The Washington critic., 1890-02-23

i2iDg wines, will be turned over 10 uho
South Dakota sisters Women kill two
birds with one stone. Susan's birthday
was properly commemorated, and q
very decent campaign fund was real
lied, on the strength Of which we carry
the war into-South Dakota.
r.
"What do you think have been do
ing?' gurgled sweet creature, all vel
vet and feathers and frills, as she met
another of her kind on the avenue, Fri
day afternoon.
II can't imagine. What heee you
doneY'
well its Lent, you know, and so
dull-now, you aooa't tell mamma or
papa2"
"Necer," murmured the other ecstat-
ically, and her eyes kindled at the
thought of q fresh bit of romance.
Have you been meeting that dUfullg
handsome"
mo; it's worse than that-but you
promise not to tell? ] Just went for
fun-there was really no harm in ii.
Where on earth have you been
not to the clairvoyant that"
mo, no; now, you promise"
honestly sure.
"Well, then" said the clear, pink
checked, red-lipped retiring flower Of
womanhood, lowering her voice and
looking fearfully around, "Ive been to
one of the suffrage meetings-there, !
knew I'd astonish you; now, you
won't tell-and really itwasn't so bad
oh, dear, Pm not getting strong
minded-but, you know, they did not
shrek at all. l was so disappointed.
They really behaved just as other ladies
do; they wore their hair 6eGutiful!y,
and their gowns were really handsome
now, there; I'm not going to be one
of them, but they are not nearly so
queer"
And the lovely pair, floating into a
shop door, deprived the listener of
further intelligent opinion.
is s * =
Among the women journalists in
the city during the past week was
Matte Sheridan. Little Miss Mofilt of
the New York World. While inter.
ested in the convention, Miss Sheridan
spent much of her time in procuring
sympathy and assistance for the unfor-
tunate wife of James G. Blaine, jr.
AS personal friend of the once
bright and beautiful, but now suffering,
penniless and desolate woman, Miss
Sheridan has created much interest and
collected a considerable sum of money.
Among the most generous contributors
she named Mrs. Wanamaker, the wife
of the Postmaster General. The recent
benefit for Mrs. Blaine, though it real
lied $1,000, is very trihing sum to a
penniless, and possibly hopeless, in
valid, who has also little child to
maintain.
= X x x X
care you going to do the banquet" l
asked of the society editress of an es-
teemed city contemporary.
What? A suffrage banquet? Well,
hardly. I do people in society who
care to know how these strong minded
women dress"
Though the statement was intended
as satire, it was really more of COM
| pliment. That several hundred women
should meet and challenge the public
from the stage, the banquet hall, the
hotel corridors and street for an entire
week and yet escape description of
their clothes, is remarkable circum.
stance and is evidence of either less or
greater merit than the average society
woman. In the reports of the past
week "most beautiful" ''most ele-
gant," 'loveliest," most charming
and most fetching and magnificent
have not been seen at all, and the com.
parative degrees were also avoided
apparently, because there was no ust
for them, and yet there were very hand
some women here. A more beautiful
old lady than Elizabeth Cady Stanton
cannot be found on the Continent, A
more graceful figure, a sweeter face, {
more attractive woman than her daugh
ter, Mrs. Dlatch of England, ha
not graced society this season
in Washington. There wert
also elegantly dressed women
The dresses worn at the banquet were o
rich velvets, silks and crepes cut from
the same bolts that furnish the $50
ciety" women, and the display of dia
monds and fine laces was very like an.
other fashionable assembly. Ther
were wealthy women. too, women wi
either by their husbands or their ow
inheritance or industry had acquire,
bonds, bank accounts and protitabl
stocks. And yet how these womel
look, how much money they have
what sort of gowns they wear finds n
place in the society columns Is it pos
sible that the women themselves, wha
they think and do and say is of NOR
consequence than how they look am
what they wear OF what they own.