The National tribune., 1911-02-16
We Are Not UnrepubIicnn.

Sidney Brooks. in the Fortnightly Re-
view, London. takes a very gloomy
view of what he calls Isolated and I'M
publican society in Washington" and
he proceeds TO step on society's coat
lowing fashion.
while the opening of the Winter ses-
sion of Congress is the signal also for
the opening of the Washington sea
son." the ordinary legislator, whether
Senator or Representative. makes little
contribution to the real society of The
Capital. Being only a trifie more tram
silent than the tourists themselves. Il
is not often that he has any home
of his own in Washington. The vast
majority of members of Congress live
in hotels and boarding houses. and for
social purposes rank about on q par
with the local shopkeepers and the
clerks in the Government offices. There
are not perhaps more than a dozen
Senator and half a dozen Representa-
tives who have the entree into that
delightful, isolated. fastidious, wholly
unrepublican society that graces the
American Capital.
But the composition. character, hab-
it's ard outlook of that society mako
up a study in manners that deserves
separate treatment. For the moment
] am only concerned to point out that
it is in Washington, where one might
nave expected to find it least operative,
that the divorce between American poll
itics and American society is most
complete, and many a Western Con-
gressman's wife has been grimly forced
to realize that fact as one of the
most unexpected tragedies of her life
Sidney Brooks simply shows
bald acquaintance with Washing
ton society. Social conditions in the
New World can never in any form or
sense be compared with society in the
Old World 1t is true that the Old
World sends us diplomats and minis
tiers, with their feminine contingent,
some very snobbsh people at times,
tho more generally they are as big Of
readily accept our wider Inequalities
and more generous conception of mer-
it. But there is no National Capital
in the world where men of small means
and large mental stature come as quick
ly to the front as, they do in Washing
ton. 1t is only just little while since
that doyen of the Austria Hungarian
Legation, Madame Heneelmuller. very
severely criticised President Taft and
his family as coming from the West
and little acquainted with the usages
of good society. Madame Hengelmul-
ler's indiscreet remarks brought swift
condemnation from those whose infiu-
front and made her a factor in the
ultra Questionable set. There are wives
of Representatives in Washington
Just plain Representatives-who have
no fame other than as genuine enter
tanners. who can lay it all over any
ministerial home in the National Cap
ital when 1t comes to genuine hospital
ity and cordial greeting. Their par
lors are always crowded ard their in
vitations never gather dust Official
society in Washington is nearly always
political, and the woman who comes
here as the wife of a Western Repre-
sentative usually has politics down to
a fine point. 1t must be remembered
that In some States the wife of a Rep
has voted for her husband.
and so have her friends. and since she
is part of the political machine, knows
its parts, and also knows how to run
that machine and keep 1t going without
a jar. She knows that one of the sur
est ways to advance her statesman hus-
band is to play the game of politics
adroitly and with fineness, and she
manages to do this. very often check
ing the woman who has nothing more
than wealth or title acquired thru
wealth to push her to the front.
As a matter of fact Sidney Brooks
has another think coming to him
about the society of Washington. Sid |
might have New York sub |
for the name of the National
Capital and fit in very well.
1t must be admitted that the West |
ern woman does not always know Just
how to wear train, and that she may
al l,<.y~ CT AL
ders at the embarrassing of the mon |
dame of the Capital, because there is |
just as much difference between the
style of dressing in the West and in !
the East as there is between the styles
of Washington and the modes in Paris. !
The society woman of Washington |
would decline to wear the costumes
that the ultra Partisan set tried to in |
troduce here. but they do know how
to wear good clothes, and they wear
them gracefully. They may not have
the abandon of the French woman. the
beefiness of the English woman. or !:
the vivacity of the Spanish senorita, |
but they have that which is a thousand |
tines better, integrity of purpose, hon
esty of speech, and uprightness of
character. There Is not in the whole
civilized world a nation of women that
can be for moment compared with |
the sterling qualities OF the American
whether she come from the
North, South, East or West Of our
broad country.
There is not in Washington sus-
picion of society that is unrepubli-
can. You would have to go to New
Y ork for your "unrepublican society,""
There you will find snobs in abund-
aDce, tuf hunters, title seekers, "a
board of exchange where titles are
bought and sold like other junk. The
society is unrepublican and we've got
to admit it, but it is also cosmopoli-
tan. 1t is made up of adventurers
with money and without, those without
money having titles and hunting
money and those with money wanting
20 exchange for titles. The titled peo-
pie, of course, come from the Old
World, and they have grated on all
he cosmopolitan society of New York
little of their Old World ideas and
traditions that the genuine old-fash-
oned society of Washington refuses
o adopt. If anything unrepublican
wedges it's way into society in Wash
ngton, as the sentiment of the Bar
,ness Hengelmuller for instance, it is
very soon repudiated.