Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-23
SOCIETY LADIES.
They Arc Running the Administration
aud Have Finger In Every Pie.
Washington I.et;er.l

I Washington letter.
/ So society here has not only the usual
charm of gayety and elegance, but is
! includes that subtle fascination which
| always pertains to game where great
| chances are to be won. Men may hold
! position under the government without
enlisting In it. If they want some
thing better than strict merit is likely
to bring ii is the field of their oppor-
! tuHjty. \ bureau officer wants to get
into the cabinet and he gives little
dinners; n senator aspires to be made
an ambassador, and his wife in
creases greatly the scope of hef recep-
tons; "A gentleman has Il son whose
( promotion in the navy Is slow, and he
attends assiduously 10 haunting official
receptions; young men understanding
the true inwardncss of affairs who are
/ after something which affords the
minimum Of work and the maximum
OF pay find IL to their advantage to do
! society. Everywhere beneath the
vensering Is seen and felt continually
the scramble ia u dainty way to secure
something. Lobbying in the gas-light,
| among flowers and over dinners is
more refined and vastly more effective.
! But it is terribly severe on the ladies.
| ! will warrant that the wives and
daughters of officials and congressman
work harder than the men. What with
official calls and the multiplicity
of evening entertainments, "A society
! woman has nothing left. Many reso-
! lutely refuse to have reception days.
| II they do launch into the whirl there
| Is no end to it, until lent and the end
Of the session brings relief. The abso-
lutte fear of this thing keeps many
ladies away from Washington. Secre-
tary Folger's daughter ruined her
! health asst winter trying to accomplish
| 1t, and does not dare come back; Mrs
4 Lincoln does not hesitate To express
her Joy that Mrs. Abraham Lincoln's
! death absovcs her this winter; Mrs.
trelinghuysen is obliged, to great
extent, to lay Off her
shoulders, and throughout the
Official list is II painful array OF women
VINO have broken down under the
strain. Lucki y, there is always Il
fresh supply every year. Scores OF
| hnndone girls annually fill up the
ranks, dazzle for a couple of seasons,
and are satiated. Everywhere more
young women are met than unmarried
men. This winter the disparity has
been painful. At one of the hatche-
Tors ger mans week before last, by ne
tual count, there was fraction of
over four women for every dane
ing man. Beauty which would
be noticeable anywhere else
Is sighted here, for no
other reason than that the market Is
glutted, Nor have the girls as a gen
erni thing the spirit shown by the
sprightly daughter Of one OF our
MASSACHUSETTS, members, who left this
german rather than wait TO be smiled
upon by the iAstidious youth who are
the sought rather than the seekers.
And yet think that the wholesale
criticism OF Washington women is un-
Just, lhey are in an atmosph re
which IL redolent OF politics. Its
! prizes are the brightest hued fruit on
the thee, and what wonder that they
early learn to be adopts in
wiles in behalf of their husbands and
sous Is 1t strange that they
sinilos upon senators who may, per-
haps, some day have to decide upon
nunshtous questions to them? And
: SO ttey work in II treadmil to adj
vance the prospects of their 'men
, iolks" All me, if some secrets were
~
! this town would be found to hinge
upon the industry and artfuIness of
his wife. Senator Logan Is not the
only senator who owes his election to
: his vlte, nor is Gen. Hazen the only
: brisadier who shines in her radiance
) And SO the ladies are not selfish
Z IN the work they do. + only wonder
thai in the midst of ii all they manage
2 10 look always so well and are so
bright and charming. Accused of be-
| ing interior 10 their husbands they
are in the main fully equal. They
: really run the present administration
aud have finger in every little pie
! that comes out of the heated furnace
on Capitol Hill, But they are glad
nov that Ash Wednesday Is dawning.
anta little leisure comes after their
twe months excitement, They have
! tuay earned their rest, and out of il
allwiil come next autumn the usual
! number of pretty weddings and al,
the AppOin nauN VIM diSnInva