Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-21
Social Washington.
BY HENRY LOOMS NELSON.

From the December Atlantic.
OF all places in this country Washington is
the city of leisure. On bright, winter after
moons, its thoroughfare is full Of pleasure-seek-
ing saunterers; it is the one community in the
United States whose working people are not for
ever filling it's streets with the hustle and hurry
of their private affairs. In truth, trade dis
turbs it very little. Commerce has no foothold
where are enacted the laws intended to regu-
late it. Business has left all the region for
more congenal atmosphere. In one OF two
places on the Potomac it has grasped at the
river, but it's fingers have slipped Off, and the
days when Georgetown and Alexandria were
important market towns have passed away. De-
caying warehouses and ruined wharves and
grass-grown streets remind one of a tradition
which is to the effect that once farmers brought
their produce to now departed commission
houses, to be loaded in sloops that crept sleepy
down the yellow waters to the Chesapeake. The
broad river seems consecrated to the heroic
memories OF two wars, for the interest in it's al
most tOWnless shores centers in the thousands
of graves at Arlington and the one tomb at Mt
Vernon, The banks Of the stream at Washing
ton are almost as green with heritage and trees
as the water-side of an unpretenious village
People who are in government employ still make
the majority of the more Interesting classes
and work for the public is done by many hands
and in a few hours. Moreover the men who are
engaged ia it rarely permit it to WORRY them
and almost invariably shake Off its cares with
their Office-cOats After four O'Clock in the
afternoon, they do with their time what seems
best to them, and. If their position warrants it,
they devote themselves to the performance OF
social duties.-a task which. more than in any
other city OF the country, is pleasure. The
afternoon teas, the evening receptions-most
OF them very simple entertainments -and the
| round OF dinner parties make constant demand
upon the eligible men and women who spend
their winters in Washington; and most Of the
men, except those who are in political or ju-
dicial life, have time to satisfy the demand.
The question that interests the world out
side seems to be, GLOW much is social life dis
turbed and coarsened by contact with the poll
tclans' Ii we were to answer this inquiry
from the novels that have been written about
Washington. we should be obliged to confess
that those who govern us have a great capacity
for demoralizng the people whom they meet
when they lay aside the labors of state, aud I'M
bend. The truth is, however that q fair pic
ture OF the social side of Washington has never
been painted There have been truthful sketches
OF certain features. but all attempts to portray
the life led by the clever and refined people
have been unfaithtul. The misrepresentation
OF which the capital has been the victim is due
largely to the great hotels and their environments
The best side OF the city cannot be studied in
its public places. 1t would be unnecessary to
say this OF Boston, or New York or Phiadel-
phla. No one would think of undertaking
study OF the inner and best life of anv one of
our great business communities in the vestibue
or sm0klng-rOom of his hotel 1t is possible
that washington receives different treatment
because the public has an idea that the city is
composed mainly of Congressman and Treasury
clerks. 1t suffers from superficial observation.
To stranger nothing is so distracting as the
hustle OF the great caravanseres that are the
centers OF life redOlent with surface politics.
noisy, snowy, and misleading and with all the
cheap pretentiousness OF shoddy fashion. Into
this coarse and glazing activity very often fall
the honest, worthy, unsophisticated country
member and his wife,-he. frequently, man Of
strong head and solid accomplishments. and she
modest, trustful, sensible housewife, whose
| ambition is satisfied with her husbands honors
This mngling of the vulgar and the innocent
helps to maintain the deception. and does much
to induce the casual observer to believe that he
is seeing the true essence, when hi is looking at
a very bad imitation. Almost all the writer's Of
fiction who have f1uttered, moth-like, about the
shining subject have been too much attracted
by the glare of the public places 1t takes time
and opportunity to learn that the men who are
most In the newspapers are not necessarily the
most prominent In society,"