The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-19
TIE uIxrEn IN WAsnIxcroS.
Society Gossip-The Arlington and the
Fashionnhlo QuaItcr-Thc Palace Of
Congress and its Luxurics.

sossipping Washington letter, ;lll,nling to
the preparations for the coming winter in The
capital, says:
Members of Congress are thickiy here. set
ting their houses in order for the session
whether IL is so or not everybody believes
that we are To have Il festive winter. The be-
ltci comes III part iront the tact that the ScS-
sion is to hc one oi that longer order not lin
itc,l by Tie fatalities oi March. Every day we
are hearing either of some Hcw notable who
VIII entertain, or some lmrvcnu who will be-
come Il notable through entertainments Fish
and his Assistant Secretary, Fernando Wood
and u score or more, are among the number
Then Corco:nn's new hotel, the Arlin.-
Ton, i To lncOmc II Grand centre of
attraction. The whole town is cuntcrin.c
up around that. AL about there for IL SQUARE
or two, under the shadow OF its lofty caves,
Will make such u court circle us Washington
mas not known formerly. For Il ic.garly
Italian TO get his peanut stand in the edge OF
itwlil be to be In good society; at least il is
likely to be so regarded here, where society
rrF'.Iates itself bylxtgtl- Strange capliccs. I
nave spoken with half y dozen gentlemunly
elephants already, who, by tho right of long
PURSES propose To take winter quarters at the
Arlington. Great business sfrewdness was
evidenced In the choice Of this cuphOniOns
name. IL rolls under the tongue like IN arls-
tocratic morsel, and to Mrs. Pastedamonds
Will be Irresistible. Inside Of this huge show
temple there will be gathered, from January TO
April, more members Of the Venccring family
hotel before. "Vire les J0gdtelles, vanity and
velvet trainsr p will be the motto OF that
house.
Meantime, at the other end OF the capital is
heard, these two weeks, the unccusing sound
OF hammer and trowcl. The last repairs are
being put upon the capitol, and the carpets are
being laid In the Legislative chambers. This
laying OF carpets Is the last touch TO the CAPT
tol before the coming Ofa Congress. Briis-
sells carpet lasts the House of Representatives
Just three years; the Senate four or five yeale
In proportion to size, the TWO chambers have
about an equal popno,sness Of members But
your Congressman in the Lower House Is nj
ways walking the floor shuilling his feet, ex-
PecloratinS on the carpet, and uneasy general
~ until he gets into The Senate, where they
nave nave better poised manners, II not morals.
ln wear Of carpets. They are putting down
masterpiece OF new English Brussels
In the Representative hail. massive
green, threaded with gold. TIfs carpet is en-
Washbnrne, who YVES always snoring and paw
ins there, ishapplly shifted to Versailles. Let
PEn,pereur look ont for his Mpct On the
whole, THO capitol will never have been pas-
.eren and polished SO elaborately as for the
coming session. 1t has been repaired inside
and outside during the summer, with u cost
without stint. Taking everything into c0nsld-
Grafton, 1t Is now the completest palace in the
can be furnished inside of it, Sleeping oil the
luxurious sofas of his committee room, by the
light and warmth of hickory-wood fires, draw
1ing for his intellectual wants on the great
library, and for those OF The stomach on the
splendid saloons below, bachelor Congress
man, with quiet tastes, would not have To 20
out OF the building from December until May.
II might be well If the constituents of some OF
them would swear them before coming here to
keep within such prudent limits.
Closing for the present this sketch OF wash
mSion winter preparation, the perspective |
now Indicates that Arlington House and the !
capitol building will be tic two model points |
OF our soctcty-the former for display of the |
vanity OF women, the latter for the vanity of |
men.