The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-10
FtsHINGToN SOCIETY.
-, THE RULES TO WHICH
u co,II'nLS OBEDJENCE.

uuch Fiends--A Crowd of
the National CapItOl-rhe
~. Of society and other
of General Interest.
.oondence of the Morning News.
ton ian. THE demands OF the
@,.iless Society. upon her vota-
hs national capital are maryland
tn,mutable as the laws OF the
nd Persians. In order to take
the Washington swim one
EARN the time honored social Gus
- of5er citeis, or read them back
chinese fashion. For example:
80 the stranger in a strange
IS 10 be called upon; but according
stouette of our republican court,
make the first call upon the peo-
.bose acquaintance he desires, or re-
in solitude till doomsday. The only
EXEMPT from this rule are those
.hs very topmost round of the lad
the Presidents family the cabi-
the supreme court and congress. And
tbose favored few are divers mex
r. ules of precedence the neglect of
n would be the AUNT OAS - bCAA
1ossIv gauche If you are a lady of
..oe,oial class, your social duties are
81 and easy or may be shirked alto
F,.,if inclination dictates; but not so
tbose whose husbands or fathers have
lected servants of the people. For
there can be no Sinking and society
floods her dues like a Shylock. Imme-
.,ay after arriving in Washington. 1t is
u ~, hounden duty to cal. first upon the
81 80. Of the senator's and NJ. C.'s from
IA Inr avn state. and then upon other people
Isnse acouaintance you wish to make, IN
Stng the round of cabinet and diplomat
81 [ o-cles. Having ascertained their re-
.cttye reception days, you present your
Ef with the crowd during regulation
81 a-s taking care to leave at each house
d Fd hearing your address and the day.
81 4, here be any in particular, on which you
81 r. he eat home" to similar courtesies
N Erbatever your social status, though you
n hsong to the grand army of working-wo-
S,sn or be poor as Jobs typical turkey
81 r. due time The call will be returned; or,
81 .-bat amounts to the same thing in socie-
& NE eyes-an elegant equippage will some
Sev dash TO your clearinghouse door and
tSs lveried fOotman will hand In a bit
y ~ nasteboard upon which is inscribed the
4 Tome of some star of first magnitude on
4 ,be social horizon, or maybe that of some
Eted diplomat. In the Washington book
Of etiquette It Is a fixed law that those In
official life must return all formal calls
and from il none are exempt except the
President and his wife. The custom smacks
BEAUTIFULLY of the free-and-equal spirit of
01r republic, but it must be a mighty tax
mon It's victims, who are thus, in a man
rer at the mercy of the popuiace. I'M
sgne it! In this city of 100000 inhabit-
snts-not to mention the transient multi
4 aides of winter from the remotest corners
Of the country all naturally desiring to
settle people about whom they have read
and heard so much-it means mob in the
houses of officials on the weekly reception
DAYS and very dogs life for their ladies
4 IN the ceaseless effort to keep even" with
such an enormous social debt The Gus
tom falls heaviest upon the cabinet and
dIpomauc families. for those of senators,
representatives. and supreme court
Justices, while obliged to return
all calls they actually receive,
may set their reception days
at longer intervals than once a week or
even decline to have them at all for the
general public, with the blessed privilege
Of not at home" when disinclned 70
see people. The cabinet ladies are also
compelled to make the first calls at the
beginning of each season upon the wives
OF all the senators and justices. Just
why this should be none can tell, and
many futile attempts have been made to
overthrow the custom One would think
it should be reversed if only for the sake
Of conveniences for while the cabinet
families number less than a dozen and all
have fixed places of abode, those of the
Senate are legion and proverbially migra-
tory In their habits. 1t springs from the
old question of precedence which since
time out of mind has so disquieted the
heart of the capital and afflicts not only
all branches of official life, but the small
est twigs thereof, engendering endless
sQuaboles 1t is amusing to note, how
ever, what a complete resolution of opin-
Ion concerning social right takes place
IN the female mind when the relative po-
sllons are shifted-that is, when a sena-
Tor becomes a cabinet officer or an eX-
member of the cabinet is elected to The
senate, as frequently happens in the ka
ledoscopic changes of American politics.
she who lamented most bitterly the FIRST
can business when her husband was in
the cabinet. now vigorously insists upon
her rights in this regard or should the
situation be reversed, complains as door
ously at having to hunt up senatorial
families all over the District of Columbia.
Inc wives of the supreme court justices
ana OF army and navy officers hold
49, PupilC receptions on Mondays, OF tho
oipiomats and cabinet officers on Wednes-
Gays senators on Thursdays. Most of the
representatives. wives receive on Tues
Jays and unofficial upper tendon on Fri
udys. Before the Cleveland administra-
uoh, II had been the custom since time
OUT OF mind, for the lady of the white
nouse to give a reception TO the public
upon every Saturday afternoon during a
session of congress, and very grateful Wis
lung strangers were for the privilege of
shaking hands informally with the FIRST
.auy OF the land. 1t is a pity that tie
present custom is not likely to soon be re-
vsed for If robust Mrs. Cleveland could
nO' stand the strain, certainly Mrs. Nc
NiIley' always a semi-invalid cannot
AS may be imagined, visiting cards or
ii single Washington season are no in
considerable item of expense, and bills for
carriage hire are simply appalling. MANY
upon whom the obligation falls heaviest
VI returning hundreds of calls every week
make a practice of employing two or
tlree carriages during the regulation
YOURS Of every afternoon, except that of
stS.r own reception. The list of social
uep'S IS divided up and distributed among
.ne various members of the family; and
tagh takes her carriage and sets out on
ng' appointed route, leaving the cards Of
az me family, male and female, at every
nv