The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-04-22

He AdmlFss the varlsd Charms Of WAIh
Boston slobe. ~
have just returned from a polite ant
recherche party here, Washington is thu
hot-bed of gayety and general hesdquar
ters for the recherche business. It woulG
be hard to find q bOngtonger aggregation
than the one l was just at, To use th'
words Of gentleman who was there, ant
who asked me il | wrote "lhe Heather
Chinee,"
He wa a very talented man, with {
broad sweep OF skull and q vague yearn
ing for something more tangibls-to drink
He was in Washington, he said, in the in
tsresta of MinGo county, 1 forgot to asl
him where Mingo county might be. HI
took great interest In me, and talked with
me long after he really had anything L
say, He was M OF those fluent CONVEX
s%ationalists frequently met with in 60
ciety. He used one OF those web. per
iecting talkers-the kind that can be fed
with raw Roman punch and that will
turn out piCtuTated talk in links like var
nished sausages. Being q POOR talkeI
myself, and rather more fluent as q lis
tener, l did not interrupt him.
He said that he was sorry to notice how
young girls and their parents came 10
Washington rs they would to y mRtri-
moniAl market.
una anrru o1an ~ baar; - 10 na1unJ
me to know that young ladies' should
allow themselves to be- bamboozled into
matrimony, Why was 1t, | asked, that
matrimony should ever single out the
young and fairP
"Ah," said he, "it Ia indeed roughly
He then bysathed q Sigh that shook the
foliage OF the spGckled gernaium near by
and killed an artificial caterpillar that
hung on its branches.
"Matrimony Ia all right" said he, III
properly brought about, It breaks my
heart, though, to notice how Washington
Ia used as a matrimonial market, 1t seems
to me almost as II these here young ladies'
were brought here like slaves and ex-
posed for SALE" had noticed that they
were somewhat exposed, but l did not
know they were for sale.
l asked him II the waists OF party dresses
had always been SO sadly in,the minority,
and he said they had.
| danced with a beautiful young lady
whose trail had evidently caught In q
doorway, She hadn't noticed Il till she
had walked out partially through her cos
tune. lido not think a lady ought to give
too much thought to her apparel, neither
should she feel too much above her
clothes. say this in the kindest spirit,
because l believe that man should be q
friend to woman. No family circle IL
complete without q woman. She is like q
glad landscape to the weary eye. Indi.
Vidnally and collectively, woman Is a great
adjunct Of civilization and progress. The
electric light is a goodthing, but how pale
and feeble 1t looks by the light OF q good
woman's eyes. The telephone Is a great
invention, 1t Is a good thing to talk al
and murmur into aud deposit profanity
In, but to take upa conversation and keep
1t up and follow a man out through the
front door with 1t, the telephone has still
much to learn from women.
1t is said that our Government officials
are not sufficiently paid, and l presume
that Is the case, 80 1t became necessary
to economic In every way, but why
should wives concentrate all their
economy on the waist OF a dress? When
chest protectors are go cheap as they now
are, | hate to see people suffer, and there
10 more real suffering, more priyation and
more restitution pervsdingin Washington
sCapula and ClaViCle this winter than l
ever saw before.
But l donot hope to change this custom,
though | spoke to several ladies about 1t
and asked them TO think it oysr. | do
not think they will. II seems almost
wicked to cut OF the best part Of a dress
and put 1t at the other end Of the skirt. to
be trodden under the feet Of men, as /
may say. They smiled good.humoredly
at me as / tried to impress my views upon
them, but should l go there again next
season and mingle In the mad whirl Of
Washington, where these fair women are
always mingling in said mad whirl, l pre-.
sumo that l will find them clothed In the
same gas.light waist, with trimmings Of
real vertebrae down the back.
Still, what does a man know about the
proper costume for women? He knows
nothing whatever. He Is in many ways
Inconsistent. Why does a man irown on
q certain costume Tor his wife and admire
II on the first woman he meets? Why doel
he fight shy Of religion and Christianity
and talk very freely about the church, and
get mad II his wife ia an intidel2
Crops around Washington are looking
well. Winter wheat, CroCuses, and indie
finite poBtponements were neverin amorl
thrifty condition. Quite q number O.
people are here who are waiting to be con
hrmed. Judging from their habits, they
are lingering around here In order TO be-
come confirmed drunkards.
leave here tomorrow with large, we
towel in my plug hat. Perhaps 1 SHOULD
have said nothing on this dress reform
question while my hat is fitting me SO i'm
mediately. II is seldom that | step asidl
from the beaten path Of reCtitude, butlas
evening on the way home 1t seemed L
me that l didn't do much. else but steI
aside. At these parties no charge Is made
for punch. II Is perfectly free. / asked
Colored man who stood. near the punch
bowl, and who r"eplenished 1t ever ant
anon, what the damage was, and he drew
himself up TO his full hight.
Possibly l did wrong, but ! hate to bs,a
burden on any one. 1t seemed odd tonne
to 20 10 q first class dance and find thu
supper and the band and the rum all paiC
for. II must cost q great deal Of money Il
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