The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-05-24

There is good sense in the following,
which We copy from W Washington letter
to the N. Y Independent, the corre-
spondent being lady:
At a small and select party, the other
evening, learned Senator made me
wonder how old the world would be
when great men should speak TO women
SIS If they were sensible beings. This
gentleman had been conyersing with a
brother Senator on subjacts OF public
moment, which interest US ali, touching
as nearly the women who love their coun-
try as the men Anybody with a tolera
bic knowledge of the English language
could have understood that conversation.
At least the wife Of the Senator stood
listening with keen interest But when
the gentleman turned TO address her, he
altered his voice, he changed his man
ner, as with one vast effort he dropped
to the level of small talk. And oh.
what do you think was the first thing he
told her? A fb, of course. He told ner
she looked charming" the poor thing,
standing there faded and jaded, in the
ptiless gas light. Then he asked her
how many receptions she had attended
during the season. Then he remarked
=
more to say Then he looked awfully
bored Then he wondered when supper
wonld be ready The lady felt instinct
lively that the learned man supposed, as
a matter of course, that she had neither
knowledge nor interest in any subject
which could possibly interest him. Tim
id and sensitive, she did not dare to de-
stroy that supposition by broaching a
subject or expressing an opinion, lest
this strong minded man should sudden
ly change his mind, and think her
strong minded and unfeminine. This
lady had read much, and thought more.
aud felt most keenly on every subject of
public and private veal. And this wise
man, in showing what he supposed to be
his superiority. showed only how very
stupid even wise man may be Thus,
| am afraid that the world Will be very
old before men will realize that they can
talk aught but the smallest CT talk 70 wo-
men whom they meet in society But,
Monseigneurs, pray do not make too
great an effort to descend to the level of
our ompIohen3ion. A woman need not
be formidabiy strong minded, nor
frightfully literary, nor painfully scien.
tile, to have common seuse, and to talk
sensbiy on all general subjects Wo-
men read newspapers with as much a
vidi.y as men; and who can read news
papers and remain ignorant of the great
questions of the day? With all our
schools, the press is an ever present ed
.uc&tor. Thus, my dear sir, very often,
when you are making yourself ridicu-
lous for the special benefit of lady, she
is silently gauging your comprehension,
and touching bottom all the while.
1t is lamentahle that our fashionable
soirees and receptions, in their social and
mental tone, are thin, flimsy and frivo
lous BAD dressing. bad mir and bad
hours make them almost damnable.-
Wherefore is it that, with all the gifted
and cultivated men and women who
gather here every year, we do not re
new, in our republican capital, with pa
rer morality and finer enthusiasm. the
6Hreaur d esprit of the eighteenth centJI-
ry? Those polished and elegant Assem-
hles which did so mnch III the highest
sense TO make Paris the capital of the
world, how they would soften away the
crudene-s and coarseness Of Washing
ton. 7 an not talking Of set literary
and art gatherings, where people talk
nothing but books and high art in
phrases which neither themselves nor
any one else can understand; but of
those assemblases of the gifted and the
good, where, in genial intercourse and
free exchange Of opinion, the intellect is
aroused, thought quickened, talent en-
couraged and genius won from its soil
tudes; where politics, philosophy and
poetry. religion and beauty, meet and
commingle