Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-08


demned But who would be willing to submit
heir own cause to a decision under a principle
20 rigid and unjust? Aud who would be com.
peteht to act as judges Let him that is with
out sin (the sin as some ready cast the first
stone. Mrs Eaton was an Irish tavern keep
er's daughter. she had been the bouncing,
buxorn, cheTry-lipped Peg O'Nei, who had
waited on her fathers customers and who had
at times been perhaps little free with rat
ting tongue. ana, conscious of innocence, or
rather unconscious of impurity had not been
! had become the wife of q United States Sena-
| tor, and was entitled to be called mrs. Sec
rotary OF War Eatos." The upstart pleblan.
| What would those ladies' do VINO had given
| birth or expected to give birth to sons who
would belong TO the order OF Cincinnati? And
| then TO ada insult to this injury, Mrs. Eaton
| committed the further indscretton OF being
| more attractive than these vtrtuOu5 danes.
| The men would persist In the vulgarity of pre-
| ferriDg Mrs EatOns sparkling wit and irreSiSt-
| fble pfettlnesS to the ever 30 much to be COM
II was the apple OF Paris that created the dis
| cord among the goddesse5 OF Olympus fraught
| With woes uDnumbered" TO the race of men.
| 1t " as the women OF Greece VINO melted the
beauty OF Helen. And it was the wife
OF the liking OF men" who illustrated
their character by her conduct during her
lords absence. Thus Mrs Eaton, like Helen,
her fired another Troy" These actors have
all passed away, and the passions Which then
tagged are now quiet In the repOSe OF death.
The history OF Mrs. Eaton affords a most in-
Structive theme for the mOraiists. In the
career OF 80 American woman has been so
aptiy illustrated the rise from Obscurity TO
power and distinction, and the fall from these
gddy heights into the abyss OF misery and
SORROW. III she is au example OF what may be
accomplished Under iat Jr1ug circumstances,
sac is none The less al example OF the vanity
Gf hLlilan aspirations and the uncertain future
or human lie.
MISASTHt CPICAL wANDERER.
From the history Of Mrs. Eaton, 1t may not
De an inappropriate transition to make some
extracts from a somewhat rare and curious
book entitled "The Wanderer IN Washington"
The writer was a gentleman OF fine culture
and-What is not SO common noT-was We'll
Versed Ia the Latin classics He seems to have
carried with him In all mis- wanderingS over the
lace or the earth, 1.-The memory of rooted sor-
row. His book is not pleasant reading to the
gay and the happy. His melancholy degen-
During his "waDderings" he visited Washing
ton regularly from the times of President Mad
ison TO the times OF John Quincy Adams. His
philosophy was pessimlsn. He writes
1.-The FIRST thing that strikes a stranger,
after residing Ia the Metropolis, is the afTecta-
tlon OF style and fashion which seems
10 pervade almost every rank OF society. The
President opens bis drawing room every fort
night: for the reception OF such as may please
10 visit him; and his Cabinet the Secretaries,
give dinner and evening parties during the SEES
distinction, on visit TO Washington. This is
all well enough. but IL does not stop here
subordinate officers and clerks follow the ex-
ample, and although their salaries are generally
small and their means limited, they fancy
that 1t would be- objectionable not TO
ape those above them and be what Is
amusing, to witness the labored attempts
at style OF some and the ridiculous figure made
oy others In endeavOrlng TO reach the pinnacle
OF or, thelr anoition. In one room you may see
IL on no yarr of
eternity, exhaustin5 their little remaining
strength over card table or chess board and
''grilning horribly CHASTITY smile" at every
uLSuceessIul move: In another crowd OF
spirits, black, white and gray" joStlng each
other, and elbowing their way through an al
most impenetrahle and suffocatlng mass, to
snow The beauty OF their naked shoulders Jr
The exquisite manner IN which they have p!as-
tered their withered visages with rouge And,
ID thnd, or more frequently IN the same room
you nay heho, ~ na NJ. dozen nymphs tripping
many young swaius apparently as little con-
VeIsant with the poetry OF motion" as the
Emusic OF the spheres" You can neither sit
nor stand, and the air you breathe Is not redo.
lent Of sweets" What motive could have
drawn such mass OF perisning mortality to
gether? Pleasure, Intellectual or physical, It
lar hetween;" they come like shadows, 80 de-
part" aid the personal beauty to be seen, or
The intellectual feast to be enjoyed, is SO lin
lteo as scarcely 10 merit observation"
OFflCE SEEKERS FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Our pessimist pictures the Office hunters as
they appeared In Washington more than fifty
years ago In these colors:
The Harpies, they are always waiting and
Ia readiness 10 pounce upon whatever presents
iseif. Integrity and truth interpose no barrier
10 thelr progress and faiSehoOdS are fabricated
t Wl1nout hesitation or reluctance to serve
Their purpose. One OF them Will profess the
most perfect and lasting friendship to the man
ne Is lacofing 10 undermine. His sycophancy
is u1bonnGfd, and he cringes to and fiatters all
nom WHOM he expects to derive the least ad-
vantage. There Is 10 litnit to his affrontery no
GOODNESS or reserve can affect him. He attends
the ieEees, parties, drawing-rooms, &C., into
when BE has sometimes been obliged to force
himself. He leaves mis- card at foreign mlnis
- Wal1s upon members wife or daughter,
3s3'ornS the duties OF a gallant, whenever his
services are required. and renders himself use
HI III thousand humble ways, to those who
have the power 10 benefit him."
WASHINGTON GOSSIP FIFTY YEARS AGO.
our weeping philosopher gives the the follow
ing notes OF scenes and snatches OF coayersa
lions at ball:
says one: GAS l live. the fat scribe is dancing
the ldOl waltz With sour crOut from PernsyI-
lOuSe'
m!ddle-aged female asks, WHO is that
cleature?' and on being informed that he Is a
clerK calculates 20, la clerk! How on earth
90 those creatures get into fashionable life, |
wonder?' Nhereupon her cavalier replies that
he always treats them with sovereign CON
tempL"
An ugly fef1sle remarks OF another female
sac Is an absolute fright! She has been In
market, 10 Lay knowledge for ten winters and
Is moreover aoomiaably spiteful and Malignant
Her Gear mama brings her and her five hoYden
sisters regularly every season to Washlngton
but no one has yet taken fancy to them"
The following. from the same, would appear
al exaggera!ion, but 1t Is cOrroDorated by what
Sir Augustus Foster says about the lack OF in
formation among the young ladies.
The conversation is about q masquerade ball.
bevy or young ladies are delighted at SUCH
possibility. one young lady expressed q prefer
ence for the Cleopatra.
CLEOPATRA calculated one, in doubt as to
who Cleopatra was
"'Ies; Cleopatra sure You know she was
beautiful French lady who died In Rome and
WAS beloved by gentleman named Anthony
who, pa says, was u Turk. 1 would dress all Ia
lama ant gold. Dear me, how charming 1t
would Oe EUwi Wouldn't it?'"
tFor The Star.
4 New Years Card.
he left me in the su nmer's glow.
A year. and more, OF frost and snow;
OF spring delight, and autumn rain,