Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-03
WASHINGTON SOCIETY.
GayetIes and Gossip at the Capitol
Social People and PecuIiar1ttes.

With The coming OF Lent penOd, ana
for the nonce full stop, is put to the gave
ties of the Capital. That Ash Wednesday
has merely punctuated the chapter of tes-
Invites will prove true in the course OF a
week or so, when new round of pleasures
will doubtless begin, just so soon as every
one feels rested. The Washington potion
Of how to4zeep Lent is peculiar. Dinner
giving is more practised in the course of the
six weeks supposed fast than during any
other period of similar duration through
ont the year. Then it is not breaking Lent
to give or 90 to receptions where there IS no
dancing, and to which the invitations
are not absolutely general. In short, every
conceivable mode of whipping the prince of
darkness around the stump is devised by
those who do not welcome Lent as an ex-
cuse to be quiet until some such excellent
reason as the duty of making high joint
commission enjoy Itself, or Japanese en-
bassy happy, is pres ented. For the former
last Lent was brOken for the latter the
present one is Threatened with serious
fracture. Why Le,9t should be kept at all,
by mixed popul alton, where the strict
members of the tw sects who regard Lent
as an obligatory fas t, cannot certainly be in
the majority, is not. easily understood by
in official circles in Washington. When
these "duties" are understood, the keeping
of Lent assumes a different aspect alto
gether. 1t is the rel ease from hard work
eagerly anticipated ~ women tagged out in
a cause altogether be despiSed.
When investigat I'd, the reason for the
labor endured in what is usually called the
pursuit of pleasure ceases to be ignoble.
The wives are sacrit icing themselves to
make the brighter the r husbands career.
"Do you know" said ne of them to an
other at an evening part y last week, L was
actually so exhausted when my reception
was over this morning" (it is morning here
in the fashionable pa,lsnce until dusk)
"that 1 threw myself dI'es sed as | was on
the bed and slept without stirring until my
husband woke me at I'D O'Clock TO come
here, and came here without changing
my dress or even adding flower to my
hair l am utterly worn out, and yet l
have twenty-five hundred unofficial calls to
return. twenty-five hu ndred, !" said by
stander, az should never iream of attempt
ing it." "NOr l." was th e answer, "were
it not for making the Ad ministratiOn I'M
popular
This is the secret of it al. The admin
istration is unpopular poll ticaly. 1t rests
with the wives of officials to make it popular
socially, and they have abun dant opportunity
in their hands. Six hundr ed people call on
each reception day, about nalf of whom
and that is rather undeTT ating than over
rating-are new people, from all parts of
the country, or perhaps rom all parts OF
the world. 1t is not unlikely, one sees
many sheep of many kinds wherever one
goes in Washington-and to avoid risks not
one of these must be offended. Not only
must the manner of reception be gracious,
but the call must be promptly returned or
dire consequences may ensue.
Washington etiquette is altogether peculi-
ar. When one takes into consideration the
public demand made on the means of pub
lie men, one finds that the pay is vastly dis
proportionate. The President, for instance,
receives $4,000 PER annum and his house
and furniture are his for four years, rent
free, besides other immunities from dis
bursting ready nj oney. The only enter
tainment he gives are public receptions and
State dinners. His wife receives once a
week, between Ne w Years Day and Ash
Wednesday, and imself when he pleases,
generally speaking in the case OF the present
incumbent three times during the session
of Congress. ktt these receptions the
President is at no expense whatever. Ger
tain rooms are thrown open and lighted day
and evening, and government pays for the
gas and wear and tear of the carpets. The
State dinners only are given at the expense
of the President, and these Grant does not
give too often. The first winter of his ad-
mnistration he ,gave a dinner once a week
for perhaps three months. Last winter not
so often. This winter he has given them
once fortnight.
The Vice President is another privileged
individual. There is no Evolutionary social
law in force to compel him to entertain at
all, so Colfsx doesn't. His wife is at home
on Wednesdays during the season, and gives
refreshments, chocolate and cake, but no
evening entertainments occur at bis house,
not even do we hear of dinners. But
SCHUYLER smiles on all he meets, and that
atop es for much. His wife, too, returns
call duty from which the Presidents
wifi is exempt, and the Presidents wife
alone. Mrs. Colfax works hard, though
she is a very delicately organized woman to
all appearance. One day last week she
paid off twenty-five calls, attended a state
dinner at the White House, sitting three
hours at table, and went to two parties in
the evening.
The Speaker of the House also is in
great measure exempt from obligatory eX-
penditure. Custom allows him to welcome
an enormous crowd to his house on certain
evenings during the winter, selected by
himself, Generally Friday, as usually there
is no session of the House on Saturday,,
and to furnish no compensation whatever,
but his own bland smile to that crowd for
coming. His house is open and lighted,
and as many as choose to squeeze in and
be squeezed, are welcome. Young women
from the Departments, who have no other
opportunity to "dress up" crowd in. There
| are no refreshments provided.
At the houses of Cabinet officers, how
ever, things are different. The wives of
these, or if they have no wives, their near
est female relatives, are at home on We'd
nesday, with a lunch of cake, punch, or
wine, perhaps both, chocolate and crackers,
| sometimes sandwiches or salad are added.
F Ferybody is privileged to call, literally
everybody, and all who leave cards are, by
| the extraordinary etiquette prevailing here,
entitled to expect an invitation to an even
ing reception, which surely ought to be
| enough; but more is added; tie callers are
also entitled to expect a return of their
calls. At the evening receptions of Cabinet
officials supperS are provided and confident
| " expected, and the hungry souls who fast
at =. crowd in at the Friday evening re-
ceptions of the Cabinet officer who has Sc
lected that evening and find relief. Some
one laugbingly suggested to AttOrney-Gen-
eral Williams, at his last reception, that
- should divide the expense of the sup
per with him, for at least half of the
famished guests from - fed to Viii
liams and were refreshed.
Now, this is bad enough, but the mem
bers of the Cabinet must give dinner par
ties, three or four during the season, and
vet their salaries are only S., cooper annum.
It is easily seen that there is discrepancy
somewhere when the President, with a sal
ary of S25, 900, need feed no one, except at
State dinners, twice a month, and the Cab
met Ministers, with $1,000, must feed eve
rybodv who calls at the day receptions,
vast concourse at evening receptions, and
| not few officials at State dinners. The
Secretary of the Treasury cuts all this. He
has never entertained at all since he has
been Secretary, except that his wife and
daughter are at home, with cake and chloe
olate on Wednesdays. Notwithstanding
he and they attend numberless entertain
! nants Akerman also lodged the enter