The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1845-10-29
LATEST INTELLIGENCE.
nv LAST EVENINGS MAIL.
Warrington.
TCorrespondeAce of the Herald.l

Society, Politics. Poetry, and Musicin Washington.
We have taken solid beet steak with our coffee
this evening" in order discuss, with the gravity OF
an alderman, the subject in hand Squire Thomp-
son never sat behind his magsteral counter, IN his
little wooden box, near Cops bowling saloon, IN
more medltative quiescent self-compacency.
We have most peculiar social organization in
Washington perfectly simple and natural to the mi
tiated, though entirely inscruable and inexplicabe
to the stranger in our borders. single glance at
the materials constituting the society Of the federal
city-the circumstances by which it is surrounded
the elements by which it is govemed-and the
means upon which it subsists, i'll afford the media
of fair general conclusion Of its character.
Robert Owen, the philanthropist, was here last
winter. After short sojoum, he came to the sage
decision that this was the point at which to COM
mence his grand scheme OF reorganization OF the
whole structure of society, upon something OF the
plan Of the Union Workhouse system Of England,
as tar as the metaphysics of Mr.. Owen were made
comprehensive at all. After repeated efforts to put
the ball in motion, he abandoned US, as Christ gave
up Jerusalem, to her obduracy, her idols, her vii.
full blindness, and her impending destruction. And
now let US consider what oui derellctons and
what the means of evadlng the consequences OF
continued trangresslon.
Beginning with John Tyler, Qor a bad beginning
is often good ending,) how was society organized
supreme administration 1t divided, and as
distinctly divided into classes castles the nation
OF the Hindoos. 1t was a mass OF homogeneous ele-
as hostile to assimilation AS the contents OF the
blue and white papers OF Seidlitz powder There
were extremes strongymarked as the line between
the Patricians and Pebeians OF Rome, with inter-
mediate connecting castles all the way down, each
aspiring 10 the first rank, and the first rank repelng
and repulslve to them all. They were divided some
Upper Circle, or the Elte-The President the
Cabinet, the corps diplomatique, members OF Con-
gress, officers of the army and navy, and distin-
guished strangers, such eXPresdents ex-Vlce
Presidents, ex-members of Congress, ex-cablnet
officers ex-ambassadors, ex-governors and Indian
chiefs.
Second Glass, or the Highly Respectable Mem
hers of Congress- editors, the mayor and the cor.
poration, auditors, chief clerks, dry goods mer-
chants, bankers and brokers, candidates for Of
fees above a thousand dollars, landlords OF the
principal hotels, lawyers and doctors, and men with
heavy claims upon the Government
Third Glass (according to regulation, bat first ac-
cordng to meri)-Mechanics workingmen, gro
Gerry merchants, and members OF Congress. .;..
These are the grand general divisions, which
were again subdivided into innumerable: ctiqMes-
the auditor at S3 600 year, esteemlng himself as
two full degrees each of thousand dollars superior
in standing to The thousand dollar clerk whatever
disproportion OF talents, refinement, learning, and
personal worth might attach TO the latter. And SO
on through all the gradatons down to the houest la
borer under Jenny Maher at dollar day.
uLs
member Of Congress was pre-eminent, and para,
mount-the redeeming personage-the invited
guest-the connecting link OF intercommunicaton.
FIe had the "open sesame alike to the Executive
Palace, and the den OF the forty thieves. Washed
or unwashed, it was "walk ln' to an M. 9. Wash
ington was built for his accommodation lie was
aware of that. Its citizens subsisted upon the
bounty OF Congress-they were but the tallors, the
shoemakers the retailers of refreshments, the bar
bers and boot-backs, and the chourIneurs of the
Senate and House of Representatives; and our
good denzens were fam to bow submlssivey to the
Indictment, from the humillating conviction, that
they were indeed the recipients IT Congress might
choose to bestow-the dependents upon the caprice
of perhaps, single vote OF a single member OF
either branch. Hence an M. G. In Washington
was, and is, an autocrat, an emperor, good Azure
Illus, or fddllng Nero, Peter the Great, dlspen-
sing improvements to the capital, or the basest OF
all the base Henrys, In the indulgence OF his high
authority to his own degradation.
General Jackson was too much busted with the
monster bank, and the destruction OF this hundred
headed hydrargos during his administration, to at
tend much to The local social concerns of the Fcde-
raj city-yet his example did much to soften the
shapeless features of mushroom aristocracy MIR.
Van Buren,, on the contrary, was too exclusively
employed In the regulation OF the Sub-Ireasury, the
Swartwouters, and the successon-too nicely band
bsXcal in his civic unfOrm-too courtly IN his con-
descension-too dignifed in his affabllity-too dis
trait in his social sassOclatlons-too much sepos-
sessed OF his high official position, to contribute
much to the democratzing of the exclusivesms of
Washington In any efficient degree.
But on the advent of John Tyler, a new epoch
dawned upon the golden or Augustan age to So
cial communion among our resident and stranger
population. 1t was like the proclamation of an in
diligence high and low, to the interchange OF the
better sympathies OF humanity. His administration
in this respect, excluding its righteousness, came
upon us like the reign of Charles the Second, alter
the bloody Protectorate OF the lndomltable Crom-
we'll And not more prominent will the vetoes Of
John Tyler, or his treaty OF annexation, or his Bal
| tlmore Convention gotten up on his own hook or
htq ifar mr. ka n
Washington, too late for the steamboat-not more
| prominent will these things stand upon the history
OF the government than will the public social re-
unions introduced by the immortal Virginian as a
social feature OF the Federal Administration. 1t was
| an exchange of the frgd conventionaltes of Bos-
| tom for the unfettered cvites of the Royal Car
| dens of Paris. And what were these features of
| social improvement, to which we attach much
| Importance.
| First The seml-weekly concerts by the Marine
| Band at the gardens of the White House, and the
! Capitol alternately.
| Second. The semi-monthly winter reunions Of
the people in the East Room, and the cotillion par
| ties such occasions, free to all corners.
| Nothing could have been desired better adapted
to the blending and harmonising of all the elements
Of society than these innovations of John Tyler
| Nothing so efficient and operative to the extln-
gulshment Of distance and prejudice between the
elite" and "poor but respectable" Gas if without
| with crime) And while these popular reunions
tended to improve the heart Of the aristocrat-they
had an equal tendency to the abatement of the en-
| Wy and preludlces OF the humber classes Let us
| give single illustration.
Some three days before the dreadful disaster on
the Princeton, there public hop one starlight
| night in the East Room, where the laced coats Of
foreign ministers, the epaueltes OF army and navy
| officers the diamonds and jewels OF the topmosr
| circle were informing theValencia waistcoats
of members of Congress, the substantial velvet of
the worklngman, the homespun coat OF the farmer,
| and the unflounced and simplified cacoes OF the
! daughters of the stamina Of the land
| "'rwas such time Of joyous mirth,
As seldom may be seen"
| In the same cotillion might have been observed
| long John Wentworth and the worthy brlcklayer,
| young ohm Tyler Zone Of the most elegant men OF
the age,) and the mechanics daughter, the prospec
| tive mistress Of the mansion and the mechanics
| equally handsome representative, while the lament
! ed and amiable Gllmer and Upshur, and Gardiner,
| 10 our personal observation were eychannn No oan