CHAPTER XLI. GAY AND FESTIVE SCENES.
New Year's Day has always been celebrated at the National Capital in the style which President Washington inaugurated when the Federal Government was located at New York. The foreign Ministers and the Government dignitaries go in state to pay their respects to the President, after which the old Knickerbocker custom of visiting friends generally is kept up. One is certain to see at the White House on New Year's Day all the prominent people of both sexes in Washington. Then, too, it is the only place in the metropolis where the ladies can pass in review all of the new toilets, and see what the leaders of fashion have designed since last season. It is the only place where there is room for a large crowd to move about easily and where the full effect of brilliant dressing can be displayed. The ladies invited to receive with the President, with many others, are in evening costume, although walking-costumes are not uncommon.
President Arthur's first New Year's reception was a brilliant affair. Mrs. Frelinghuysen accompanied the President into the Blue Room, and stood next to his sister, Mrs. McElroy, at his right hand, with the wives of the other ministers of the Cabinet. When his daughter and niece came in, he welcomed them with a happy smile and bent down and kissed them. Their simple white ribbon sashes were in refreshing contrast with the gorgeous costumes of the diplomats.
Brilliant as were the diamonds of Madame de Struve, the wife of the Russian Minister, and effective as was the bronze golden silk dress, trimmed with gold beads, of the wife of Attorney-General Brewster, the "observed of all observers" was Dr. Mary Walker, who came tripping in with elastic step, shook hands with President Arthur, and was profusely poetical in wishing him the compliments of the season. She wore a black broadcloth frock coat and pantaloons, and carried a high black silk hat in her left hand, while in her right she flourished a slender cane. After leaving the President, she passed along the line of ladies who received with him, giving to each a sweeping bow, and then went into the East Room, where she was carefully scrutinized by the ladies.
Senator Hoar gave a most enjoyable dinner to a party of gentlemen invited by him to meet Mr. Justice Gray, after his appointment to the bench of the Supreme Court. It was given at the hotel of Mr. Wormley, the friend of Charles Sumner, and the guests assembled in a parlor containing much of the furniture which adorned the house of the great Senator. The guests met about seven o'clock, and after an exchange of salutations, the large doors which form one side of the room were thrown open, and Senator Hoar informally invited those present to gather around the magnificently furnished table which presented itself. Covers were laid for thirty-six persons, and the china, the silver, and the glassware were all rare and of beautiful design. A belt of flowers encircled the table in front of the plates, and within this inclosure were mounds of rare exotics and quaintly constructed ornaments of confectionery. The place of each guest was marked by a card, on which his name was printed, and on this was an exquisite button-hole bouquet. The bills of fare were on large sheets of cardboard, handsomely engraved, and the succession of thirteen courses, beginning with oysters and ending with coffee, was an epicurean treat. In accordance with Washington etiquette, President Arthur sat at the host's right hand, and on his right sat Judge Gray. At the left of the host sat Chief Justice Waite; directly opposite sat Senator Dawes; at the right hand end of the long table was George Bancroft, and at the left hand end was Representative Harris. There was not, of course, any speech-making or drinking of healths, but after the dessert had been served, gentlemen left their seats and sat in little groups around the table, chatting pleasantly until after midnight. Taken as a whole, dinner and guests, it was the finest entertainment that I have ever seen in Washington—and I have seen a great many.
President Arthur's first state dinner was given in honor of General and Mrs. Grant. The parlors and the East Room were profusely decorated with flowers, and in the dining-room were palm trees and other exotics massed in the corners, while the mantels were banked with cut flowers. There were thirty-four plates on the long table, in the centre of which was a plateau mirror, on which were roses and lilies of the valley. On either side of it were tall gilt candelabra bearing eleven wax lights each, and beyond these large gilt epergnes overflowing with Marechal Niel roses. At the end of the mirror were pairs of silver candelabra bearing shaded wax lights and oval cushions of white camelias set with roses and orchids. At the extreme ends were round pieces of bon silene roses and lilies of the valley. Around this elaborate centre decoration were ranged crystal compotes and cut-glass decanters. Large, flat corsage bouquets of roses, tied with satin ribbons, were laid at each lady's plate, and small boutonnieres of rosebuds were provided for the gentlemen. The cards were of heavy gilt-edge board, embossed with the national coat-of-arms in gold, below which the name of each guest was written. The Marine Band performed selections from popular operatic music.
The guests were received by President Arthur in the East Room. At eight o'clock dinner was announced, and the guests repaired to the dining-room in the following order, each lady taking a seat at the right hand of the gentleman who escorted her: President Arthur, escorting Mrs. Grant, who wore a white satin dress with low neck and long train deeply flounced with lace, and a profusion of diamonds; General Grant, escorting Mrs. Frelinghuysen, who wore a black velvet dress with flowing train, opening in front, and showing a petticoat of plaited black satin; Secretary Frelinghuysen, escorting Mrs. Lincoln, who wore a black velvet dress with sweeping train and rich jet trimmings; General Sherman, escorting Miss Beale, who wore a white satin dress with a train of silver brocade, trimmed at the neck and sleeves with Valenciennes lace; Admiral Porter, escorting Miss Coleman, who wore a dress of terra-cotta satin trimmed with flowered brocade and lace; Senator Anthony, escorting Mrs. Logan, who wore a magnificent dress of wine-colored velvet trimmed with Pompadour brocade; Senator Miller, escorting Mrs. Kinsley, who wore a ball-dress of cardinal satin trimmed with brocade; Senator Jones, of Nevada, escorting Mrs. Beale, who wore a white satin dress trimmed with lace; Senator Cameron, of Pennsylvania, escorting Mrs. John Davis, who wore a ball-dress of white satin trimmed with lace; General Beale, escorting Miss Frelinghuysen, who wore a dress of marine-blue velvet, with a long train trimmed with iridescent bugles; Secretary Folger, escorting Miss Cutts, who wore white satin trimmed with lace; Secretary Lincoln, escorting Mrs. Secretary Chandler, who wore an exquisite dress of pale blue surah and crape; Postmaster-General Howe, escorting Mrs. Teller, who wore a dress of white satin; Attorney- General Brewster, escorting Mrs. Cameron, who wore a pink satin dress elaborately trimmed with ruffles of rare lace; Secretary Chandler, escorting Mrs. Brewster, who wore a dress of cardinal satin with a court train embroidered with gold in large figures; Secretary Teller, escorting Miss Totten, who wore white satin trimmed with white ruchings.
Dinner was served in fourteen courses, with which there were served eight varieties of wines, each variety having its appropriate wine- glass. The guests were two hours at the table, and the menu was eulogized, especially the terrapin, which was highly commended by the epicures who enjoyed it.
Mr. Blaine was a prominent figure in Washington society, both social and political, after he left the Department of State, and there was always a great desire to know his opinions on passing events. His heath was excellent, and he never appeared to greater advantage. Tall and portly, yet graceful in movement, his wealth of white hair set off his mobile, expressive features, with their never-quiet dark eyes.
The new house built by Mr. Blaine in the northwestern part of Washington was an imposing structure, covering an area of about seventy by seventy-five feet, and it was solid and substantial from its steep roof to its roomy basement. The spacious halls and stairways were wainscoted, finished, and ceiled in oak; the drawing- room, the dining-room, and the library were furnished in solid mahogany; and the chambers were finished in poplar and pine. The great charm of the house was that each and every room, large and small, had its open fire-place, some of them surrounded by beautiful mantel-pieces, with carved wood and mirrors. It was, indeed, an English house, with its comforts set off by many Yankee contrivances.
In this house, on a bright morning of early spring, Colonel John T. Coppinger, of the United States army, was married to Miss Alice Stanwood Blaine. President Arthur adjourned the regular meeting of the Cabinet that he and his constitutional advisers might attend. The Speaker of the House, with the Maine Senators and Representatives, left their Congressional duties in order to be present. The Diplomatic Corps, doubtless remembering the courtesies which they received from Mr. Blaine when Secretary of State, was out in full force. The army and navy were largely represented, the elite of fashionable society was present, and there was a good representation of the press. All had congregated to show their good wishes toward the family of the young bride.
Colonel Coppinger, who belongs to an old Roman Catholic family in Ireland, served gallantly in the Papal Army, and coming to this country in 1861, was commissioned in the Fourteenth Infantry. He received two brevets for "gallant and meritorious services" in a score of engagements, and after having displayed great energy in command of troops operating against the Indians, he was made Acting Inspector-General on the staff of General Pope, a position only given to those thoroughly versed in the manual, the drill, the equipment, and the discipline of the army. He was forty-nine years of age, tall, erect, with clear, hazel eyes, gray hair and whiskers, and a martial deportment.
Twelve o'clock, noon, was the hour fixed for the ceremony, and soon after that time conversation was suddenly hushed, as the Rev. Dr. Chapelle, of St. Matthew's Church, took his assigned position. He wore a black robe with a cape, and carried a small prayer-book, from which he subsequently read the brief service used when a Roman Catholic is wedded to one not belonging to that Church. A moment later Mrs. Blaine came down the broad staircase on the arm of her eldest son, Mr. Walker Blaine. She wore a high-necked corsage of wine-colored velvet, with a satin dress and train of the same color, trimmed with lace.
Soon the bride came down the staircase leaning on the arm of her father, who appeared somewhat impressed by the solemnity of the occasion. She wore a dress of white satin with a sweeping train trimmed with crystal, while an ample veil partially concealed her youthful features and slight form. She carried a bouquet of roses and lilies-of-the-valley. Behind her came her only attendant, her young sister, Miss Hattie Blaine, who was dressed in white. Mr. Blaine's other two sons and Miss Abigail Dodge, of Hamilton, Massachusetts, followed.
At the improvised altar, Colonel Coppinger, attended by Lieutenant Emmet, of the Ninth Cavalry, advanced to claim his bride. As the happy pair knelt before the altar, Mr. and Mrs. Blaine and Miss Hattie stood at their right, and President Arthur, George Bancroft, and Miss Dodge stood at their left. The service was quickly performed, and after the parents, President Arthur was the first to salute the bride. The guests were then presented seriatim to Colonel and Mrs. Coppinger, and if good wishes could have been regarded as an augury of their future, there could have been no doubt of their good fortunes.
After congratulations had been offered, President Arthur escorted the bride to the large dining-room. There a table was bountifully spread, while on a sideboard were boxes of wedding-cake to be sent to friends at a distance. It was not long before the bridegroom and bride left the festive scene to array themselves for their journey, and they quietly departed from the house to take the train for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Taken as a whole, the wedding surpassed any similar festal scene ever witnessed at Washington, and was a hearty manifestation of good feeling toward the happy couple and the parents of the bride.
One of the most charming houses in Washington was that occupied for some years by the British Legation, and which Admiral Porter rebuilt and refurnished with a portion of the large sum of prize- money received by him during the war. It was a model of good taste and luxury, elegant without display, and perfect in all its appointments. The square hall, with tessellated marble floor, led into a suite of three parlors, opening into each other by arched- ways, heavily draped with satin damask. The central parlor was upholstered in crimson velvet, that on the right in drab, and that on the left in blue. The hangings and furniture were of colors to match. The marble mantels were decorated with articles of virtu, and rare painting adorned the walls. Leading from the crimson parlor was a long, wide ball-room, with waxed and polished floor, and rows of seats for the accommodation of dancers and spectators. Numberless crystal chandeliers emitted a flood of softened light, while flowers bloomed everywhere in pots, vases, and baskets in indescribable profusion.
[Facsimile] Robert T. Lincoln ROBERT TODD LINCOLN, eldest child of Abraham Lincoln, born at Springfield, Ill., August 1st, 1843; graduated at Harvard, 1864; member of General Grant's staff during the last month of the war; admitted to practice law in Chicago, 1867; Secretary of War under Presidents Garfield and Arthur, March 5th, 1881 - March 6th, 1885.