The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-01-14
Washington Society.


\ Washington writer does up that vain
and empty thing called Society, in the
following manner: There is great clat-
ter of horses hoofs on the pavements of
the Capital City, rumble of heavy car
riage wheels, banging Of the doors OF
broughams. Society has awakened from
its long ethargy and is once more endeav-
oring to be gay and imagine it is having a
good time
want to tell you a little something
about swell society in this American capt.
tal of ours. A swell tea in Washington,
particularly in a big house where the
hostess is ambitious and the invitations
numerous. is one Of the most soul-harrow-
ing and provoking instruments of torture
| ever had the misfortune to meet with.
\ tea in Washington, you should know,
is called tea probably from the fact that
no tea is served; that no one thinks OF
tea or even coffee. and that the one great
beverage which every one eagerly looks
for and lovingly fingers by is champagne
punch.
You are invited from to 6 in the af-
ternoon, but after you have haggled with
cabby about the price for half an hour
and finally reached an agreement by which
he is to call for you at quarter to
sharp a neighbor who is fashionable, or
who thinks she is, kindly suggests that it
is very bad form for any one to appear at
1 o'clock tea before ). And fyou want
to be right in the swim, she adds, ''you
won't get there till quarter after D and
will stay only half an hour. This makes
you look like an old hand. | accepted
her advice about not going till > and wish
1 had made it an hour later and had staid
only thirty seconds
Well, we arrived at B. There isa long
string of carriages just ahead of u.s. for
every one else wants to be fashionable too.
After long wait we get up TO the port
cochere and alight The man who opens
the carriage door is 50 magnificent per-
sonage that am at once in awe of him.
am afraid | won't do something just
right and that he will look reprovingly at
me. He hands me little ticket with a
number ON it, which | afterward learn Is
the carriage number, to be used in order
ing your vehicle when you get ready to
tear yourself away
Within the hall another magnificent
person in livery waves you TO the right
and your ladies to the left, and after you
have given one young man your coat and
received check for it, and another young
man your hat and received check for
that, you begin to look around for the
ladies who are so unfortunate as to be
under your escort. During the ten min
utes which are occupied in this search you
have your toes walked upon by at least q
dozen distinguished people, cabinet officers
and senators and their wives, who are
nearsighted and important aud who appear
to think they have the right of way
Some men would consider it an honor TO
have their toes trod upon by such distin-
gnished persons, but | have been so long
in Washington that the honor conferred
seems to me to be out of all proportion to
the pain inflicted
There is nothing now to do but to take
your place in the line of guests and ad.
vance as rapidly as possible to the place
where the hostess is standing to receive
you. As you near her you can see that
she is magnifcently attired and that
her face wears perpetual smile. As she
is stranger to you, you fall to wondering
who is to give you the Introduction, when
you observe that young man stands neal
by to whisper au inquiry as to who you are
and in turn to announce with another
whisper your name, so that the hostess
may graciousy greet you as one OF hei
oldest and dearest friends 1t is great
relief to discover that you are not the only
one who must thus be made known Ii
fact two-thirds of the guests are stranger
within the gates, like yourself. Probabl,
our capital society is the only society il
this country in which people are invited Il
affairs of this sort simply because thei
names are known and without any previ
Gus acquaintance with or even an introduc
ton to the hostess
The worst of it is, as you presently dis
cover, that not only are majority of tb'
guests strangers TO the host and hostess
but to each other. There is great BIZ
crowd of people, and those whose acquaint
auce is somewhat limited wander about
disconsolately looking for some one to say
word to. The crush is great. Half the
time you are wedged in so that you cant
stir one way or the other. A big fat dip
iomat bars your progress in one direction
and three women of goodly size and great
compactness render it difficult for you to
take even single step in the other direc-
tion. Like the arctic explorer whose ship
is beset in the ice pack, you have nothing
to do but wait and watch for favorable
opening aud then make your escape.
The house is richly furnished, but not
SO rich are the hangiugs that women fail
topiek at the curtains and declare them
cheap, or to examine the so called silk
hangings on the walls and pronounce them
imitation of the real article. Themanner in
which one must in the name Of fashion