The mountain Democrat., 1863-01-10
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Society at Washington.

L nc w dSnlnHtOn correspondent OF the
Ledger says that very few foreign minis.
ters were present at the opening of Con-
gress. The Fl ench and English ministers
were both absent. We see nothing WON
derful in this. Congress has become
such contemplate body that even a
minister from Liberia or IIayti might af
ford to despise it. Foreign ministers have
become so disgusted with the ignorance,
vulgarity and bufFoonery in official circles
at Washington that they have, many of
them, removed to New York, SO that they
may avoid the necessity of making mere
visits Of courtesy to the White House and
to Cabinet officials. They only encounter
our President and Cabinet when they are
| compelled tO-when actual business re.
quires them to do so. BY residing in
New York, they escape the necessity Of
attending state dinners at the White
House, and this, during this Adminstra-
ton, must be great relief to any we'll.
bred man, and our own people ought to
be thankful that so few foreign represcn.
tatives are present on such occasions to
observe the disgraceful caricaturing Of
good breeding, and the ludicrous attempts
at style and gentility on the part of those
who, for the present, miSrcpresent the
American people.
The change in Washington society is
remarked by all visitors to that city. But
few well-bred people, and but few honest
people, are now to be found there. In
place Of such, we now see lank, lantern
jawed Now Englanders, many of them of
a poor, parson.ike aspect, in faded black,
SOiled linen, and once white choakerS, with
blue cotton umbrellas. and cheap oil-cloth
satchels, halffi!led with crackers and
cheese. These gentlemen are chiefly ap-
plicants for chaplainsh!ps in the arlHy =
They wear very sanctmoniOus air, rub
their hands unctuously together (when
they are not engaged with the cotton UNI
| brcllas and oil-coth satchels,) roll up their
eyes piously and comb their hair back of
their cars. \ set Of meaner biSots and
more profound ignoramuscs could not be
found on the face of the earth.
Another large class of people now in
Washington are the contractors and con.
Observation-Disclosures and swindlers
generally, who are too well known to need
description at our hands. Then we have
abolition emissaries and apostles of every
variety, who are in Washir gton to urge
extreme emancipation measures and to
pick up whatever of plund,r they cam
These men are generally the friends and
associates Of the abolition members of
Congress, and are of similar grade in
the social, moral and intellectual scale.
Add to these the correspondents of the
abolition press, and such wretches as For.
ncy, who do the obsequious for their
bread and butter. and you have toler-
able idea Of the chief elements OF Wash
ingtOn society at present, so far as the
male sex arc concerned. The females
present are, Of course, the wives and
daughters Of these, and Of course are
their fit companions. The Sharp.nosed,
sharp-voiced daughters of New England
are the ruling spirits at present. They all
spell COW, k-eo-w, and pronounce it ac-
cordingIy, and express wonder in such
terms as Now, | want tu know!" "Du
tell " etc. and invariably ask their neigh.
bors what they had to pay " for this or
that article Of clothing. If in the society
of foreign minister and his lady, these
"ladies " would, Of course, ask them the
cost of each and every article of their
dress: how much dried apples and maple
sugar are worth where they came from,
and how much wages their kings, queens
and cmperorS received.
Is it any wonder that foreign ministers
did not attend the opening of Congress-
that they refuse to reside in Washington
at this time ?-[Philadelphia Ev'ng Jour
nal.