The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-06-20
LIFE AT THE CAPITAL.

l
but they will all come under one of the
| two heads. When life is divided thus into
a couple of classifications 1t is much SIM
| pier III you meet man you converse
| with him about the change of administra-
ton. or how such and such an office holder
| los, his job, II the companion be n woman
| you tell her OF the latest thing that has
| come to the surface In the diplomatic
| part of the town. You have but two sub
| jects and you are never at loss what
| TO say. This results, of course, In your
saying the same things over and over
again, but that does not matter. The 9TH
ers have heard,it all before and they do
not look for anything new.
| The society gossip OF Washington In
cludes social functions given by the
wealthy ones and attended by the diplo-
mats, all of the various charitable enter
prises of women who haven't much to do,
marriages, engagements. divorces. deaths
and elopements. Every year adds to the
| number OF the leisure class in the Nations
capital. Moneyed men from all parts of the
country, or rather the wives and daughters
of moneyed men. recognize the city as a
place of delightful winter residence. SUI
perb houses are built in consequence and
superb entertainments follow This has
resulted In the formation of am aristoc-
racy that may be Goldfish" but> is very
liberal and very swell 1t may be set down
as a general truth that all women and few
men like Washington. The men find the
ceaseless round of the same things to do
and the same things to talk about wear'
some in time, but the women know that
there they get the best there is In the way
Of society and are proportionately charmed.
There is much scandal
This relates most often not to the doings
of society people themselves, for to the
credit of the capital 1t may be said that
its upper circles are clean but to the let
her so morals of statesmen and others of
influence who have too many female friends
in office. Even this kind of maligning is
frequently baseless. There is no idea more
deeply rooted in the public mind and none
for which there is less cause, than the
universally accepted belief in Washington
iar wickedness. 1t is there, OF course. but
1t does not oyershndow everything ! dare
say that in proportion to population Wash
ngton contains less immortality than some
of its nelghbors who throw stones at it.
Where thousands of unprotected women IRE
gathered from all States of the Union there
Will be sly mods and whisperings and the
half spoken slur which does more harm
Than knife thrust, but nineteen TWEEN
tieths of the female place holders are en-
ersetic, Woodworking, modest, lovable wo-
men.
In Washington all work stops at 4
o'clock in tina afternoon. That is when the
departmental work is finished for the day. |
Immediately the principal thoroughfares
ara thronged with men and women, troop
ing gayly homeward or to some of the
many places of amusement. 1t reminds
the stranger irresistibly OF the letting
OUT time OF school. Bicycles whir and
the street cars are damned, and there Is a |
sense of gayety and laughter everywhere |
The retail stores prepare to get in their |
work. They do lttle enough at other |
hours. They do rushing business on the |
average, however, because every depart |
ment clerk known to be such has credit |
and the temptation to overspend when |
credit is extended is well known. In
this is found tho principal reason why |
four years of Office holding in Washington |
leaves nearly every one poor as when |
ho or she began. In addition to this all |
OF the departments are infested by money |
sharks, who lend to the temporarily en- |
barrassed at the rate OF 10 per cent |!
month. The government has done its best |
to get rid Of them. but they can not be |
rooted out. Sometimes harassed Dor |
rover complains, which results In the Shy |
locks dismissal. but another is always |
ready to take his place.
have never seen in Washington man
walk at the rate of three miles an hour |
There Is no ouch thing as hurry. The du-
ties arc the same day after day, and there |
pf do
Tho climate nine months in the year is en-
ervatng. 1t matters not how much surplus |
energy a person has stored up three moaths |
OF Washington will take it out of him. |
This lassitude extends TO all professions |
and callings. There Journalism is dreamy |
and highly speculative. the lawyer con- |
sumes day in formulating an opinion,
whereas in Chicago he would answer in n |
quarter Of an hour. The minister does not
prepare his sermon until the Saturday be-
fore IL is preached. and the doctor drives
leisurely TO the bedside of the sick. This
is fascinating to the man or woman worn
by struggles with the world, and 1t ex-
plains why a person who has lived long In
the capital is not fit to earn living any
where else II has been estimated that
year after year 300 young men are ruined
by Office holding in the district.
prompt and liberal paymaster. After work.
ing for him, taking ones time about every
thing, finding the toll light and the remit
neration proportionately large. reporting
for duty at In the morning and quitting
at 4 in the afternoon six days in the week.
with thirty days vacation on full pay once
a year, 1t grlnds the American to be COM
PEELED to go back home. say nothing and
saw many cords of wood, Civil service Is
making multitudes OF confirmed office
holders and, leaving outside the question
OF It's benefit TO the government, it Nest
certainly Is mercy to the office holders
In Washington there are many positions
that are locally called snaps" In them
there is nothing to do and the salary is
high.
They go TO the favored ones. There was
once for Instance. M editorship OF the
geologic survey. though Just why q geologic