The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-07-17

Vices ana virtues Of Washtngton.
A matron among the few most highly
placed in Washington society defends that
society in a private letter to friend from
the accusations of vulgarity and immor.
ality made against it in various newspa.
pers. She writes in a frank and spirited
fashion that does her honor.
"At the time your little note came 70
me inclosed with the newspaper slip
was unable to answer it. l do nok know
that l feel as much like answering 1t now,
but at the time it came was boiling over.
1t is so easy to make accusations or asser-
tions, and the ordinary newspaper cores
pOndent seems to be utterly interruptions
SO that he fills the required number of
columns. There are SO many misrepre-
sentatiOns in the article sent that do not
know where to commence. If l take
them all l think you will weary of the
subject.
"There is much in the letter of which l
have no knowledge, and can find no one
who has. But even admitting that great
part of it is true, it ought not TO be laid to
Washington 1t is MT Washington sOci-
ETY.. 1t is the strangers and politicians
who come here, so many of them leaving
all social ties at home, and all restraining
| iuhuCuCCo. ~ lOhR DO CNCiy o"h III thC
union pours upon us all its filth in the
way of political vagabOnds, waiting for
something 10 turn up, and SO long as we
have all these correspondents who make
IL their business 10 nose around and stir
up the mud, what will, what else can be
the result? So far as know, in all this
tale of scandal there is rarely one genuine
WashingtOnian. There is no
| greater set of gossips about than the diplo-
mats. They have nothing else to do. and
much of this scandal originates with them.
because they treat an agreeable for
eigner as they would one of
their own geHtlemen friends. The
young attaches, accustomed to the strict
ness with which European girls are
watched, are al once suspicious of our free
and easy manner. And it takes a longer
residence among us than most of them
have to understand our society.
"There may be aristOcratic gambling
houses here; If SO, do not know of it, Ol
where they are. A man came here three
or four years ago and bought one of the
finest houses in town, with all its hand
some furniture; opened a gambling house
with private rooms and public rooms, 9
superior cook providing the best table in
town; and failed the first year, and never
made a second payment. He now keep:
a restaurant, and there may be gambling
rooms, but we know nothing of it. There
are some plumbers, gasfitters and grocers
who have got rich, and built large
But they are, aside from their wan
of blue blood, some of our bcs
people. They haye some way man
aged to educate themselves so as Il
appear we'll, and have given. their chill
dren every advantage. In Washington
society there are rings outside and inside
and it is generally said that any one car
get into society here. So far as going Il
official receptions is concerned, that il
true, but we do not consider that our so
ciety. A stranger must bring good re
commendations with him or her to get in
side of any but the outside ring-th,
''free-to-everybody receptions" This in
ner circle is one of the most exciting cir
clcs on the point of morals l ever knew
Persons with soiled reputation may b,
tolerated so long as they hold a high pc
sition, but let them lose that, they lose tn,
respect paid to the position, and they ar,
left out i'm the cold at once. Mrs. Belknal
came back here to spend the winter, ant
tried to brave it out, but had to retire from
the field.
ave labor under the misfortune of bt
ing too attractive. Washington is s
pleasant to live in that, after few years
residence here, people get so infatuate,
, with it that they are not content anywher
, else. A man comes TO congress for fOu
or six years, then loses his election; hi
|, business is broken up at home, and SO h
, follows his inclination, and drifts bacl
here, hoping for a government appoint
r ment, or practice in the many courts
perhaps to pick up something as a lobby
ist. So we have a great many disappoin.
lx.I h,ro h.,f 60
l know, they are not immoral. Many Q
them arc our most active church worker.
3 Il read in country papers about Ou
female lobbyists-wOmen with no visibl
s means of support, who GO everywhere an
i dress elegantly, and who are to be see
t about the reception rooms and corridor
of the capitol. l have looked for then
,. but cannot find them. l inquire aftt
$ them, but cannot hear from any one VIII
h knows. see plenty of women in thOs
4 rooms, but they do not look as if the
would tempt any one astray--poor ol
broken-down bodies in rusty black VII
;. want to see a congressman get their bo
y or their girl a place or have them prone
: : ted; or a boarding-house keeper who ma
. be angling for IA bOarder, but more likel
Z is trying to collect her bills of some di
. honest cheating member.
Il have lived here several years, an
am ready to assert that this is. with all il
disadvantages, the most moral town ev,
= !. lived in, and that there is here the mo
y respect paid to the Sabbath and to churC
!. services.
II feel strongly upon this subject, f,
= there is so much injustice done TO Il
= - People take these newspaper letters as a
= y gospel truths, and there is no cOntradiC
!, ing them. 1t is quite true that u lie wi
y travel "A league while truth is putting c
e his boots. Most newspapers will repeat
- published lie, but few of them take Il
Il trouble to repeat the contradiction"