Year: 1866

The Dreary Life of Ladies at the Executive Man


sion-Their Duties and their Drudgeries.
Washington Correspondence N. Y. Sunday Times.
Look at the ladies of the White House.
They are condemned to four years of i'm
prisOnment. During all that time they must
not pay visit or attend an evening enter
tainment. Miss Lane occasionally went out
to ball or party, but very seldom; Mrs
Lincoln never; and it is gradually come to
be considered undignifed for "the first la
dies in the land" to mingle freely in the
gaieties of the season.


Then, as for visiting at home, twice a
week they must stand up and receive for
many hours the herd who flock to see them
mostly from the merest curiosity, while at
all times they are liable to the visits of the
importunate or impertinent people, who will
intrude upon their privacy. The very house
they live in is not their own; it is fur
nished house" of the usual description,
without comforts, dreary, dirty and just now
dilapidated. If perchance any member of
the family appears at window, there are
eager eyes to watch every movement, and
perhaps a scribbler to chronicle the opera
tions of the toilette, as Mr.. Willis did for
Mrs. Lincoln.


The grounds around the house itself are
not more sacred. The ladies cannot take
step outside without being watched, and
every feature noticed by people who expect
to see something very extraordinary in the
appearance of those temporarily wearing
the purple"


"If" one of the ladies said to me the
other day, " / could only walk about little
with my children sometimes in the grounds
without being stared at, and really enjoy the
comfort of an old dress and little privacy,
it would be very pleasantP


And if they go out to drive or enter a
shop mods and muttered words indicate, that
they are the observed of all Observers"


Mrs. Patterson has two little ones, and
Mrs. Slower three bright-eyed pretty chill
dren, who doubtless make these cherries
walls ring with their gray laughter and
merry shouts.


The ladies of the Cabinet suffer in a less
degree than those of the White House.
They visit and go out as much as they please
indeed, with them an enormous amount
of visiting becomes a positive affliction.
Daily they are inundated with cards. Every
week at their receptions strangers are pre-
sented, and all these people must be called
upon. l met one of the Cabinet ladies the
other day at Willard's Hotel.


81 am here" said she, for the purpose Of
leaving sixty cards."


was somewhat appalled, at the number,
and then went ON to ask if | might inquire
how large was her visiting list


There are over fifteen hundred names in
it."


l shrank in some horror from this speci
men of the "duties of Office"


SO much is required Of them, too. Not
only must all these visits be returned, but
an enormous amount of entertaining must
be done. There must be two receptions a
week-one day and one full dress evening
affair. Then there must be innumerable din
ners, suppers, and small companies. Be
sides all this, they must all go at least once
to each of the receptions and balls given by
other members of the Cabinet and Senate.
You may then form some idea Of the oner-
Gus character of this ''gaiety." All day Wis
iting-all evening going from one house 70
another. No wonder that they look jaded
and worn.