The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-01-05

streets singing and shouting, and in the
great nrcplaces. whose chimncysonc may
Still see 10, the dozen in the older parts Of
the town. burncd the huge Yule logs. l
am constrained 20 think that the people
have been growing in sobriety and re-
nncment ever since the days Of Jackson.
Certainly an incident like that Of the
cheese would now be impossible. That
such an incident occurred in Jackson's
dav was not so much the fault Of Jack
son as Of the people.
Without doubt the society Of the cap
ital was detcriorated by the war and by
the conditions which grew ont Of that
tremendous demoralizing agency. One
Of the phases Of the ''gilded era" Of the
war and the flush times Immediately
following was the desire Of everybody to
get into society. Pretty much ev.ry'
body did manage to get in. Camp fol
lowers. suffers. army contractors, the
numerous persons who had grown sud
denly rich by lucky speculations or ~
the rise Of values, each and several want
IA 10 shine in the social armament.
Many Of these shoddy magnates spent
money layishly. and il was in that era
that Washington broke away from the
simple means Of dissipation which had
been sanctioned by the bon vivants OF
nearly a century. Plain, good whisky
would never do for these newly rich per.
sons and their sycophants, nor was the
mutton and fish and oysters which Clay
and Webster and Jackson had Toasted on
sufficiently luxurious for their tastes IL
was then that the champagne and terra
pin soason.set in, and. as result. cham
oagne and terrapin have been the gas
fronomic models Of swelldOm ever since
As for the terrapin. that has become, IN
fact. fad. It's liked simply because II
is expensive. If the little turtle cost
nickel instead of 81 apiece no one coulo
be found to take a mouthful Of him
Terrapin is an acquired taste, and thougl
If was served at many a New Year lun
chcon Yesterday, as it will before spring
be served at countless dinners in this cit,
of dining. not one man in ten who par
takes of it and pretends to like it reall,
does like t.
The war and reconstruction era gave
usthat sholdy sort Of aristocracy whicl
depended so much on the cost Of enter
lainmcnls, Of houses and equipages
Mrs. Hayes helped society to get away
from the evil Influences Of that era, no
so much by her temperance resolution
as bv the admirable example which sh'
set i'm other ways. Year by year since
her day the society Of the capital ha'
been growing better, and in this city
where almost everybody forty or iifn
years ago was more or less intoxicated
ON New Years day, drunken man wa
Yesterday an object of curiosity on thu
streets.
I'm one important particular the officia
society Of the capital has not been mucl
changed in half a century. 1t IS still as
easy to get into society here-oiiicial so
cietv. mind you-as it is to get into
political or marching club during a pres
idential campaign. All you need is Tho
reralia and TO have your name printed
on q package Of calling cards As mat
ter of fact, the official society Of Wash
ington Is a species Of political campaign
mg. In order to keep in the good grace
of the public the wives of cabinet minis
tiers and other members Of the govern
ment throw open their doors. No one j.
denied admittance, no one is treated a.
less than equal. Every prccaution l.
taken against offending even the bum