The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-16
SOCIAL SNOBBERY AT WASHINGTON.
Correspondence Baltimore American.

| correspondence Baltimore AmerlCaD.1
The vain-glory and childish self-importanc,
that are the prominent mental qualities O.
such state are inappeasable in their appe
tite for sweet victual, and SO strongly marked
are they in Washington "society" that the
business of catering to such tastes has be.
come a prominent branch of journalism,
One Of the latest enterprises in this line is
| The Figaro, a small quarto, about the size Of
large Sunday -school paper, sold at the high
price of ten cents. It has various depart
| ments of society news, such as "Society
Gallants," "Weddipgs," Our Debutantes, Is
Entertainments, "Opera and Theater Par
ties, etc., and the matter is of sort that for
rank, full-blown snobbery, is indispensable.
The Zulu chieftain who displays the beau
ties of new and elaborate design of red and
blue tattoo on a BLACK hide, could not COM
mand more eager and servile adulation than
this purveyor ofjournalistic snobbery bestows
upon the personal character OF "society :"
people in Washington. Such is the embarras
de richesse that one is at q loss what extracts
to make to show the quality. The style is
one unvarying strain Of vulgar fattery
The greater wonder is that ''the female
brain in high places can tolerate this slush
OF snobbery. 1t would, Of course, be unjust
to suppose that all the ladies and gentlemen
who are made the objects OF such vulgar COM
ment approve or relish it, but the fact remains
that very large edition Of this paper is sold
weekly, notwithstanding the high price, and
society news is a regular department with all
the papers here, daily or weekly. Such jour-
nalism is unique in this country, and one
must go to England and that paper so dear to
the heart of funkeyism-the Court Journal
for parallel instance. Bat even here the
analogy is not perfect, for by the theory of
English Government there is q responsible
Ministry for every action of the Crown, 90
that royalty is q mere show under q keeper
1t and its concomitants of orders of nobility
are essential things ofspectacular display, and
40 comparison can be made between them and
republican institutions. The s.Republican
Court" is monstrous anomaly.
One cannot but notice the effects of such an |
unhealthy atmosphere upon budding woman !
hood. Young girls walk the streets or drive |
about in pony phaetons, rouged and powdered, |
md dressed in loud STYLE Their expression |
If precocious maturity and intense self-cor-
'ciOusness, and the complacency with which |
hey meet glances Of compassion or disgust,
them for the gaze of admiration,
presents spectacle that must make the judic-
Gus grieve. Some of the ladies of the Diplo-
natic Corps who have elsewhere obtained diff !
erent notions Of female propriety from what
prevails here, endeavor to discountenance the
asst ways Of Washington bellies, but the tide
) too strong for them.
The snobbish influence permeates all
lasses of society. A physician recently
allied my attention to an announcement in
he society news of q paper here, that: "Mr.
nd Mrs. - and their charming daughter,
Hiss Lavinia, would receive on New Years
ay, at their residence on such street." The
eople were an honest colored family, who
IF nd hn chor | 4
.avinia was his housomaid. They had as
auch right as their betters to spend their
honey in ridiculous show, but the case is of [
sort of reductio ad absurdam that society
atlantis and bellies would hardly like to be-
ome general