St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-30
TALK.


requirements are after all seemingly local
andarbitrary. Whoever speaks authoritatiyely
or writes as If inspired with the peculiar
knowledge of the many-sided matter OF soci-
ETY., can be offset by strong rebuttals-they
in themselves are only objections, and the
fact is shaped and colored by locality whether
it be in Washington, London, Paris, or
Poker Flat.
The correspondent of st. Louis paper
tells US that in Washington "There is a
charming freedom, iberality, ease, and cor
diality about its society that quite captivates
every newcomer whether he be from north
or SOUTH east or west. You see here form
of society that is not known anywhere else
in America, and everybody seems to like it. !"
Well, of course you do, and to be sure
everybody, that indiscriminate individual,
likes it.
1t sounds fine and insinuative of enjoy
ment-but what lis the drift of ita Just
this.
Washington is in district Independent of
the states, and independent, likewise in the
society which is flloruished before US, and
quoted to us, and which is
largely an accidental aggregation
of humanity without classification,
save in official life, where the magnate of to-
day mayI be in obscurity to-morrow-pos-
sibly in disgrace and rather disagreeably
close to lack of personal liberty. In these
ever shifting motley multitude S
all the men, and most of the women have
had his HISTORIES" and necessarily there is
considerable liberation and cohesion, or the
social structure would be ominously shaky.
Curiously the aforementioned correspondent
winds up by saying: 'There is no trouble in
forming acquaintance here-if you will be-
have yourself, but the moment you step aside
from the path of propriety you will be cut
numerically, and by everybody. You are
taken largely on your honor, and if you
| haven't any, it is soon found out and then
| you are nottaken at all-.'' The condi-
tons about ''good behavior and ''honor''
are immensely funny, while the ''path of
| propriety" has never been regularly laid out
in Washington, and at any rate is SO
little Travelled that any cuts received for go
ing the more accommodating and profitable
star routes don't count for much.
Why should they? If A. B. Shepard can
| be an invited guest at dinner in the White
house with an Indictment hanging over his
head,-if Belknap, and Landaulet Williams,
and Robson, and Dorsey, and Brady and
Keifer and "my dear Hubbell'' are all well
coined with confidential cordially in those
| charmed. circles where you and l are pining
tot go, my listening candidate, why, its
solely for their shining honor, their exem-
plary behavior, their social graces, and their
blameless political methods.
Our correspondent remarks plaintively
that in many of the older cities, the best So
ciety is so exclusive that very many excel
lent people never get into it at ALL though
they may live and die in those places.
Which proves that the best people don't
get their social deserts where they would be
of marked consequence to them, and they
capital, where there is no distinct
i've society to make any difference, and
where excellent people'' offer rather curl
GUS variety in the rotation of Office holders,
indefnable lobbyists and patriotic hucksters
in every guise.
In Washington nobody cares. 1t is only
| touch and go, and what's the odds2
s'Do you expect to remain long in Paris9"
asked President Louis Napoleon of Lady
Blessington, when she was an
exile from London. s'Do you,"
retorted the quick witted and resentful Irish
woman.
The crowd goes to Washington, but not
markedly for society. Ittakes in the mighty
horde of bores, and bored. 1t jostles, ell
bows, and out dresses the other probationary
mob at levees and receptions 1t makes it
sell as agreeable and approachable as travel
| lers do who beguile the detention of break
down, or the slowness of transit, and seldom
| touch at the remotest angles afterwards. 1t
| does all this with a will, but it hardly deems
| the experience one that can be appropriately
| classed as society, although tits social enough
| too. Washington is our big Vanity Fair in
| full blast, where we go to see the show peo-
pie on exhibition, women, politicians, diplo-
mats and embassies. Our eager population
| makes an effort to see it at least once in
lifetime just as it does the circus, and then
our correspondent would have US believe that
| it sees the best society once and never any
more, unless it stays in the district. The adj
vantage there, is, that you see the human
| specimens from all parts of the country and
the representative world, in office, or in
| quest of something for which they are will
| ing to put up clothes, jewels and lavish en-
| tertainment, that the real object may be al
luringly disguised.
| At the court of Victoria no divorced
| woman can ever be presented, no matter
how needful the divorce, nor how worthy
and admirable the woman.
Where would the royal edict leave many
of our fine people in Washington high life, if
ambitious for that sovereign stamp of ap-
| provall
Out in the cold. It would exclude the
consort of our most bedizened cabinet officer
| in Washington, the wife of the most ambi-
tious presidential candidate, and many of the
lesser order in public life. What of that
| Here they take first rank and are pretty high
and mighty while power lasts. There is no
exclusion for anything, and the line is sell
dom if ever drawn sharply with money, pow
er and patronage outside.
This is pretty well understood abroad, and
the embassies are of a mixed character. II
is doubtful if the present British minister
could have the same social prestige in any
foreign capital, whatever his diplomatic SER
| vice and force might be.
We get in some retaliative representation
once in a while. The obituary of the late
Minister Hunt, our envoy at St. Petersburgh,
was interesting reading, but rather confusing
to the average foreigner who tries to KEEP
abreast with our legislative workings.