The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-08-10
WASHINGTON WOMEN.
The Lively and True, the IgnOble,
the Petty and the False.

w I
10 Waahirgton?" is the question 90 $
often recurring that one might sup t
pose it to be OF paramount import |
ance. 1t is like any other social life
human nature at its beat and its
worst. 1t displays the greatest and
loveliest traits OF character, and 1t
gives full scope tor the ignoble ele.
ments of petty vanity, display o.
dress, false compliments, Jealousy, and
envy, those inevitable accompani-
ments, the world over, OF undeveiop-
ed but ambitious nature. Here you
will find women whose husbands are
high in official position, and whose
purses are plethoric beyond care, who
1 vet are bound hand and foot, by silly
oonvensionalisms, as firmly as are
those whose sole support is the salary J
at the disposal Of superior otflcer. |
The looker-on, who is accustomed to |
think in currents that underlle the |
crusis Of life, wanders how 1t can De
that mortal womanhood can. year
after year, from the dawn OF youth to
the setting of life's SUI, in mists oi
fearful eyes and clouds OF pale. gray
hairs. dance attendance in the same
amending round of fashionable gayes
ties, content that thsir names are
I mentioned in the papers as IL attend
, auce at all the fashionable dinners;
that their dresses are suitably described
and that they ara spoken OF as chaynl-
!, inpl Thinking OF life in i!a reality,
9 OF what it ought to be and mean, then
j looking at this phase of it, represent
D ed by large type OF American
J, womanhood to-day, one msrvels that
!, the world is so old to so little pur-
. pose. St.
y Another class OF woman here, In.
. evitably an outgrowth OF the former,
. are the society correspondents OF the
2 newspapers. Women OF ability,
n many OF them, whose business year
- after year is describing dresses and
il entertainments, 80 much alike from
h generation that one wishes floral
decorations could be OF something
besides "smilax" and tube roses, "
) and that dresses need never be en- train
or hair ''pompadour" again; that MIR.
Jones would not lead Mrs. Recherche
to dinner, and that there meyer was
ye spy body to sit sat the right hand o.
l. the host and hostess" until the king
lie dom of heaven shall come, when the
81 human family can sit down to nectar
IN and ambrosia and no mere fuss abou
s. it.
81 Ladies' who do "soOiesy writing"
4 it because it ''psys best" Il is
e commercial, not an intellectual ca
d. d. terprise; and on business grounds il
NC as iusti6able as the selling Of pins
H. and just about as interesting to thos
. who do it. Pins get monotonous
u viewed individually or in large mum
" bers. Considering the difference il
x intensity In the points of Thousand
nd pins for long term OF years woulI
ss. hardly calculate an eclipse or ease
he hear,aohe; nor would the study
W; human natue from the dead levels c
he conventional society. Here impuls
he ia dead, enthusiasm unborn. earnest
nd ness precluded. The effort is {
"shine," and that in cand!e-ligh,
IL. The sun has gone out OF fashion.
Still another class of women i
Washington ars those working in th
nv. government departments. A hops
less, weary task for educated. refined
we'll reared women as many OF then
,s- are. I would rather go away to to
w. western prairies end preempt fs'
70 acres OF Gods good soil, and with N
own hands guide the plow and plan
BUT toy seed, in the free air and sunligh
Dur OF the blue heaven. than take pos
,ur ton ut one Of those monotonous desk
IAN to write, write, write dreary copies
per soulless documents until the ligt
in fades out OF the face. the warmt
: OF from the heart, and health from bod
to and soul. Woman was never mear
icy to be machine. Every nerve in hi
18th body protests agsins. it. Ever fb'
do of her soul revolts against the murd'
j OF of her own free will. Automat
nts. action in society CT independent lab
u is her doom and death.
9 it In room adjoining this where
ons write lies at this moment on bed
'eie suffering genlie girl WHOSE ilIe i
are sight years has been in the treasu
1ew department here. And, by the wa
s IN George w. Peck never wrote bett
and thing than his humorous but XII
, De and just defense OF the women in &
ase, treasury work here. This your
the woman is very finely cultured, train
as. in the atmosphere OF books a
eet, music, in the library of studio
all father, who, dying. left small CO,
With pet5nce that was coon swept away
way lack of management. For eiO
call gears she has written in that eff
,;but until her health has gone. and &
mite lives to day in constant fear lest /
here position shall be taken from Ter g
pig given to another whose vitality is l
eles- impaired. As she lies there now
have greatest dread ia lest she shall b
I'd OF Tomorrow that there is no more vi
mink for her. Across the way, perha
nded my lsdy's carriage rolls to her de
their and she enters it in disquiet lest
ulisn neighbours is more magnificent.
does not see the sunlight as she 7