The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-18

The Dreary Life of Ladies at IN
Executive MansiOn---Their Quite
and Their Drudgeries.
From the New York Tines.
Look at the ladies of the Whit
house. They are condemned to fou
years OF imprisonment During all tina
Lme they must not pay a visit or at
tend an evening entertainment Miss
Lane occasionally went out TO q ball Of
party, but very seldom; Mrs. Lincoln,
never and it has gradually come to be
considered undignihed for "the first
ladies in the land" to mingle freely in
the gayeties Of the season
Then, as for visiting at home, twice a
week they must stand up and receive
for many hours the herd who flock to
see them mostly from the merest curl
osity, while at all times they are liable
to the visits of importunate or imperti-
nent people, who will intrude upon
their privacy. The very house they
live in is not their own; it is a "fur-
nlshed house" Of the usual description,
without comforts, dreary, dirty, and
just now dilapidated If perchance
any member Of the family appears at a
window, there are eager eyes to watch
each movement, and perhaps a scFibbler
10 chronicle the operations of the toll
cite, Is Dir. Willis did for Mrs Lincoln.
The grounds around the house itself
are not more sacred. The ladies IAN
not take a step outside without being
watched, and every feature noticed by
the people who expect to see some- |
thing very extraordinary in the appear
ance OF those temporarily wearing the
purple"
III, u of the ladies said 10 me, the
other day, 81 could only walk about a
little with my children sometimes in
the grounds without being stared at
and really enjoy the comfort of an old
dress and a little privicy, it would DO
very pleasant
And if they 60 out TO drive, or enter
4 shop, mods and muttered words inti-
mate that they are the observed of ali
observers"
Mrs. Patterson has two little ones,
md Mrs. Slower three bright-eyed pref
children, who doubtless make these
walls ring with their gay
aughter and merry shouts.
The ladies of the Cabinet suffer in a
ess degree than those of the White
louise. They can visit and go out as
much as they please-indeed, with
hem an enormous amount of visiting
.ecOmes a positive ~affliction. Daily
hey are inundated with cards. Every
'eek at their receptions strangers are
resented, and all these people must
e called upon. / met n of the Cabi.
ct ladies the other day at Wizards
IoteL
81 am here" said she, "for the pur-
ose of leaving sixty cards"
l was somewhat appalled, at the num-
er, and then went on to ask i'll might
Iquire how large was her visiting list2
There are over fifteen hundred
amed in it."
l shrank in some horror from this
'ecimen Of the duties of office"
SO much Is required of them, too. Not
lily must all these visits be returned,
1t an enormous amount of entertain
G must be done. There must be two
ceptlons a Week-one day and one
ll-dress evening affair. Then there
be innumerable dinners, suppers
d small companies. Besides all this,
ey must all go at least once to each
the receptions and balls given by
her members Of the Cabinet and Sen
2. You may then form some idea of
e onerous character of this "gayety."
day visiting-all eVeninggoing from
e house to another. No wonder that
look jaded and worn.