The New York herald., 1870-02-27

! The ribands. jewels and tine rings,
The lace, the paint and warliko things
\ That make up al their magazines
-COtclev.
The memorable ed Of February was the
ladies' day at the White House most appro-
pirate and charming celebration. We pub
lish this morning from special correspondent
an interesting account OF it and OF the Wash
ington citizens ball, which closed in the na-
tional capital the mild and genial festivities of
the day. II is o curious fact that the unpre-
tending Galena tanner, the rough looking Mis-
! souri, wood hauler, the plain, Kossuth-hatted,
sunburnt, cigar-smoking subjugator OF five
hundred thousand men in battle array, should
turn out the pink Of perfection as the leader OF
the gay world at Washington. But so it is.
| 1t was said at Long Branch last summer that
an afternoon ride Of forty miles or so behind
pair Of spanking bays and good cigar was
the Generals highest enjoyment Of all the good
things of this wicked world. But at Washing
| ton, in the official atmospher Of feminine
| grace, youth and beauty, he has ceased to
be the country squire and has become
town gentleman. And Mrs. Grant, too,
in her quiet way, while transformed
from the plain Western Methodist in her
costume to the rustling robes Of queen Of
our republican court, still maintains her natu-
raj amiability and simplicity. In her ''black
velvet, with satin and lace trimmings" she is
the same in the eyes and heart of his Excel
| lency tina. she was to the honest woodsman in
| her cheap barege-an example to womankind,
| and crown of glory to her lord and servant.
| And how Mrs. Grant, on this aforesaid de-
lightfnl ladies' day at the White House,
including Mrs General Mcclellan, was sur
rounded by bevies of beauties Of every variety
! and in every style, it is needless here to
repeat Our veteran observer" on the
ground may be trusted, and fr2g his enjoyable
| details we are drawn to this Conclusion,
that the administration of General Grant,
whatever it may turn out TO be in other things,
is destined to be long remembered in the gay
world Of fashion as great and luminous sue
| cess
| Who could have thought this Of the rustic
victor Of Vicksburg? But poor Ophelia says
most truly, 'sWe know what we are, but we
know not what we may be-" The Prince I'm
perial may some day be school teacher at
Omaha, and some clark complicated" beauty,
now of chihuahua, may live to take the place
| Of Mrs. General Grant Why not, when q
| 'sgemmen OBJ color" now smiles in the Senatorial
seat left vacant by the frowning jeff Davis !?
The fashions Who can tell what will next be
the order of the day in Washington Gayety
and dress, and fun and firtations were, we
may say, first introduced in full bloom in the
White House by the bewitching and vivacious
Dolly Madison. The next revival was under
that impressible and gallant backwoodsman,
Old Hickory; but the fashionable ladies Of his
cabinet circle got him into world of trouble,
resulting, among other things, in complete
cabinet reconstruction. From Jackson's time
there was not much Of Partisan fashionable
enj0yments in the Executive Mansion until
! the return of the happy Captain Tyler from
| his honeymoon excursion with his beautiful
| young bride and his old umbrella. Then there
were cotillons and waltzes in the East Room
things hardly remembered at the time by the
Oldest dandy of Pennsylvania avenue among
the gay things Of the past. And it was Tyler
who introduced the music of the Marine Band
in the Presidents grounds and in those of
the Capitol at the close of the long summer
afternoons of Wednesday and Saturday Gus
tom retained to this day.
Under Polk fashionable life at Washington
was comparatively cold and precise; under
Taylor (Betty Bliss presiding) it was warm
and genial; under Fillmore it was stately and
dignifed; under Pierce 1t began to be de-
cidely democratic; under the gay old
bachelor Buchanan it was gay and
elegant, and under Lincoln it was said
the ''White House is overrun with the rag, tag
and bobtail of backwoodsmen, prairie men
and carpet-baggers. But, even with the
rebels beleaguering Washington, Mrs. Lin
coin, to cheer the Union cause, got up some
elegant receptions. Old Ben Wade, however,
did not admire them for, when asked to take
turn in hop at one Of these gay parties, he
grufiy said, ''No; I cannot dance in city
under siege" But Lincoln's administration is
highly important, socially, as marking the dis
dppedfduCc VI INC TuillS ldSCiuduul, IduicS VI
the Southern slaveholding cotton oligarchy
and the substitution OF mixed commission
from the North, regarded by the secesh citi-
zens as an invasion of the Goths and Vandals.
Under General Grant the new social era Of
a reunion Of the North and South, with the
East and West-whites, niggers, Indians and
| all-is inaugurated; and surely such reign Of
fashion win follow in Washington, and Of
"liberty, equality and fraternity" as was
never dreamed Of by Captain Tyler, OLD zack
Taylor, Old Hickory or Old Tom Jefferson.
---------------------
BEN Buffers FRIENDS are presuming too
| much on his great ''shoo, fly, = achievements in
the House. They held q meeting at Union
League Hall, in Washington, last night, and
one of the speakers, who, we presume, was