The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-01-01
NJ WASHING
TON LETTER
tFrom oht Regular Correspondents

M4Ht-F L.N.a
The holidays have nearly passed and
social and political Washington IS
pausfng for ! moment before making
4 piunge into It's Characteristic win.
ter dissipation. The President and his
family r away at their new old Vir.
giuia home. Why they ever selected
4 Iomein that out ofthe way, inacces.
sible locality is doubtless known to
themselves. 1t appears to be a. kind \
Of hunting box for the President and
his boys andsa Kind Of nerve r%estorer
for Mrs. Roosevelt Geographically 1t
is NEAR by as heasayingsis. The dis
lance in miles Is not great, perhaps
about half las far as New York, but
the time 81 The train when the train
ia on time ] farther than New York
CITY and there Is d twelve mile ride
over Virginia toads after arrival at
the little station in the mud. But the
lives even II Presidents and their
families mutt lave the spice Of variety.
and no doubt the contrast between.
this little cduntfy house Of six or seT-
en- rooms and the glittering glare and.
care Of the dspitslis good for head'and
|hesrt andSpsfhaps for soul.
There will be he usual number Of
oflciaI calls at the White House on
New Years daY beginning with the
reception to The Ambassadors, Foreign
s>;nisters ami other representatives Of
friendly powers and, as on all previous
occasions, all powers are friendly with
the United States. But beyond the
calls called official and including those
made at the White House and upon
1.-The different Cabinet officers by Army
and Navy officers and by those in. Off.
cfat life it is thought that there will
not be the usual social observance that
has characterized the New Years
OF the past. Tot several years there
has been a marked decrease in the
Number Of houses that are opened on
New Years DAY for tie reception OF
callers and,no member of the fashion,
sble or exclusive set, either official OF
resident now publishes in the newspa'
pers as formerly the announcement
that she will he at home with a mum
l.cr of her young lady friends to re
cclve all who may call. The decline
of the custom is due to ceveral rea'
sons. Perhaps The first and foremost
was the fact that the custom grew toe
common and was too easy OF imita'
tion, A lady whose callers would have
been from the Diplomatic and highest
official ranks would see her announce
ment beside thu; Of some person she
would not have recognized for any
price or even occasionally beside tina;
of her cook who had perhaps selected
that day for her debut. Instead OF
seeing baskets for receiving cards al
only the mansions one might even sec
them suspended from broken dool
re!ls in Goat Alley, the haunt Of the
dusky fashlonabies. This was a mos
important reason but there were 9th
ers. If 1t grew common to be O.
those who received It was not less
common to be umong those who call
ed. Originally the reception was in
tended by the hostess and those who
received with her for their friends
but 1t grew to include acquaintance
md from that extended to those whom
the ladies haE. never seen before, Car
1iages hired by four or five mon II
rented dress suits stopped at door'
that never would have been opened OF
and other occasion to the more or les
tlpsy callers. Splendid drawing rooms
were stormel By the rabble Of TILL
and other cities and the newspaper
announcement that certain great Ia
dies were at home for the afternoon
Of New Years was considered license
for the Ice man and gas man and gro
GERS clerk to come and drink punct
and stare dt the pretty girls Of tn
sc,artest social set, That Of course
finished New Years entertaining
among the exclusive, but 1t Is a Gus
tom that has d ed hard and has tai
en- many years TO kill. A few scatter
ed announcements still appear in tn
New Years eve editions Of the pc
pels and on New Years afternoon on,
may still see a few night liners hllel
with cheerful IUhnnies making lon
detours Of tho fashionable streets i
the obscurer quarters where very mic
but certainly not fashionable young Ia