The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-01

TO their teas? Afternoon men in society
are lamentably scarce, and usually are
either very young men, who have nothing
else to do, or very old men, who entirely
TAIL to satisfy the cravings of the maids
and matrons for masculine conversation
1t is q melancholy fact that the average
man of consequence in the world, even if
he have the leisure will not join process
sion of women before dinner and dawdle
his time away over a cup of tea and con-
versation about nothing. He is generally
through with his work by 3 or O'Clock,
just IN time for the tea or reception, but
instead of going thither he prefers to drop
In at the club, play game of cards or
billiards, or, selfish mortal, take a drive all
by himself in the suburbs
In consequence this is what we see on
every side every afternoon these days in
the capital city of the nation: A beautiful
house, filed with all the art furniture, tap
estries, rugs and pictures that money can
buy and space bestow; an eXquisitely
dressed, experienced and vivacious hostess.
standing just within the first drawing
room to receive her friends. assisting her.
either I'm line" ready to be introduced to
every man that comes along, or ensconced
behind tea urns and in delightful little
corners, a dozen or twenty of the prettiest
and most charming girls in the world, with
their best gowns and fuckers on and
wearing their brightest smiles. And what
else? Why, a procession of women. an
endless, smiling, chattering. well dressed
but manless procession of women. Some
of them are young and charming but more
are old enough to have outlived the mania
Hon
long ago have taught them was stupid,
vapld, artificial means of pleasure
Many of this passing throng are nm
known women, such as Mrs Senator Blank
was complaining of just now-the women
who rush into fine houses out of sheer curl
osityt to see the homes and gowns and man
ner of people above them in social station.
They are here to crafty an unquenchable
thirst to see and be seen, and an uudying
ambition to be able to tell their friends
here, and to write TO their friends in tho
country, all about their call on Mrs.
Senator So-and-so. and the wife of the
minister of This or-that of the presi.
dents cabinet; but the men. oh! where
are they? And what dismal. almost
pathetic scene this is in the parlorsl
Women gushing over women. Young
girls wasting their charms upon the
maiden aunts Of other girls, beauty Ian
gushing for a drop of masculine apprecia-
ton, and the colored man in the ball
solemn and little timid amid so much
butfeting Oh sea of bonnets.
Did you ever know ten or fifteen men to
assemble in parlor and spend an after
noon shaking hands with two or three
hundred other men there, as if to do some
thing, and still with nothing TO do, talk
ing, and still having nothing to talk about?
No, when the men meet all by themselves,
with no women to assist, they play poker
or other cards, drink and tell stories. talk
politics and get angry and make wagers,
or they quickly dispense. All of which
goes to show that woman is the most pa
tient and long suffering of all earthly Great
ures. If / were a woman | would not be
aWashington society woman if | could
help it. ROBERT GRAVES.