Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-08


ctases, carr,ea On u oxscussve sem,oo.
and With thu senator emesgine = vsctee.
My friend, who had ssirmised all thu.
and who'is very artful, asked the ssnasoe
u he were going out.
mot much," said Mr.. Davis, pufllne
vigorously at his cigar and pushing tho
box over to his caller. s'Not much. Tipe
fact Is, this society business II the great.
est nuisance Of the day. A dress cuat I
abominate. ! lam thinking Of introducing
bill to have all swallow tails abolished
II had known that man had 70 wear
one Of those Internal things three or four
times week In Washington, I'm hanged
IL would have come 10 the senate"
About the first thing public man hes
70 decide on coming TO congress or other
official station In the capital 10 this O,se
Of society. Shall he go out and give up
all his cherished plans OF work and study,
all his ambition to lie great and useful
statesman, or remain at home and uliso
the pleasures Of dinners and rcceptions1
1t Is . more serious question than the
reader who knows not the situation
would be likely to judge It, Once started
In the social whirl II is not so easy tostrp
In fact, II is almost impossible. and the
first thing tho victim knows he will find
himself SO pressed for time that he can.
not even read the morning newspapers,
and as for writing speeches or giving
careful study to any of the great ques-
tions Of the times, that is not to be thought
Of. Twas talking about this to veteran
newspaper correspondent, one who has
been here twenty years and kept his eyes
and ears open to good advantage, and he
lays down the rule that the men who
eschew society are the men who make
successes in public life. Social pleas,iIes,
even moderately indulged, sap the ener-
gies and undermine the ambition with
surprising rapidity. As Secretary Win.
dom walked through the East Room my
friend pointed to him and said:
"There goes one of the most evenly
balanced, one of the most capable Of our
public men. He has phenomenal ca
pacity for work. Every day the secre-
tary is at the treasury department tilt 8
or O o'clock; his dinner is not finished till
8; four or five times week he is out to
receptions, and yet he comes into his
Office next morning thoroughly up with
all the news of the day and with score
of important matters all ready TO go into
the hands of his subordinates. How he
could do that was mystery to me till
one night last week, when chanced TO
pass his house on Massachusetts, avenue
about O'Clock in the morning There
was a bright light in his library, and
then knew how lie kept up with his
work. He burns the candle at both ends.
A little further down the avenue another
library was brilliantly illuminated, not
withstanding the lateness Of tile hour,
and through an open blind l saw the
little chief justice of the United States
bending over his desk. That explained
ho. he was able to devote SO much time
to society. of which he is very fond, and
at the same time TO keep up with the
enormous amount of work which his 10.
sition throws upon him. And thus,
dare sly, you'll find it all over the city
Of Washington.
ITO the man of affairs and edccess and
conscientious effort to do his whole duty
there is but one way to make up for the
time lost in society's gay whirl, and that
is by consumption of the midnight oil
This does for a season or two, but the
man who settles down to it as a regular
thing will fail sooner or later. This re-
ception is given III honor Of the supreme
court and congress. It is the one social
event of the year which senators and
representatives are in duty bound to at
tend. YET not one-lialf of the leading men
of those bodies are here. Many that are
here will not so out again this season.
They need their evenings in their libra
ries or ''dens' for the purpose Of writing
letters, reading bills. studying public
questions or conferences with friends
and colleagues They have made their
choice between pleasure and success in
favor of the latter"