Evening star., 1902-03-24
CAPITAL SOCIETY
A Man of Leisure Reviews It's
characteristics.
TELLS SOME ANECDOTES
VARIOUS ELEMENTS COMPOSING
THIS GREAT BODY.
Amusements Costly and Otherwise
Worries and Joys-Curious
Customs.
TELLS SOME ANECDOTES
F. A. r. in the Baltimore Sun.

F. A. R. in the Baltimore Sun.
WASHINGTON, March 22.-Washington
society is composed of numerous circles In
the aggregate it includes so many persons
that various sets standing on an equal
footing may seldom. IL ever. come In con-
tact. 1t is distinctive as compared with
other cities in the fact of having purely
official set running up to many hundreds.
or really to about 2,OOO. and also large set
composed of literary and scientific persons
The President Of the United States with
his family. of course. stands at the head Of
the official list. Some 45O senators and
representatives in Congress. the diplomatic
corps, with about $50 or 40 men and per-
haps nearly as many women; the members
of the Supreme Court OF the United States
and of the federal judiciary of the District
of Columbia. the members of the cabinet,
the assistant secretaries of the executive
department, the heads Of bureaus. army.
navy and marine corps officers and the la
dies Of the families of all of these belong
to the official set
So far as this set is concerned. it is ex-
tremeIy rare that society function of any
character whatsoever occurs at which 1t
is not more or less represented. Not a few
would consider their affairs failures had
thGy not some or the Official set present
On the other hand, in the last season or
two disposition has been exhibited by
some to gather around them exclusively
those in private life, because, as they ex-
press it, they get tired of perpetualiy rub
bling UP against officeholders and their fam
lilies. Only minority OF this tremendous
official set do any entertaining themselves.
The others go on continuously accepting In
VitatiOnS with no cOmpunctiOn.
AS a rule this absence of reciprocity on
their part is caused by lack of means. for
most of them receive scant salaries. have
no other resources and it is constantly
veXa tious problem how to make both ends
meet In the official set the majority OF
those possessed of private fortunes enter
tain royalty. There are always some rich
men among senators and representatives,
cabinet members and high officials of the
executive department and the foreign min
listers. and with few exceptions they do
their full share. There is an erroneous i'm
preston abroad as to public men at WASH
ington. The bulk Of them are in moderate
circumstances. and it is said by those who
ought to know that among the whole $50
men in the two branches of Congress not
more than 25 or 80 are milliOnaires.
Always There, but Always Changing.
The official set Is always there. yet its
membership is constantly changing. New
men are coming to Congress every two
years. and through the nature Of things
there are frequent changes In the execu-
tive departments. The diplomatic corps Is
subject to some change and army and navy
officers are ordered away and others come
in to supply their places This involves not
only the periodical sundering Of ties of
friendship, but. what Is felt ofttimes more
keenly, it involves the loss of position and
precedence. The wife or daughter of a
senator, representative. cabinet minister or
other government official has, like him.
defined status When the man becomes
an 'ex' he, his wife and daughter are
rIn1 r,,fHl clN, hxy fhn
and have to find their level as best they
may. Very often 1t Is a pitiable descent.
There seems to be some peculiar attraction
about Washington which holds so many
after they are out Of public life, but unless
he has money and spends 1t the has en-
Is barely tolerated.
The Question of Precedence.
The question Of precedence forever has
been and forever will be a disturbing ele-
ment in the official set. 1t creates in the
republican court at Washington Infinitely
more discussion and dissensOn than in the
courts of royalty. At royal courts. in fact,
social laws are so fixed and rigid that con-
fiicts as to precedence scarcely ever arise
You might surmise these disputes are
mainly between the women. whereas the
men quarrel just as persistently and fero-
ciOusly as the women. The late Vice Pres
ident Hobart and the British ambassador
cOntended for a whole winter over the
question of precedence. sand the latter
never gave In until admonished by his
home government. There are several is
sues now pending, the most momentous of
which Is between the ambassadors and the
Supreme Court. Every season some Of the
women Of the official set be depended
upon to fuss with one another over who
shall make the first call, who is to go first
on ceremonial occasions who shall sit
at the right hand, or on various other
points.
One Of these ladies. not long ago, who
found herself seated at dinner at the left
of the host when she thought she should be
at the right, made veiled but not the less
understood comments and illusions to 1t
during the whole period the company re-
mained at the table. Another lady at a re-
cent White House dinner made audible
complaint because the President was
served first. Now and then some woman in
the official set, of towering ambition and
well-balanced temperament, will grit her
teeth and carry everything before her. For
long years the wife of Supreme Court
justice woman of remarkable ability and
force of character. absolutely dominated
the official set and in having her own way
did not mind upon whose toes she trod. A
justice of the Supreme Court of the United
States stands high up in the official set and
he is there for life. But one day this par
ticular justice was called. His wife imme-
diately tumbled down, down. Every wo-
man she had snubbed or ignored in the
period of her greatness took malicious sat
isfaction in jumping hard upon her at every
opportunity. Her iron will, her indomitable
pride failed to sustain her. She silently
disappeared, returned to the distant state
from where she came and was heard of no
more.
The Old Resident Set.
The unofficial section of society forms a
very large contingent, but probably not
so formidable In numbers as the official
section. What Is known as the old resi-
dent set includes many Of education, of re-
finement and Of means. These know who
their grandfathers were. and most of them
can even go back farther than that They
are ot old Maryland and Virginia stock
and preserve the best characteristics of
those splendid men and women of Mary
land and Virginia who lived 100 years ago.
In some instances they are rather inclined
fo kaan IN tharnSalyec hut fhav ,,a.,,