The Washington times., 1895-03-05
CHARITY NOW IN FASHION
Society Girls Forming Sewing
Clubs for the Lenten Season.
THEIR WORK FOR THE POOR
Making Undergarments That Will Be Dis
tributed During Easter Week-Their
Maids Frequently the Vicarious Execu-
tors OF Their Mistresses Benevolent I'M
pulses-Theater Parties with Chapsrones.


pulses-Theater Parties with Chapsrones.
With the beginning OF the Lenten season
In Washington the girls in fashionable
life are, as usual evincing a spirit of
charity by getting up sewing societies in
Vulnerable These societies serve a two
fold purpose, inasmuch as the meetings
once week at the various houses take
the place of the popular afternoon tea
which for the present viii, of course,
be given the go-by.
The leading sewing society, which for
several season past has afforded opportunity
during Lent for the girls in fashionable
life to accomplish considerable good with
their needle. is the Knickerbocker. The
rule of this society, which meets once a
week at the houses of the various mem
bers. is that each person shall accomplish
a certain amount of sewing between the
dates of the meetings or pay fire for
her failure in the matter. The garments,
mostly underwear FOR the poor of the city,
are distributed in Easter week.
OF course, taking the sewing home at one
meeting and bringing it back all done by
the next meeting does not by any means in
dicate that the girls themselves have been
industriously occupied on the work dur
ing that period All things considered, it
might not be a bad idea to rename the So
ciety, and instead of its present aristo-
cratic title 10 give ii that OF High Life
Below Stairs Sewing Society,"" as it is
to the maids at the houses OF the girls who
in reality do the greater part, if not all OF
! the work accomplished at home There
are various reasons for this, not the least
of which is that if the sewing mania broke
out in real earnest among the society girls
it might result in immediate and frequent
visits to the manicure III order 10 have
the effect OF the needle pricks on the dainty
finger-tipS removed
Whatever the reason. the fact remains that
wherever there is a fashionable sewing So
ciety i'll Washington or elsewhere, the Sc wing
accomplished at home by the members is
| through the direct agency of the maids of the
| establishment. 1t is none the less well done
J onths account, rathcrthe reverse. However,
| the poor profit by the Lenten sewing socites
I in the end, the girls enjoy themselves. and
/ the maids have ct least the consolation Of
| knowing that virtue is It's own reward-and
certainly in their case is the only re wardlikely
/ to ensue.
Another society likely TO be revived during
| thepresent Lentis the matinee society. There
| are. ofcourse, no membership fees attaching
/ TO this and no work to be done either at
! home or abroad. 4 certain number of girls
! get together with the idea of selecting such
company as will be most agreeable to all and
| forming athCater society with special lean
| ing toward matinees. Then each girl pays
| for herself, depositing the price of admis-
cS4 Of
the purpose in order that all the seats may be
| purchased together. If it is desired TO at
| tend an evening performance instead of each
| paying double the amount for the purpose
OF having an escort the girls simply divide
| among them the price of a single seat and
| then invite some matron To chaperOne them.
If falittlesupperis desired at the close ofthe
| theater the girls divide the cost among them
| selves, not allowing the chaperone to have
| any expense in the matter. This plan has
| been carried out successfully and to the
mutual satisfaction of all for n number of
| Lenten seasons, and is about as pleasant and
| inexpensive a way of getting amusement
| as can be devised by the fashionable set.
BaronvonKettler, whohds beenabroadfor
a number OF months past has returned TO
Washington.
| Gen. and Miss Otis, after a visit to this
city, have returned to Vancouver.
| Miss Julia Tompkins, daughter of Gen.
| Charles II. Tompkins, L. $. A, was re-
! Gently presented at court in Brussels.
| Miss Tompkins has been travelling abroad
| for some time past.
| Mr.. George B. Dandy, son of Gen. and
| and Mrs. Dandy, q member of the fourth
| class at Annapolis, had an operation per-
| formed on him at the Roosevelt Hospital
! in New York last week for appendicitis.
| Mrs. Dandy and her daughter We're with
him at the time. 1t is thought by the ply
| sicians at the hospital that the operation
VIII prove highly beneficial.
| Mrs. McCalla, wife OF Commander Nc
! Gala, Z. s. N, is now in Newport on a
visit. The Boston Herald, in mentioning
| her presence at that place, comments on the
| fact that Mrs McCallas beauty is almost
as noticeable as when before her marriage
! she was the daughter of Gen. Horace Binney
! Sargent, one of the most admired girls in
/ Boston.
| Major L. C. Forsyth, now in charge of
| the United States clothing depot at st.
Louis, has been declared oonvalescent,
| after a severe attack of pleuro- pneumonia,
| from which he has been suffering for six
! weeks.
| Gen. Orlando B. wilcoxha beenawarded,
| by direction of the President, medal of
honor for distinguished gallantry at the
| battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861. At
! that date Gen. Wilcox led repeated charges
! of the First Michigan Infantry and Eleventh
| New York CFire Zouavesl until, being Sc
| verely wounded, he was captured.
Mrs Lafayette Campbell, wife of Capt.
| Campbell, U. S. A, retired, has returned
| to her home in Denver after long visit
| to the East. After leaving Fortress Mon
| roe Mrs. Campbell went TO st. Louis and
| then to Fort Leavenworth, where she Wis
| tied her brother, Capt. Dent, of the Twen-
| tieth Infantry.
CLEVELAND TO GO DUcKINC.
Now That Congress Is Off His Hands He
Will Start for North Carolina.
The lighthouse tender Violet, in which the
President and party take their ducking trip