Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-10-17
Washington Correspondent PhiEafelphSa
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Washington Correspondent PhiEadeEphsa
Times (Den1)
Washington society, perhaps the most
frivolous, tawdry and mixed of any city In
the world, is congratulating itself upon the
dawnfng OF what It is pleased to call sss
polite regime" Washington society, cold,
calculating and mercurial, has Just torn
down Its Ostentatious mourning for Presi-.
dent Garfield and prostrates itself at the
feet of his successor with open adulation
and genuine inward rejoicing. Washing
ton society felicitstes itself that it has
representative in the White House at last.
The longed for, the deVoutlY wished. has ar
rived. A social gentleman, an aristocratic
single gentleman, super 9esthetical gentle
man has succeeded to the throne. In
Washington society l do not now mean
the official and semi-oflicial world of Wash
ington, which tosdies to ANYTHING In power
and plunges its red nose in the sand before
anybody In authority, but the blue blood Of
Virginia (?) and Maryland (?) which runs
along the aristocratic suburbs of George
town (?) and forms the nueclus of as pure
civilization and social refinement as can be
found in any city of the Union. (Fudge.l
While the leaders of this cultured circle are
for the most part wealthy (?l, wealth IS not a
bCcO VI do vulgar Mbdlbu never
is of the truly best society anywhere. This
circle once ruled, but it was in Buchanan's
time. When Mr.. Lincoln took the Executive
chair the man, the circumstances, and the
woman drove the brilliant and cultured peo-
pie Of refined society into the background.
Lincoln was surrounded by rough soldiers,
and was himsel plain, blunt and uncouth,
caring more for the yarns of the wardroon
than for the society Of ladies'. Ii was q
time OF perpetual war and anxiety, and
many of the charmed circle which sur
rounded Buchanan and his predecessors had
friends engaged on the other side. Even
had this not been the case the vulgarity of
Mrs. Lincoln would have caused all but the
official circle to hold aloof. The success
sion of johnson was followed by an attempt
of the old regime to revive the glory of a
former decade, but the scars of war were
too fresh and these were torn open in the
bitterness of the political struggle which
followed. The society of the White House
soon fell below even its former standard.
With the advent of Grant came the man
ners of the mess room and the tawdry evil
dences of shoddy society. The President
who could deliberately puff his cigar in the
face of his lady visitors and set out bottle
of whisky to his gentlemen guests could
not hope to attract the cultured nor fail to
disgust the refined of every grade. The
second Grant regime was even worse than
the first in a social point of view as well as
political. When Hayes came in he made 8
parade of his asceticism. He banished wine
from his table, which was the hospitable
board Of the nation, with a loud flourish of
trumpets, and finally practically banished
the table Itself out of penurious economy.
The government had increased the Presi-
Dental salary to $50, 600 year to enable the
Chief Executive of the American people to
entertain in way suited TO his exalted sta
tion. The Western President responded by
putting it in his pocket. Hayes not only
did this, but he drew his salary quarterly
or monthly in advance, contrary to
law. Mrs. Hayes was the head of
the household. She was o very good old
fashioned woman, and took society to be a
magniied Sunday school class, of which ex-
officio her husband was superintendent.
Mr.. HAYES, the fraud, was succeeded by
Mr.. Garfield, the scholar Mr.. Garfield had
always found life too short for society Of
anything but books and politics. In this he
was seconded by plain, simple, intellec-
tual wife. They brought with them as their
predecessors had done the simple Western
habits of life and Western culture. There
was nothing in either of them to promise a
brilliant era in the White House. Thus, to
review them briefly, passed two consecutive
decades of Washington society, which, sink
ing yearly further and further away from
the Executive Mansion, gave place to the
semi-political, semi-011icial mixed demo-
cratic element which swarms about each
successive head OF the government-the
chief ingredients being official position and
toadYism.
With the advent of President Arthur, of
New York, we are told to prepare for "a
polite regime" The frosty edge of aristo-
cratic breeding is to be turned toward the
parvenues who have infested the Executive
Mansion. There is to be something more
under the reign of Arthur than mere politf-
cal lunches, cold and dry State dinners,
public receptions and prayers. cold tea and
whisky. Because, says the Washington So
cial world, Arthur is a gentleman by birth
and breeding, and he will live like a gentle
man and entertain like a gentleman It is
this idea which brings out the congratula-
tion and happy anticipation Of the super
asthetical fashionable world. If thew are
not permitted to enjoy the hospitalities of
the Executive Mansion themselves the fndf-
Vidual members of this circle feel that in
the President they have an honored repre-
sentative. There will be select receptions
at which the rabble will be excluded; there
will be dinners to somebody else than pub.
fumes. and old women; there will be wine at
these dinners, and good wine, too: there
will be dancing, perhaps, also, vision of
which fills the Washingtonian mind with
pleasurable anticipations. In short, the DO
lite regime includes all that fashionable
Washington society demands.