Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-17
WASHINGTON NOTES.
Universal Glyety in the Lenten
Season.
George Bancroft, His History and
His Pleasant Life-The New
York Penal Code

pfe'bsnten season stopped on Wedne
day at one o'clock q. M, when the
carriages were rolling away from the
presidents reception to the army and
navy and diplomatic corps. The gay
ETY. goes right on, however, although
1t does not appear 30 prominently in
the newspapers. To be sure, there
will be no more large affairs until after
the usual Lenten season, aud tor the
present saokcloth will be fashionable:
but the stream of small gayities flows
oni with undiminshed strength. All
sorts Of ''Small and early" affairs
dinners, drums, teas aud 80 on, are 20
occur, and they will be as well attend
ed as though the seasons roses had not
turned to ashes. Still, 1t Is possible TO
rest and yet be fashionable IN
this middle season, and that Is wha5
most of the gay world are glad to do,
This has been a gay winter. Not 80
gay as some that have preceded it,
but still crowded with balls, germans,
dances and numbsrless nameless
smaller events The Marquis of
Lorde, who Is next nelghoor to q king,
has bsen here; Miss Brewster, Miss
Cameron and Miss Blaine were mar
rjed, and soma vary handsome dinners
have been given In honor of di,tin-
guished men, like Mcclellan and AL
exauder III Rice, who were temperar-
lily with us. Everything has been more
elegant than ever before. The din.
ners and the dinnsr. tables were sup
erb. Experts said that they had sean
no such spreads" at any court in
the world as thoy saw here. The
flowers teo, and the wedding pres.
euts were Landowner than any ever
seen here before. And the dressing
that exceeds my powers of description.
A distinguished authority picks out
Mrs. Don Cameron, OF Pennsylvania;
Mrs. logan, of Illinois; Mrs. Hill, of
Colorado; Mrs. Moore, of Tennessee;
Mrs. Walker, of Pennsylvania, aud
Mrs. Bingham, of Pennsylvania,
among the matrons; and among the
demoisellss the Misses Frelinghuysen,
Mss R.chsl Sherman, Mas Var
Buren,, of japan, and Miss Miller, of
California, as t,eing especially noted
for the msgui6csnce of their toilets.
OF Mrs. Bingham We say very little.
She has been Ill and In Philadelphia
for some time; but she came down
with the gay party that attended Mtss
Bre wster's wedding on Tuesday, re-.
turning with them to Philadelphia on
Wednesday. But the toilet she wore
at the Brewster wedding and reception
was Justly regarded as the handsomest
OF the season. The gown Of
pale blue satin, with apron of old gold
satin, was of itself a study in artistic
effect. This has been a winter of
splendid display of elegant materials.
The old-fashioned silks and ~sstins,
themselves never 30 handsome, have
been crowded by magnificent cloth of
gold brocades, tissues of gold and sill.
YER, pushes and hand embroideriss
made lustrous by crystal white, jet
and iridescent glass fringes. This Is
the winter resort of the country. 1t
must become handsomeY, and there
fore more attractive every year. The
more attractive 1t lis the more people
will 1t draw in, and they will dress
more and more extensively until this
shall become the mos. elegant city
from the dress point of view In the
country. Everything else will be i'm
proved In proportion, of course, until
the general effect becomes simply
dazzling. On the whole, Washington
real estate is the best thing q young
can buy if he can afford to wait a few
years. The post-Lenten sssson prom
ises to be very brilliant. The presi-
dent is to give some more dinners and
receptions, and dozens of private en-
tertainments are already talked of.
George Bancroft is 80. He has been
writing history for years. 1t has
heightened his days. Perhaps that's
the reason why Blaine contemplates a
history of political events in the
United States between the Liucoln
and Garfield administrations. l won
der whether the other shelved states
men who proposed to settle down in
their Washington palaces purpoge
writing history. Ferry might tell us
all about silver mines: Window could
enlighten the world on stock opera.
tions; Saunders, of Nebraska, could
give us points on agriculture as q
species of political capital. What a
history of the Lavies of the world
Robson could write! and how enter
tanning Voluntary Contribution Hub
BELLS essay on political assessments,
past and present, would be2 Al any
rate,sMr. Bancroft lives a life thst any
of them mtght envy. He has every
thing that heart could dasire-fame in
his life time, houses and friends,
horses and roses, books spd bon.
quets. He lives well at Newport In
summer, AND he lives bstter in Wash.
ingtou at winter. He said the other
day that that was his idea of a SEN
sible life-six months Of the country
in summer and six months of the city
In winter, with plenty of flowers and
friends and books and horses in both
He is fond of roses-he has some of
the finest In the world, both here and
at Newport-snd of books and of
paintings and of sculptures and of
fine horses. SO are 3 great many other
people; but, unlike a maiorlty of
them, he is able to have what he likes.
One thing that he enjoys very much
Is horseback riding on the smooth
roads north of Washington. When he
can get a companion or two he is
almost happy. When several pedes-
TRANS or esquestrians have bowed to
him he Is quite happy. He is,
like most successful men, profoundly
self-respectful. He likes to have
people bow to HIN whether he knows
them or not. Another thing that he
is fond of is driving out. He is a
welcome guest at any dinner table in
Washington, from the presidents
down. He has great onver sationsl