St. Paul daily globe., 1891-12-06
GLASS OF FASHION,
Sad Dsgeneraey of Official
Etiquette at the Nations
Capital.
Leading Women in Washing
ton Agree That Reform IS
Needed.
Pathetic Condition Of Society
Matr0ns Who Really Need
Money.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox Believes
Neat Shoes to Be Really
Indispensable.

and many OF our most prominent ladies
are at 4 loss about many cOnvcntionaii-
ties during their first year in Washing
ton. Strangers here always make the
first call. and the person of lower rank
always calls upon those VINO are above
her. The wives of public officials are
expected to return all calls made upon
them whenever the caller leaves card.
These calls often amount 10 thousand
on a single reception day, and il Is inl-
possible to know who the representatives
of the cards are. When Mrs Senator
Sherman was the wife of the secre-
taTy OF the treasury she found herself
once calling upon the wife OF her
butcher. and another cabinet officers
wife, in making her rounds OF return
calls. found herself taken up a back
stairs over cOrner-grOcery. and recOg-
nlZed the lady whose call she was re-
turning as her maids dressmaker.
= CEsat with sErs. KILLER.
Daring the past week have had a
Dumber of talks with the leading ladies
of the different official circles as To their
perpleXities in Washington etiquette
My first chat was with Mrs. Miller. the
wife OF the attorney general. Said she:
Il we'll remember the eembarrassmentS
81 my uIHI NtdI al W dSitNSt tOll. MY
entire time was spent in asking Ques-
tiOnS. and after all my asking 1 never
seemed to get the right view OF the sit
uatiOn- The matter or returning calls
worried me considerably. l had some
times from 500 TO LOCO calls day.
Some OF the cards contained 10 address,
es, and [ found. after long searching.
that many Of them were left by Strang-
ers in Washington for only that day.
/ returned such calls as | could. and had
TO let the rest 90. | averaged from
twenty to thirty calls every day
of the week during the season.
and upon my reception days |
received hundreds. | can make from
twenty to thirty calls day myself. but
returning 500 is d different thing. |
think we should have here at Washing
ION a master OF ceremonies. who should
be appointed 20 decide ali questions ut
issue upon social topics. and whose
word should be law. Such an officer
lives at many OF the foreign capitals.
and If a proper method could be got OF
appointing one here, it would be a good
thing for all classes
The Daughter OF Secretary RusI1.
Miss Rusk is her mothers right hand
In all her social entertainments. and she
answered for her mother as to official
etiquette. She said:
i think some new rule should be
made as To returning calls in Washing
tOn. We gata great many cards every
reception day. and it is impossible TO re-
turn all of them. You cannot imagine
the embarrassment under which the
wife OF a cabinet minister is placed in
such matters. \ new order OF things
comes liz with each new administration.
and the only rule by which one can be
guided Is that of good nature and COM
mon sense
5Ers DOlph's opinion.
One OF the haudsomest women in
Washington is the wife of the Oregon
senator, Mr.. DOlph. She has been here
seven years. and knows Washington So
ciety as well as any one in it. Sad she:
i recall many amusing experiences
lii official etiquette. and one of these
especially irritated me at the time.
though / must confess / was very fool
iSh TO allow it to do 50. Ny pile OF cards
had accumulated to an alarming extent
and among them l found one of young
lady of Washington. who is known
only in private circles. and who had no
official standing. noted her card and
was anxious not TO give her offence. So.
as Il kindness TO her. | laid my plans
for the day 5 round OF visits so that it
would include her. ] alighted from my
carriage and entered her house. The
young hostess was at home, and after
few moments of delay she entered the
parlOr and rushed up to me. saying: [
am so delighted TO see you. Mrs. DOlph.
but l scarcely hoped for such all honor.
knowing how many calls You have on
your list, when, after all, l merely sent
my cald By my brother, feeling too sick
TO accompany him.
There are many questions in calling
which should be settled. Ought one to
shake hands both on entering and leav-
ing LOuse? Where there are so many
calls and So many short% ones as there
are here, / should say not; and then this
matter OF leaving cards is one that puz-
Zles most people. Is il proper when
calling upon several ladies to turn down
the upper ieft-hand corner of the paste
board, or the lower right-hand corner?
Or should one split the difference, as |
have done. and double the cards in the
middle when | wish TO include more
than one person in my call? All of these
questions are matters of conversation
among strangers when they first arrive
at Washington. and the maZes OF society
mere are past the understanding of a
novice
Hrs SchOfeId.
Mrs. Sch0held. the wife of the gen
eral of the army. though a comparative
stranger in Washington official society.
will be one Of the leading ladies of the
present season, and though she heSi-
tated before expressing her opinion
upon social matters. she finally said:
Il could give yOu more honest view
OF my experiences of the situation i'm a
year from now than ] can today. Still.
1 have attended many pleasant recep-
tIonS here, and have seen MANY curl
Gus things. Last year l received with
Mrs. Andrews. Gen. SchOfield's daugh-
ter. and we had large number OF army
callers. We were standing surrounded
by circle OF officers, when a young
man. neatly but plainly attired. entered.
he was apparently out for a days hol-
day. He had on 4 clean white shirt, his
Sunday clothes. butnO craVat. Ireceived
him as cordially as any Of my other
guests, ana after shaking hands with
him watched him follow the other gem
tleman 10 the dining room. Here he ac-
cepted the refreshments from the hands
OF a waiter, and then quietly filed his
pockets with the fruit from the center
piece of the table. and with his cOatails
bulging out. came back and cOmposedly
made his adieuX. IS to Washington
CtipuCitc, bltIS city - 80 COSlUODOliLdll III
Its character, and has so many diverse
elements Of society that it ought to have
a code of etiquette Of its own. The only
plan that would appear possible to me
would be amceting of the old residents
OF Washington society, together with
the prominent ladies of official circles.
who should discuss mOoted questions of
society and form a new constitution bv
which they could be ruled in the
future
Ears. Foster.
Mrs John w Foster. the wife of the
ex-minister of Spain. las had long eX-
perience in official life in the courts Of
Mexico, Spain. Russia and Washington,
and she views social matters from a
cosmopolitan standpoint. Said she:
The transgressiOn of a rule of eti-
quette at foreign courts is almost a
criminal offense. but in this country it