Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-09-25
Washington in MonrOe's Administration,

PETROLEUM V. NAsBY,
(Poltikle Engineer)
Washington in MenrOe's Administration.
1t was period when tho social Ell.
quette of Washington was undergoing
some changes; the population was
distinct, the social duties of high Off
cials more onerous. The diary Of John
Quincy Adams records Cabinet meet.
ings de o.ed to the momentous question
who should MAKE the first call. and who
shonld be .nclud Il il the official visit.
ing lists Mrs. Monroe. without a
Cahinc' conuc'l, made up her own mind
to retrench SO ne of those profuse civil
tiles with which her predecessor had
fatigued herself. Mrs. Madison, a
large, heavy, kindly dame, had retired
from Office equally regretted by the
poor Of Washington and by its high
life; but she had eaiaCd this popularity
at severe cost. She had called on all
conspicuous strangers; Mrs. Monroe
intended to call on nobody. Mrs. Mad
isoh Ind been always ready for visitors
when at home; her successor proposed
to receive nobody save at her regular
levees. The ex-Presdentess had pre-
sided at her husbands dinner parties.
and had invit / the wives of all the men
who We're TO he guests; Mrs. Monroe
staid away from the dinner parties, and
so the yves were left ut home. Add
to tins that her health was by no means
strong, and it is plain that there was
great ground for spasm of unpopu-
larity. She, however, outliyed it, and
re-established her social relations, gave
fortnightly receptions, and won much
admiration, which she probably de-
served. She was by birth Miss
kortwright, of New York, a niece of
Gen. Knox, and when she accompanied
her husband on his embassy to Paris
she had there been known as ia belle
Americana. She was pronounced by
observers in later life to be "a most
regal looking lady" and her manners
We're described as "yery gracious At
her final leyce in the White House,
her dress was superb black velvet
neck and arms bare, and beautifully
formed; her hair in putfs, and dressed
high on the head, and ornamented with
white ostrich plumes; around her neck
an elegant pearl necklace" Her two
fair daughters-her only children, Mrs.
Hay and Mrs. Gouyerneur-assi at
this reception.
Such was the hostess, but her draw
ng-rooms, by all contemporary ac-
counts, afforded a curious social med
ley. The well-de1ined gentry of the
Revolutionary period was disappearing,
md the higher average of dress and
manners had not begun TO show itself
that higher average which las since
been rapidly developed by the inhu-
ence of railroads and newspapers,
joined with much foreign travel and a
great increase in wealth. 1t was a
period when John Randolph was al
lowed to come to dinner parties "in
rough, coarse, short hunting coat, with
small-clothes and boots, and over his
boots pair of coarse coating leggins,
tied with strings around his legs. At
Presidential receptions, III the words of
nm eyewitness, ambassadors and con-
suls, members of Congress and officers
of the army and navy, greasy boots and
silk stockings, Virginia buckskins and
Yankee COW hides all mingled in iIl-as-
sorted and fantastic groups.
Houses in Washington had become
much larger ihan formerly, and SINH.
lar expansion had been seen ia the scale
of entertainments. It is not uncommon
to find record, OF evening art;es at
which five or six hundr 4 5.rsons we're
present, filling five or >iz CONS Wen
John Quincy Adams. thea Secretary of
Sta.e, gave q l., c,1.t;on to the newly
arrived here, Gel. nlrew Jackson,
eigst + oas ,e.e re4ed, AID there
were i taau. ~ i MS re-
eardal s es. e.f yer
gwen III Wa+M: M low ii
tie o}jin i, 81 ST. .t atas hu-