The Worthington advance., 1901-02-22
THE SOCIAL Sc EASON N.
Washington Society Deplores kr,
McKinley's Indisposition.
Il Was Responsible for the Postpone,
neAt OF Many state 4Funct1ons-
4 Chat About Diplomats -.
and Their Ways.
Especial washinRton Letter.1


C~OCIETY is becalmed, lethargic and
- unhappy. There seems to be no
breeze ripping the social hor-
lzon. All of the buds and butter
dies of fashion are simply miserable,
because there is nothing doing in .
big, dazzling way.
The social season always begins
here with the New Years reception
at the white house; but this year,
very soon after that function, Pres
ident Mckinley became i'll. Instead of
recovering quickly he grew worse and
was finally obliged to take to his bed
and give up all business. Society did
MT care for the health of the great
man in the white house, but it did
care, and does care, for the fact that
all Of the great social functions ceased
on account of his illness.
The state dinners, the receptions
to the supreme court, to the senate
and house of representatives, to the
members of the cabinet, to the army
and navy, to the general public, all
these and many others were set aside
for an indefinite period. greatly to the
annoyance of those who are always
anxious to be on the go, to see and
be seen. The young people do not
suffer that intense agony of regret
which animates the hearts of the
mothers whose daughters are growing
one year older every 365 days, without
increasing prospects of a good match.
Even old age is not respected in the
hunt for men; and some old fellows
are soon to be married to young girls
who ought to be in school several
years longer.
Young Mr.. Vanderbilt is said to
have given his brlue a dowry of up
wards of $3,0o0.000. That is the Amer
lean way of doing things. The for
eigners give their American brides
titles, some of them shopworn, and
expect the brides to give them plenty
Of money. Hence it happens that the
members of the diplomatic corps here
are regarded as good catches by many
rich mothers. The foreigners will not
pay any attention to girls who have
not handsome dowries. The diplo-
matte corps is composed of diplomats,
statesmen, gentlemen and snobs, the
latter being in the palpable majority.
This diplomatic corps is often
spoken of in the newspapers, but the
people generally do not know much
about it. Human ideals are frequent
ly erroneous, and popular impressions
concerning the diplomatic corps are
wrong. The. general supposition of
writers outside of this city seems to
be that the members of the diplomat
ic corps form a sort of military COM
munity in civil life. AS q matter of
fact they seldom are seen together,
as body. Occasionally there is some
public function at the capitol which
causes all of these officials to assem-
bio in the galleries set apart for them.
On New Years day they assemble in
the. department of state and attend
the reception at the white house. On
each Inauguration day they sit to-
gether on the floor of the senate and
witness the inaugural ceremonies.
But, generally speaking, this corps is
scattered and has no homogeneity.
Very few people resident in the ma
tional capital ever see these diplo-
mats thus assembled, because very
few have the good fortune to gain
admittance to the state department,
white house or senate chamber.
Nobody can have an adequate OF
comprehensive idea concerning any
person or thing with which he can
not come into contact, visual or tan.
gible. Therefore it is that few writ
srs treat public men conservatively