Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-11-10
GALLERY ooppEssEs.
Young and Old Women Who Watch the
Proceedings of Congress.

proceedings OF Congress.
They look down from the galleries
while the statesmen talk tariff, and
wonder why spring bonnets are never
mentioned among the necessaries of
life that must go on the free list.
Women make up the chief audience at
the House. Nearly every day a greater
number and variety of hats and bon
nets than would stock fashionable
milliner's shop for spring opening
are assembled in the galleries, and a
great variety of faces look from under
these ''studies" in head dress. The
very pretty faces, If not as many as the
pretty bonnets, are not few. Women
are the most constant visitors at the
Capitol A speaker who can clear
the galleries of nearly all of the
male population is apt to find an
appreciative audience in the ladies' gall
lery. II he is at all good-looking his
speech is certain of attention in that
quarter. However bare the other gall
leries may be, the ladies' galleries are
never empty on any occasion while the
House is in session. When member,
in any way noted for his gallantry, is
to speak the seating capacity is apt to
be taxed. There are some ladies who
are at the Capitol nearly every day, no
matter what may be going on. They
sit in the front row and watch the pro-
,ceedings with equal interest, whether
1t is roll-call or wrangle. They are
always there.
Others come only when something
especial is going on. There are GER
tain members who they always
come to hear. They never miss a
great speech, and are always present
when the fate of some especially inter-
esting bill is decided. They are
habitual Congress goers. There are
two strikingly opposite classes. Those
OF one class are usually old, and are
frequently angular and wear glasses.
They often carry pencil and scraps
of paper, upon which they sometimes
take notes. They are looking for an
intellectual treat and these bits
OF paper are to take some
home on. Some of them care
only for the eloquence that drops from
the tongues of the statesmen, taking
down to be preserved many of the
striking words and expressions, Others
are politicians, and get excited over
every thing that is going on before
them. This is not the spring-bonnet
class, and they haven't the patience to
listen to roll-calls or to sit out a dull
day. They are the Congressional blue
stockings, and when there is nothing
intellectual in the House or Senate,
many of them go into the library to
commune with old volumes. The other
class wear tailor-made suits and dis
play the spring bonnets. They are
younger, or look so, and add color and
freshness to the scene. They are
much more constant that the others,
and appear just as well pleased
whether it is a dull or lively day.
AS long as the House is in session and
the members are on the floor they find
something to interest them. At times
some of them are Joined by members
in the galleries, and then, for while,
these cease their earnest attentions to
the floor. They are the pretty girls;
the spring-bonnet girls. A bunch of
them in flowers and laces and bright
colors, is the flower-garden of the great
waste of galleries, whereupon the eyes
Of the members love to rest. There is
one corner convenient to the ladies'
dressing-room where there are mir
rors, etc., and they can see to straighten
their bangs. Here they sit and look
sweet, more interesting than interest
ed. After prayer in the morning they
come, one or two at time, out of the
dressing-room, aid take seats in front.
They are not all the same girls, but
some Of them are.
The eyes OF the members on the
floor turn to that corner, and If the
spring-bonnet girls are there, business
may go on-they are content! Some of
these gallery goddesses carry books in
their hands-school books or music
books; a big geography or a history.
One or two occasionally carry little
prayer-books and hymnals, such as are
carried in the hands in neat little cases
to church on Sunday. One beautiful lit
tie creature with the face of the Ma
donna carries small Bible, which she
often reads during roll-call, or even
during burst of eloquence from some
member who does not interest her.
Washington Star.