St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-15
IN THE SOCIAL SWIM.
A Society Woman's Description Of
1t at the National Capital.

Special Correspondence of the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-On the 1st
OF January the busy social season at
Washington begins, and social observ-
ance is more a business at the national
capital than in any other American city
1t is, in fact, more a business than a
pleasure, and few people who are not
familiar with the details of social life
at Washington know what StupendouS
task a woman undertakes when she
Joins the fashionable set. This season
the society woman must crowd the full
fillment of all her social duties-of en-
tertaining and being entertained-into
less than two months. If she did not
make a business of it, she would never
fulfill her chosen mission. In the sea-
son which is about to open every hour
which the society woman can spare
from sleep will be needed for social
duties, and she will be fortunate if she
does not owe nature a big debt when
Lent comes. AS for being a mother to
any one, that is something for which
she will have no time, and if she is a
true representative Of her type no in
clination.
There are few buster women in the social
ranks than the wives of the United States
senators. They are not necessarily leaders
because of their husbands high official posi-
lions. On the contrary, they occupy a middle
ground socially even under the most favorable
conditions. In fact, unless they come to
Washington with other claims to social prom
1nence their husbands ofnciaI positions count
for very Little. The wife of the senator from
a large Eastern city who has the advantages
OF good birth, culture and wealth, has little
difficulty in becoming not only prominent, but
a leader in society, while her sister from the
interior, who has led quiet domestic life
at nome, and perhaps by her struggles and
economies in early life has helped her hus-
band to his high position, is seldom heard of
or seen outside small official circle. The
q fhn of1rJc to-
die ground makes her. if she has social as
pirations, all the keener to secure her place
and to do this she must follow to most abb
surd extreme the unwritten social law of
Washington. No feature of that law is more
impressive than that which regulates prece-
dence in calling. The senator's wife must
can IL on the presidents wife and the families
of the cabinet officers. The latter calls must
be made on cabinet day. which has always
been Wednesday. She must call at the
homes OF the justices of the supreme court,
on the wives of all the more recently elected
senator's twhom she is prone to patronize) and
she must leave cards on those members of
lne corps dlpiomatique who married-or
represent themselves to be. She then draws
the long satisfied sigh of the good and faith
Iul servant, and having given of her time and
strength and OF her graciousness she fixes her
of receiving.
In this she must yield her own preference
and comfort aconvenienceaLH ETAOIN RH
to the comfort and convenience of that ty
rant, society
IL she wants to be popular in the exclusive
resident Set she must join a reading club or
shakespeare class or manage to become
one OF the patronesses of the Childrens hos
pital ball.
When she sees her name even at the end
OF list which is headed by Mrs. Cleveland
and Lady Paunceforte she feels that life
holds little more than she could desire
And now with her mornings devoted to the
readings and the hospital society, she starts
on her career. She gets home from her
mornings occupation in time to dress for a
fashionable luncheon at "a luncheon at
which she picks up the small gossip of her
set, and where scandal goes up one side of
the festive board as salad is passed down the
other From this she rushes home laden
with flowers and her luncheon souvenir in
time to make additions to her toilet and start
on a. round of calls stopping in at
word from her hostess as she walks
through the almost deserted parlor into the
dining room beyond, where the crowd is al
ways to be found struggling for a fried oys-
ter or q glass of punch. She makes her way
around word here, a smile there a glass
of punch in corner. and then she is off.
Another word with the deserted hostess,
who must keep her position at the door, and
away she goes to similar function" on the
same block. She makes from fifteen to
twenty calls in an afternoon, Shows at
several teas and gets home in time to dress
for a dinner at the house of another senator
or member of the cabinet. From this she
goes to White house reception where she
for moment at another less pretentious but
more exclusive entertainment given by some
one who is not in the official circle.
This is a typical day in the life of society
woman in Washington Is it any wonder
that one was heard to say at the end of last
season that her acquaintance would crowd a
church, but her friends would fill the pulpit?
-Narcisse Doyle.