The Lake Charles echo., 1880-01-10

NEW YEARS CALLs.-THE OPENING OF.
THE FASHIONABLE sEAsoK.-How
THEY AMUsE THEMsELvEs.-s WITH
THE DANCE
(From Our Regular Corresponaent.)


/ (From Our Regular CorrespondentO
i WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. 2, 1880.
The only event since the adjourn
ment of Congress has been the 1st of
January, 1880. 1t was marked by the
usual receptions, official, non-official,
diplomatic, and military. Every man
arrayed himself in his best clothes and
called on the ladies' wherever they were
prepared to receive. The ladies were
all dressed most exquisitely, and many
of them stood under gas-lighted chan
deliers, with the blinds of their parlors
closed. instantaneous photographs of
the tableaux of presentation on that
day would be interesting to those who
delight to study modern manners, and
who discern in bows, and smiles, and
dress, and attitude, the material that is
the basis of so much psychological dis
sertation in the modern novel.
With the beginning of the New Year
the social season, as it is called, win be
fairly opened in Washington. Many
members of Congress, who have been
home during the holidays, will return
with their families, and many others,
unconnected with official or public life,
but to whom wealth lends means, will
come from distant city and town to
enjoy the gaiety and excitement that a
season at the Capital affords; and which
will continue from the first of the New
Year until the commencement Of Lent.
Our way of pretending to enjoy our
selves is not peculiarly American, but,
like jacques melancholy, "a compound
of many simples," French, English,
German and heathen-of which dancing
is the chief. I'm Washington nearly
everybody and her husband dances, in
spite of age, dignities, and rheumatism.
General Grant, during his presidency,
was seen on more than one occasion to
tread measure with ease and grace.
General Banks went through the square
dances with a gait half military, but
with technical skill that has for It's
explanation the fact that long before
he was Governor of Massachusetts,
Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives, or General in the Army, he was
a teacher of the Terpsichorean art
General Sherman, barring slight rheu-
matism, which gives him a peculiar
jerking gait, may be seen in the evo-
lutions of the ball room, and always
with young and pretty partner. /
am told that he is also proficient in
those round dances against which Mrs
Sherman welded her pen, but in the
matter of round dances / do not speak
from observation. 1t must not be sup
posed, however, that there are no Dig |
nified exceptions. There are some who
do not dance, at least not publicly. / |
never heard of Mr. Evarts dancing.
Judge Senator David Davis is too heavy
to dance, but Speaker Randall is not.
| believe the American habit of dancing
comes from passionate love of the
amusement, but is persisted in because
no great leaders of ton have the genius
to invent anything better to do. Among
the elite in European cities the men a1e
accomplished, while the women are do
mestic and only slightly accomplished.
With us, women have all the accom-
plishments, and men as rule are valued
only for their capacity to make money.
The result is that in every social circle
while the ladies may be able to con-
tribute music and talk intelligently,
and even brilliantly, on variety Of
subjects, the gentlemen, with their ex-
clnsively utilitarian education, are un-
able to hold the foil upon which all
real conversation depends. The dancer
is man or woman of action rather
than of ideas, and dancing is common
democratic plane to which the ethe-
really minded condescend, and on which
the heavy witted find coarse stimu-
liant to that aesthetic life which is not
quite extinct in even the grossest of
men and women.