Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-15
GOSSIP FROM WASHINGTON.
A Member Not Very Great Man at the Cap ital-Mrs. Cleyeland's New Year
 Reception.

tonians call it-is again the thorough fare for several hundred distinguished official feet that pass to and from the capitol There is wonderful difference in the city when congress is in session and when it is not. At present the news papers are full of rooms for rent ad- vertisements that invariably wind up with suitable for a member of con- gress." If all the members were to en- gage the vacant space waiting for their hard-earned ducats they would spend good part of their years salary in one month.
 One of the most delightful places in the world in which to live-the greater part of Washington is made up of board ing houses. Many persons take in board CTS while in Washington who before they came here rejected the idea with scorn. It's @ peculiar thing, but this boarding business has become a regular craze. Of course the really moneyed folks are not subject to it, but nearly everyone else is; those who haven't money want to get it and yet live as if they already had it. in a handsome house with well-trained servants. The deceased husbands of great many women now taking boarders once occupied important official posi- tions, but met with reverses. It is re- ally pathetic to hear such women tell about the good times they had when in Spain or France.
 Another specie of the boarding house keeper is the once wealthy one. whose daughter cannot reconcile herself to her changed circumstances, and speaks of the young men lodgers as distant rela- tives." Of course the young men are nice fellows, or she would not care to claim kinship, but sometimes her little fibs are of no use, when one of her fe- male friends says to the young man, Q Your cousin told me so and so." Of course he immediately expresses surprise and informs her that his cousins are all in Nebraska.
 The congFessman's position in Wash ington is queer one. There are so many of his Hnd-so much chaff among the wheat-that he has rather lost than gained prestige. In society the local set look down with contempt upon the off, cial set, and vice versa. The other day I heard one young lady remark to an other who had just said in reverential tone, He's a congressman" My dear, when you have been here for a little while you will learn that congressman is of no more importance than a police man'
 The wife of reporter on a local paper went room-hunting the other day. At one house the landlady sized her up as a Mrs. M. C., and said, T suppose your husband Is a member?"
 "Oh, mo- answered Mrs. Reporter little stiffly. She thought the woman inn pertinent and didn't care to be mistaken for congressman's wife and then have to tell that her husband was the police reporter on an obscure paper
 The landlady was profuSe In her apolo- gies. q beg your pardon she said. Excuse me for my mistake; but, really, I think some of the members are right nice" Evidently that woman thought her would-be roomer belonged to the To- cal set who turn up their noses and draw down the corners of their mouths in dis gust at the mention of Senator Blank, and speak of the president and his wife as ''the Clevelands." "The Clevelands" and all their retinue of ofIice-holders don't bother themselves very mucn apout the insectne jealousy of native-born Washingtonans, and so let them severe dy alone, for they know that were they to take the trouble of searching the offi- cial records they would probably discover that Miss Locals grandfather was not too proud to occupy clerkshlp under Uncle Sam.
 d Nat Goodwin the actor, amused large large audiences all last week with his new play. Ambition" which purports to portray Washington life. There have so far been two good plays of Washing hon life, "The Senator and "A Texas Steer" both of which are excellent. t'Ambiton' is a greatly exaggerated, un- real play. Nat Goodwin is too good an actor not to make the most of his part as Senator Beck, man who is far too good to be anything like real senator, and who, besides making beautiful pa- triotic speeches about the wisdom Of the president and the greatness of these United States and the tremendous ruling powers possessed by the people, IS aple to do what no one of his real live col leagues could do, and that is to sit in hia parlor and as I heard a congressman say. rule things at the capitol by means of wire-do the same with na- nional convention at Chicago. secure the massage of bills over the presidents veto, and make love to a girl-all at the same time.
 No one of the characters, however, was quite so badly overdrawn as that of Major -, supposed to be south- ern gentleman and politician. IT the play bill had stated that the major was a negro posing IS white man It would have told the truth. No such southern major ever existed He was a red nosed man whose only thought seemed to be mint tulips and nigger dialect, together with numerous jerky bows from the waist. which would have done credit to a plantation band. As for his share in politics. the major took the part of the dcg who was always waiting for a bone It is a shame that such overdrawn things are placed on the stage NO won der northern people have crude con ception of the southern gentleman as ne used to be and is now. Can you blame them? -
 New Years Day Mrs. Cleveland will hold her first public reception of the sea- son and then society will go into its proper swing. By the way. have any of you Birmingham people ever attended one of Mrs. Cleveland's public recep- lion? If so. know that when it was all over you shook hands with yourself and said you would never go again. That's the first good resolution good many people make on New Years. A card reception is bad enough-crowded rooms. stihing atmosphere, torn clothes lost Jewels and all that sort of thing, but the Very thought of a public one makes one dizzy. First. you stand in line with all sorts of Dicks, Toms and Harrys of both coIors. and with Marys, Jennies and Sal lies of like description. If you are about two hours ahead of the schedule recep- tion time you may get a chance to head the procession, which gradually gets longer and longer, until it Is two blocks in length. If, however, you are late, you will be obliged to locate yourself at the tail end of the line and stay there for several hours while those in advance are being admitted-a few at a time-by