St. Paul daily globe., 1892-02-07
WASAINCTONS0CIET
In What Manner It Differs
From the Giddy Whirl Of
Gay Gotham.
Cosmopolitan View Of the
Capital City's Pillars Of
Society.
New York Considered Alto
gether Too Mercenary
for Good Form.
The Government Employe an
Exceedingly Fortunate
Person.
Special Letter to the Globe.

Special Letter to the Globe.
NEW YORK, Feb. 4.-On visiting Red
ferns establishment in Washington the
other day | was so charmed with the
refined air of unaffected culture of the
Inhabitants of that city, the width of its
streets and charm of the surroundings,
that felt quite 10th to return to the
hustle and dollar-grabbing which to us
unlnitiated foreigners seems at times to
constitute New York life. Please don't
bristle, and don't recount the advantages
OF New York life to me, because not be-
ing practical person, with a good head
foE business, probably shouldn't un-
derstand them and shouldn't appreciate
them if l did. To cosmopolitan
stroller like myself New York is
full of interest. but there are
times-I say this with the greatest re-
spect for this clever precocious city
when one tires of that ''mixture of the
millionaire, the stock broker, and the
effete old family" that Julian Haw-
thorne writes of as some of the features
of New York. That cleyerness, genius
and culture are encouraged. no OBJ
server, however superficial, can fail to
see, but it often seems to be encouraged
as promising speculation, as an ex-
ilibitlon OF cultivated talent in which
the audience takes the merest outside
interest, and in some cases with the
dreadfully poor motive Of adding to its
list of wonders and celebrities which, to
use horribly coarse phrase, ''it has
;d0ue."
y ltuwas noticed this season tina. the
opera has not succeeded in drawing the
400 from their own little round of social
gayeties. This does not look as though
dnusfc is valued as it should be by the
people OF the most progressive city in
the World. Now Washington is not dis
tressingly busy, and. therefore, has time
to spend iE.Studying and enjoying music,
Literature and art. Government en-.
pleyes with business hours which only
take small slice out of the day and
leave good proportion for recreation,
sdabble delightfully."- in archaeology,
water-color painting I. and CONVEX
ssational French. Who is not ia
miliar with that charming figure,
aArbuthnot, the government clerk
Ill. 'sThr0ugh One Administrations"
Perhaps it would be hard to find quite
such complex, quietly witty, accom-
pllShed and taultieSsiy hammered Young
man out of a book, bntp1e has MANY of
the points which mark the Washington
society l0unger. Ana then the street
comparatively free from the rush and
rattle of business traffic, the carriages,
the statues. the dome of the capitol,
everything clean, gay and uDoppressed
apparently by business. The type OF
man who becomes piece of furniture
when out Of his office-the Mr.. Merdle
of society life-is an unknown quantity
in Washington.
Books are we'll discussed. Pictures
are intelligently criticised. Music is
enjoyed, not endured But of money
little is heard, although from appear
anceS 1t is uSed-''Seen, but not heard"
The Washington ladies are certainly not
quite as stylish as the New YOrKers,
but at the same time they dress in good
taste. While there l noticed soft cln-
namon-brown cashmere gown, trimmed
with bands OF mink, with the upper part
OF the bodice and the train of stamped
velvet. 1t was made i'm the Russian
style, which seems to hold its position
with great firmness. The manner
in which the bodice is fashioned
seems extremely popular Just now,
but 1t should be adopted only by
thin or slight ladies. A sketch OF this
gown will be seen lower down on this
page. The banded coat is another
thing which the Washingtonians have
adopted after watching them cautiously
as worn by visitors from Paris and New
York This coat, though perhaps
shortening in its effect OH the average
figure, is very stylish and great relief
after the three-quarterS coat with no
relief whatever. which has been the ap-
proved livery OF the fashionable woman
for some time past.