Year: 1878

think, more for his learning, ability,
and influence with his party than for
his acquaintance with the exquisite
frivolity and hideous extravagance of
woman's dress, said to me last night
i an very much pleased to see a change
to simpler and palmer style Of dress
ing among the ladies. Wear indebted
to Mrs. Hayes for it she set the ex-
ample. noticed it at first in the
Misses Evarts when they were at Rich
mond, Virginia, few weeks since.
They had the good sense to appear ut
terly unconscious that they were the
daughters of the Secretary Of State,
and won all hearts, not more by the
eordiality of their manners than by the
tasteful simplicity of their dress" as
sented to what lie saij-about the So
called prevailing simplicity of dress
on the principle laid down by Carlyle,
that those who propose to differ from

men in great matters, ought the more
readily to cOnciliate them by concessions
in little things. But in that confusion
of trains, diamonds, lace, and powdered
hair, l was unable to see any near ap
preach to ideal simplicity, and I am
half persuaded that the statesman saw
only his own beautiful daughter, who
was dressed with comparative plainness,
in an elegant pink silk. It was with a
desire to get an introduction to this lady
that had approached him, and when
he said, al viii introduce you to my
daughter" I inwardly complimented my
diplomacy. We found her surrounded
by a number Of gentlemen, one of whom
had just been presented, and was saying
that he knew ker father very well. She
replied thst she was always glad to meet
friend of her father, especially # he
was unmarried


1t was thought earlier in the season
that the prevailing financial depression
would have darnpening effect on the
soeisl life of the capital, and many
bellies were gloomy ever the prospective
scarcity of hops and receptions but, if
hsrd times and Mrs. .Sherman's preaun-
siamento against the waltz have had
any effect on the gayety of Washington
life it is not diseernible. Youth and
vanity, those natural forces, assert
themselves in spite Of proRunciamentos
and financial crashes. The belle from
San Francisco, Virginia City, Titusville,
Petroleum., or anywhere else that her
father may have struck oil, is here in as
great prefusion as in the halcyon days
of contracts, Credit bIebilier and Bel
KNAPP. Beaux, such as they are, are
always abundant in Washington. and
they are as respectable as those Of any
other locality, I suppose In these
days of widespread political, moral and
financial bankruptcy it is not practicable
fer any section or coterie to be Pharisa.
ieal or over nice. Society here il very
democratic, and almost every social
gathering is a pot tpourri of members of
Congress, department clerks, journalists,
judges, lobbyists, loungers, adventurers
the representatives and yotaries of al
most everything. The ladies cannot be
classified, but, whether maiden or mar
ried. widowr divorced, they all waltz,
or, at least, nearly all do. l sometimes
want to write homilies On society, but 1
have been so frequently admsnished by
the editor that / know my business bet
ter. cannot get over an early con-
tracted aversion to the society woman, u
and when she is apparently young, ten
der, and apparently pretty Il say appa-
reRtly, fer we must sometimes ferego
the luxury of believing that all things
beautiful are what they seem) that ag-
gressive ease, aplomb, and audaciousness
that she has makes me almsst melan-
oholy 1 would hesitate to say this ex-
cept over a nom de PLANE, for, after all
the trouble may be with my spleen, and
do not like to be thought behind the
nineteenth century. But the reply of
the young lady that she liked to meet
the unmarried friends Of her father,
while it struck me as piquant and smart,
left an impression that was not alto
gether favorable to the oratrix. have
been wondering since why enc young
lady, the daughter of member from 8
Northwestern State, did not dance the
round dances. Can it be that scruples
are not all extinct : Before the war
they were not danced to any extent in
the South, but they have spread since,
till now they are almost as universal as
suffrage. Thus tive ripe, and ripe, and
ripe, and then we rot, and rot, and rot. "


There is nothing new in political mat
ters, It is thought certain that the sill
yer bill will become law. There is
strong opposition to the proposed army
and navy bills, but coming mostly from
the military and naval lobbies. 4
Y -