St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-07
GALLERY GODDESSEs,
Women Who Watch the Proceed
ings of Congress.
Washington Star.

Washington Star.
They look down from the galleries
while the statesmen talk tariff and won
der why spring bonnets are never men
toned among the necessaries of life
that must go on the free list. Women
make up the chief audience at the house.
Nearly every day greater number and
variety of hats and bonnetS than would
stock a fashionable milliner's shop for
spring opening are assembled in
the galleries, and 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' gallery. If he is at all good
looking his speech is certain of atten-
ton in that quarter. However bare the
other galleries may be, the ladies' gal
leres are never empty on any occasion
while the house is in session. When
member in any way noted for his gal
lantry is to speak the seating capacity
is apt to be taxed. There are some
ladies who are at the capitol nearly
on. They sit in the front row and watch
the proceedings with equal interest,
whether it is a roll-call or a wrangle.
They are always there.
Others come only when something
especial is going on. There are certain
members whom they always come to
hear. They never miss great speech,
and are always present when the fate of
some especially interesting bill is de-
cided. They are habitual congress 60
ers. There are two strikingly opposite
classes. Those of one class are usually
old, and are frequently angular and
wear glasses. They often
CARRY A 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 states
men, taking down to be preserved many
of the striking words and express
sions. Others are politicians, and get
excited over everything that is going on
before them. This is not the spring
bonnet class, and they haven't the pa
tience to listen to roll-calls or to sit out
dull day. They are the congressional
blue stockings. and when there is moth
ate, many of them go into the library to
commune with old volumes. The other
class wear tailor-made suits and display
the spring bonnets. They are younger,
or look So and add color and freshness
to the scene. They are much more con-
slant than the others. and appear just as
we'll pleased, whether it is a dull or a
lively day. AS long as the house is i'm
session and the members are Oh the floor
they find something to interest them.
At times some of them are Joined by
members in the galleries, and then for a
while these cease their earnest atten-
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 mirrors,
ETC., and they can see to Straighten their
bangs. Here they sit and look sweet,
more interesting than interested. After
prayer in the morning they come, one or
two at time, out of the dressing room,
and 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; big geography or history.
One or two occasionally carry their
prayer-bOoks and hymnals, such as are
carried in the hands IN neat little
cases to church on Sunday. One bauti-
full little creature with the face of the
Madonna carries small Bible, which
she often reads during roll-call, or even
during burst of eloquence from some
member who does not interest her.