| Show THE QUEENS TASTE tJ An Interesting Letter on HOT Royalty Entertains ENTERTAINMENT AT BUCKINGHAM Louis XIV Le Grand Monarque Was Magnificent Entertainer Stand Back and Let the King Go By NEW YORK June 41ED1 Special correspondence corre-spondence of THE HEIULDThrones dominations princedoms virtues powers When we approach the subject of rOJal entertainments we cannot but feel thatth best of us are at a disadvantage They have palaces and retainers furnished for them They have a purse which knows no end They are either by the divine righl or by lucky chance the personages of the hour It is only when one of thorn lose his head or is forced to abdicate or falls by the assassins dagger that they approach at all our common humanity Doubtless to them entertaining being a perfunctory affair it becomes very tedious Pomp is not an amusing circumstance and they get so tired of it all that when off duty kings and queens are usually the mos plainly dressed and the most simple of mortals mor-tals The ago of strut has passed away No one dares much to assume the puffiness of Louis XIV or George IV ROTAL ENTERTAINMENTS however have this advantage They opei to the observer the historical palace and the pictures gems of art and interesting collections of which palaces are the grea conservators It seems that Louis XIV called Le Grand Monarque Louis the magnificent was a master of the art of entertaining Under him the science of giving banquet received in common with the other science great progressive impulse There still remains re-mains some memory of these festivals which all Europe went to see and thes tournaments where for tho last time shone the lances and the knightly suits of armor Tne festival always ended with a sumptuous sumptu-ous banquet where were displayed huge centre pieces of gold and silver painting and sculpture and enamel all being tributary tribu-tary to the hero of the occasion This fashion made the fameof Benvenuti Cellini in Italy in the previous century Today MONAKCHS CONTEXT THEMSELVES with having these center pieces of cake sugar or ices There will be no record of their great feasts for future ages Towards the end of the reign of Louis XIV the cook the corden bleu receive favorable notice his name was written beside be-side that of his patron he was called in after dinner It is mentioned in some of the English memoirs that this fashion wa not unknown so lately as fifty years ago in great houses in England where the cool was called in in his white cap and apron publicly thanked for his efforts and a glass of wine offered him by his master all the < company drinking his health This must have had an excellent effect on the art of gastronomy Mme de Maintenon whose gloomy sway over tho old King reduced tho gay court to < the loneliness of an empty cathedral threv a wet napkin in the science of good eating and put out the kitchen fires for a season Queen Anne however was POND OP GOOD CHEER and consulted with her cook Many cookery cook-ery books have this qualification afte Queen Annes fashionS fashion-S Cnder the Regent Orleans a princely prince in spite of his faults the art of good eating and entertaining was revived and he has left a reputation for piques of superlative super-lative delicacy matelops of tempting quality and turkeys superbly stuffed The reign of Louis XV was equally favorable fa-vorable to the art of entertaining The eighteen years of peace had made France rich a spirit of conviviality was diffused amongst all classes And the proper setting of the table the order neatness and ele pance as essentials of a wellordered mea date from this reign It is from this period that the history of the petit supers de Choisj begins We need hardly go into that history his-tory of all that was reckless witty gay and dissolute in the art of entertaining but atone at-one item a floor was constructed so that THE TABLE AKD SIDEBOARD SANK into the lower story after each course to be immediately replaced by others which ros covered with a fresh course we may imagine im-agine its luxury and detail The famous Louis XV was proficient ir the art of cookery he also worked tapestry with his own hand We should linger ovei his feasts with more pleasure had they nol led on to the French revolution as a horrible horri-ble dessert His carving knives became later on the guillotine Under Louis XIV there was a constant improvement in all the occupations which are required in the preparation of food cooks tratteurs pastry cooks confectioners confection-ers and the art of preserving food so that one could have the fruits of summer in the midst of winter all were started then although al-though the art of canning may safely be aid to belong to our own timemuch later on In the year 1740 a dinner was served ic this order Soup followed by the bouilli AX ENTREE OP VEAL cooked In its own gravy as a side dish Second course A turkey a dish of vegetables vegeta-bles a salad and sometimes a cream Dessert Cheesefruit and sweets Plates are changed only thrice after the soup at the second course and at dessert Coffee was rarely served but cherry brandy or seme liquor was passed t The reign of Louis XVUL who grew to tc an immensely fat man was a remarkable gastronome Lot anyone read Victor Hugos Les Miserables and an account of his reign to get an idea of this magnificent magnifi-cent entertainer His most famous maitre d hotel was the duo d Escars When he and his royal master were closeted together to meditate a dish the miniswrs of state were kept waiting in the antechamberand the next day an official announcement was made Monsieur le Due d Escars a tra vaille dans le cabinet S How strangely would it affect the American Amer-ican people if President Harrison KEPT THEM WATTING FOR HIS SIGNATURE because he was discussing terrapin with S Madeira sauce with his chef The King had invented the truffles a la puree d ortolaus and invariably prepared it himself assisted by the Duke On one occasion they jointly composed a dish of more than ordinary dimensions and duly consumed the whole of it In the night the Duke was seized with a fit of indigestion and his case was declared hopeless Loyal to the last he ordered an attendant to wake and inform the King who might be exposed to a similar attack His Majesty was roused accordingly and was told that d Escars was dying of his invention = Dying exclaimed the King Well I always said I had the best stomach of the S two twoSo much for the gratitude of kings The c Parisian restaurants those worldrenowned S Edens of the gastronomer were formed and founded on the theories of THESE COOKERTLOVING KINGS But political disturbances were to intervene inter-vene in the year 1770 after the glorious day of Louis XIV Tne wild dissipation of the Regency after the long tranquillity under un-der the ministry of Fleury travelers arriv inc in Paris found its resources very poor as to good cheer But that soon mended itself S it-self It was not until about 1814 that the parent par-ent of Parisian restaurants Beauvilliers made himself a cosmopolitan reputation by S feeding the allied armies He learned to k EtLcdish and in that way was most S + 5 n popular He had a prodigious memory and would recognize and welcome men who had dined at his house twenty years bef reIn re-In this he was like General Grant and the Prince of Wales It is a very popular f acuity ac-uity Beauvilliers Meot Robert Rose Lcgac que the Brothers Very Hennevan and I Balcine are the noble army of Argonauts in deserving the Parisian restaurant i OU RATHER ThEY FOUNDED IT The Brothers Very and the Trols Freres Prevsnceaux both in the Palais Royal are still great names to compete with When the allied monarchs held Paris in 1814 the two Brothers Very supplied their table for a daily charge of 120 not including wine and in Pere la Chaise a magnificent monument monu-ment is erected to one Jot them declaring I that his whole life was consecrated to the I useful arts as it doubtless was I From that day until 1S91 what an advance ad-vance Therpis now a restaurant in nearly every street in Paris where one can get a good dinner What a crowd of them it the Champs Elysees and out in the Bois A Parisian dinner is thoroughly cosmopolitan cosmo-politan and the best in the world when it is good Parisian cookery has declined of latin lat-in the matter of meats They are not as good as they ought to be these dinners BUT AS TO SAUCES they are so many and soflno that they have given rise to many proverbs The sauce is the ambassador of a king With such a sauce a man could eat his grandfather But leaving France for other shores for France has no monarch to entertain us now let us see how two reigning monarchs entertain en-tertain A presentation at the court of St James is a picturesque affair and worth seeing although al-though it is a fatiguing process A lady must be dressed at 11 oclock in the morning morn-ing in full court dress which means low neck and short sleeves with a train four yards long and three wide She must wear a white veil and have three feathers in her hair so that they can ba seen in front White gloves are also dcrtgueur and as they are seldom worn now except at weddings a lady has to remember to buy a pair The carriages approach Buckingham palace in along a-long queue and the lady waits an hour or more in lino exposed toT to-T E JEERS OF THE POPULACE who look in at carriage windows and make comments laugh and amuse themselves One hopes that this may do these ragamuffins ragamuf-fins some good as they look miserable enough Arriving in the noble quadrangle of Buckingham palace the musio of the Guards band enlivens one and the silent splendid figures of the Household troops the handsomest men in the world sit like statues on their horses No matter if the rain is pourkig as it generally is neither man or horse stirs Once inside the palace the card of entrance en-trance is taken by one of the Queens pages some other official takes the cloak and the lady wends her way up a magnificent staircase stair-case into another gallery out of which open many fine rooms Gentlemen of the Household House-hold in glittering uniforms and with orders ord-ers stand about in picturesque confusion The last room is filled with chairs and soon is filled with ladies and gentlemen waiting forT for-T l SUMMONS TO MOVE ON The gentlemen are all in velvet suits of black with knee breeches and a sword silk stockings and low shoes A slight commotion at the little turnstile gate tells you to take your turn you pass on with the others your name is loudly called you make three little courtesies to Her Majesty the Prince and Princess of Wales you see a little line of royalties you hear the words Your trainmadame it is thrown over yoar arm by some cavalier behind and all is over except that you are among your friends and see a glittering room full of peopleand realize that nothing is so bad as you had feared After about one hour you find your carriage and drive home or to your minist s fora cup of tea Then you receive if you are fortunate a great card from the lord chamberlain with the Queens command that you should be invited to a ball at Buckingham palace THIS IS A SIGHT TO SEE So splendid is the ball room so grand the elevated red sofas with the duchesses and their jewels Royalty enters about 11 oclock followed by all the ambassadors Of late years the Queen has relegated her place as hostess to the Princess of Wales but during the jubilee year she kept it and it was a beautiful sight to see the little woman all covered with jewels with her royal brood around her The royal family go in to supper through a lane of guests Tho supper room is adorned with the cold plates bought by George IV and many very fine pieces of plate given by other monarchs The eatables eat-ables and drinkables are what they would be at any great ball The prettiest entertainment of tne jubilee year was however the Queens garden party No one had seen that lovely park behind Buckingham palace for eighteen years when it was last used for the garden party given to the Khedive of Egypt Now it was filled with I A MOST PICTURESQUE GROUP The Indian princes with all their jewels their turbans their robes their dark handsome hand-some faces stood at the foot of a grand staircase which runs from the palace to the green turf Every other man was a king a prince a nobleman a great soldier a statesman a diplomat a somebody The women were all of course beautifully beauti-fully dressed in the luxury of a summer costume and the grounds full of ancient trees fountains artificial lakes with swans and marquees with refreshments were as pretty as only a royal English park can be Presently we heara the sound of bagpipes and a procession headed by these dancing Scotchmen came along It was the Queen with all her children and grandchildren ladies in waiting and many monarchs amongst whom marched Queen Kapolani of the Sandwich islands The Queen walked with cane the Prince of Wales by her side S THEY ALL STOPPED REPEVTEDLT and spoke to their guests on either side then the younger members of the family led the way to the refreshment tentswhere a truly regal buffet was spread There was much talk much music much laughter and no stiffness It was real hospitality In one of the windows of the palace stood looking out the Crown Prince of Germaoy later on to be the noble Emperor Em-peror FrederSckeven then feeling the pressure pres-sure of that malady which in another year was to kill him He who had been in the procession of princes on the great day so important and handsome a figure was 01 this day a silent observer The Queen after this gave an evening party to nIl the royalties sad the ambassadors ambassa-dors and many invited guests The hospitality of the Queen is of course regal but ncr dinners must of necessity be formal General Grant described his disappointment dis-appointment that he did not sit next to her when she invited him to Windsor but she had one of her children on either side and HE CAME NEXT TO PRINCESS BEATRICE The entertainments at Marlboro house are much less formal The Prince of Wales the most genial and hospitable of creatures cannot always pen up his delightful cordially cordial-ly behind the barriers of rank As for the King and Queen of Italy they do not try to restain their cordiality It is the most easygoing democratic and agreeable agree-able court in spite of its thousand years of grandeur The favored guest who is to be presented receives a card to the circle on a certain Monday evening The card prescribes low necked dress and any color but black To rive to the Quiriaal palace of a moonlight night in Rome is not an unpleasant journey The grand staircase all covered with scarlet scar-let carpet was lined with gigantic cuiras siers in scarlet who stood as motionless as statues We entered a grand hall frescoed by Domenichino How small we felt under hose gigantic figures We passed on to ANOTHER SALON FRESCOED BT JULIO ROMANS RO-MANS so on to another where a handsome cava ier Prince Vicovara received our cards and opening a door presented us to Mar chess Villamarina the Queens dearest friend and favorite lady in waiting We were arranged in rows around a long and handsome room Presently a little movement move-ment at the door and the deep courtesies of Princess Brancaccio and Princess Vi covara both Americans told us that the Queen had entered Truly a royal beauty I A wonder on a throne An accomplished scholar a thoughtful woman I Marguerite of Savoia I r is the rose of the Nineteenth century Her smile keeps Italy together She is the sweetest the most beautiful of all the queens and as she walks around accompanied by her ladies who introduce every one she speaks to him or her in his or her own language she is mistress often of-ten languages I After she had said a few orations words 3 WORDS THE QUEEN DISAPPEARED and the Villamarina asked us to take some refreshments saying I hope we will see you on Thursday The next day came an invitation to the grand court ball This is a very fine sight The King and Queen enter and take their places on a high estrade covered with a crimson velvet baldachin Then the ladies and gentlemen of the household and the ambassadors enter The Count Gianotti a very handsome Piedmontese the favorite friend of the King the perfect of the palace and master of ceremonies declared the ball opened and the Queen danced with the Baron KendalL The royal quadrille over dancing became general The King stood about looking soldierlike bored and silent A patriotic and brave man hates society The Queen does all the social work and she does it admirably ad-mirably What a company that was ALL TIlE ROMAN NOBILITT diplomatic corps the visitors to Rome SP QR The Senate and the Roman people After the dancing supper was announced Royalty does not sup in public in Rome as in England It is curious the difference in etiquette The King and Queen retired We went in as we pleased at 10 oclock had seats und supped gloriously The excellent ex-cellent Italian cookery of which we have spoken previously was served admirably The housekeeping at the Quirinal is excellent excel-lent such truffles The Queen of Italy moves about amongst the ambassadeurs wives and summons a stranger to her side if she wishes to speak to one A presentation to her is more personal per-sonal and gracious than any at any other court The fact of being presented at court resolves re-solves itself into advantages One sees the paraphernalia of royalty always amusing amus-ing and interesting to American eyes We see its poetry ITS ALMOST VANISHED MEANING more than they do Power even when it descends for a day on fresh republican shoulders is awe inspiring The boy who is a leader at school is more important than the boy who wari behind him A captain of thousands 11 as the old Greek term for leadership dignity and honor Therefore it is not snobbery desire to see these people peo-ple on whom have fallen the ermine of power It is snobbery to lid the dust before be-fore some unworthy vearer of a title but when as in the case of Marguerite of Sa voie there is a very good a very gifted avery a-very wonderful woman behind it all we are glad that she has been born to wear all these jewels Wo have in our minds one more picture and a very picturesque one In September lSS the Due dAosta brother to King Humbert married his niece Letitia Bonaparte daughter of the Princess Clotilde and Prince Jerome Bonaparte Bona-parte This marriage occurred at Turin A fine week of autumn weather was DEVOTED TO THIS CEREMONY It was a great gathering all the family of Victor Emmanuel The Pope had granted an especial dispensation to the nearly related re-lated couple This decree of consanguinity so repellent to us is not considered however how-ever as prejudicial to marriage is Spain Italy or Germany The King of Italy made this occasion of his brothers marriage an qpen door for the returning to the old Italian customs of past centuries in the art of entertaining The city of Turin was en fclc for the week At booths in the open air were strollint companies playing opera tragedy burlesque burles-que and farce At the Kings charger the streets wore lined with cay decorations of pink and white silk banners and escutcheons escutche-ons music was heard everywhere and at evening BRILLIANT ILLUMINATIONS FOLLOWED THE flYER When the royal cortege appeared on their way to a public square they were preceded by GOO young cavaliers in the dress of Prince Eugene Powdered hair bright red and blue coats each detachment escorting a royal carriage First came the King and Queen then tne bridal pair They mounted superb thing like a basket bas-ket of flowers in the piazza Vittorio Emmanuel Em-manuel where all the royalties sat around the bride Music and flags saluted them The vast crowd sat and looked at them for two hours A payly decorated balloon covered cov-ered with roses floated over the Queens head and finally as the rosy light faded away a gun from the fortress sounded the hour of departure The glittering cavalcade caval-cade drove back to the palace and we foreigners for-eigners knew that we had seen a real medieval medi-eval Italian festa M E W SHERWOOD |
