, 1884-04-20
WASHINGTON WOMEN.
The Lively and True. h Isnoble.
aag5s the Petty and the False.
snIy conventionaIists---soeiety Cor.
Observation-Disclosures Clerks
|s "a sad Case OF sunerIuE---
b. by Lady's Carriage.


b..
What do think OF social life in Washing
toni is n question so often recurring that
one might suppose 1t to be Of paramount i'm
poitance. It is Ike any other social life-
human nature at its b<st and its worst. 1t
displays the greatest and l~oveIiest trnits OF
character, and it gives full scope for the ig-
noble elements Of petty vanity, display of
dress, false compliments, Jealousy and envy,
those inevitable Accomplishments, the world
over, of undeveloped but ambitious nature.
Here you will find women whose husbands
are high in official position, and whose purses
ars plethoric beyond care, who yet
are bound maud and foot, by silly
conventionalsms, as firmly as are those
whose sole support is the salary at
the disposal of u superior officer. The locker
on, who is accustomed to think in currents
that underlie the crusts Of life, won iers how
1t can be that mortal womanhood can. year
after year, from the dawn Of youth to the
setting of LIES sun, in mists of fearful eyes
aud clou Is OF pale, gray hairs, dance attend
ance in the SINE intending round .of fash.
ionable gnyeties, cDntant that their names
are mentioned In the papers us in attendance
at all fashionable dinners; that their dresses
are suitably described, and that they are
spoken OF as chRrIningl Thinking Of life in
its reality, OF what it ought to be and mean,
then looking ut this phase of IL. represented
oy - - ~ ~"
day. one maryels that the world is 90 old to
50 little purpose.
Another class OF women here, inevitably
an outgrowth OF the former, are the society
correspondents OF the newspapers. Women
OF ability, many Of them, whose business
yeHr after year Is describing dresses and en-
tertainments, so much alike from generation
that one wishes horal decorations could be of
something besides "smilaxn and tube roses"
urI that dFAaSAe nAaH t,ayar IN ON trait mr.
hair -pompadouf" again that Mr. Jones
would not lead Mrs Recherche to dinner,
and that there never was anybody TO BIT "at
the right hand OF the host or hostess" until
the kingdom Of heaven shall come, when the
whole human family can sit down to ueclar
and ambrUsia. and no more fuss about it,
Ladies' who do society writing" do it be-
cnuse 1t pays best.n 1t is u commercial, not
an intellectual enterprise. AMI On business
grounds is as justitiab.e as the sellingof pins.
and just about as interesting to thoss who
do 1t. Pins get monotonous, viewed indi-
vidually or In large nunber Considering
the difference in intensity in the points of u
thousand pins for n long term OF years would
hardly calculate an eclipse or case u heart
ache; nor would the study OF human nature
from the dead levels OF conventional society.
Here impulse is dead, enthusiasm unborn,
tafnestness preclndcd. The effort is u
rAHhtH hiAA AAh IA Ao III
has gone out Of faY.lon. ..4 g.u.
Still another class OF women in Washing
inSton are those working in the government
departments. A hopeless, weary task for
educated, refined, well reared women a.
n.auy Of them are, ! would rather 60 away
to the western prairies and rreempt a few
acres of Gods COOL soil, and with my own
hands guide the pillow aud plant the seeI, in
the free air and sunlight OF the blue heaven,
.l..0 81 - ..-nsst..AA % ... - tlH-. 80.
nous desks to write, write, write dreary
copies OF ~soulless documents until the light
fades out Of the face, the warmth from the
IenTt, and health from body and soul.
oman was never meant TO Da a ma III np.
Every nerve in her body protests against it.
Every fiber OF her soul revola against the
murder of her own FIRE, will. Automatic
action IN society or independent labor is her
doom and death.
In a room adjoining this where / write lies
at this moment on a bed OF suffering u gentle
girl whose life for eight years has boen in the
treasury department here, And, by tho
way, George w. Peck never wrote a better
thing than his humorous hut kline and just
defense OF tho women in the treasury work
here. This young woman is very finely cul-
tured, trained In the atmosphere OF books
AMI music, in the library OF a studious father,
who. dying. left a small competence that
was soon swept away by luck Of manage
ment. For eight years she has written in
that office, until her health has gone, and she
lives to-day in constant fear lest her
position shall be taken from her
and given To another whose vitality
Is unimpaiIed. As she lies there now
her CREATES dread Is lest she shall
hear tomorrow that there is no more work
for hor. Across tile way, perhaps, my lady's
carriage rolls TO her door. and she entersit
in disquiet lest her neighb )rs is more mag
niticeut She does not see the sunlight as
he rolls along; she does not know that the
yellow jessamineis in fragrant bloom on the
sunny side OF the Soldiers, home, for it is not
fashionable TO so there until later in the
season. She does not know that my young
friend is dying there 4fron toll. yet suffering
because even 1t may 10 denied her; but she
does know, and it clouds her face and
hardens her heart, that a rivalleader went T.
the presidents dinner last night, while her
self was UNLIMITED. m r. A
Were one to make cnoice between these
two aud take the place OF one OF them. |
would take that of the poor, frail girl. Bet
ter, even, the discipline through which she
has passed, IL that 10 necessary to give
birth to so sweet n soul, than the coli, dead
arrogance Of her whoss birth of spirit must
be in another life, il ever, since she has
lived too long for a ~chRnge of heart' here.
Beauty of characterl How few are striving
Ia attain III Fewer, even, than they WHO
ARE asking for intetecs ual development.
Courage, high-min iedue-s, guilcleSsness,
true kindnoSsl How rare ars theyl
A Reliable Time-krcper.
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