The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-06
SOCIAL LIFE
IN WASHINGTON
Continued from Twenty-first Page.

/ Continued from Twenty-first Page.
!
! q freedom with one another. too. that one
/ would not expect The woman behind
! Mrs. Smith may not have ever seen her
i before. but if she sees a dangerous de-
feet in the fastening Of her dress she gen.
| orally fixes ii for her. and gets not a
/ snub, but an agreeable thank you A
( sort Of democracy prevails in the line,
| like that which one meets at a picnic or
| street fair or excursion where q great
number of people, nearly all strangers to
| one another. are out for a good time or 10
satisfy curiosity. My observation is that
those who care least for society are the
most agreeable in society. In other words
that those who take social life seriously
are the ones who are the least agree
able. They tie themselves too fast to the
governing etiquette to be good fellows.
On the whole, I believe that Washing
ton society-unless sensible people con-
troll it--breeds evil for the country. 1t
makes a fool public servant neglect their
public duties. Its gIsmor blinds Office
holders to the origin OF their position
! the people. 1t too frequently makes legiti-
mate conservative ambition mad. and ex-
cites men to travel at a pace that ruins
It tends to extravaganza, inoculates men
with strange ana unusual desires, dis
courages effort and causes men to think
that work was made fer slaves only. 1t
takes away from men the healthful morn
ing and compels them to borrow from the
night, for it is a pleoian Indication in
Washington to breakfast before nine or
TO go to bed before midnight. 1t dissatis-
ffes men and women with normal Aneri-
can conditions and deceives them into the
idea that they were not designed for
work. Unless they understand the game
and can afford to play it. 1 would advise
my friends who intend 70 visit Wash
ington not to play it without limit.
Washington has great many intelli-
gent people. but the majority of them
are not sufficiently intelligent to be en-
tertaining. They are right here at the
seat Of government and think they know
1t all. The proportion of Wichita people
who know what congress did yesterday
is far larger than the proportion of Wash
ington people who know it, They have no
franchise and no responsibility as citizens
and hence have not the interest in public
matters that people living in states. as
full franchised citizens, have. 1t took me
some time to convince the chief of a di-
vision in the public service-a man fifty
six years OF age-that Kansas City was
not the capital of Kansas. And yet they
look smart and yet comparatively few
know what the art represents. There is
only one art that they know we'll, and
that Is the art of looking pretty-or as
H.
dressers, good painters and good pad
ders. and the city is a heaven for chero-
podists, hair dressers, manicurists., face
massagers, perfume vendors, lotion ped
dlers. hair dye drummers dimple makers
and mixers OF face powders. There are
men tailors and lady tailors by the hun
dred. There are fancy eat dealers and
blooded pup dealers by the score. The
haberdashers are thicker than the sum-
mer fly and 1t would be vain to attempt
to enumerate the milliners and photo
graphers. Within five blocks of the treas
ury you can get freCkle pulled a wart
removed. a wrinkle ironed out, a pair of
eyes made blue or brown or hazel, a nose
made Grecian. Roman or Irish. a finger
nail made pink. or a bosom made swan
like almost while you wait.
Another queer condition l find here is
this: That the people are superstitious
and strangely credulous. l am sure that
it is a species of mental degeneracy con-
nected in some way with the social mania
that has completely taken hold of Wash
ington. l have never seen such a large
of the people of any commun-
ity SO thoroughly entrenChed in the belief
that the grounding forecasts the weather. /
that fortune follows a rabbits foot and
that a black cat scatters evil. They BE- /
lieve in the sea serpent. in lunches In |
ghosts. lurg':tuEs, sigi :, tokens, dreams |
premOnitions, magic. witchcraft. cnchant- /
ment. horses shoes, palm reading, card (
reading, fortune telling. and ale always /
an easy prey for clever quacks. con men. |
grafters. pair lists thimble fingers and /
cleirvoyants
There are adventurers and adventIr- /
Z, ses here and the inner life Of soci5Iy g
filed with ntti esting i''cidents Of their .
y DIRK. but society has fun control - The /
town, and almost every interest in H. /
and the victims are protected from the .
frown or the laugh % the public
If jefferson were to come ba2k + Wash +
ington he would flnd Il less rcyally in
clined than it was when he sure ,e'i,d tie (
second Adams. but a e,,oI 1eat more
pretty and more destructive # SUbsran-
tai regular habits It IS d1u5t'ul II he /
could get into the dining lgorl OF any
Of the three or four leading nctcls With
put first calling at tRi!or's shop
DAVID y. LEAHY.