Evening star., 1896-11-14

witnessed Mr.. and Mrs. Congressman ar
rive on FOOT informed them that air. and
Mrs. Secretary were not at home TO the
public after o'clock.
But L am NOT the public" said the new
Congressman, very mad. Il am Rcpresen-
taiive So-and-So, and / am specially in
Elted TO call this afternoon"
w hats Congressman but public" re-
torled the colored gentleman i'm disgust.
Il must obey orders sah" and the door
shut in their faces.
OF course the Congressman told the Sec
retary and told him also that before he
and his wife were out of sight Of the house
Representative Railroads and his wife
and Senator Silver Mines and his wife were
admitted, and he would like TO know the
reason why of il all. Equally, of course
Mr.. Secretary was lawfully sorry" stupid
butler" etc, and Mrs. New-Congrcssman
must be sure to come TO Mrs. Secretarys
reception next Wednesday afternoon, for
Mrs. Secretary was really very, very anx-
ious to meet her.
Poor trusting little Mrs. New-Coaeress-
man, after a desperate struggle TO decide
whether she should wear her high-cut or
low-cut black satin waist TO the reception
decided on the low-cut, and went, that IL
Mrs secretary insisted on her taking right
hClu TO assist in receiving that very after
noon she would be sure to look real nice.
But when she was announced in Mrs. Sec
retary's drawing room, Mrs. Secretary was
SO absorbed chatting with another woman
she never SO much as rested her eyes on
mechanically repeated her name, and with
forward grip of her hand passed her on
out OF the way of the woman next in line.
Then a gushing young woman with
patronizlng manner, who was assisting
caught her up and said, do let me take
you out and give you some tea This is
your first visit to Mrs. Secretary is il not?''
Yes and IL will be my last and I don't
want any tea replied poor little Mrs.
New-Congressman, whose first impulse to
oe spunky gave away to uncomfortable
weakness, and she wept
The joke of It is this same erstUhiIa
Mrs NeT-Congressman was later a Mrs
secretary herself, and she treats every new
fashion,,
Real Society.
You understand / trust. that the limita-
tions Of a social career at Washington de-
fined in the foregoing, assumes thai Won
nave only your husbands salary as a Com
gresham on which TO live. Moreover card
parties, hops and musicales at your board
ing mousse and the Official round''-cailing
on other congress .onal ladies'" and attend-
ing cabinet receptions and the receptions
az the White House-this is not society
iiesS your stars and stripes, no. Nothing
SC dlstresSingly American j assure Won
constitutes that genuine society at Wash
ihst ION, Whlch the untutored goddess of
our American liberties beholds with nride
out never touches, not even with her
shadow. Remote from the Capifol and
ron from every official condition, in the West
END OF town, We have aristocracv We
nave princes, earls, barons counts. NC
nave major generals, admirals brass hut
TONS OF every exclusive design the army
ana navy afford and we have native row
aity-porkocracy from the west plutocracy
ire m the east-all combined to form ON.
washington arstocracy, which, as / have
saIa' sa a mere senator or Representative en-
tefs only as he has money to burn and
Drains 10 direct the burning
The Social Secretarx
Neither is 1T to be supposed that brains
Which, may have been of a kind and ouan-
tity calculated to make mans fortuna
and qualify him for Congress are of the
delicate order necessary to render him ac-
ceptable to the aristocracy of Columbia
IL Is Tor this reason that new Congress-
man $ wife bent beng a social success
at Washington VIII employ a social secre-
tary- This professional in instances OF
lesser social triumphs is not much more
than hack, Madam ew-Congressman
having unwisely elected to plan her
the secretary attends TO the pure
ly mechanical duties of keeping
madams visiting list, sending out invita-
tions, resding and posting madam on the
news of the day, assisting in madam's
shopping, and last, but not least, in keep
ing madams pug abreast of the times.
There is standing dispute in nigh cir
cles as to whether the social secretary or
the French maid shall take the pug out
for its daily exercise, but in selecting
collars, blankets, ribbons and perfumes
for the pug, the college education of the
secretary is invariably brought into serv-
ice.
The most dazzling success ever achieved
by a Senator at Washington has been
under the direction of a social secretary,
who eliminated every mechanical effort
from the duties of his office, employing
subordinat,s for the discharge of these, and
bent his artistic soul, his diplomatic spirit,
bic int
of devising color schemes that should as
tonish the age at luncheons, marvellous
menus that should cause aristocracy- COM
ing to one dinner to dream of nothing
else thereafter but the next, and for the
higher aims of aristoCracy preparing such
rare, not to mention high-priced satisfac-
ton, musicales, with DE ResZke, n
Nordica, or L Maggie Cline TO sing. by
the operation of special ability along such
lines as these a social secretary may
succeed in running wealthy Congress-
mans wife and daughters along the whole
gamut of a social success, not stopping at
Washington, but including a triumphal
reign at Newport ard presentation at
the court Of Queen Victoria
The Social Chaperone.
The cost of this is of course. simply
enormous, and If the wife OF the new
member or Senator must have something
less expensive / can direct her to a num-
ber of women in good standing who VIII
receive her OStenSlDly as guest anu III
troduce her in society as friend. The
cost of this varies according to scope and
character of privileges included, from $1,000
a season down TO $50 a month. i have
known a Colonial Dame who would bring
OUT &. woman in the best circle OF WASH
ington for $500 for three months chaperon-
age all the expenses incurred by enter
tanning during the time, and the keep OF
the stable, to be paid by the guest, with an
additional charge of 81 per day for board.
There are several women In Washington
known to me by name who turn very
pretty honest penny at this business, and
if Washington season runs you down
there is famous widow who viii re-
cuperate your health and incidentally make
your social fortune on the other side on a
similar business basis. | recently met a
girl just returned from a season abroad
with this woman: the girl had been intro
duced at court in several continental coun-
tries, and counted her experience a bar
gain at 81, 600 for chaperonage, in addition
to all expenses of the chaperon and her
self.
Another clever and comparatively mex
pensive way to get on in Washington So
ciety is to engage the attentions of a we'll
connected and impecunious young man.
Invite him to dinner. tea, luncheon and