, 1888-06-14
THE coNeRessMAN,s DAUGHTER.
cupid's Chances in Washington Society.
Callers and Calling

Saliers hhu gaining
We have all read that 1.-TWO young
ladies, admired and esteemed in WASH
ington society" have just been married,
and doubtless a good many young women
who would not object to being married
and a good many young men who would
like very much to be married, nave
thought that the capital city must be the
most favorable place in this country for
Cupid to work in.
But some observing persons, who are
not always cynical, think differently.
They say there is too much society in
Washington to be admired and esteemed
in; that the hotel hops and the dinner
parties and the theatres are all right in
their way, but that everything about
them is superficial and unsatisfactory to
those who have hearts and brains; that
there is, in short, in a winter in Wash
ington nothing which reveals in young
people of right tendencies the stuff that
wives and husbands are made of. 1t is
true, no doubt, that love is the same
always and everywhere, but it is equally
true, no doubt, that if love Is not encour-
aged somewhat 1t has n hard time Of it.
Take the case of the average congress-
mans daughter-the daughter, let us
say, of the man who has little but his
salary Of 5000 to live on, and n family
of three or o or five. Some of these,
perhaps, are at school at home, but one
of the girls, at least, spends the winter in
Washington. Her father has been re-
elected two or three times, and she has
spent four or five winters in the capital.
She has graduated from school at II or
1S, and has had her little love affairs, but
she forgets all about them in the whirl of
''society" away from her old home. She
lives with her father and mother at a
hotel or a boarding house and goes to the
hops and the theatres rs much as possible.
The sons of the members, her most
natural associates, are away at college OF
Studying law or entering business-try-
ing to amount to something, and SO keep
ing out of Washington-and she doesn't
know them. Tn private secretaries and
the newspaper correspondents are gen
orally married, or If they are not,
are practical fellows who question
whether any of the girls really know
anything about domestic accomplish
ments. The department clerks she rather
looks down upon As unambitious and com
monplace, and they, having twelve or
fifteen or eighteen hundred a year, and
short hours and n pretty ''sure thing"
don't care if she does. Still he dances
with her and takes her to the theatre,
and she is willing to dance and go to the
theatre; but the conversation cannot
break away from shallow nothings. The
congressman's daughter rather likes the
young naval officer, or the young lieu
tenant in the army, but he knows if she
doesn't that 1t is the gold lace simply,
and lets it go at that.
Then there is the calling. 1t is often
no disappointment If it sutiices to leave
the card. If the young lady is at home,
though, she talks about the dreary round
of Social events and that, too, in no
romantic corner, but in a big parlor full
of Ill people. She is pretty and dresses
well, but she hasn't read much and has
thought hardly any and it Is a bore to
stay more han fifteen minutes. There
is no chance for friendship even. If the
congressman keeps house of course the
congressman's daughter is a different
sort of girl; but ask any candid young
or woman of sense, who has lived in
Washington, If the other kind is not the
rule. Ask If Cupid has half a chance in
Washington New York Press.