Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-10-25
WASHINGTON SOCIETY.
How a ~ Effected by the Change
In the Presidency.

NcuiuANVu oVotut9f pOthaPo tHS
most frivolous, tawdry and mixed OF
any society in the world, is congratu-
latng it~Solfupon the dawning Of what
Il is pleased to call a"polite regime.
Washington society, cold, calculating
and morcurial, has just torn down its
oStontatious mourning for President
Garfield, and prostrates itself at the
feet OF his successor with open adula-
ton and genuine inward rejoicing.
Washington society felicitates itself
that il has a representative in the
White House az last The longed for,
the deyoutodly wished for. has arrived.
A social gentleman, an aristocratlc
gentleman, a super-mathematioal gen.
tlemAu. has succeeded 70 the throne.
by Washington society | do not now
mean tho official and semi-oficial
world Of Washington, which toadies
to anything in power, and plunges its
rcd nose in the sand before anybody in
authority, but the blue blood Of Vir-
ginia and Maryland, which runs along
the ar~ist0cratie suburbs of George
town, and forms the nucleus of as
pure 4 civilization and social refine
ment as can be found in the
city ct the Union. While the leaders
Of this cultured circle are for the
most part wealthy, wealth is not a test
OF membership as vulgar wealth never
is Of the truly best society anywhere.
This circle once ruled, but il was in
Buehanan'S time. When Mr.. Lin
cola took the executive chair, the
man, the circumstances and the
woman drove tho brilliant aud cul-
tured people of refined society into
the background. Lincoln was sur
rounded by rough soldiers aud was
himself plain, blunt aud uncouth,
caring more for the smutty yarns Of
the ward room than for the society Of
ladies. 1t was a time of perpetual
war and anxiety, and many Of the
charmed circle which surrounded
Buchanan and his predecessors had
friends engaged en- 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 succession of John
son was followed by an attempt of the
old regime to revive the glory Of a
former decade, but the scars of war
we're too fresh and these were torn
open in the bitterness of the political
struggle which followed. The society
Of the White House o o fell below
even its former standard.
With the advent of Grant came the
manners Of the mess room and the
tawdry evidences of shoddy society.
The President who could deliberately
puff his cigar in the face of his LADY
visitors and set out a 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 through fraud he
introduced the practices of fraud
made a parade Of his asceticism. He
bani.hed 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 a penurious economy
The government had increased the
Presidential salary to $4,000 a YEA
to enable the chief executive of the
American people to entertain in a way
suited to his exalted position. The
Western President responded by
putting it in his pocket.
Hayes not only did this but
drew his salary quarterly or monthly
IN advance, contrary to law. Mrs.
Hayes was the head Of the household
She was a very good, old fashioned
woman, and took society to be a mag
nihed Sunday school class, of which
ex- oticio her husband was superintep-
dent. Mr.. Hayes. the fraud, was sue
ceeded by Mr.. Garfield, the scholar.
Mr. Garfield had always found life too
short for the society of anything but
books and politics. In this he was
seconded by a plain, simple, intel
lectual wife. They brought with them
as their predecessors bad done the
simple Western habits Of life and the
crude 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 Washing
ton society. which, sinking yearly
further and further away from the
Executive Mansion, gave place to the
mi-politlcal, semi-oficial mixed
Democratic element which swarms
about each successive head of the gov
ernmeDt-the Ingredients being official
position and toadyism.
With the advent of President Ar.
thur, Of New York, VIC are told to
prepare for "a polite regime" The
frosty edge Of aristocratic breeding is
TO be turned toward the paryenues
who have infested the Executive Man
sion. There is to be something more
under the reign Of Arthur than mere
political lunches, cold and dry state
dinners, public receptions and pray.
ers, cold tea and whisky. Because.
says the Washington social world,
Arthur is a gentleman by birth and
breeding, and he will live like a ZEN
tleman and entertain like a gentleman.
1t is this idea which brings out the
eongratulation and happy anticipa.
ton ofthe super esthetioal fashion
able world. If they are not permitted
to enjoy the Inequalities of the Exec
utive Mansion themselves, the indi.
yidual members of this circle feel
that in the President they have an
honored representative. There will
be select receptions at which the rab.
bic will be excluded; there will be
dinners to somebody else than pub.
fumes. and old women; there will be
vine at these dinners, and good wine.
too, there will be dancing, perhaps.
also-a vision which fills the Wash.
ln!gtonian mind with pleasurable an.
tlcipation. In short. the polite re.
gime includes all that fashionable
Washington society demands.
Improper medicines only aggrayate
human diseases. Don't experiment
with your health. If you don't lust
know what ailg Won use Rrown'a fron