The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-17
RUHAMAH'S
CAPITAL CHAT.
Delegations Of Doctors in the Deserted
Summer City.
The WOmen's Club in Operation Grant
sartoris' Visit-Two Big Hotels Sue
cumb to Fate and the Sheriff
Special Correspondence of THE SUNDAY CALL

WAsH1NGroY. May @ 1S91.-Just as the
epidemic Of grip was subsding there came
an epidemic Of doctors, and the convention
of the American Medical Association
crowded the CITY with medical men and
their wives and daughters. They sat in
long sessions each day at the theater. and
then barely read the titles Of all the papers
that had been prepared for reading, and
every evening some diversion was provided.
For them the COrc0Tan Gallery aud the Ma
tOnal Museum were thrown open IN the
evening, Mr.. Thomas Waggaman opened
his art galleries and DR.. w. A. Hammond
extended the Inequalities Of his magnificent
home, BelcOurL itself an art museum. The
White House without the President and
with all the fuTnitur4 shrOuded in It's sum-
mer holland, and the Capitol with its empty
chambers and corridors, were not at u cir
best, but the visitors did not neglect them,
and every day enliyened those buildings.
With Secretary HalfOrd abroad only the
routine office work goes on at the FFeS-
dents mansion, ana there are no HES OF
statesmen and journalists ana the peTtnn ldl
Oflice-seekeTS ascending and descending the
eastern staircase. Lieutenant aud Mrs.
Parker, with the little Mckee children, are
the only tenants in the private part of the
house and they eagerly await the return OF
the travellers next week.
More doleful than usual is the condition
of two of the Washington hotels during this
quiet summer. The Normandie, which
opened with such flourish of trumpets
three years ago. with Mr.. Blaine and Mr..
William Walter Phelps as its star bOaTdeTs.
has finally reached a receivers hands. The
Riggs House closed the 1st of May and an
nounced an auction Of all its furniture, but
just as the red flag was set up and the bell
began 10 ring grOceCS attachment
STOPPED THE PROCEEDINGS.
With two of the leading hotels. at such a
stage, inn-keeplng does not seem to be the
most profitable business, despite the crowds
always seeking Washington. The capital
is far behind San Francisco in the matter of
hotels, and here, where, if at any place,
there should be a hotel built on the scale
Of the Palace and managed ike the Occl-
dental, we have neither. Ever since the
Ponce de Leon was built at ST. Augustine
there have been fairy stories ahJat about
Mr.. Flsgler's having wished TO put his mill
ions here instead. 4 hotel of that class
would rank Washington altogether differ
emily in general esteem, and, by raising the
standard, one such hotel could take the
place OF the six or ten SO-called first-class
hotels that ought to be grade as tJlerabie,
enduTable, medium and halfway instead.
Perhaps IN good time, when the want IS
more crying and real estate has advanced
more, some benevolent millionaire or soul
ful syndicate will come to the capitals
rescue.
The ladies Of the Washington Club, who
number 80 already, held their first tea or
symposium on Monday in their clu0-roOms.
The club women fiOcked there early and
fingered late, after the fashion Of club men,
and with no aliens about it was a delightful
affair to them. The chatting, which accom-
panied its inception, has abated, and the
club Is now a wel-hXed and Well-recOguIZed
affair. Some Of the women who have Joined
this club are optimists who regard IL as
step toward club TO which men and women
may belong, but the mixed club seems far in
the future. The Cosmos Club shelters men
rash enough to urge that that club should
admit women TO membership, but ii also
shelters men who are determinediy against
any such proceedings, "Nhat!' eXclaim
some of them, admit women to the club
house, the only safe refuge, the only place
where we can rest and enjoy ourselves free
FROM" etc
TIE COSMOS CLUB
Is composed Of literary and scientific men,
artists and professional workers. The bar
and the cafe are a small part OF its ma
chineTy. It's Teadpg-T00m and library are
supplied with reference 10 the special
needs Of its members and periodicals and
prints hud their way there that do not 20 TO
ordinary clubs. It's art gallery IS always ia
use tCr some special exhibit collectors OF
tapestries, Of relics, of pictures, Of art works
Of one kind OF another always succeed
ing one another IN enjoying the advantages
of its exhibition room. The Washington
Camera Club had an exhibition there last
week, the water cOlOTlstS cover its wall this
National Geographic societies hold their
regular meetings in the Cosmos art gallery
and assembly room, and visiting scientists or
litterateUTs are surely found there and en-
teTtaIned there when in the city. There
would be more reason for extending the
privileges Of the Cosmos rooms 10 such
women as would care for or value them
than OF a purely social club made up Of
men, who resOrted TO the clubhouse only
for the afternoon appetizer, the table, the
card-TOOm and the town talk.
Much to the regret Of their set Of old
friends, Mrs. Grant and Mrs SaTtoris did
not come TO Washington this week, and
Mrs. SaIt0Tis will probably return TO En-
gland without revisiting her old home. She
was most anxious TO come here on her chill
drens account, aud was to have gone the
sightseeTs' rounds with her young daugh-
ters-taking them to the top Of the mOnu-
ment, the crypt of the Capitol, to Mount
Vernon and through every part Of the White
House. Mrs. Sartoris is said to be looking
handsOmeT and happier now than for many
years. She has a charming country home IN
the south Of England, Mr. SartOris' relatives
are devOtedly attached to her and Mr.. Sar-
toris ST., who was her best friend of all,
left q handsome legacy directly to her.
Her children are plump, rosy checked, soft
voiced, Well-behaYed English children, and
America IS all
A FOREIGN COUNTRY
To them. Mrs. SartOris was present at the
monument and she will return for its dedi-
cation, although she may be allowed time
for many visits before New York com
pietes its Compromised memorial to General
Grant
Behring Sea still occupies Secretary
Blaine's attention, with Italian and Chilean
diversions. In the midst of it lie went to
New York 10 see his youngest daughter off
TO Europe and hear his sOn-n-law, Walter
DamrOsch, open his new music hall Secre-
taTy Foster IS still wrestling with the seal
problem, and Captain Sheppard, the new
Chief Of the Revenue Marine, who made
the eight famous seizures of pOaChlng
schoOneTs a few seasons ago, is kept in con-
sutatOn with the Secretary the greater
part Of every day. With the State Depart
ment now having so much TO say about the
Seal Islands the Treasury Department can
not act independently in the matter, and
the waiting cutters will enjoy San Fran
cisco climate for some time before they may
expect 70 clear 10 northwaTd. About the
time that the international letter-wriung
ceases and the Commissioners aud aTbtra-
tors get to work there will be no seals left
for the resulting provisions TO affect, Just as
in 1891 the sea-Otier hunting in Southeast
ern Alaska was left Fl ee 10 all for ten years
while Russia and Great Britain settled their
boundaries aud rights In the region. When
the ten years had ended there was not an
otter left in the region. And who imagined
at that time that the civilized world would
follow the Chinese lead in dyeing common
Seaskins 10 initiate sea otter and would
keep them raging and expensive fashion
during this quarter of a century, or that
that mild-featuTed, peaceable, inOtfensiVe
animal, the seal, would set two friendly
Governments by the ears?
Captain Sheppard has lately settled into
house Of his own on Nineteenth street, near
ha nj ttonnpPfiqnf a