Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-01
Society IN Nas1.iis-sG.l,

| The writer Of an illustrated article on THE
Ne" Washington" in the March Century char
/ acterZes Washington society thus: Leaving
ASIDE the question of political morality few
4! people WHO nave passed q winter in Washington
VIII deny the charm of its society Acknowl-
edsin% al It's faults, its crudeness- narrowncss
perlar5-and its lack Of form, it must yet be
/ acknowledged that it differs from all other
American society in the fact that 1t Is not
| founded On wealth. IT is the only society which
il really republican. though it has little resem-
b.aEce 10 the republican court of the first adj
ministratIon.--thc Only one in America which
has wclldcfincd basis. And that basis is pub-
| i!c station. temporarily conferred. whether di-
rtcty Or Indirectly. by the expressed wishes of
felloW-men. The holding of such public
station necessarily implies intelligence and
such ii is intelligence, as distinguished
from lineage or r-'alth, which is the funda-
mental basis IL Washington society Such So
ciety does not feel Obliged TO adopt certain Gus
toms becau.e it Is reported at second hand that
they are good form in LondOn. Its opinions
are roSGstly independent its information is ex-
! tcEs.vp. and its subjects OF conversation are
| many aud varied.
~ is rot to he imagined that such a society
is We'll defined, or that it's rules are clearly
estai'iished-thou9h it is true that the Ell
! quette Of Social Life in Washington has been
most deliberately formulated i'm a little pamphlet
| OF which fresh edition is perennialiy produced
ant Wh.cil is said to sell in great numbers 1t
| IL. undoubtedly. open to the criticism of being
raw TO TIE same eXtenf-but no mOre-that
! society in London is Subservient and snObbjsh
| and in New York illiterate and commercial
! Nothing can De more ridiculous than the public
| levees OF the President where the doors are
thrown open That every person in the street NAV
| enfel them III crush, and stand in slowly
! moving procession for two hours, in order that
during halt minute Of that time the PRECEDENT
| may be seen and his arm may be wrenched
/ But this Is not peculiar to Washington alone
! Such public receptions are inflicted upon
/ Presidents III AL cities which they visit Hardly
! less lncCn-ruOGs are the Wednesday afternoon
| receptions Of the wives of Cabinet officers
when the.r doors are also thrown open and
! hundreds OF strangers tramp through their par
Tors to pay their respects The wives of
Judges and Senator's and Representative have
TO endure tne same thing on other afternoons of
the week 1t has come to be considered as part
OF the price of public station. But. no matter
what office Il man may hold. no one NAV come
to his dinner table without an invitation. And
IT'S IL DINNERS that Washington society excels.
Diplomats aud travellers from every part of the
world; men distinguished in political life on
the bench. and in war; men of science and men
OF letters; women OF intelligence and culture
with the native grace and beauty for which
American women are Justly observation-disclosures
| is no such wealth OF choice in any other Ameri-
can ely. aid there are no other d:nner-parties
| 50 entertaining as those of Washington"
Sunlight ana Human aEealth.
| From the London Observer.
| For some considerable time past the Astrono-
mer Royal and his assistants have been weekly
reporting the significant fact that the recorded
| sunshine during the seven days has been, upon
al average, nA Prilna facie it is only photo
graphers who need be affected by this nteIli-
gence. What can it possibly matter to the
world at large if there is not sunshine enough
about to dlscolOT piece of sensitivzed paper?
As a matter OF fact, however, the discoloration
| OF sensitvzed paper is but one of the MANY
processes due to the chemical energy of the
sunlight. And a prolonged absence of sunlight
Is very serious matter Its effects upon the
health are direct and perceptible We get no
ozone and we become dull and listleSs. as if we
| had been sitting up all night. When thus out
OF tone and below par, we are consequently de-
fcient in that vital energy which would other
wise enable us to shake off any ordinary all
| ment Nor is this all. Absence of sunlight for
any considerable period is almost invariably
followed by epidemic outbreaks. When the
sun is active. nth of all kinds putreies as it
collects. Wien there Is no sunshine the filth
collects, accommodates in masses. and ferments
THESE fermcnted accumulatons are source of
positive danger as soon as the sun resumes its
activity. Decomposition under bright sun is
comparatively harmless. Slow accommodation
in the dark is especially hostile to health. We
need no chemist to tell us all this; but at the
same time, it is Us well to bear the chemistry of
common life in mind When the Astronomer
ROya. reports total absence of sunshine we
ought to be especially careful, and it NAV be
added, children suffer more from the absence of
the suns rays than do adults. Adults have
only TO Keep alive; children have to keep alive
and to grow, which entails a double amount of
| chemical work. Now, II there he no sunshine.
we can best supplement its absence by exer-
else. And yet, strange enough, the absence of
sunshine is regarded by most mothers as suf-
fcient ground Tor keeping children within
doors. 1t is, on the contrary, the very reason
why they should be sent out and kept out as
much Us possible.
a late accession to the ranks OF royal authors
Is the Iafanta Donna PaZ. The "Poesias de PaZ
do u rl,l hnn int