Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-02-02
Letter from Washington.
THE REPUTATION OF wAsHIEGToE PAST
AND PRESENT.
WAsHINaToN, DC, Jan. %, 1871.

that it would have been better to have let i,
ii remain in peace, and the world at large f
in blissful ignorance Of its many bad g
oualities-au contraire, now, show are il
the mighty fallen 2" are are suddenly ele. t
waited to great height, while other cities y
that have only been too ready to scorn us t
send their tributes and peace offerings, in G
the shape of lengthy and elaborate news
paper articles, recounting the improve E
ments, the society, fashion, and above all 7
the brains and culture, the "tbis" and the I
"that"-all that is elevating, purifying
and ennobling that is to be found in the
city of Washington. My opinion is that I
the "latter day saints" are nearer justice
tho in some instances could with much
truth compare it to slice of grandma's
bread and butter; said butter being rath-
er too thick and lumpy to be exactly pal
atable, tho spread with the very best in
tentions. We are cosmopolitans-accord-
ing to Webster, "a person who has no tix-
ed residence, one who is nowhere stran-
ger, or who is at home in every place.
according to nay dictionary-joly good
fellows, who know how to be happy, with
out the least particle offear of Mrs. Grun-
dy or any of her numerous family. One
can enjoy themselves by being perfectly
quiet, (should it be ones taste,l or by
limited acquaintance, by literary ac-
quaintance, of the Questioning order (of
the bluest kind, if you desire it, by fash
ionable acquaintance, by the most dis
tinguished acquaintance, by the acquaint-
ance of those who ego about doing good"
(but don't always do it, those who go
about doing evil, and are apt TO make
pretty sure business of it in fact there is
a perfect pot-pourri, where any one
without a head of iron-a heart copper
tipped, and his delectable corpus so
starched and perfumed, that it were
great pity he could not be a mummy and
done with it-could find their congenial
friends, and agreeable society. 1t is my
purpose, dear readers, ff have any, to |
tell you of the delights the varied lives
perhaps little of some unpleasant phazes
of life--(a very little of that for it is very
hard for me to embrace Mrs Grummidge
without giving her stab with a very
moral pin, and reminding her to put the
candle in the window for all of those dear
little Emly's who might be cheerful and
happy if they were not SO frequently re-
minded of their loneness, the wickedness
of this world and their inevitable fate
hereafter,-give me a nice double-scaled,
double-horned, double-clawed, double
toothed, frey-eyed dragon, let him eat me
up, and forever after hold his peace, rath-
er than be obliged to listen to gloomy
forebodings of future possible. and prop
able trials and tribulations.
RECEPTIONS THE CROWD - oBSFRyA-
4 TONS.
The visitor invariably "does" the recep-
tions; at the White House, Vice-Presi-
dents and the Cabinet Ministers. At the
Presidents, (if you will allow me to be
your chaperon,) you will enter the door,
as a matter of course, you are immediate
ly torn from the arm of your protector, If
you have one, and if you are a Woman's
Rights, and with their many combined
virtues, the presence of Venus, and lofty
pretensions of the Jackal variety, it is all
the same, you must go into that little
room aground the corner" take off your
bonnet and wraps, have them ticketed,
and Immediately prepare for battle, there's
no backing out after you once get in, so
we will enjoy it, yea, if our best dress
is ruined for ever, and we are squeezed
fat, so fiat that if poor Smike should rise
up before us the comparison would not
be very aat-tering to ourselves We've
reached the first door, and are securely
pinned, no signs of our escort, but plenty
of gentle men pouring forth in elegant
rush to the front, and we are fairly under
way, but alas, l cannot say it is smooth
sailing. Oh, here is an adventure, big
man poked little man out of his place,
little man offended, his offended dignity
comes out of the top of his head in the
shape of bristles, which was originally
intended for hair, every bristle looks mad
at the big man, and as if they were con-
sidering the propriety of flying out at
him, and piercing him through and
through for his impertinence, but, up to
the ussges of society, little man gives biz
man his card that is all we have time to
see, but we think something is going to
happen out at Blaeensburg, and wonder
mentally and-soms one is standing ona
your dress not at ali mprobsble-physi-
cally, if any one will be seriously injured,
and whether it will be the big man or the
little fellow, the odds being decidedly in
favor of the big 'un, we moralize no more,
but press forward toward the haven
where we would be. We have reason to
be thankful for here is our escort with
his face to the wall, and pressing said
wall with both hands with such vehem-
ence, that I was wholly undecided whether
he expected to 60 through into the red
room, or the red room was coming through
into him, however the end of the dilemma
came in the shape of liberator who,
after the fashion of the Yorkshire school
master, knocked him away from the wall,
and then knocked him through the door,
where, as you may imagine, he was
seized, and chung to for the remainder of
the evening with devotion that is only
exceeded in duration by the Siamese
Twins Now is the time for observation,
you have passed through war and tumult,
but you enter the blue room and look
about as serenely as if you had been
waited in and surrounded by little baby
i Mercurys to guard your train. Miss
So-and-so, President Grant and Mrs.
Grant; you look, smile, bow, shake hands,
l look again. and all ia ovar-at least that