The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-16
THE CONFIDENTIAL CORNER.
One of the Singular Attachments of tbs
Confessional Lobby.

One of the Singular Attachments of tbs
Congressional Lobby.
One OF the most striking scenes about
the capitol during the daily sessions is
about the ladies corner in the Statu-
tory hall. says a Washington letter
| writer. This corner is one of the most
curious attachments of any legislative
body. It is unique and full of interest
TO the members The place, which is
behind the great columns and guarded
by the statues OF Garfield and Ethan
Alien, and furnished with leather
covered sofas and chairs, has been fire.
quently described. but the picture in
all It's fullness has never been given,
and perhaps never will be done full
justice. The greater number OF ladies
who come TO the capitol receive
visits IN the galleries from their
friends on the floor. and some
days the scene there is of the most in
teresting OF receptions. But the con-
fdential corner. the place of more Sc
cluslcn and comfort, is amid the soft
leather furniture behind the trusty
statues. Many representative of the
great people spends a social half hour
or so there with comfort and pleasure,
and, it is to be hoped, with benefit.
1t serves some of the uninitiated as
sort OF school of training for the more
extended field of social life in Wash
lngton- He who would be quite i'll at
ease in fashiona BILE drawing room or
in ladies' society under most any other
circumstances Tolls back on a sofa be-
side some fair creature there with an
easy familiarity which is sure to rub off
some of his roughness of manner
and shyness. The ladies who fire.
quent this corner perform = great
work in the way of overcoming
the shyness of new members. In
many cases. however, those who
have long since forgotten that they
were awkward or bashful in ladies' so
ciety, still cling to the habit of visiting
this 'corner, and appear to take some
delight in the relxxa ton it affords from
their heavy labars in congress.
This institution was not started as a
training school. That feature has
merely developed incidentally. Pri-
marily it was intended as place where
ladies coming to see congressman might
sit and wait while messenger car
ried their cards in on the floor The
backs of a line of sofas up against the
columns form the boundary of the
sacred precincts of the blessed and
beautiful, and card reads in big
black letters: Exclusively for La
dies" etc. An elderly man sits at
ta bic with two or three pages at his
side, and blank cards for the use of
those who do not carry their card
cases. a yellow messenger sits at the
entrance to keep intruders out. An
interesting and lively reception is al
ways In progress during certain hours
OF the day while the house is in session,
and the receiving party is usually
numerous and attractive. Sometimes
ten or a dozen members will be among
the visitors at one time, some seated
on the sofas, and some standing behind
the columns or statues III earnest con-
versation with the fair ha bitues Dur
ing the day there is a,conStant coming
and going between the house and this
reception room. All the mem bers who
are called there do not 90 from choice:
and the wOman-hater who is competed
by politeness to go in reponse to
card, may be known by his flushed and
countenance and his i'm
patience to get away. There are some
men who can not be cultivated in a So
cial way, even when surrounded by all
these advantages Free Press.