Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-10-28
Society IN Washington.

Politics in this country brings so
many changes to meu that there are al
ways turning up in Washington in high
Office those who have never before ap-
proached greatness. There are no
buster and more fruitful breeders of
vulgarity than such people. Their
contact with men whom they have read
about and whose names are in every
body's mouth, simply whets their ap-
petites. They are the people whose
constant talk is of their great acquain-
tances, and they are those who furnish
the delicious scandals for q gossip
loving world. They throw themselves
at the feet Of the foreign legations.
They follow around impecunious and
brainless young secretaries of legations
whose heads are turned by the unac-
customed fiattery, and who thereby be-
come probably the most disagreeable
class of persons in the world to trans
act business with. As rule it is not a
very good class Of people sent by
foreign governments to Washington.
Ii the frs. place, the diplomats do not
like to come to this country, for it
breaks up the mode of life to which
theJ have been accustomed, and those
of the higher ranks cannot come be-
cause no ambassadors are accredited to
this country; but nevertheless they are
foreigners, and many of them have
titles Of nobility. The fact that some
of them would not DO tolerated in a
gentlemen's house if they were Ameri-
cans. makes no difference. The young
and the old women of society worship
them. and give the objects of their ad-
miratien splendid opportunities for the
exercise Ct their talent for ridicule
which they do not hesitate to embrace.
There is no person in the world more
capable of irgratitude than a cheap
secretary of cheap foreign legation.
When the higher official circles of
the capital are left, there is miscel-
laneous assortment of underlings, some
of whom have admission 10 the larger
and more public entertainments OF the
superior officers. They initiate the
spiendors of these and make up as pre-
tentious and hollow society as exists
anywhere in tho country. Being more
or less connected with official life,
they assume that lack OF means is re-
placed by culture; but there is no cnl-
ture and no simplicity, no modesty-
UOthing bnt u wrctched sham, into
which much that is very vicious enters.
1t is largely boarding house society,
and is msde up of members of the lower
House OF Congress, some respectable
and worthy women employees of tho de-
partments, and then of women lobbyist
and host of shady characters who
abound in Washington and who will be
pointed out any day on the avenue by
any one who is familiar with Washing
ton and Washington characters. Much
of this society gives the tone to Wash
ington in the outside world, for the
newspapers chronicle its doings with
much more of detail than they do the
movements CT the best people. The
efforts of vulgar people to live better
than they can afford and to appear to
be leaders in society thoy cannot
even enter, are faithfully put down in
the Washington Sunday newspapers
and the world thinks that that is the
society Of the federal capital. 1t is not
true; for the best society of Washing
ton is, in some respects, the best in the
country. It has one advantage at least
that no other society has-its men are
mostly men of brains and it is not 3
commercial society, carrying trade into
the drawing-room or selling stock at
the 1inrer-fable.- Americsn.