The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1876-04-27
HIGH LIFE.
The Paryenu Aristocracy Of Washington
City.

/
Gath writes to the New York Graphic
The prominence given in the public
prints to the rich wardrobcs of ladies and
their relative beauty has helped to en-
courage the love of display and conccit
which we see coming out in the l}clknap
and other cases. In former days ladies
and men in public position were pro
tectcd by the discrimination between Of
fetal and mercantile life. Twenty
years ago family of tradesmen in the
avenue did not intrude in official society,
and he who published the names or ad-
dresses of persons at any of the large re-
ceptiOns never had the opportunity to
repeat the performance. Consequently
fine clothes did not enter into the rivalry
of the court.
In our day, however, persons are intro
duccd to the receptions without pre-
vious acquaintance with their host, and
| it is common for women from distant
cities to visit the capital accompanied by
dozens of trunks filled with wardrobcs
specially prepared for Il Washington
| season."
The example of dress ON the stage of n
theatcr, on the public promenade, or in n
drawing-rOom is infectious, and mere
money has come to he rated as too ncccs-
sary an element in good official society.
Yet what woman will be bold enough to
make the innovation Of dressing in the
plain way customary thirty years ago?
And who gives Washington women their
dresses? Husbands?
What we see in Washington is patent
aIIoycr the countryparticularIy in cities,
In dress, however, and in the passion for
display there are gradatons. If you
win select, say fifty women, in Washing
ton society, and taboo them from the
newspapers and from social consideration,
you will cut off the extravaganza.
Here, for example, is II real estate
agent, who few years ago was dealing
in swamp lots somewhere in the west.
Now his house is furnished from Paris,
Brussels and London. The carpets were
woven to fit the rooms and the mirrors |
slipped through the custom house with
out expense. Here is patent attorney |
who has worked hard all his life, and sees
no other way to distinguish his wealth !
but to build palace. Here is doctor .
who turned up from the Muskra country .
as hospital surgeon, and now appears
in the street only behind pair of cream
colorcd horses with II driver,and rcprcsen-
ting in no feeble way death ON pale
horse. Here is retired army officer
with a porte-cochcre Mansard pavilions,
ln,n ,,, ri IN, and o hnusn n,,nn ia lpt his /
daughters be seen from morning till mid !
night Here is n brothcr-in-law Of a dig .
nitary who, not satisfied with his relative F.
condition in the city of his birth, makes
an apparilion in Washington society with
q great house. Here is a poor German
engineer, who has been drawing sections
of boilers and ship-bcamsfOr thirty years,
now living behind Pictou stone. Here
is an instrument maker, who furnishes
surveying tools for the land office, keep
ing his family by the year in Europe .
Here is retired tavcrn-kccpcr, with .
twenty bathrooms in his house, expect .
ing to be married into the first official rank.
Here is little chap who used to he a
page in congress surrounded with paint
ingS, horses and laCcS Here is an old
curb.stone broker whose daughters have
got into good society at last and their
house is in the West End covered with
zinc ornaments, Here il a miller who
got rich by building patriotic momu-
mcnt, and he belongs to the gcntIcst set
of all. Here is Il Stonc-cuttcr with Il
bank, IL country villa, and transformed
town mansion, all bristling with nina
rcts and pinnacIes. Here is claim
agent, who came out of the war without .
penny, inhabiting Il castle made of
prcsscd-hrick set in lampblack mortar
and resting ON granite piers.
The mcisapproachinG when cardswill .
be scanned before the lady of the house |.
comes down to receive strange callers,
and when the servant at the door will
perform the duty of asking for invita-
tions and resisting intrudcrs.