Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-04-22
Mr.. STILLMAN'S LETTER
l0wAN AT WASHINGTON DESCRIBES so.
CIAL LIFE AT THE CAPITOL.
How the Newcomer Must Proceed to Effect
an Entree Into Official Society. Order
OF Precedence Among National Off.
cials in Social Matters.

Washington, ID. O., April 18.-Spe.
cial Correspondence Tomorrow ter
inmates the period of six weeks dur
ing which Washington society has re-
mained, relatively speaking, in con-
dition of inactivity. Monday, the
brakes applied at the beginning of the
Lenten season. will be released and
society will resume. Not with the
enthusiasm and fervor of early and
mid-winter, however; in fact. the So
cial season really ended the first week
in March. OF course there will be q
few dinners and some receptions. to
pay off ''debts.'' but the big enter
Eainers, the swift ones who made the
money fly in December, January and
February, are out of it; they are
played out; used up and trying to pull
themselves together. Some of them
have before them another season of
social swiftness at Newport. Bar Har-
Dor. etc. Others will simply adjourn
to their summer homes in the noun.
tains or by the seashore. A lady of
wide experience. who has actively
participated in the game. herself,
speaking of this social profession
from what follows it will be seen that
ii is real profession-makes some
observations touching the correct
form that may be interesting aud in
structive. She says:
The main question to these, espe.
cially if they are making first visit,
and to the newly elected or appointed
officials. is. ''How shall we go about
getting into society?' Considered
from distance. through the highly
colored reports of fashionable doings
here. it seems an easy matter to come.
and see, and conquer, but successful
social career requires as much hard
work. as much knowledge, as much
finesse and diplomacy as any career
under the sun. The way must first be
planned and then tread with firm,
unfaltering step. Mistakes are fatal,
an exhibition of ignorance in social
matters an unforgivable sin. There
are many unsuccessful and disappoint-
ed social aspirants.
Yet it requires little, comparatively
little. to obtain foothold in social
life at the Capital. which, taken all
in all. is broad and catholic. There
are no hard and fast rules for gaining
a position here. but one must possess
some culture, a great amount of suav-
ity and enough money to return in a
suitable way the social attentions one
receives. but how, does one take
the first step toward securing an en-
tree if she comes to town without in
Productions and no friends among the
people here?" Such a position is an
enviable one for the candidate for So
cial honors. for she.is not handicapped
by undesirable friends or forced
through well-meant introductions to
accept people who may be remote
from the social swim. but from the
outset she can select her own friends,
and establish herself in whatever
circle she may elect. In Washington.
as at the foreign capitals. -comers,
be they official or private persons, are
90 make the first call. are
obliged, indeed. to make the first call,
and many are the rules that govern
this important function. the chief of
which are here set forth:
All civil officials, the members of
the Diplomatic Corps, the officers Of
the army and navy, and those private
citizens who are entitled to do so.
should call at the beginning of the
season on the President and his wife.
This first visit is merely perfunctory.
One drives to the north entrance and
leaves cards with the usher.
ALI officials and their families
should cali upon those OF superior
rank and those of the same service and
rank who are their seniors in office.
It is almost impossible to give the
proper rank Of officials, for official and
social etiquette is 50 at variance on
this point. The accepted rank OIL
cially is: The President, the Vice
foreign ambassadors. the
Secretary of State. foreign envoys, the
Chief Justice. the President pro tenn,
of the Senate. the Speaker of the
House, Cabinet secretaries other than
Secretary of State, associate justices
of the Supreme Court, the Admiral OF
the Navy, Senators, and so on. 1t
will be seen from this order that the
Senate. with the exception OF its pre-
siding officer, ranks below the Cabinet
and the Supreme Court, but socially |
this code is quite turned around. The
Senate stands upon its ancient prero-
yative of making no first calls upon
any one but the President; members