Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-01-05
81 .aS2saNGTON SOCIETY.



correspondence of the Boston rost.l
New Yeas in Washington has about two
splendid hpurs, when the gentlemen who
wear uniforms call GA the President. The
show is AN oil one, and must be familiar in
all its details 1t is an cyor-recurling Won
der, however, TO the popuacc, and TO moral
politicians. These people never grow tired
OF looking al the gilt and feathers, for they
20 to the White House Now Years after
New Years, aud after standing the squeez-
ing and bodily Inconvenience that attend Il
crowd that ioslcs and is free with its ell
bows, aud tiGads on sensitive corns as I'M
concelngd!y as on asphalt plvcments, and
has TO respect for laccs or delicate shawls
they come down the walks towards the gates
on thCir way out, with II smile of serene sat
isfaction that wise men wear only after din
ner. The last time brings us much gratifca-
ton as the fist. Sometimes they affect n
Republican contempt for the people who are
IN the show, but they like it all the same.
"WhJ Is the fellow with the brass breast ~
asked Il Western Senator once OF Il Cabinet
officer. He got in his fling at the creature of
royalty, bat he wanted to know him, The
truth is that Republican simplicity wears Off
very rapidly with an introduction TO good
society. Men dcspsc the foreigners until
they are asked TO dine with them. Then
they find them very much like other sensible
people, except that they are likely to be
mole men OF the world than the Congresmen
who have never before lived in so large n
place as Washington, 1t takes about four
years to turn a rural politician into Il present
able social parsonage, At first he has no
society, except that Of his boarding house or
hotel. Ii he is asked out 10 dinner, which
he may be for political or business reasons
lie goes in 4 sack coat and ColOred ntc,ie
lie finds o,licrmcn present in dress coats, etc, ,
and this makes him angryat what he calls the
fashionable vanitcs of the world The more
prominent he grows, hswcvcr, the more un-
easy lie becomes ut finding himself dressed
differently from other people, until he finally
blossoms out in all the vanitits, even to an
opera hat. But lie reaches the brilliant re-
suit by easy stages md through series of
remarkable compromises. He first shovcs his
hands into purple gloves, and adopts n Prince
Albert cont. When he does this he under
takes TO declare himself ahead of the fashion
and as having adopted new device of the
Prince of Wales, Of which he had read i'm
some journal Of alleged fashion. This shows
that he is slowly coming to his fate Then
he probably adopts dress coat, Il high vest
and lilac tie then his vest grows lower
and his LccltIc lighter, until the end he
snccrcd at is reached ut last.
There is no city in the country where the
best society is so clearly marked. Washing
ioa has an etiquette OF its own, but that Is
for the government OF the social side of oiii-
cal lite There is no need Of going largely
into the distinction, but those who are hirh
in official place have an Inside social life of
their own. y Cabinet officer and bis family
must Inc. in one Sense. in the hest gDpintv