The morning call., 1892-03-20
LIFE IN WASHINGTON.
Extraordinary Performance Of the
Weather.
What Society Is Doing-Talks About Bering
sea-Dinners at the White
House.
Correspondence OF THE MORNING CALL.

the palm, and people are not yet done talk
ing OF 1t. The day began moist and mild-a
real spring day for swelling tree buds and
cheering crocuseS to a fuller unfolding.
Toward noon il began to rain, and soon
binding sn0wstOrm was in Progress, the
flakes riding before a gale Of wind, regu-
lar cyclones whiri, that howled in the air.
BY o'clock every tree was loaded with
snOwfiakes and the sun burst forth and
dazzled one with the fairyland pictures in
every park and the lined avenue. The
thermometer had fallen 20 degrees in the
first hour of the snow cyclone. but the later
hour of sunshine was balmy again, and no
one expected the northwest wind TO arise in
its might, TO shrek and swoop down upon
the city with the sunset and make an arctic
night Of it. There were many accidents
and much damage resulting from the storm.
Many ladies were thrown down by the
wind. and Senator Palmer's wife was lifted
bodily, carried distance and thrown
against the stone coping OF the Capitol ter
race. That high terrace, which oyerlooks
the whole city, was most exposed to the
long sweep OF the wind, and the cyclones
force was strongest there sweeping men
and vehicles TO shelter. With this cyclone
and blizzard Ii is hoped that the m oSt dis
agreeable winter of the decade has ended
Washington has lost all its reputation fer
possessing a desirable winter climate, and
Secretary Rusk has had TO endure COM
plants, upbraldlug and chatf until he is
nearly ready to hand his erratic and I'M
manageable charge back TO the War De-
partment.
HOW SOCIETY Is OCCUPIED.
What remains of society is immersed in
general improvement and development.
There are lectures on all sides at all hours
of the day on all kinds of topics, aud every
draw ing-r0Om and lecture hall is crowded.
The thirst for knowledge seems unappeas-
able. Miss Jane Mead Welch is squirting
women onto study OF American history,
and her lectures on the forming of the cOnsti-
tuition and the life of Alexander Hamilton
created a considerable discussion among her
audience and a wide interest in her work.
Then Mrs. Erving Wnslow. the first
prophecies and disciple OF Ibsen. is inform
ing Us upon shat master and others of the
Scandinavian school, and charming esthetic
circles with the picture she makes as she sits
reading under shaded lamp in simple
white gown with bunch Of roses pinned
near her shoulder. Dr. Lincoln is reading
his Uncut Leaves" which are unpublished
essays, poems ana stories from the advance
numbers of popular magazines. Mean
while the StoddaTd lectures are running a
two weeks course at a downtown theater
and all the town is crowding to hear his
tales OF travel. There are musicales to RICH.
and left as well, symphony concerts. after
noon whist clubs. evening card parties.
Even the ladies' club, the Washington Club
Is having weekly musicales, and lectures,
an embroidery and reading class and its
whist Journeys III the caTd-roOm are con-
tnuous. Miss Anna Dawes, daaght.r of
the Massachusetts Senator, is one of the
lecturers before this club, and Mrs. Elger-
ton has taken part in several of Is enter
tanments. There is course of Thursday
afternoon lectures going on at the Catholic
University, which are largely attended from
the city, and the Geographic Society has
offered some interesting nights.
BERING SEA MATTERS.
just now, when Bering Sea and Alaskan
matters are uppeTmost, the last two lectures
have come very pat. The enc on the
Alaskan boundary survey by Messrs
Turner and McGrath, preceded by rem rks
by DR.. Mendenhal, chief OF 1.-THE Coast AMI
Geodeic Survey, drew too large IN aud enc1
for the Cosmos Club 10 hold. and more were
turned away than could be admitted. After
the two young surveyors had tod
OF their summers and winters on
the Yukon and Porcupine rivers,
some beautiful lantern views were shown,
one of them winter view on the great
river. taken by moonlight, with a three
hours exposure of the plate. DIR. Dawson
of the Dominion Geological Survey and one
of the Canad au Boring Sea Commissioners,
who WAS present, added short address,
and very automatically denied that there
was any disputed boundary line" 1t
could not be in dispute. he argued, when 1t
had not been surveyed and no one knew
where 1t was.
On the night of the bowling blizzard,
when the moonlight aud the nipping air
were truly Arctic, Mr.. j. Stanley Brown
leciured on the seal islands. Mr.. Brown
went TO the Islands last summer on a special
mission to study seal life and has acted as
| secretary OF the Boring Sea Commission dur
ing its recent meeting at theState Department.
Such lecture at the very moment Of Lord
Salisburys extraordinary refusal to renew
the modus viyendi and while the arbitration
treaty was hanging, brought out very large
company, and nearly quorum of the SEN
ate was present, besides e.whole so-called
Alaskan colony in Washington. Mt. Brown's
lecture was most interesting and he had
many convincing pictures with which to
| fully illustrate 1t and impress the place as
clear and distinctly upon his hearers as if
7. they had been there.
WHITE HOUSE DINNERS.
Since the Presidents return from Virginia
| beach he has been giving series of dinners,
and feastlGg Ills guests on the ducks that
| he shot at Ragged Islands. These game
| dinners have ranked higher in a way with
| those invited to them than the state dinners.
| and canvas-back brought down by the hosts
| own shotgun. and that host the President,
quite outrank all otter canyas-b backs served
at any dinners of the winter In the Lenten
| weeks, while Congress remains, Presidents
| can enjoy many small dinner companies,
| and twenty and thirty constitute a small
! company around the state table that easily
| seats forty. President Harrison has already
done more entertaining than any of his pre-
ueceSsoIs, Tor contrary to the opinion held Of
| him before his election he is of the most
sociable and hospitabie disposition. 1t Is
doubtful II the family have ever sat down
to the dinner table alone In the White
House. Every day some new conner. some
old friend. some celebrity passing through
| tile city, is hidden to lunch or dinner in
| formally. and the President Is never with
out company in his evening cigar. He is
| especially loyal and dear to his old col
| leagues OF the Senate and his friendships
IN that body were not confined to party
lines. and his mind is broad and lib
eral enough to be able to dissociats
the man from his politics and en-
10y the other side and phases Of him.
The makeup of the largo dinner parties
show parties evenly balanced, since the
blacklist Democrat may have as brilliant
sociai qualities as the blacklist Republican.
Mrs. Russell Harrison was called away from
tne city this week by the Illness Of her father
AZ Umaha. Her departure was much re-
gIeItou. out there Is promise Of her return
AT Easter. when there is to be very gay
spring season, with garden parties and in
Vulnerable outdoor entertainments.
THE DOG SHOW.
The dog show was the great event of this
week, ana all the world went to the riding
schooi 10 see tie hundreds of yeiping and
howling aristocrats of their kind. The
| larger dogs made less noise than the smaller
ones, petted house dogs wailing and weep
ing during all the time they were chained or
Gagged 10 their strange place. One could hear
the wild chorus Of barks and bowls fro m
afar until the last day, when even the fox
mounds were so worn out with 1t all that
they could not stand up aud bark any
longer. As we 60 further on In vivisectioiI.
dog hygiene, pathology and anatomy it will
be found that dogs can suffer from nervous
prostration as well as humans, and precious
dogs Will not be subjected to the nerve
strain and excitement of show. This
$4,000 st. Bernard. the huge mastiffs and
staghonnds were duly admired this week.