Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-07
When the so-Called Gay Season
Comes to an End.
BY NO MEANS SkCKCLOTH AND ASHES
Lectures and Clubs and Cards, Din
ners and Teas.
SOME SOCIAL FEATURES


nowadays that Lenten diversions are no
| longer necessary. Lent is no longer a
period which means the entire cessation OF
the enjoyments that made the winter sea-
! son bright and gay, but comes rather as a
| welcome rest from much of it. Indeed, If
| Lent is ever expunged from the church cal
| endar society would feel called upon to in
| vent something to replace it. Years ago
| the season here used to include all the
| formal gaiety of the year, but it has now
| burst the bonds that held it within GER
| tain humber Of weeks; and now extends
| from the time people get back to town in
| the autumn until they desert it in the
| spring. either for a presentation at the
london drawing rooms or to open UP the
| family villa at Bar Harbor or Newport.
| Church going and works of mercy are as
| popular as ever as means of spending Lent
| well: whether in greater or less degree, ii
| enters into al! the calculations OF the church
| people for whom the penitential season has
| its obligations. In the amusenents, though.
| there is none of the old-time effort made TO
| begin with little sewing. much gossip, ana
| dance to finish it all off. Those who give
| dances keep right on, and those who go keep
! right on going, and there is no putting on
sainted livery to serve a gentleman in who
| is not mentioned ordinarily in polite CONVEX
| sation. That suits people who like good
times all the year round, but especially those
| who believe in calling things by their right
| names.
| The Art of Sewing.
| Sewing circles flourish in spite of the fact
that the great art of needlework as express
| ed by plain sewing seems likely to die out
| with this generation. Very sensible people
| sneer at other very sensible people When
| they boast of the amount of sewing they
have accomplished whether for themselves
| or for charity.
| They do not fear to call it an absolute
| waste of time, when plain clothes and
| fancy ones can be bought for a song. OF
the sewing circles, which exist in spite
| of these lattef-day objections, the Canton
| Flannel Society, of which army ladies are
| the supporters, the Children's Hospital So
| Getty, which is composed OF young ladies
| who make baby clothes for the tiny suffer-
| ers there, and the Christ Child Society, of
| which Mss Mary Merrick is the head, and
| which has provided hundreds and hundreds
| Of the poorest babies the clothes in which
| the first months, at least, Of their lives
| were spent.
OF purely Lenten diversions. however
| there are plenty time-killers besides sewing
| Literature and the arts provide not only
| employment, but enjoyment, and that of
| the best chat acter. Music clubs are plen-
uful and important. They cannot fail to
be in community like this, where taste
| and talent of this kind receive every en-
| couragement and development.
| The Friday Morning Music Club is among
! the leading organizations of this character
|
| ton, and SO far a great success. Lectures
| and essays on art and kindred topics afford
| frequent expressions of the same refined
taste.
A Monday Morning Club meets at Mrs
Wolcotts home, and is addressed by the
| members in turn. Papers on art are read.
| and sometimes discussions follow.
To Improve the Mind.
| In historical clubs and current events
| clubs the interest is wide awake the whole
year AROUND here. To listen to discussions
| of deep and erudte subjects there is al
| ways 10 be found an audience of enthG-
| siastic listeners: of set lectures and read
| ings outside of those given by high lights
| in the local armament there have been
| fewer than usual this Lent Hard times and
| an opera season are some good reasons
| which may he assigned. Lectures or read
| ings in private houses are always costly
| form of amusement. and the fact that it
does not always thrive here is not wonder
| full, when it is remembered the remarkably
| fine lectures which are given weekly free
of charge and under the best auspices.
| Whist clubs and card clubs in general are
SO numerous that to mention one would he
to ignore the dozen others of the same gn-
borhood. W hist playing was always sci
ence but il has only been lately that many
| people awoke to the fact that their educa-
| ton was deplorably incomplete in this par
ticulaT. A new means of livelihood was
| evolved in the training of this branch of all
around society usefulness.
There are several ladies who teach whist,
and who have pretty much all they can do
to keep up with their engagements. Some
of the pupils know just little, and think
| they know n good deal. and the fun of each
meeting to those who entirely open to
conviction is to note the vigorous means
| necessary to uproot all these feeble CLEANS
| Of the art and to substitute the knowledge
| of modern principles of the game.
Outdoor Amusements.
In the line of outdoor exercise muscular
| development and all that style of thing
| there are the wheel clubs where there
used to he walking clubs or horseback par
| ties. Then there is the skating fad.
| fencing club. and our old friend. the tea
fight.
The wheel embodies the popular idea of
the latest way to get there No doubt
about that. Makes difference where
| you are going. Wheel it! A new school
opens at a new point. Immediately every
man. woman and child in the vicinity is
overcome by the idea that they must learn.
They do learn. Not by others mistakes,
either. Have to make all your own blum
ders and learn by them.
All society rides Therefore all society
has less time than ever on its hands TO
waste in idleness.
Five O'Clock tea tables are the thing Just
at present. Not necessary to have any,
thing much on them but the steaming ket-
tie and very becoming lamp light. The
latest fancy is. however, not to take the
devious. The tea is good, and so are the
sweets that are served with it, but all these
would not count for much We're it not for
the interesting company in which you find
yourself. Opposite is one of the best-look-
ing and richest girls in society Mrs. AL
ways Ready is doing the chaperon part
and Count Wantsherbadly is at the other
side of the dainty table. A delicate odor of
fresh riolets hangs about their heads
At the next table sits the very poorest
girl in all society. who gets more flowers
than half dozen other girls, and no one
can tell why. At this minute there are five
hundred violetS in that corsage bouquet she
has Oh, and ten to one, tonight she will be
wearing fresh bunch. Its fate" saws
the homely girl in the corner. who has her
father near her. when they find they have
both been thinking about the very same
thing. The lorgnette girl and her friend of
whom it has been said, "she has never
come in since she came out" approach
with a silken swish about their skirts, with
a smile and bow. The cynic. We all know
him, drops in chair near Them He tells
them they are loveier than ever
Dinner Giving.
Dimes and lLncheons run along undis-
turbed in Lent. The regular season was
! not half long enough for frequent enter
tanners to reciprocate all the courtesies