The Washington times., 1921-02-06
IN VINE
AT FEAST
Champagne hymphs Amuse
Guests-0rgles at $4,000
Banquet Shock Paris.
BY COUNT DE PASSY.
international News Bervfee.

PARIS, Feb. Stage beauties
and artists models disporting as
nymphs in q miniature lake Of
champagne was the outstanding fear
ture of banquet OF Lucullan prodi-
gality about which all Paris is talk
Ing.
The AFFAIR may give rise to ques-
tions In parliament as TO whether
some curb cannot be placed on the
lieentious ostentstion OF wealth in
face OF continent-wide misery resultS
ing from the world war. !"
The banquet was given In his Ave-
nue. du Bois de Boulogne home By
v. Montasheff, the Armenian oil mag
nate. and celebrated the sale by thsS
Montashen group of all their vast
Caucasian oil field interests to q,
British subsidiary OF the Anglo-Per-,
sian Oil Company for a sum reported
to exceed 50.ooO.0o0 pounds.
The whole of this gigantic sum
went to Montashen and one or two !.
associates, including A Lianoson and
Paul Ash.
COST TWO MILLION FRANCS. 40
The banquet was like a page out off,
Arabian Nights. A conservative.
| estimate of it's case was 100000. In
French money this represents the
extraordinary total of 2.000.0 900 francs,
| and il said to constitute a world
| record for extravaganza. -o
Entering the mansion, guests were
met by turbaned Armenian servants :
In heavy silk robes and conducted to
private apartments. where they were
| invited to divest themselves Of their
| evening dress and don Oriental robes
| ornamented with designs woven with
| golden thread and studded with ex-
Quisite cut gems.
| Jeweled sandals were put on their
| feet and purple fezzes on their heads,
| Transforming them from ordinary
Partisan society leaders into mystic
knights who might have stepped
living from an illustration OF
Boccacios Tales.
The women guests, who were stage
| beauties. rue de la Paix mannikins,
| and models from the studios of the
| Latin Quarter. were taken to different
apartments and robed in white Grecian
| gowns, leaving their legs and feet
bare.
| PERFUMED BATHS.
| When they were properly cos
tuned and had INDUCED in perfumed
baths, the guests were ushered into
the banqueting hall, the walls Of
| which had been covered with La
| France roses, so that not an inch Of .
! the tapestries could be seen.
| On the floor of the room was the
famous golden carpet, eighteen yards
long by fifteen wide. which Monta-p
shelf brought from Baku and which I.
Is reputedly worth S125,000. In theo
center of the large room was a giant
table, 100 feet wide, in the certer OF
which was a tank fashioned into the
shape of a miniature lake. wherein
1.-TWO fountains were playing.
When the guests seated themselves
they saw that the liquid in the lake"
was not water, but champagne
$500 gallons of it, which had rested
TRANQUILITY in the bombarded cellars Of
Rheims all through the war.
On the menu were humming birds,
stuffed with caviar; filet of Black sea
whale. regout of Caucasian ram and
other dishes. Spiced wines, such as
figured at the banquests Of Caesar,
were served the guests In silver COB
let's, one Of which was shared By each
guests and his partner.
With the serving Of Egyptian
liqueurs two Of the women guests
are said to have plunged practically
unclothed into the tank Of champagne
Whispered reports Of tho Roman
sports" that followed tho banquest
shocked all blase Paris.