The morning times., 1896-02-14
Senate Through a W0rnan'8 Eyes
Little Eccentrcities of Manner and Dress
Disclose Character.
MISS WILBUR MAKES SOME COMMENTS
Woco Catches Women's Chances While Seem to Pick
Out Allison and Those Made of Presidential Timber All
Blase Hedged Thick Dignity ty-Fobles
in Costume Which Speak of the Man Inside

People who come to Washington for
visit always want to see, above all things,
how the laws of the country are made,
and their first, last, and most interesting
visits are those which they pay to Con-
gress. One is always told that the House
is more interesting than the Senate, be-
cause it is less formal and there is more
excitement going on there.
AS a rule. people find this so, and, while
they go over to the Senate end OF the
Capitol for While, they invariably drift
back to the House galleries. and bask in
the sunshine of the red carpets and the
smiles of the younger politicians, who are
not aycrse to looking up into the gal
leries a good deal and finding inspiration
in the faces of the people.
But the Senate, with all its dignity, has
its own peculiar attraction for not only
Americans. but great many human beings
the world over are willing to concede
that our Senate is the greatest forum
in the world. The Senators themselves
appear to feel it, for they conduct them
selves with an air of Importance and dignity.
and never by any chance turn their eyes
up to the galleries They walk and sit
like beings who knew themselves to be
observed by all the world, and who have
attained the highest plane To which rational
practiCality can elevate them. IT is 30
flicted by nlanuerisms. for on the green
carpet of the Senate they tread the most
conspicuous stage, and what they say
there they know will go to al CiyiliZa
ton.
SOME FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
I paid my first real visit to the Senate
yesterday, and spent all the afternoon
with the solons Of affairs. 1t was natural
for newSpa Der woman TO try first to enter
the press gallery. j lnew that 1T was very
unlikely that ] should bc allowed, but l
wished to see first what the attempt would
result in.
| got by the doorkeeper into the first
anteroUm, on both sides OF which are long
counters with telegraph operators and
clerks behind them, everything for the CON
venience OF flashing .the intelligence OF
Senatorial deliberations across the eontin-
ents. But here / was stopped by curious
young man who took my card into the
press gallery to Il gentleman / know.
While | waited / was curiously looked
at and when MY newspaper friend came
out he was courtcOusly surprised at my
request Still he consented to go and see
if | could be admitted. / don't know
whether custom induced him TO go IN
and sit down a while and think about II and
then come back and say / couldn't, or
whether he really did ask the presiding
rate it was decided to be impossible.
However a ticket was procured for me
to the reserved gallery for the families of
members, and 1t being q wet day / was
able to secure the very best seat in all
the galleries, an Infinitely better seat TO
my mind than any in the press gallery.
1t was on the angle of the side and front
so that / could face the Senate and still
see the rostFum on which the Vice Prcsi-
dent sits. president here, and where the
clerks and reader sit u little below him.
The great white throne OF the press di-
rectly above the rostrum is so imposing in
its structure that it seems to defeat its
purpose. Whenever any one there wants
to see the floor comfortably they have TO
stand up and it is thus that the core
spondents are most frequently seen, lean
ing forward to peer over their white-barri-
cadc OF dignity.
LUXURY OF THE CHAMBER.
After hearing SO much about the-UHited
States Senate one can scarcely believe that
one is really gazing dOTn upon II when one
finds oneself in a comfortable reserved seat
with the whole panorama spread out before
him. II is a panorama with a rich green
background of soft carpet, covered with
rows of mahogony desks, and with leather
couches around the rear OF the room. The
light falls scftly through the squares of
decorated glass which forms the roof of
| The chamber, and when it gets too dark
with out, as it did yesterday, gaSsight is
made to fall through these same glass panels.
The galleries are interesting for brief
time Ranged clear around the room IN
square terraces they present wall OF hu-
manity which one would think would be
hdistuEbing to IN actor on the stage below.
But like all good actors these gentlemen
| do not appear at all conscious, except by
| certain stilted manner, of the people
| above them
One can pick out the regular visitor TO
| the galleries at once. He comes in and set
| ties down to listen and watch the proceed
| ings, but the occasional or one-time visitor
makes a slight flutter on arrival and after
| ohing and ahing a bit grows weary and
| yawns and departs. Very trig looking
| women in tailor made gowns come into the
| galleries with Senators who leave them
| there and go back to the floor. The ladies
watch them short time and crafty their
| pride and then retire.
A bride and groom will come tmidly in
| aud lean on the parapet for time, the
| bride looking dreamily anticfpant of the
| time when her husband will old forth be
| low The color in the hats and jahots OF
| these women is here and there varied with