The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-12-31

ceremony rule pretty much everything
society included.
In no other city Ia the Union. aud very
few outside of It, except London and
Paris, arc the iron rules of ceremony SO
strictly enforced and SO obcdently oh.
served; and the study OF books and
pamphlets on the subject occupies no lit
tie time of the wives and daughters OF
the senators and members who propose
to make their debut here this season.
Though the season may be said to have
commenced with Thanksgiving Day. yet
it does not attain full yigor until New
Years; but from then aud until Ash
Wednesday il ilourishes ia all its glory
A most important part OF 1t Is SEALS. y
The woman who moves In society mus
make calls to be called npon if she doe,
not, she will find her parlors empty Oh
reception days and what is to some fal
more importantly her name oat of the
newspapers. For the record Of rccep
tions and social events, with mention o
those present and complete description
OF the toilefS journalism and ranks fully
as high as, IL not higher than, the record
OF congressional events.
Congress having adjourned ill after the
holidays. and the past week having been
unusually dull. with the one exception of
Christmas day. your correspondent will
devote this letter to brief description or
classification of "calls" and callers" as
they exist here in Washington. The
former may be divided into five distinct
classes, and those who make them into
three. The five kinds of calls are Con-
gratulatory, of coincidence, of invitation,
official, aud pour prcadre congo. The three
classes of callers are: Those who call us
friends: those who call as a matter OF
duty, owing to their official position, and
those who call because others do and be-
cause they want 10 show OIL" The lat
ter class finds Representatives chiefly
amongst transient visitors to the seat of
government, who want TO improve the
opportunity by seeing everything, from
the dome OF the capitol To the back
Kitchen of the Secretary of State, and
who could never leave the Capital for
home in contentcd state of mind unless
they carried with them the proud con-
viction that they had shaken hands with
the President. criticised Mrs. Grants
dress. and taken glass OF wine ut the
reception of some judge OF The supreme
court or member of the cabinet.
As for the calls. the two first classes
(congratulatory and of condolencc). are
INDUCED in a, occasion demands. Ii Is
the thing for married ladies when calling
by card, 10 leave three specimens of the
pasteboarJ. one bearing the callers own
name aud two with that OF the husband
The former. which is Tor the hostess
only. is left in the drawing room; but
the two others, one of which is for the
host and the other for the hostess. are de-
posted in the card-basket tina: is always
placed TO receive them. in the reception
room. on the hall table. Til. fashion Is
a god-send 10 the siaiiODers and GARDEN. |
grayers, who arc keep busy from Christ |
mas until Lent. supplying the enormous
demand. and then. after one o. two sea-
sons, retire rich.
Official calls are an institution Pc
'u'iar 10 Washington, and are purely
ornal. Ceremony directs the the wives
II cabinet officer. 10 call upon the wife
II the president at stated periods; The
wives OF senators must call upon the
abinet ladies; the wives Of members
pom the wives of senator's; and so on.
Trough The gra1uaIions OF political and
fiicial life. have seen this carried to
uch nicely, that the wife Of u ST, 400
Jerk would turn up her nose at the idea
I calling first upon the wife OF n 81 200
'erS, while the latter would with equal ,
ohtcmpt scorn the Idea of favoriny the
OF thousand dollar clerk with
er presence, before the latter had made
formal call OH her. This official and
ocial ladder. with its step above step,
ke the blouse that Jack built" reaches {
II the way from the departmental mes.
rpSer with sixty dollars month to the
White Honse, with fifty thousand a
ear and no round is ever skipped over
Invitation call had lately become very
and II is considered the cor.
ect things to invite your friends not by
ard,a formcIly,but by an oral invitation, I
DR. the exprcss.purposc of making which,
call Is made. Il. 5. V. P..cards are there
're getting ont OF fashion, and IL is per-
APPS rs well as they are, for these initials
ave bothered the brains OF many YER
ant congressman. remember having
card OF II case in point, where q member
rom the lar West, after studying a long
while upon those myterious letters at the
'o''om OF an invitation he had received
Il grand lance at the house of a foreign
AMBASSADOR, ut last came to the con-
fusion that they must stand for Red
tockings. Velvet Pants. (thc card hay-
he words iull dress inscribed Just .oppo.
tic to those initias), and constantly an
cared in such Il costume, much to the
isgust of his colleagues who thought he
ad suddenly gone crazy and become n
i subject fora lunatic asylum.
Cards J., ID. 4. (poV dire adte,0 or T..
= {. (po"r pyondre eouael AFRO scattered
'roluscly during the latter part OF the
cason and IN early spring, when prcpa-