New-York tribune., 1886-03-28
WASHINGTON NOVELS.
AND SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PEOPLE WHO
HAVE WRITTEN THEM.

HAVE WRITTEN THEM
rFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE.
! WAsHrNGTON, March 27.-Thc successful
Washington novel still remains to be written This. at
least. is the opinion OF everybody living hore IL may
be right and it may wrong. myself venture to e1-
prcss no Judgment; simply state what is fact To
admit it seems, that any OF the novels de-
scnrtve OF life at the Capital had dono justice to the
subject, presented partly truthful picture
even OF Washington society, places the man OF
woman hinting at such u thing in much the same
position that the critic would Od himself IN who would
admit that 10 had n satisfactory representa-
tion OF Hamlet" He wond no longer be considered
critic, indeed possessed of the smallest mod-
OF sense Washington soclctyIs peculiarly
sensitive and diskes being criticised 1t never sees
itsolf other people 1t. though it has perfectly
correct notion of what 10 ought TO be- In this
respect it Is very much like the society Of
London. which harb)rs the fond delusion that
the pictures OF the handsome women and still
haudsomer men. drawn by On Manrer in P"nch. are
truthful Kenes.es OF the people meets in tho average
London dFawin groom. Thus 1t happens that BOOK
touching upon the fobles and shortcomings OF Waning
ton society is dccurd hero as being either libel or
inspired by malice while which should picture II as
standard to any community of culture. refinement and
elegance would probably be nailed oniy a Just recos
milton OF superior merits
But it is not about the books but about their
writers that wished say something. Among these
the beat known, perhtp. is Mr-. Frances Hoicson
Burnett. Her novel Through one Administration" 8"
is still read which ~ more doubt, than can he said
OF most novels OF Washington life. health has COM
PEELED her TO abstain from all literary work Of late She
has been spending tue winter in Boston, though her
husband remains here in the successful practice OF h1
profession lie is Ocuilst and lives in modest t:io
house in quiet part OF the town. II Is here
that Mrs Burnett has done most OF her work
Her "den" Ia the third floor OF the house
1t Is largo, airy room, furnished plainly bat in
excellent taste. She sits at desk near the window
when writing-a figure under medium height, Of pleas
ing pumpness, with large head, rather sharp.cut
features keen blue eyes and mass OF yellow hair. lie
movements quick and nervous yet not lacking in
dignity. In her dress she affects the aesthetic, the yellow
blue and gowns Of oldfashOnod ct tho peacock
fan and all the other accessories OF medieval toilet
She has two children boys, about whom more has been
written than about any other children
l know Of They are handsome little fellows
in whom their mother naturally enough takes
great pride. Bertha in d" One Administration" says:
have always congratulated myself that my chllren
were becoming to me-" This is the view. toO which
Mrs Burnett takes OF her boys novel. not to say
traordinary, way Of considering Oncs offspring. She
disposes Of them in her house she woud of fine
piece OF furniture some ChOtce specimen Of brica-
brac. When tho bell rings and visitor is announced
the story gocs-Mrs Burnett turns to her and
says Take your positions Immediately the well
trained boys fall into best suited 10 their dress and
the OF the mantclpccc. while the younger will
stretch himself in graceful attitude the heavy fur
front OF the fire. The visitor enters and cannot
fail to he struck by the picturesque beauty Of the
II mother hcrsclf, she gOs away full Of admiration
for her friends children. aud feels ashamed almost Of
the rOu4uCss OF her boys, whom she is much
likely to nd gliding down the Dansters. sitting the
fence or playing ball than striking pctuTesqno attitudes
AMUSING as TINS account OF MS Burhetts mode
that it is sishty exaggerated the truth being that
u neither foolish nor affected, but sensible and we'll
II :" Through One Administration" has never been
much OF financial success to tho publishers at least
mont bookseller tells me that he sells more copies OF
this book than OF any other Washington novel. This
speaks but poorly OF the standard OF literary here
However the OF the book is due probably not
TO the inoGousiye duiness-f duness is ever
l9onensiyemot IN T.. i IT'S c9ntents II Is ta.e
II Ike Old men and women who enjoy tho mid dstrac-
tions of the most commonplace drawingrooms with the
the whole performance ls supposed to be contained IN
woman. commonly believed to be Miss Frcinghuysen,
and the heroic but altogether improbable antics OF for
however who Is employed in OF the departments.
forth IN Her Washington Season" by Mrs. Lincoln.
Mrs. Dahgren is The author OF "A Washington Win
ter" she Is the widow OF the admiral whose guns stll
her an exceiicnt onp6runity for stdy and obcrytion
book are taken from nature, then Washington society IS
ndeed sadly in need Of reform. "A Washington Winter
moving in society here Its politics reek with corrup-
IS 0H Scarcely TsGccmnS csad in 's me WRos
story. Naturally enough people here were shocked.
attempt tho part OF the author settle social
scores Mrs Dahleren, Imagine. WAS made TO feel the
tects o! the lndiscrctlon she had committed Tor though
she has Just finished the building Of one OF tho
was sad sue would, but leis u 10 senator Aidrlch
and herself lives on country place near South Noun
attempt at novel writing and indeed writing Of any
kind. II YOU except handbook on social etiquctt'.
which Mrs. Dshlsren produced several years ago. and
which iow people, dare say will consider "a suni
cient preparation FOR The writing OF novel illustrating
The most malignant Washington novel written so far
Democracy The interest in II ghtened by tho
fact that the author chose to remain unknown Ii
written here however, that much seemed evident In
diSalons pointed 20 MRS Honry ADAMS as me author.
had tho reputation Of saying tenchan and biting tings
in quiet even an amiabls. way Whether sho was tho
author Of -" Democracy" or not VIII perhaps,
to deny-t0O eager TO he implicitly believed Henry
Adams had enough contempt for most people to have
written 1t. but more literary skill than It displayed
while some Of It's touches were nevertheless quite DO
might easily have had all tho contempt for orcehodors
and for American Institutions which commended It
to the English and YET might have been conyeniony
one beside this pair upon whom ,.sus
IoUa ' tho I ter Of J%ago Lorns i % Of Masa
chusetts The IOring7 have for MANY years been resi-
cratic families during the long ascendancy tho
Republican party refused by word or deed TO
house there was wont to meet once every week. be
lievo IL was SuDdays-a collection OF fossils who !
lived the recollection of bygone days. II the
most ambitions attempt to create What ! might call a |
Democratic SGOti In this atmosphere and among such
SURROUNDING II quite possible that the bitterness
iained in Democracy" had Its source. At any rate |
Miss LOring considered clever enough by her friends
10 have written that book.
Wllliam.D lIowe. who has been spending nearly |
month IN Washington, Is reported saying that the !
coming Washington novel will bo written by a
pa per doubt IT, lie himself suspected OF hdy-
Ing accumulated a good deal OF material OF Late toward
new novel some Say II will treat Of life al the Capital
bat who knows