ner is looked upon as too ponderous.
With the beginning of the Easter
season the president and Mrs. Taft
will again inaugurate their lawn par
ties, which is different name for
AFTERNOON teas. Meanwhile Lent is in
the propitious season for such in
formal entertainments, especially of an
afternoon.
Washington men would now be giving
more teas if they lived in quarters suit
able for such affairs. The one hotel in
Washington that is actually giving a
tea hour does not appeal to the smart
set.
Teas at the Chevy Chase club, at the
Country club and at similar places are
also considered disadyantageous. First.
the distance is too great, and attend
ance at them and the return home to
change for dinner requires much time.
Need Men at Teas
Hostesses in the capital do not deny
that teas without men are very insipid.
The most militant mo men needed"
hostess, who has bravely striven for
several seasons to gather unto her a
hundred or two of her friends, with
mans world represented by the few
domestics performing their duties, has
given up the idea of all-women teas
For some reason they moved slowly.
and many young woman has called
them tiresome.
With the presidential approval of
this revival of afternoon teas-in fact.
with the desire of Mr.. Taft to see his
assistants and the naval and military
officers sparkle a little more in the
social firmament-there is no question
that the tea will become within the
next twelvemonth the most satisfac-
tory and popular social function They
are also comparatively inexpensive and
for this reason many men who cannot
afford to give large parties of formal
character will have an opportunity to
entertain.
One reason why afternoon teas will
be popular with men in the Taft ad-
is that very little work is
done by them after o'clock in the
afternoon. The automobile, horseback
riding and pedestrianism have killed
the late rising germ, and so most men
are busy by 10 o'clock Of a morning.
Luncheon does not call for much of
their time, and so by the middle of the
afternoon they are at leisure and in
the proper spirit to smile over a cup
Of tea