I
have another “On This Day” story for you today folks. It is also a Mark Twain
story, so it is double the fun. So, without further ado, let me begin ….
On
this day in 1881 was held the First Annual Festival of the New England Society
of Pennsylvania. One hundred and fifty gentlemen (no ladies of course) sat down
to a fine feast inspired with enthusiasm if not historical accuracy by the
events of 1620. The banquet was reported in detail in the Philadelphia Press the following day:-
NEW
ENGLAND'S SONS.
________________________________________
FIRST
FESTIVAL OF PENNSYLVANIA'S
PILGRIM
DESCENDENTS
________________________________________
A
Notable Dinner at the Continental Hotel --
Addresses
by President Rollins, Senator Frye,
Gov.
Hoyt, President Hopkins, and Mark Twain.
The main dining-room of
the Continental Hotel presented a beautiful and picturesque scene last night on
the occasion of the First Annual Festival of the New England Society of
Pennsylvania. The society was formed a few weeks since by residents of this
city who are natives of or descendants from good old Puritan stock. The object
of the association is good-fellowship and the honoring of a worthy ancestry, of
which all the sons of New England are justly proud. The day fixed for the
annual festival, the 22nd of December, is "Forefathers' Day," the
anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers. The society determined to
make their first festival a notable one, and to that end invited many notable
descendants of the Eastern States, who showed their appreciation by attending
in person. The dinner hour was fixed last evening at six o'clock, and
notwithstanding the stormy weather, the members and guests began to arrive
promptly on time. They were ushered into Parlor C, where the president of the
society, E.A. Rollins, and Gov. Hoyt, a vice-president, held an informal
reception. Never was there seen a more solid and respectable gathering of
business men, leaders of the bench and bar, newspaper editors and proprietors,
clergymen and college professors, all gathered to do honor to their native
section of country. The tall form of President Hopkins, of Williams College,
was seen in the throng as he conversed with Admiral George H. Preble. Senator
Frye, of Maine, stood chatting with Governor Hoyt. Mark Twain stood in one
corner uttering drolleries which caused his auditors to guffaw in a manner
highly reprehensible in staid and sober citizens. John Welsh conversed with
Frederick Fraley, and Rev. H. Clay Trumbull, secretary of the society, darted
hither and thither, arranging things generally for the event.
THE GENTLEMEN PRESENT
At seven o'clock the
line was formed, and headed by President E.A. Rollins and Professor Hopkins, of
Williams College, the members and guests proceeded to the dining-room.
President Rollins took his seat at the centre of the north table. On his right
were Professor Hopkins, Professor Daniel E. Goodwin, D.D., LL. D., one of the
society's vice-presidents; John Welsh, Rear-Admiral Geo. H. Preble, Frederick
Fraley, Henry Winsor, Clayton McMichael, James L. Claghorn, Calvin Wells, of
Pittsburg; Charles Emory Smith, of THE PRESS, and Rev. H. Clay Trumbull,
secretary. On his left were Senator W.P. Frye, of Maine; Governor Hoyt, Samuel
L. Clemens (Mark Twain), Lieutenant Thackara, U.S.N.; Rev. W.N. McVickar, Judge
Allison, Rev. George Dana, Boardman Chaplain, and Clarence H. Clark, treasurer
of the society.
Among the other
prominent persons seated at the tables were E. Dunbar Lockwood, who talked
reform with Amos R. Little. H.W. Pitkin and other members of the Committee of
One Hundred; Rev. Charles G. Amos, the noted Unitarian clergyman; Francis D.
Lewis, A.G. Heaton. The Reading Railroad was represented by President Frank S.
Bond, Secretary Kinsley, Receiver Stephen A. Caldwell, directors George F. Tyler,
E.W. Clark, and the company attorneys, Samuel Dickson, Judge Asbhel Green, of
New Jersey, the McCalmont brothers' counsel also chatted with the party. Some
of the others were: A.C. Hetherington, General McCartney, E.P. Borda, George
Russell, H.W. Bartol, B.H. Atwood, N.P. Storey, Joseph P. Mumford, Dr. H.M.
Howe, John P. Thayer, Sidney Tyler, Dr. Forrest, E.W. Clark and B.B. Comegys,
the bankers, Chas. M. Jackson, C.A. Kingsbury, J.C. Collins, T.B. Merrick,
Frank O. Allen, G.A. Bigelow, C.E. Morgan, Jr., Walter McMichael, Nelson F.
Evans, C.F. Richardson, G. Cornish, John Welsh Dulles, C.H. Brush, Robert N.
Wilson, Walter H. Tilden, Charles P. Turner, Dr. J.F. Stone, and J.E. Graff.
Altogether one hundred and fifty gentlemen sat down.
THE BANQUETTING ROOM.
The room was elegantly
and most appropriately decorated. The chandeliers were festooned with smilax.
Hanging-baskets were suspended along the walls and before the windows. At the
eastern end of the room were stately palms, graceful camelias and rare plants
perfuming the air with fragrance. A magnificent design composed of immortelles
in red, yellow and purple, was prominent at this end of the hall. It bore in
large letters the inscription:
December
22,
1620-1881
Along the north end of
the hall a long table was ranged, at which the officers and distinguished
guests were seated as given above. Extending transversely from this were
several other long tables, around which were placed the members.
Beside each plate lay a
toast list, printed on hand-made paper of the style of two centuries ago. There
was also a menu of the most artistic and original design. It was printed in
chocolate-colored ink, and bore on the first page a representation of the
Mayflower making her perilous voyage, with the Pilgrim Fathers on board. On the
last page was a portrait of John Alden's Priscilla, one of whose descendants
was present at the festival. The bill of fare was printed in antique type, and
was as follows:
THE
FIRST ANNUAL FESTIVAL
--OF--
THE
NEW ENGLAND SOCIETY
--OF--
PENNSILVANIA,
Thursday
Eveninge, December 22, 1881.
YE
LISTE OF DISHES FOR YE FESTIVAL.
Oysters
from Chasepack Bay in their Shells.
Green
Turtle Soupe.
Boyled
Salmon with Sauce of Shrimps.
Cucumbers.
*Pates
a la Reine.
Fillet
of Beef Garnyshed with Mushrooms.
Roaste
Turkey from Cape Cod, with Cranberries.
Potatoes.
Strynge Beans. Pease.
Pork
and Beans. Stewed Terrapin.
1620 1881
Sherbot.
Cigarettes.
Canvas-back
Duck. Partridge.
Lettuce
Salading Dressed in Oyle.
Puddings
with Plumbs.
Mince
Pie. Pumpkin Pie.
Frozen
Sweete Thynges, also Jellies and Cakes.
Several
Sorts of Nuts and Fruits.
Coffee.
*Lyttle
Pies such as the Queen of France doth love.
Pâtes
à la Reine were a staple at nineteenth century banquets, and I have chosen them
as the feature dish for the day. I give you the recipe from Cookery for English households, by a French
lady (London, 1864):-
Petits pâtes à la reine.
Line twelve small
moulds about as large as an apple with a pate brisée (see No. 516), and fill up
the inside with the fillets of a fowl, cut in small dice, and warmed up in a
bechamelle (see No. 46, page 25); place a very thin piece of puff paste, like
No. 515 page 209, over the plates, and set them in a moderate oven. They
require about ten minutes' baking.
Observation.—It
is easy to see that many different petits plates may be made in following the
rules given above. If any meat remains, it may be cut in dice and warmed up in
a thick sauce (see any of the sauces given in Chapter IV.), then put inside a
mould, like Petits pâte's a la reine,
No. 519. Salmon, trout, lobster, cray fish, shrimps, turbot, pike, oysters,
calf's brains, sweetbreads, &c. &c. may be cooked a la poulette (see
No. 323, page 129), or in a bechamelle (see No. 46, page 25), and put inside
petits pates; only be careful to remember that whenever you put sauce inside it
should be thick, and be careful to
use only pate brisee, like No. 516. If you used puff paste all the sauce would
run through.
You may use preserves
inside, and in that case use puff paste; it will then be an entremets.
If anything but sweets
is put inside petits plates, serve them as entrees.
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