Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-08
JUST ONE BANQUET AFTER ANOTHER
That Is the Office Holding in Washington But
Compensations-There Are Real Spreads and Others.
By EDWARD W. TOWNSEND

toes. 1 mean that the abundance Of them
gave you a notion that II you were so dis.
posed, and had plate room, you could heb
yourself to half dozen without vIsby
lowering the supply. There was no carving
of a duck by a head waiter. On the eide
plate before each guest a whole duck was
placed, and when guest had removed the
two breast pieces and consumed them, his
plate was whisked away and another whot
duck served 1t may be objected that this
was overworking a good thing, but my sym.
pathy and approval is with the host
Novel Reason for Banquet
There is nothing typical about a Washing
ton banquet. They are of every kind, size
condition, occasion and place. Last year
some one thought of new reason to give
banquet. A friend had bought one of tho
Lord Baltimore country places, restored It and
refurnshed it with furnishing OF the proper
period. Surely that was O good reason for
a banquet, and some one took hold Of the
matter, and presently 40 or so of us were
taken out to the beautiful old place and re-
ceived by the host who was attended by
troop of servants wearing the Batimop
livery
On the ground floor there were three bIE
IOOHS DeSlueS lHe room. III Vnt "
these there was punch of modern invention
livened UP with champagne, in another room
there was punch, the recipe for which soma
worthy historian had dug up one which
the Lord Baltimore had served In the third T
room there was a noble bowl of grape jules
punch. The Secretary of State was to be
guest, The location and the componen'
parts OF these punches were quietly ex.
planned to the guests as they arrived
When dinner was announced, the two nrt.
water punch bowls had been emptled thfs'
times, but the ladle at the grape juice puneA
bowl had not been wet. Some one explains +
this to the Secretary of State, and he n
marked:
well, I suppose the idea is that when yoa 5
are in Lord Baltimore manor house yea
should drink as the Baltimoreans did. But
wonder how overlooked that unassaul!sa &
bowl"
Real Old Manor Dinners
! think 1t was Miss Helen Taft who gave .
great vogue to another Lord BaltmoEs
place, not many miles out of WashngtcA
1t is a rambling, romantic old pile Of build
ings, part of it, think, built by the ar
Lord Baltimore, and other parts later, VIA s
a thousand acres OF land surrounding IT,
was bought not many years ago by youH8 r
married couple; the man, as / recall
painter, the woman a musician. They mus
be people Of ample means or they Wopa
not have made such purchase OF non
productive property. Yet in response 10 'a'
request OF some Washington people, We.
knew the beauty and romance Of the gs
place, the owners OF it agreed to furnea
dinners TO guests who came with ereosa
tials Miss Taft, as / have said. gave y
place vogue by inviting parties OF 7
friends TO go out to the old place for aiA
ners.
There is a very large music room m -
house, and one evening after l had an
there heard some notably fine plano p-s
ing, and suolled to the doorway Of
music room, and saw the hostess playls
and Representative Cannon standing IN r
middle OF the room, his hands elasped
hind him In rapt admiration OF the mus
The whole picture was striking' the s's'
room, all of its furniture old exeepl
piano, the artistlcally dressed woman o.
ing beautifully, and the one man IN ppl..
life most frequently eaFtooned In so
roughneck attitude with uptilted e,ss
standing there, unconscious OF sveff'n'
but the music. and plainly showing she'
comprshehded it as one who knew q
music when he heard 1t.