Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-02-18
WASHINGTON SOCIETY GIRLS.
! They Work Hard for Their Pleasure, as
This Programme Shows.

They Work Hard for Their Pleasure, as
This Programme Shows.
A Washington girl works hard for her
pleasure. Follow her for just one of
her days, which will be like all the
others. She will rise at nine, breakfast
and be ready to start out at 1880. Her
morning will be passed in shopping, In
calling on some intimate friend whom
she never gets chance to speak to at
the crowded receptions they both daily
attend, or else she soberly and seriously
presents herself at the meeting of a club
for general information. This club is
for the purpose of correcting her frivo-
Ions tendencies, and supplying her with
subjects of conversation. The meeting
is generally held at some private house,
and is attended by young girls and
married women, who listens to a clever
man or woman, who discusses dimly
some topics of the day, political or lit
erary, that his hearers are too lazy, or
dull, or busy to read up for themselves.
These homeopathic doses of knowledge
are very useful to this girl, who has no
time either for reading or thinking.
When this serious business is over, the
girl drives home to dress for a luncheon,
one of those pink, white or yellow af-
fairs that promote indigestion and the
better acquaintance of n dozen girls
who will never meet again.
Gin order to save time that is so precious
to the Washington girl in the season,
it has become the fashion to attend
these luncheons in calling costume, and
to wear n bonnet or heavy hat during
these dainty meals that last two or
three hours. AS the hostess must not
make a pretense of hurry, she usually
wears house dress, and the harmony
of appearance is destroyed. This fashion
appears both announcement and rude, for
the guests seem to indicate by their
dress their desire to finish the ceremony
and be off as soon as possible.
After the luncheon comes the round
of calls. AT the afternoon teas occur
ring on that afternoon the maiden may
linger to chat to her next neighbor in
the crush and nibble sailed almonds,
yielding to n subtle fascination which
leads to an indulgence fatal to the
temper and complexion of the average
girl.
by six o'clock when the winter twi-
light has faded into darkness, and the
receiving parties begin to look tired, the
busy maiden drives home to dress for
dinner. She is going tonight to a
theater dinner-that is, one that in
cludes box at the theater after it.
Dinner is early, ut $50, and our devotee
Of fashion needs speedy maid to dress
her and fast horses to carry her in time.
At this dinner the hostess is a young
married woman, and the guests are the
bellies and beauX of the season. Being
designed for young people, the meal is
light both as to wine and dishes. The
table is eXtravagantly decorat ID with
flowers anda big bunch of long stcmmed
roses rests beside each girls plate. If
the conversation consists only of the
! lightcst of small talk, social news, a
! little gossip. the figures of the last ger
man, what more can you expect from
the daily life of the takers? AT eight
they drive to t e theater, enter at the
end of the first act, lose the thread Of
| the play, but disturb the audience suf-
ticiently to make their presence known,
and so accomplish one of their purposes
in going. These box parties as rule
are not noisy when they once get set
tied.
The girls pose for inspection in front
of the box and the men lounge against
the wall in the background. The actors
do not look for applause from these
self-contained youths and maidens, for
it is well known that society frowns on
enthusiasm. The Washington girl needs
all her strength to bear her through her
manifold pleasures. She can not waste
any on enthusiasm.
After this solemn dramatic ordeal the
girl is driven to reception, first picking
up a chaperon en- route.-N. Y. Times.