The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-30
WASHINGTON SOCIETY.
Row Fashionable Woman Pays Her
Social Debts at the Capital
From The PailadslDhid Times.

! Social Debts at the Capital
From the PHILADELPHIA Times.
WASHINGTON, May 27.-Mrs. Justice
Miller, the senior lady of the Supreme
Court, who is recognized as one of the fore
most authorities on social matters at the
capital, gives some intere sting recollections
and suggestions on those subjects. Her ex-
perience in the higher social sphere OF the
seat OF government extends over a greater
lapse Of years than that of any other lady,
save two, now in public life at Washington.
She came here twenty-sIx years ago, when
her husband, from the bar Of KeOkuk, was
raised by President Lincoln to the bar of
| the Supreme Court.
In some Of her recollections Mrs Miller
gives picture of society as it was then
and as we find it now.
"When ] first came here,n she said, "the
drawlng-room day of the Supreme Court
ladies was Friday. During the thrilling
and anxious period of the war social gayetias
were very generally abandoned. In the
winters of 1862, '63 and ga, when the scale of
victory was about equally balanced between
the two sections, people in Washington had
little heart in gaveties of any kind. But
when peace was restored Mrs. Field and my
self took up Mondays in order TO accommO-
date the current of fashionable life which
set in the direction of the navy yard.
ION that day Gen. Zelin, commandant
of the marine corps, his wife and two
daughters entertained elegantly at the bar
racks, and Commodore Patterson at the navy
yard. Those were great occasions. The
very elite of the capital gathered there on
those days. As Mrs. Field and myself re-
sided on the way toward those centers we
1opted Mondays during the season, and
those have been the days since.
AT that time the city was small, not
Re mr. cf1 af,I tIo l.,
could get around and return visits. Now
the number is so great that it is a physical
lmpoSsl0llity to get tnrough with them all.
Then lady in fashionable society might
have 2OO names on her list; now she has up
ward ola thou and Then the drawing
rooms began at 80 o'clock; now they be-
gin at and o'c Ock in the afternoon and
end at or 6. We now have what are
called teas If you attend those, being
invited, they do not count for return visit
as at drawing room, but you must, with
IN proper time, make a tea call. The
same rule applies to other entertainments
of a social character You see that follow
ing out the conventionaities of polite
circles, as we now have them, is not as
much fun as our ladies at municipal centers
and In the country suppose.
"a Ia ly in Washington society in these
times must be an expert accountant, not in
money, u in i1divi luals. The science
and I.raC ice of social bookkeeping has
been reduced to a nicety and without it it
would be impossible for any lady promi-
mont in society here to get along without
endless trials, mistakes and perplexities,
and in fact she would be in trouble all The
tme.n
"How do you keep these accounts Of
society obigationsl" was asked
well, the first thing is to enter the
names OF all Ladies' calling and leaving their
cards, their address IS, wuen given the day
they called, the day they receive and some
thing about them, when they arc strangers
to you. This is the foundation of your
scheme. Then you follow it up by credit
Ing your return visit and making any notes
respecting the parties to guide your future
&C ions.
During the season every morning the
first thing is to get out the list and go over
1t. First it Is necessary to note the class of
receptions in rule for that day. Then to
| classify the persons of that class who have
left their cards. then the date of their call
and the address. A duplicate of names and
addresses must then be made out for the
coachman. Thus fortified a lady in society
starts out-Mondays, for the houses of the
aides of the Supreme Court; Tuesdays, to
take up the Representatives ladies aud K
street; Wednesdays, for Cabinet ladies (;
Thur days, for Senator's ladies, and Friday,
taking IN the west end and army and
navy ladies. For each of these DAYS of the
week list must be made out and q separate
one for each week 1t can be seen what a
difficult task it is TO perform the simple
physical labor of so much writing, not to
speak of the difficulty of avoiding mistakes
which might place lady in very embar-
raising position.
Saturday is regarded as public and
not social day. Formerly the receiving
wives of the diplomats were at home on
| that day. 1t has long been the drawing
room day of the wife of the President, and
latterly also of Connecticut avenue. When
Mrs. Secretary Manning was here she made
great exertions to have Saturday made a
society day at the executive mansion, some
other time being set apart for the public
who throng there to pass before the lady of
the White House, but she could not bring it
| about 1t would give great pleasure to ladies
in society who often have visiting friends
here and desire TO make a social call
on the lady of the mansion, and would take
that opportunity to do so, but who are not
willing to be jammed and jostled by such a
great throng as gather there now. / think
that some method will be devised before
long so that there viii be society and a
public day for the lady of the White House.
The fact is Washington has become a
great social metropolis. There are many
customs which answered well enough
twenty-five years ago which must be
amended and adapted sooner or later to
meet the necessities of new conditions"