Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-12-06
COngressneu.
| THEIR "MEssEs" fIvE-AND-TwRNTT YEARS

C0ngressmeu.
THEIR "MEssEs" FIvE-AND-rwRNrr YEARS
Ben Perley Poore, in his Boston correspond
ence, thus alludes to the above topic Five and
twenty years ago there were seldom over We
ana twenty W Gongressmen who brought their
ing the session. Up to about that time the
Senators and Representatives usually lived
here In what they called "messes.n From half
dozen TO fifteen congenial spirits would take
rooms at some boarding house, with the under
standing that no one else was to be admitted,
and the party thus formed family circle. In
many of these 'messes" no ladies were tolerat-
ed, while in others the chief attraction was the
wife of some Senator OF Represe utative, Who
Was virtually the queen of the establishment
Was it TO be wondered at that so many Con-
eressmen used to pass the evenings in ''fghting
the tiger" at some of the comfortable gaming
bells on the Avenue, or in carousals at the gor
geously ftted-up establishments near by?
Washington City was then q very immoral
city, and many fine intellect fail ed to pre-
serve the owner from temptation.
Nowadays matters have changed. There
are to-day i'm Washington forty-f five Senators
out of seventy-two and one hundred and six
Representatives out of two hundred and thir-
ty-fve, who are accompanied by their wives:
and these one hundred and fifty one wives
cs Congressman exercise "a potent influence.
Gambling drunkenness, and otner vices
which it is not necessary to name here,
once 80 common among Senators and Repre-
sentatives, are not now openly practsed, il
practsed at all, by any of them. About forty
congressman keep house, and are benefited BY
the social influences of home, while the Others
board at hotels or boarding houses, where
agreeable circles are formed Eighteen Sena-
tors and twenty-f four Representatives have also
here with them daughters who go into society
Others are accompanied by female relatives or
friends, and thirty have with them children too
young to go out. So the successors of men who
used TO pass their evenings at a faro bank or
poker table, escort their daughters 10 balls or
remain at home and frolic with their children.
All this is a decided change for the better.
How TO Cook BEEFsTEAK.-A beefsteakis
always best broiled, but the following method
is recommended when broiling is not conve-
nient; The frying pan being wiped dry, place
it upon the stove to become hot In the mean
time pepper and salt the steak, then Law il on
the hot, dry pan and instantly cover as tightly
as possible. When the raw fesh touches the
heated pan, of course it seethes and adheres to
IT, but in few seconds it becomes loosened and
juicy. Every half-minute turn the steak, but
be careful to keep it as much as possible under
cover. When nearly dun lay small piece of
add tablespoonful of strong coffee. This
makes the most delicious, decately broiled
steak full of juice. yet retaining all the healthy,
beefy flavor that any John Bull could require
The same method may be applied to mutton
chops or ham, only they require cooking to pre-
vent them from being rare. An excellent gravy
may be made by adding little cream, thick
ened by a pinch of flour, into which, when Off
the fire and partially cool, stir the yolk Of an
egg well beaten.
WATERING HoUsE-PLANTs.-The English
Garden is inclined to dispute the rule that wa
ter should be given in moderately small guam
titles, and supplied frequently. II the causes
of failure where plants are cultivated in win
dows are infinitely Investigated, the dribblins
system OF watering would be found to be the
principal cause. A plant ought not to be
tered until it is in fit condition TO receive d
liberal supply of that element, having previ-
ously secured good drainage, in order that all
superintendent water may be quickly carried
OFF. Those who are constantly drihbling a
moderately small quantity of water upon their
plants will not have them in fiourishing con-
dition for any. length of time. This must be
obvious to all, for it is quite evident that the
moderately small quantity of water frequently
given would keep the surface of the soil moist,
while at the same time, from the effects of good
drainage, which is essential to the well bel g OF
all plants in an artificial state, all the lower
roots would perish for want of water, and the
plant would become Sickly and eventually die.
DEcoY Duck FOR DINNRR-A certain mem
Der of the cloth in this city was rather delighted
than otherwise, Thanksgiving morning. to see
the expressman drop a barreI, which he imag-
ined plethOric with certain expected Thanks
giving delcacies. About an hour later the fam
lily domestic entered the parsons study with a
duck In her hand, and exclaimed: "Shure,
Mister, Wen have plinty ov ducks now,
I'm thinkin', for there's a barrel full OVEN out
there"
The minister saw with dsmay that the girl
had a wooden "decoy" duck, used by sports
men to inveigle the real article. He went to
the barrel and finding II packed full of decoys,
supposed he was the victim OF some practical
pagan, till he examined the address and saw il
was the name of q well-known and successful
sportsman whose decoys were Just returning
from Sandy Creek.-Oswego Palladium.
1"A thing of beauty is Jaw forever, - as
gentleman said Of his handsome, scoldng wife.
PRO FIT