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THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 

THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 Being Some History of Washington City for Forty Years i 
 Told by the Letters of a Newspaper Correspondent 
 
 By 
 
 EMILY EDSON BRIGGS 
 
 I 
 
 New York and Washington 
 THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 1906 
 
^ 
 
 LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
 Two CoDies Received 
 
 JUN H 1906 
 
 ] Ceoyriim Entry 
 
 Copyright, 1906, by 
 EMILY EDSON BRIGGS 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 A TRIBUTE TO ARCHITECTURE, 7 
 
 A SOLDIER'S BURIAL lo 
 
 LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY, 14 
 
 ADVICE POLITICAL, 18 
 
 A PLEA FOR THE NEGRO, 22 
 
 AT DRY TORTUGAS. 26 
 
 STATE ASSOCIATIONS, 30 
 
 BINGHAM AND BUTLER 34 
 
 A WEST END RECEPTION, Zl 
 
 IN THE ARENA OF THE SENATE, 42 
 
 SPEAKER COLFAX, 45 
 
 THE HIGH COURT OF IMPEACHMENT 48 
 
 MRS. SENATOR WADE, 52 
 
 AT THE PRESIDENT'S LEVEE, 55 
 
 MARY CLEMMER AMES, 59 
 
 AT THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, 62 
 
 HON. BENJAMIN F. WADE, ^ 
 
 TWO NOTABLE WOMEN, 69 
 
 JUDGE NELSON, 72 
 
 A FAITHFUL SERVANT, 75 
 
 JOHN A. BINGHAM, 79 
 
 ANSON BURLINGAME, 82 
 
 A TALENTED QUARTETTE, 85 
 
 THE DRAGONS OF THE LOBBY, 91 
 
 PRESIDENT GRANT'S INAUGURAL, 95 
 
 PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S FAMILY, 100 
 
 SENATORIAL PEN PICTURES, 105 
 
 SENATOR SPRAGUE, 112 
 
 SEALED SISTERS OF MORMONISM, 117 
 
 AWAITING AUDIENCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE, 121 
 
 JOHN M. BARCLAY 126 
 
 WOMAN SUFFRAGE, 130 
 
 ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, 136 
 
 ISABELLA BEECHER HOOKER, 143 
 
 GATHERING OF THE STRONG-MINDED, 148 
 
 AT A COMMITTEE HEARING, 157 
 
 HONORING THE PRINCE 164 
 
 LEVEE AT THE EXECUTIVE MANSION, 168 
 
 OFFICIAL ETIQUETTE, i73. 
 
 GENERAL PHIL SHERIDAN, 181 
 
 MIDWINTER SOCIETY, 188 
 
 PROFESSOR MELAH, 199 
 
 SOME SENATORIAL SCENES, 208 
 
 (5) 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 THE ROBESON TEA PARTY, 214 
 
 DELEGATES EROM THE SOUTHLAND, 218 
 
 THE TREASURY TRIO 223 
 
 VICTORIA C. WOODHULL, 229 
 
 SPREADING THE LIGHT, 236 
 
 AN OPPOSING PETITION, 242 
 
 UPHOLDING THE BANNER, 247 
 
 CHAMPIONS OF THE SUFFRAGE CAUSE, 252 
 
 MRS. GRANT'S TUESDAY AFTERNOONS 256 
 
 DYING SCENES OF THE FORTY-FIRST CONGRESS, . . 262 
 
 PRAISE FOR DEPARTING LEGISLATORS, 2^7 
 
 THE BLACK MAN IN CONGRESS, 274 
 
 BY THE GRACE OF THE QUEEN, 280 
 
 A DISSERTATION ON DRESS, 288 
 
 MEETING OF OCCIDENT AND ORIENT, 294 
 
 THE PUBLIC GREET THE JAPANESE, 298 
 
 SAMUEL F. B. MORSE, 302 
 
 ON THE PROMENADE 305 
 
 CHARLES SUMNER, 309 
 
 WOMAN'S INFLUENCE FOR GOOD, 315 
 
 THE KING REUNIONS 320 
 
 CARL SCHURZ, 325 
 
 ON CAPITOL HILL, 330 
 
 GEORGETOWN ARISTOCRACY, 336 
 
 SENATORS EDMUNDS AND CARPENTER, 343 
 
 HOME LIFE OF MRS. GRANT, 349 
 
 THE GREAT REAPER, 357 
 
 CLOSING SCENES IN THE HOUSE, 364 
 
 A MATRIMONIAL REGISTER, 369 
 
 BACHELORS AND WIDOWERS, zi^ 
 
 THE BOTANIC GARDEN, 382 
 
 WHITE HOUSE RECEPTIONS COMPARED, 388 
 
 VICE-PRESIDENT ARTHUR, 396 
 
 KATE CHASE SPRAGUE, 403 
 
 LACK OF A LEADER, 412 
 
 BEN HILL AND ROSCOE CONKLING, 419 
 
 PRESIDENT GARFIELD'S CABINET DAY, 424 
 
 A NEW YEAR RECEPTION, 430 
 
 AT THE TRIAL OF GUITEAU 435 
 
 ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS, 441 
 
A TRIBUTE TO ARCHITECTURE. 
 
 Honor Paid to the Buii,ders op the Dome oe the 
 National Capitol. 
 
 Washington, January, 1866. 
 
 The time has come when our wealthy citizens need not 
 to go abroad to see the finest specimen of architecture of 
 the kind in the world. Visitors to the shrine of St. Paul 
 and St. Peter return westward and award the palm of 
 superiority to the dome of the nation's Capitol. Tower- 
 ing 300 feet from the base to the summit, its superb por- 
 portions, unsurpassed in the world of art, at once attract 
 the attention of all beholders, and, as the king of the land- 
 scape, it reigns supreme. But to see it in all its regal 
 beauty it should be aflame of a night, with its innumerable 
 gas jets; then it becomes in every sense of the word, a 
 "mountain of light," and shares the honors of the even- 
 ing with the "Pleiades," "Orion," and the "Milky Way." 
 
 The Pharaoh who built the mighty pyramid of Egypt 
 simply constructed his own monument, and in the same 
 way the architect of the dome, a citizen of good old 
 Philadelphia, has woven his name into a fragment of 
 the web of Time. Thomas U. Walter — do you know 
 him ? — the man who held this mighty tower in his brain, 
 in all its perfection, long, long before it ever saw the light 
 of day. When you and I, dear reader, are not so much as 
 a pinch of dust — when the names of Washington and 
 Lincoln are as remote as the sages who lived before 
 Christ — the great architects of the world will live, 
 whether they sprung from the tawny mud of the Nile, 
 the soil of classic Greece, or the rich vegetable mould of 
 the western hemisphere. 
 
 Previous to 1856 a dome had been constructed of brick, 
 
 (7) 
 
8 THE OLIVIA LEITT^RS 
 
 Stone, and wood, sheathed in copper. Its height was 145 
 feet from the ground. This was torn away to give place 
 to the present structure, which is composed entirely of 
 iron and glass. 
 
 At the commencement of the rebellion the labor of 
 completing the dome was progressing rapidly. Strangers 
 visiting Washington will remember what seemed to look 
 like acres of ground strewn with immense piles of iron. 
 Facing the east and west fronts of the Capitol, immense 
 timbers were raised to fearful heights, to which pulleys 
 and ropes were attached that looked strong enough to 
 lift the world. Weather permitting — for workmen had 
 to lie by for either wind or rain — little black objects 
 might be seen crawling in and out, building up a nest 
 after the most approved waspish fashion. A closer in- 
 spection showed these to be workmen. Now let Charles 
 Fowler, esq., one of the firm of New York builders, tell 
 his story: 
 
 "I never had a comfortable night's sleep during all the time the 
 work was going on. I lived in perpetual fear of some horrible acci- 
 dent. We could not keep people out of the rotunda. Suppose there 
 had been a weak place in one of the timbers, a flaw in an iron pin, 
 a rotten strand in one of the ropes — and against neither of these 
 things could we entirely guard — there is no knowing how many lives 
 might have been lost." "What precautions did you take?" "We 
 made everything four times as strong as it was necessary to lift 
 two tons of iron to a given height." "Were any lives lost?" "I only 
 had three men killed in all the time. We had stopped work for din- 
 ner one day, and when the workmen returned they found one of 
 their number dead on the ground. No one saw him fall, but it was 
 plain he had missed his foothold on the scaffold and been precipitated 
 to the ground. His head had come in contact with some projecting 
 beam. That was the end of him. Another lost his life in the same 
 way ; but the third, poor fellow ! it makes my hair stand on end 
 to think of it — a rope gave way and caught him." "The lightning 
 hug of an anaconda?" "Yes, yes; that is it. Poor Charlie! he 
 never knew what hurt him. It chopped him up in an instant. You 
 don't know how quick a big rope can do that thing." 
 
 The dome might have been completed in five years, but 
 the Secretary of the Interior during the dark days of the 
 rebellion stopped the work, at a great pecuniary loss to 
 the contractors. On the average 200 men were employed 
 
THE OI.IVIA I^HTTERS 9 
 
 in building the dome, including those who were working 
 on the castings in the foundry. The largest pieces of 
 iron weighed two tons each. 
 
 The chief engineers employed were Gen. M. C. Meigs 
 and Gen. Wm. B. Franklin. These engineers were de- 
 tailed from the War Department because the building 
 was Government property. Everything pertaining to 
 this work is under the care of the engineer, and for its 
 faithful execution he is responsible. It is the engineer 
 who accepts the plan of the architect and judges of 
 strength and merit. It is the engineer who makes the 
 contracts and disburses the money. The word of the 
 engineer is law. He is the autocrat in his own dominion, 
 from whose fiat there is no appeal. 
 
 As we have already said, the dome is composed wholly 
 of iron and glass, whilst the image which crowns it is 
 made of bronze, designed by Crawford, and executed by 
 Clark Mills. The weight of this goddess is about 1,700 
 pounds. Everything included, the dome weighs 10,000,- 
 000 pounds, which if turned into gold by the enchanter's 
 wand would about pay the national debt. 
 
 This brief and imperfect sketch is gathered from 
 glances from the outside. The interior of the dome from 
 the floor to the rotunda requires the pen of a genius to 
 do justice to the so-called works of art found scattered 
 in all directions. It is a long mathematical calculation to 
 find out how many square inches of canvas have been 
 ruined. A plaster caricature of our beloved Lincoln oc- 
 cupies the center of the floor, made by the tender hands 
 of a youth of 17 summers. The fruit of genius, in all 
 stages of the ripening process, its maturity forever ar- 
 rested, lies gently decaying. It is enough to make the 
 cheek of an American blush, if the spectacle were not so 
 pitiful. A few gems gleam out of the rubbish. Ex- 
 clusive of art, the dome of the Capitol cost the nation 
 $1,000,000. OwviA. 
 
A SOLDIER'S BURIAL. 
 Last Sckne of ai.i. Pathe;ticai.i.y De;picted. 
 
 Washington, January 51, 1866. 
 
 A close observer in Washington is greatly surprised 
 at the easy transition from a state of war to that of peace. 
 An intelligent person might say there is no true peace. 
 We will leave this discussion to the politicians, and say 
 we are no longer awakened in the small hours of the 
 night by the rumbling of the Government ambulances 
 bringing the wounded and dying from the battlefields to 
 the hospitals. We never shall forget that peculiar sound, 
 unlike that produced by any other vehicle. Perhaps it 
 was the zigzag course the driver often took to avoid any 
 little obstruction in the street, which might jar and ag- 
 gravate the wounded occupant, that made it seem so long- 
 in coming. But the movements were always slower than 
 a funeral march. 
 
 But sad as this procession seemed, painful almost be- 
 yond expression, there was still a sadder sight. It was 
 the same fashioned ambulance, with "U. S. Hearse" 
 marked in large letters on the side of it. Our ears could 
 never distinguish the movements of this from any gro- 
 cer's wagon. Sometimes we have been crossing a street, 
 this solitary equipage would dash past, and if we were 
 quick enough to catch a glance at the open end of it, we 
 might see a stained coffin, perhaps two of them, with 
 nothing to distinguish them but their manly proportions. 
 No carriages, no mourners, no comrades, even, with 
 reversed arms, all alone, save detailed soldiers enough 
 to perform the act of burial ; even the ''chaplain" often 
 absent. 
 
 Happening to meet an old soldier whom we knew just 
 (10) 
 
the: OLIVIA IvKTTKRS II 
 
 as the Government hearse was passing, said he, "I hope 
 you don't mind that; you see that is only a part of the 
 play. It don't mal<;e much difference how you drop the 
 seed; the Lord will take care of the harvest." In an 
 instant religion stood stripped of its vaulted roof and 
 broad aisles — Te Deiims, new bonnets, gewgaws and 
 pew rent. Anxious for his salvation, we inquired, "Do 
 you ever go to church?" and thus this bronzed soldier 
 answered, "Got too much faith to go very often. They 
 don't ask a fellow to sit down. Got to stow away some- 
 where in the back gallery, or near the door, out of every- 
 body's way. And besides that, I don't want to go to their 
 heaven. I ain't got on the right kind of uniform tO' serve 
 under their General. But hang it, Heaven is big enough 
 for us all — horses and dead rebs into^ the bargain." 
 
 Only yesterday, as it were, the cloud, the vapor, the 
 storm of war, the wrath of the conflict, bleeding wounds, 
 breaking hearts. To-day the sun shines upon free, proud 
 America, the most powerful nation on the face of the 
 earth — a nation that stands forth pure and undefiled, her 
 late difficulties overcome, or will be just as soon as old 
 Thad Stevens reports the surgical operation a success. 
 Fifteen able doctors are at work, and have been ever 
 since Congress has been in session, and the country can 
 rest assured that everything is g'oing on as well as can be 
 expected. 
 
 It is a pleasant place to visit, this Capitol of ours, on a 
 sunshiny afternoon. 'Tis true that when once seated in 
 the House of Representatives there is that feeling which 
 one might be supposed to have if hermetically sealed up 
 in a huge can; but one is disabused of this feeling as 
 soon as the greatness of the surroundings is compre- 
 hended. There is no mistaking the Republican side of the 
 House; there is such a placid, self-satisfied look upon 
 the faces of the members, as much as to say, "We have 
 got it all in our own hands." The Democratic side is 
 greatly in the minority, so far as numbers are concerned ; 
 
12 THE OIvIVIA I.ETTHRS 
 
 but they are a plucky set of men, mostly with thin lips, 
 which they are in the habit of bringing tight together, 
 reminding one of a certain little instrument made for 
 torture; and woe to the House when an unfortunate 
 Republican falls into the trap, for then follow long, 
 windy discussions of no mortal use to the country and 
 amounting to only so much waste of time and money. 
 
 The gallery known as the "Gentlemen's" is generally 
 filled with masculines who have little or nothing to do; 
 but as they do not impede the wheels of legislation, and 
 are kept out of the way of mischief in the meantime, the 
 country is obliged for their attendance. And now I come 
 to the ladies who grace and honor with their presence the 
 national Capitol. How shall I describe these beautiful 
 human butterflies in glaring hoops and gig-top bonnets, 
 curls and perfumery? If the eyes of the traveler ache 
 to behold in a solid mass the different strata of American 
 society, let him visit the national Capitol when Ben Wade 
 is going to make a speech. Nobody from the White 
 House ! These ladies have a good old-fashioned way of 
 staying at home. (Wonder if they diy their clothes in 
 the East Room as good queen Abigail used to do?) 
 Carriages arrive at the east front of the Capitol — solemn 
 carriages; heavy bays — made more for strength than 
 beauty; driver with a narrow band around his hat, a little 
 badge — just enough to show that he does not belong to 
 "them independent Jehus that lurk around Willard's and 
 the National." Driver and footman blended in one piece 
 of ebony; driver descends, opens the carriage door, and 
 madame, the proud wife of a Senator, descends, not with 
 agility, for senatorial dignity brings years, rich, ripe, 
 golden maturity, perfection of dress and manners, dark, 
 rich silk, velvet mantle — none of your plebeian coats! 
 The portals of the great Capitol open and Madame le 
 Senator disappears. 
 
 Now come the wives of the wealthy members ; not the 
 leading ones, for great men seldom take time to get rich. 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS I3 
 
 Showy carriage, driver and footman in gloves, an ele- 
 gant carriage costume, an occasional flash of early au- 
 tumnal beauty, oftener positively commonplace. And 
 now comes Jehu, who has left his "stand" before Wil- 
 lard's or the National just long enough to turn an honest 
 penny. Perhaps he is bringing a member's wife whose 
 carriage costume outshines her neighbor, the owner of 
 the footman in gloves. She wishes it understood that she 
 is not a resident of Washington; here temporarily, just 
 long enough to keep her husband from butting his brains 
 out against reconstruction. 
 
 She disappears, and still the carriages are arriving and 
 we see many heads of bureaus, the Army and the Navy 
 represented, and a sprinkling of upper clerk's wives. 
 More carriages, and the demi-mondes flutter out, fault- 
 less in costume, fair as ruby wine, and much more dan- 
 gerous. The carriages bring the cream, and the street 
 cars the skim milk. But there is another way of going 
 to the Capitol, which is quite as exclusive as in carriage, 
 and does away with that clumsy vehicle. I am speaking 
 of those who detest the street cars, and yet remember that 
 carriages more properly belong to gouty uncles and in- 
 valid aunts. It is to pick one's way daintily over the 
 pavement. Sniffing the pure air and the fragrance of the 
 dead leaves in the Capitol grounds — good anti-dyspeptic 
 tonic. Try it and speak from experience as we do. The 
 allotted pages filled, au revoir. Olivia, 
 
LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY. 
 MemoriaIv Address oe Honorable George Bancroet. 
 
 Washington, February ig, 1866. 
 
 The 1 2th day of February has passed into history, 
 wisely chronicled by one of the first historians of the age, 
 and ere this the oration of the Honorable George Ban- 
 croft has been discussed in almost every hamlet in the 
 land. It was an able effort, but nevertheless, one longed 
 for a little less history and a little more Lincoln. 
 
 All the great and wise men of the nation were gath- 
 ered together, and there was a man in the gallery busily 
 employed in taking photographs. Hereafter the wise 
 men of the country will bear witness that the Honorable 
 George Bancroft is a better writer than speaker. And 
 here let me record an historical fact. It is the memory 
 of a delicious little nap indulged in by one of the Supreme 
 Court Judges. Whether it was the peculiar tones of the 
 orator, like a dull minister's voice of a Sunday afternoon, 
 or the sound of the rain pattering on the roof, or the 
 shadows of so many great men falling aslant the judge's 
 mental horizon which caused this somnolence I am unable 
 to say ; but he did sleep for a brief time, bringing great 
 joy to many hearts, for it proved that those awful judges 
 in black gowns are mortal like the rest of us and that dig- 
 nity is something that can be laid aside like any other 
 covering. 
 
 But I proceeded to the foreign ministers, who nobly 
 came forward, like martyrs, to mingle their sympathy 
 with ours. And it was the heroic part of the ceremonies 
 to see how manfully these aristocrats endured the castiga- 
 tion. What business had lords to accept cards of invi- 
 tation unless they were willing to be told some unpleasant 
 (14) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 1$ 
 
 truths? Did they suppose the great historian would 
 dwell on the life and virtues of Abraham Lincoln and 
 leave out the history of this mighty republic? The 
 Marquis De Montholon, the representative of His 
 Majesty Napoleon III, drew his expressive brow into a 
 frown terrific in the extreme, and pulled his kid gloves 
 in a manner which denoted great nervousness. But this 
 may be owing entirely to the mercurial character of the 
 French nation. 
 
 Another foreign minister drew the cape of his over- 
 coat up over his head during certain portions of the ora- 
 tion. But it was not owing to any wish of stopping his 
 ears — merely a preventive to cold-catching, as the doors 
 were open and certain draft of air perambulated the hall, 
 taking liberties with these great men just as if they had 
 been nobodies. Her Majesty the Queen of England's 
 servant, Sir Frederick Bruce, is one of the handsomest 
 men of the age. I never look at such a man without feel- 
 ing that nature's laws have been followed and perfected 
 in such veritable lords of creation. Compare a lion tO' its 
 mate, the songster of the forest with plain birds who 
 prefer domestic duties to gadding about the woods, 
 whistling all sorts of love-sick tunes, and who disputes 
 where the palm of beauty is found ? The most exquisite 
 woman that was ever made is no more to be compared 
 to the handsomest man than the humble pea-fowl to his 
 majesty the peacock. Yet the peacock thinks his mate the 
 most exquisite of all created things, and what woman 
 would be so unwise as to upset his opinions ? I return to 
 Sir Frederick Bruce, but would as soon attempt to paint 
 the moonbeams as to describe his personal appearance. 
 He is a thoroughbred, just like Bonner's "Silver Heels" 
 and "Fearless;" skin as translucent as wine; hands and 
 feet as small as a woman's. Men are like grapes, they 
 need a little frost to sweeten and perfect them ; and a man 
 is never handsome until he has been rounded and polished 
 by the hand of Time. And this is confirmed by the addi- 
 
1 6 THE OUVIA IvETTERS 
 
 tional instances of Chief Justice Chase and Honorable 
 James Watson Webb, both of them on the threshold of 
 the winter of life, yet never before so perfect in manly 
 beauty. 
 
 The two men who occupied the most prominent 
 positions before the oratory were His Excellency 
 the President, and the Chief Justice of the United States. 
 I am not going to record their lives ; the pen of the his- 
 torian will do that. I desire merely to say that they were 
 representative Americans, who rose from the humblest 
 position to the topmost round of the ladder of fame. And 
 may it prove a solemn warning to those mothers who 
 are accustomed to apply the slipper to unruly urchins. 
 I beg them to desist, lest they may be breaking the spirit 
 or souring the disposition of some future President or 
 Chief Justice of the United States. 
 
 Among the celebrities in the gallery I noticed 
 the widow of Daniel Webster. But as I have given 
 my opinion about the beauty of women, I shall 
 make no departure from it, unless the ends shall justify 
 the means. The wife of the Lieutenant General, 
 Julia Dent Grant, occupied a front seat in the 
 gallery, just as she had a right to do. She wore a 
 pink hat, a red plaided scarf, and black gloves, and a 
 little upstart woman who sat near me had the impudence 
 to say the general's lady "looked horrid." She no doubt 
 would have been put out for the above expression but the 
 gallery was so crowded that no officer could be found at 
 the proper time to discharge his duty. 
 
 Just before the time arrived for opening this great his- 
 torical meeting Washington contained two sets of people 
 besides the saints and sinners, and these were the envious 
 and the envied. The envied were the fortunate holders 
 of tickets to the meeting, and the envious were the great 
 outsiders. But when the third hour of that memorable 
 speaking arrived the tables were turned. Members be- 
 gan to twist around as if they were schoolboys, the vie- 
 
THE OIvIVIA I.ETTERS 17 
 
 tims of pins which in some unaccountable way had been 
 put in the cushions of their chairs, points upward. A 
 celebrated New York politician treated himself to a news- 
 paper; tobacco-boxes circulated freely and all sorts of 
 expressions came over the human countenance which are 
 possible when men get into positions where they are 
 obliged to behave themselves and don't want to. I will 
 add, everything must come to an end, and so did this 
 great occasion. 
 
 As I have nearly filled the allotted space, I must only 
 glance at the great ball at the Marquis De Montholon's 
 and say it was equal, but not superior, to the same kind 
 of parties given by our accomplished countrywoman, 
 Mrs. Senator Sprague. In both cases nO' expense is 
 spared in the entertainment of guests, and any amount of 
 greenbacks, duty in the shape of costly silks and laces; 
 but I learn that precious stones are more or less aban- 
 doned, since the shoddy and petroleum have learned to 
 shine. 
 
 The shadows of Lent are upon us, and this fact 
 crowded the President's last levee to suffocation. It was 
 exceedingly painful to notice the violation of good taste 
 in some of my countrywomen by their appearance before 
 the Executive and the ladies of the mansion in bonnet and 
 wrappings. Unless ladies can conform to the usages of 
 good society they had better remain at home. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
ADVICE POLITICAL. 
 
 Pri^sident Johnson Gives Evidence oe His Occu- 
 pancy oE THE Chair oe the Executive. 
 
 Washington, March i, 1866. 
 
 It is so well known that it is almost needless for me to 
 repeat that politics in Washington are shaken from center 
 to circumference, and the country seems astounded at the 
 bearing of a little innocent speech which emanated from 
 His Excellency the President, from the balcony of the 
 White House. Didn't Mr. Johnson take measures to 
 prepare the minds of Congress and the people by his 
 veto and still more significant message? Didn't he send 
 his "Premier" to the great metropolis to assure the people 
 that "the war would cease in ninety days" ? If the people 
 are astonished, who is to blame for it? Have they for- 
 gotten the fact that they have a Southern President? 
 Andrew Johnson is a man. Andrew Johnson is human. 
 This is proved by his wise and decorous behavior on in- 
 auguration day, by his kindness of heart to the down- 
 trodden, and by his willingness to grant pardons to those 
 who humble themselves so much as to ask it. Isn't his 
 adopted State shivering out in the cold, and his own flesh 
 and blood by marriage denied admittance to Congress — 
 said flesh and blood holding credentials in his hands the 
 genuineness of which cannot for a moment be doubted? 
 But there is one way by which a great deal of trouble can 
 be saved the country and end the war which is surely 
 coming upon the land. It is not a war of cold steel, but 
 the clash of mental weapons, and it is feared that the 
 party which can rally the most humbug is sure to win, 
 just as they used to do in the good old Democratic days 
 when Andrew Johnson sat in the Senate and had political 
 (18) 
 
The OLIVIA LETTERS IQ 
 
 sagacity to see in what direction power lay. Wasn't he a 
 "Dimmicrat" then? And isn't he a Democrat to-day? 
 Having- no further use for the cloak called Unionism, he 
 throws it aside. Shall we acknowledge that we have been 
 humbugged — acknowledge that we have been dolts, 
 idiots? No; rather let us uphold the President and the 
 Constitution. Let us all turn Democrats — every man, 
 woman and child in the land — and then there will be 
 nothing to fight for. But lest some unscrupulous poli- 
 ticians may fail to profit by good advice, I hasten to call 
 the attention of postmasters and custom-house officers 
 who have lately been flying the star-spangled banner, and 
 advise them to lower it immediately ; also to make haste 
 and don a new political garment, made by the first tailor 
 in the land, else they will come tO' grief, for already the 
 Democrats, those long-neglected sufferers, are on the 
 wing for Washington, to be present at the distribution 
 of the spoils, and those unfortunate Republicans who 
 were so unwise as to vote for Andy Johnson deserve to 
 be ousted, and the vacant places should be filled by those 
 returned rebels, for shouldn't there be more rejoicing 
 over the one that is found than the ninety and nine who 
 never go astray? 
 
 And would all this trouble have come upon the land 
 if the men had stayed at home managing business and 
 the women had done the legislating ? Was a woman ever 
 known to take a frozen viper to her bosom ? This great 
 triumph was left for man to accomplish. After the sad 
 experience of masculine politicians, I trust they will be 
 content to remain quietly at home and let wiser and 
 weaker heads take the affairs of the nation into their 
 hands, and our word for it Charles Sumner and Thaddeus 
 Stevens, the cause of this anguish, will have to hide their 
 diminished heads. Sumner and Stevens are both unmar- 
 ried men ; they have been bachelors ever since they were 
 born, and this headstrong course which they have taken, 
 bringing anguish and woe into every city and hamlet in 
 
20 THE OLIVIA I^ETTERS 
 
 the land, is owing to the want of the softening and refin- 
 ing influence of woman. The President didn't mention 
 this fact from the balcony of the White House, but he no 
 doubt would have done so if Messrs. Clampit and Aiken 
 (counsel for the conspirators) had called his attention 
 to it. 
 
 If some of my readers take exception to the political 
 caste of the beginning of this letter, I will say that noth- 
 ing else is thought of in Washington, much less talked 
 about, and it is surprising to see the ladies conning news- 
 papers that are devoted exclusively to politics. Never, 
 since the opening guns upon Sumter, has so much feeling 
 been expressed. 
 
 The solemnities of Lent are upon us, but, as the heads 
 of the church wisely say that no fast need be indulged in 
 if it endangers the health and life of the penitent — and 
 fasting always does so^ — the fair Episcopalians of Wash- 
 ington, those of my acquaintance, take the season of Lent 
 to repair their constitutions which have been so sadly 
 used in the whirl of gayety and the frivolity of fashion- 
 able life. I am glad the gay season is over. How com- 
 fortable to pack away ermine, and banish moire antiques 
 to trunks seldom or never used, there to repose until an- 
 other season, in company with odors of "night blooming 
 cereus" or some such delicate perfume. But the best use 
 which can be made of dresses which have done duty for 
 one winter is to send them off by express to country 
 cousins. But one must be careful what kind of country 
 cousins one has, for any little generous act of this kind 
 might upset one's cream for a whole summer. It is a 
 solemn fact that ladies have such sharp eyes that they 
 can detect an old dress made new instantly, and any 
 woman who has the audacity, for the sake of a little well- 
 meant but foolish economy, to humbug her friends of the 
 community in this way deserves the fate which is sure to 
 be meted out to her — that of a little downward slide on 
 the social scale. This applies to the extreme fashion- 
 ables. 
 
THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 21 
 
 But there is another picture of Washington life. There 
 are some women who come to Washington who' bring 
 with their presence the very atmosphere of the State 
 which has the honor of sending their husbands here. 
 They bring the old-fashioned country ways of living and 
 thinking. They refuse to lower the necks of their dresses 
 and are perfectly willing somebody should eclipse them. 
 They even sit with old-fashioned knitting work in the 
 evening, whilst their husbands are writing letters to their 
 constituents, for all members do not keep a private sec- 
 retary. And I have always noticed that men who wear 
 stockings of their wives' knitting are the ones who stand 
 firmest when the shock of battle comes. 
 
 Spring is upon us. The winter has departed so gently 
 that we almost forgot that he has been our guest for the 
 last three months. And young Spring, with his balmy 
 breezes, is here, for he brings none of his boisterous, 
 blowy gambols with which he regales our kinfolk in more 
 northern latitudes. The season has come suggestive of 
 new-laid eggs and frisky calves gamboling in the pas- 
 tures, all unmindful of the cruel knife. Oh, for a quiet 
 week in the neighborhood of the Quaker City, 
 
 "Man made the town, but God made the country." 
 
 OUVIA. 
 
A PLEA FOR THE NEGRO. 
 
 The Pitiabi^i; Condition of the Colored Race 
 Depeored. 
 
 Washington, March p, 1866. 
 National affairs are becoming a little more settled in 
 Washington ; at least it is hoped that the iron cloud has a 
 silver lining. Mr. Johnson has assured a well-known 
 politician that he shall make his fight entirely within the 
 lines of the Union party; also that he has no office to 
 bestow on "Copperheads." This is the last manifesto 
 that has been issued from the White House to my per- 
 sonal knowledge. It is true that politicians declare that 
 they will not believe any more of his assurances, because 
 he is sure to contradict himself next day. But isn't it a 
 historical fact that all great rulers have always been fond 
 of changes? Didn't good Queen Bess have a new dress 
 for every day in the year? One day Mr. Johnson as- 
 sumes a political garb that brings great joy to the rebels, 
 alias "Copperheads." The next day he dons a suit par- 
 ticularly soothing to the ruffled feelings of the Unionists. 
 To-day he chooses to lay aside the Presidential garb, 
 which, by the way, is as heavy and irksome as a coat of 
 mail, and assumes the garb of a humble citizen, and in- 
 dulges in a few personal insinuations; and shouldn't we 
 be thankful that the citizen isn't lost sight of in the 
 mighty ruler? Isn't this a proof of the soundness of 
 American institutions? From the North, East, and 
 West, from Tennessee, come scathing denunciations from 
 the men who placed him in power, aided and assisted by 
 one Booth ; but he bears it with the dignity becoming his 
 high position. 
 
 I have not heard of any dismissals from office on ac- 
 (22) 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 23 
 
 count of differing with him in opinion, but some have 
 been dismissed for expressing them. 
 
 Among the number I notice Mrs. Jane Swisshelm, a 
 woman not entirely unknown to fame. She has held an 
 office in the War Department ever since the Indian atroc- 
 ities in her late home in Minnesota; but her out-spoken 
 sentiments in the paper which she is editing here sealed 
 her fate, and the Secretary of War caused a letter- 
 envelope to be laid upon her desk as potent in its designs 
 as any other of the many warlike and immortal plans 
 which have issued from time to time from his fertile 
 brain, to his credit and honor, and the world's benefit. 
 And how fortunate for the country that we have a Ty- 
 coon who has the undaunted courage to resist the blight- 
 ing influence of the so-called gentler sex, and is not above 
 reaching forth his hand, thereby making woman feel that 
 he is not to be trifled with. Mrs. Swisshelm's paper, 
 The Reconstructionist, still survives, upheld by its un- 
 flinching editress, and if it fails to throw light upon re- 
 construction, it is because the President is blind and will 
 not see, for her dismissal from office proves that she has 
 not hid her light under a bushel. But it is rumored in 
 political circles that she has been relieved from office in 
 order to go into the Cabinet, as there are Cabinet changes 
 hinted at, more or less, every day. 
 
 The beautiful spring weather in Washington is totally 
 marred by the clouds of dust that sweep the length and 
 breadth of our grand avenues. I can compare it to 
 nothing but those moving pillars of sand which bury 
 travelers in the bosom of the great Sahara. 'Tis true 
 one can escape with life, but new bonnets and dresses are 
 nearly if not quite ruined, and the sacrifice is about the 
 same thing; for in the latter case we realize the loss, 
 whilst in the former our friends are the only sufferers. 
 
 But the clouds of dust do not prevent our sooty neigh- 
 bors from spading the gardens, and just now they are 
 engaged in turning up the soil with their blades in that 
 
l/ 
 
 24 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 gentle, easy manner which none but a negro knows how 
 to practice. Washington is a Southern city in every sense 
 of the word. It may have been partially redeemed by 
 Yankee thrift during the war, but it is now fast sinking 
 back to its original condition as it was in the days of the 
 "old regime." Slavery is dead, it is true, but the black 
 man is not a citizen. He is the humblest laborer in the 
 vineyard. But hard as their lot appears, it is far prefer- 
 able to hopeless slavery; and though thousands of lives of 
 the present generation may be sacrificed upon the altar of 
 freedom, a new future awaits them; and if their Moses 
 has changed his mind, or concluded that he has other 
 work to do, they must bide their time, and raise up a 
 leader of their own race and color, for the Lord has or- 
 dained that every people shall work out their own salva- 
 tion. This is not a political view of the subject, only a 
 feeble woman's, who can do nothing for the f reedman but 
 utter shriek after shriek for him, which has proved just 
 as efficient as anything that has been done in various 
 quarters. Congress has done all it could do; the Presi- 
 dent has promised to be their "Moses," and the negro 
 persists in suffering. Who is to blame for it? Do they 
 not bring their sufferings upon their own heads? What 
 business have they to be born? Isn't it a crime of the 
 darkest dye? I leave this painful subject for wiser heads 
 to explain, but should anything new transpire in regard 
 to it, I shall make haste to inform my readers at the 
 earliest moment. 
 
 Since the grand speech from the White House one is 
 astonished at the sudden development of a spirit which 
 was supposed to have collapsed with the rebellion. Great 
 flaunting pictures of General Lee appear at conspicuous 
 places to attract the attention of passers-by. He has 
 taken Washington at last. One prominent bookstore 
 balances his picture by that of General Grant ; but a cer- 
 tain other bookstore betrays its ideas very ridiculously 
 by a set of pictures — General Washington being in the 
 
THK OLIVIA LDTTDRS 2$ 
 
 center, Jeff Davis on one side and Jesus Christ on the 
 other ! Had the shopkeeper displayed the picture of our 
 lamented Lincoln side by side with the assassin Booth 
 my astonishment would have been no greater. Does the 
 community think treason a crime when such things are 
 allowed in our midst ? We hear of no more balls, levees 
 or receptions. 
 
 It seems as if the early days of the revolution were 
 upon us again, as if we must prepare ourselves for events 
 which possibly might become calamities in the end. New 
 gypsy bonnets are displayed by milliners, but we have not 
 seen a face peeping out from one, either handsome or 
 ugly. And isn't this a symptom of the earnestness of the 
 times, just as straws show which way the wind blows? 
 I did not mean to write a political letter; but there are 
 times when we are caught in a storm, our eyes blinded 
 with lightning, our ears filled with thunder; rain pour- 
 ing, and no umbrella; mud deep, and no overshoes. 
 When the storm subsides may we greet our readers under 
 pleasanter auspices. Olivia. 
 
AT DRY TORTUGAS. 
 SEEKING Pardon for Those Imprisoned on That 
 
 ISI.AND. 
 
 Washington^ February i6, iSdf. 
 
 The reticence of General Grant covers the future with 
 a haze of obscurity. Different Cabinet combinations ap- 
 pear before the pubhc vision, hke so many dissolving 
 views of a midsummer night's dream. The President- 
 elect appears at a dinner party and escorts one of the 
 gentlemen home, and the latter fortunate individual is 
 decided to be an embryo Cabinet minister, and the lobby 
 cries, "Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!" 
 
 It is very quiet in Washington, but it is the sultry calm 
 which precedes the storm. All are waiting for the secret 
 which is locked in General Grant's mind as securely as the 
 genie was fastened in the copper box under the seal of 
 the great Solomon. In the meantime President Johnson 
 is busy providing for his friends, as v/ell as other unfor- 
 tunates, who are not clamoring at the door of the Execu- 
 tive chamber in vain. Day after day, for months, a few 
 fearfully bereaved women have haunted the White 
 House. Among the number might have been found the 
 wife of Sanford Conover, alias Charles A. Dunham, who 
 perjured himself on the trial of John Surratt, and since 
 his sentence has been serving out his term in State's 
 prison. Day after day this pale-faced, indefatigable 
 woman has been haunting Mr. Johnson ; haunting every 
 man whom she supposed could have any influence in her 
 behalf. At last her unwearying efforts have been 
 crowned with success. Judge Advocate Holt and Hon- 
 orable A. C. Riddle (one of the counsel on the trial) 
 have said that Conover "without solicitation gave valu- 
 able information to the Government, which was used to 
 assist the prosecution, and that he is entitled to the 
 (26) 
 
THE oiviviA i.e;ttkrs 27 
 
 clemency of the Executive on the principle that requires 
 from the Government recognition of such service, and 
 that he has already served two years of his term." 
 
 Another smitten woman's feet have pressed the costly 
 Wiltons of the Executive Mansion as sorrowfully as Ha- 
 gar's did the parched sward of the wilderness. It is the 
 wife of Dr. Mudd, the man who was tried with the other 
 conspirators, and is now serving out his life term at the 
 desolate "Dry Tortugas," During the last dreadful yel- 
 low fever epidemic, our officers on the island testify to the 
 almost superhuman efforts of Dr. Mudd in behalf of the 
 prisoners and soldiers. He seemed to have a charmed 
 life among the dead and dying. There was no duty so 
 loathsome that he shrank from it, and when he could do 
 no more for the sufferers in life he helped to cover their 
 remains with the salted sands. Armed with this testi- 
 mony of the officers, for months Mrs. Mudd has attended 
 Andrew Johnson like a shadow. 
 
 One day last summer a personal friend of the Presi- 
 dent's was admitted to the Executive presence. As he 
 took the lady's hand, he smilingly remarked : "I am 
 sorry that I kept you waiting." 
 
 She replied, "There is another lady who has been wait- 
 ing longer than I have." 
 
 "Do you know her?" asked the President. 
 
 "I never saw her before," said the lady. 
 
 The President called a messenger, saying, "See who is 
 in the ante-room waiting." 
 
 A smile crept over the messenger's face as he answered, 
 "It's only Mrs, Mudd." 
 
 "Only Mrs. Mudd," echoed the President, while a 
 spasm of pain chased over his countenance. "That 
 woman here again, after all I have said?" At the same 
 time the President put both hands to his face. 
 
 "Why do you allow yourself tO' be sO' annoyed?" said 
 the friend, using the license which belongs to a woman's 
 friendship. 
 
 "The President of the United States ought not be an- 
 
28 THE OLIVIA I^DTTE^RS 
 
 noyed at anything; besides, I have no right to put any 
 one out of this house who comes to see me on business 
 and behaves with propriety. Don't let us talk about that ; 
 let us think of something else." 
 
 Of all forsaken places on this planet, there is none that 
 will compare in terror to the Dry Tortugas. By the side 
 of it St. Helena is a kind of terrestrial paradise. Neither 
 friendly rock, shrub, tree nor blade of grass is to be seen 
 on its surface. It is a small, burning Sahara, planted in 
 the bosom of the desolate sea, without a single oasis to 
 relieve its savage face. The garrison and prisoners have 
 to depend on cisterns for their supply of water, and out 
 of the thirty-seven carpenters who, in the beginning of 
 the rebellion, went there with the corps of engineers to 
 look after repairs, only four returned alive, and two 
 of these have been confirmed invalids ever since. When 
 one of the carpenters was questioned to explain the great 
 mortality, he said it was owing, at this particular time, to 
 the miserable quarters prepared for the workmen, and 
 to the bad water that was dealt out to them, of which, 
 bad as it was, they could not get enough to supply their 
 pressing wants. The island swarms with insects that bite 
 and sting; and if the soldiers on duty there were not fre- 
 quently relieved and sent to the mainland, mutiny and 
 its attendant horrors would be sure to follow. When a 
 criminal deserves to expiate ten thousand deaths in one, 
 it is only necessary to send him to the Dry Tortugas. 
 
 For several months people have been at work here 
 upon certain nominations which have been sent to the 
 Senate. Mrs. Anna S. Stephens has not been only at 
 work on the life of Andrew Johnson, which she has fore- 
 told will end with the one immortal triumph (his escape 
 from his impeachment foes), but she also succeeded in 
 getting her son nominated as consul to Manchester, Eng- 
 land. While the venerable mother has labored at the 
 White House, the would-be consul's wife, in charming- 
 silks and costly gems, has sought introductions to leading 
 men who might have some influence with the stony Sen- 
 
The: OLIVIA LETTERS 29 
 
 ate, if they only chose to exercise it. It has become well 
 known in Washington that whenever a man feels ambi- 
 tion swelling in his bosom the best remedy is to send 
 some interesting feminine diplomat to court, and if she 
 does not succeed he will then know it was because the case 
 was hopeless from the beginning. In the good old days 
 of Queen Bess, diplomacy was almost altogether in the 
 hands of the woman ; then that was certainly one of the 
 most remarkable eras in the world's history. 
 
 James Parton, the distinguished magazine writer, has 
 been here for several days. He has been seen on the floor 
 of the House, and also in close consultation with many 
 leading members of Congress, as well as doorkeepers, 
 messengers, pages, and all others who are supposed to be 
 wise and serious when talked to in regard to a certain 
 very delicate subject. It is said that Mr. Parton is pre- 
 paring an article upon the Washington lobby. It is said 
 he is going to hold up the monster in the broad light of 
 day — this creeping, crawling thing, which, in more re- 
 spects than one, bears a strong resemblance to Victor 
 Hugo's devil fish ; for while it is strong enough to strangle 
 the most powerful man, if once fairly drawn under the 
 surface in its awful embrace, yet if you attempt to pluck 
 it to pieces, piecemeal, you are rewarded with only so 
 much loathsome quivering jelly. 
 
 This nation will never realize the debt of gratitude it 
 owes the men who are standing as sentinels at the doors 
 of the Treasury. The Committee on Claims are besieged 
 by an army more terrible in its invincibility than ever 
 stormed the earthworks of fort or doomed city. It is true, 
 the arms used by the enemy are of a kind as old as crea- 
 tion, whilst the flash of an eye answers to the old flint- 
 lock or modern percussion cap. As yet these noble men 
 have defended every inch of ground, and many of these 
 fair Southern braves have withdrawn their claims for 
 the present, waiting for another set of sentinels who will 
 replace those on duty now. But more of this anon. 
 
 Olivia. 
 
STATE ASSOCIATIONS. 
 
 lowANS AssembIve: at the Residence oe Senator 
 Harean. 
 
 Washington, February 2^, i8df^. 
 
 Looking at society in Washington from a certain point 
 of view, is like gazing upon the shifting scenes of a bril- 
 liant panorama. But one of the most delightful and 
 home-like pictures consists of the different persons tem- 
 porarily sojourning here, and who- have always retained 
 the right of citizenship in their respective States, joining 
 together under the name of an "association" for the inter- 
 change of friendly sentiments as well as for the cultiva- 
 tion of fraternal love. It is the business of the president 
 of these meetings to keep a list of the names and resi- 
 dence of all who belong to the association, and strangers 
 coming to Washington can by this means find without 
 trouble their acquaintances and friends. These Western 
 associations are particularly flourishing this winter. One 
 week we are told that the Indiana Association has had a 
 pleasant gathering, and the Honorable Schuyler Colfax 
 and John Defrees, the Public Printer, the sun and moon 
 of the little planetai-y system, have risen and set together, 
 and the united social element clapped its hands with joy. 
 
 Again we read that Iowa, God bless her, with her solid 
 Republican delegation, and her war record as unblem- 
 ished as a maiden's first blush, has gathered her citizens 
 together in Union League Hall, as a hen gathered her 
 chickens under her wing. It is at these social meetings 
 that the old home-fires are kindled anew in the hearts of 
 the Iowa wanderers ; and when the most profitless carpet- 
 bagger arrives he is treated nearly as well as the prodigal 
 son. Sometimes it happens that the more prominent 
 (30) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 3^ 
 
 members "entertain" the association, or in other words, 
 "Iowa" is the invited guest. Only last night Iowa, as 
 represented by the Senate and House of Representatives, 
 the Departments, as well as the strangers stopping here 
 through the inaugural ceremonies, were invited to the 
 elegant mansion of Senator Harlan, where all were wel- 
 comed alike by the Senator and his accomplished wife. 
 Here in the spacious parlors met the different members 
 of the outgoing with those of the incoming delegation of 
 that State; and here let it be recorded that neither Con- 
 gressmen whose term of ofifice expires on the 4th of 
 March, could get himself decapitated by his constituents, 
 but was obliged at the last moment to commit political 
 hari-kari. 
 
 Standing a little apart from each other were the two 
 bright particular stars of the evening — Mrs. Harlan, the 
 agreeable hostess, and Mrs. Grimes, the wife of the able 
 Senator of historic fame, two representative women on 
 the world's stage to-day, and both alike respected for 
 their intrinsic worth, aside from the senatorial laurels 
 which they share. One could hardly realize, when con- 
 templating Mrs. Harlan, a brilliant, sparkling brunette, 
 whose feet have just touched the autumn threshold of 
 age, in her faultless evening costume of garnet silk, point 
 lace and pearls — "Wandering," say you? Yes, yes; one 
 could hardly realize that this was the same Mrs. Harlan 
 who had remained all night in her ambulance on the 
 bloody field of Shiloh, with the shrieks of the wounded 
 and dying sounding in her ears ; and yet, out of just such 
 material are many more American women made. 
 
 Self-poised and dignified as a marble statue stood Mrs. 
 Grimes, noticeable only for the simplicity of her dress. 
 Yet it was easy to perceive that it was the hand of an art- 
 ist that had swept back the golden brown hair from the 
 perfect forehead and dainty ears. Quiet in her deport- 
 ment, she seemed a modest violet in a gay parterre of 
 flowers. A woman of intellectual attainments, she has 
 
32 THE OLIVIA I^ETTERS 
 
 few equals and no superiors here. This present winter 
 she has mingled much more in general society than usual, 
 and her graceful presence helps to scatter "the late un- 
 pleasantness" as the sun drives away the malarial mists 
 of the night. 
 
 Among the most prominent lowans present might have 
 been seen the Hon. William B. Allison, member of Con- 
 gress from Dubuque, whom Lucien Gilbert Calhoun, of 
 the New York Tribune "dubbed" the handsomest man in 
 Congress. Who would dare to be so audacious as to op- 
 pose the light current of small talk that ebbs and flows 
 with an occasional tidal wave through the columns of that 
 solemn newspaper? If the Tribune says he is handsome, 
 an Adonis he shall be; but as space will not allow of a 
 full description, it is onJy necessary to say that he has 
 large brown eyes, that usually look out in their pleased 
 surprise like Maud Muller's; but the other day they 
 opened wide with astonishment when they read in a popu- 
 lar newspaper that the same William B. had been accused 
 of receiving more than $100,000 for favoring a certain 
 railroad project. But the hoax was soon unearthed, and 
 Mr. Allison found his reputation once more as clean as 
 new kid gloves. 
 
 And now we come to a man in whom the nation may 
 have a pride, Geo. G. M. Dodge, of war memory, one of 
 General Sherman's efficient aids in his march across the 
 Southern country to the sea ; serving honorably in Con- 
 gress to the satisfaction of his constituents. He has re- 
 signed the position that he may devote himself wholly to 
 his profession, as chief engineer of the Pacific Railroad. 
 Young, handsome, daring and aggressive, he is Young 
 America personified. He is the man of the day, as Dan- 
 iel Boone was the man of the era in which he lived ; and 
 his whole soul was embodied in words when he said, "I 
 can't breathe in Washington." 
 
 We touch the honest, ungloved hand of the host of 
 the evening, Senator Harlan, one of the superb pillars of 
 
The: owvia letters 33 
 
 the Republican party ; one who has stood upon principles 
 as firmly as though his feet were planted upon the rock 
 of ages; but once he became Secretary of the Interior, 
 and an angel from Heaven could not go into that sink 
 of pollution and come out with clean, unstained wings. 
 If Senator Harlan lives in a respectable mansion in Wash- 
 ington it is because the interest of the unpaid mortgage 
 upon it is less than the rent would be if owned by a land- 
 lord; and let it be remembered that Senator Harlan is 
 the only man in the Iowa delegation whO' has a whole 
 rooi to shelter his head ; that his house is the only place 
 where citizens of Iowa can gather together and feel at 
 home. It was the noble idea of hospitality to the State 
 that made the Senator pitch his tent outside the horrors 
 of a Washington boarding-house or a crowded hotel, 
 and not to "shine," as the envious and malicious would 
 have it. A thrust at Senator Harlan is a stab at every 
 man, woman and child who knows him best, and if it was 
 for the good of this nation that the New York Tribune 
 should be broiled like St. Lawrence on a gridiron, it 
 would only be necessary to make it a Secretary of the In- 
 terior, with the Indian Bureau in full blast, as it is to-day, 
 and in less than a single administration there would be 
 nothing left of it but a crumpled hat, an old white coat, 
 and a mass of blackened bones. As honest Western peo- 
 ple, let us take care of our honest Western statesmen. Let 
 us have a care for the reputation of the men whom we 
 have trusted in war and in peace, and who have never 
 yet proved recreant tO' the trust. 
 
 Dear Republican : Let us dedicate this letter to our sis- 
 ter State, Iowa, most honest, virtuous, best beloved niece 
 of Uncle Sam. A greeting to the Hawkeyes. May their 
 shadows never grow less, and may her thousands of do- 
 mestic fires that now dot every hill, slope and valley be 
 never extinguished until the sun and the stars shall pole 
 together and creation be swallowed up in everlasting 
 night. OwviA. 
 
BINGHAM AND BUTLER. 
 
 Characteristics of These CongressionaIv Giants in 
 Debate. 
 
 Washington, March 2'j, i86y. 
 
 Scarcely has the day dawned upon the Fortieth Con- 
 gress before it is our unpleasant task to chronicle its de- 
 cline. As we say about the month that gave it birth, "it 
 came in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." At the 
 beginning of the session mutterings of impeachment 
 growled and thundered in the political horizon, but for 
 some unaccountable but wise reason it has all subsided, 
 and the passing away is peculiarly quiet and lamb-like. 
 It almost reminds one of a young maiden dying because 
 of the loss of a recreant lover. The Judiciary Committee 
 are expected to sit all summer on the impeachment eggs ; 
 but no woman is so unwise as to count the chickens be- 
 fore they are hatched. It is said that Congress has tied 
 the hands of the President so that he is perfectly incapa- 
 ble of doing any more mischief, and the members go 
 home, and leave Washington desolate. Washington is 
 a live city. It has two states of existence, sleeping and 
 waking. When Congress is in session it is wide awake; 
 when Congress adjourns it goes to sleep, and then woe 
 to the unfortunate letter-writer, for her occupation is 
 gone — everything is gone — the great men, the fashion- 
 able women ; the great dining-room in the principal hotels 
 are all closed, small eating houses disappear; even stores 
 of respectable size draw in their principal show windows, 
 which proves to the world that they were only "branches" 
 thrown out from the original bodies, which can be found 
 either in Philadelphia or New York, and that the branches 
 never were expected to take root in Washington. Only 
 (34) 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 35 
 
 the clerks in office, the real honey bees in the great na- 
 tional hive, work, and work incessantly, and keep Wash- 
 ington from degenerating into an enchanted city, such as 
 we read about in the Arabian tales. 
 
 At the moment of writing Congress is expected im- 
 mediately to adjourn. The members are in their seats, 
 with the exception of the Honorable Ben Butler, wdio at 
 this instant has the floor. He is talking about "confiscated 
 property," and an observer can see that he has taken the 
 cubic measure of the subject. He is interrupted every 
 few moments, but his equilibrium is not in the least dis- 
 turbed. As his photographs are scattered broadcast over 
 the land, a pen-and-ink portrait is unnecessary. But we 
 will say that he is a disturbing element wherever he "turns 
 up," or wherever he goes. It seems to be his fate to be 
 all the time cruising about the "waters of hate." No 
 man in this broad land is so fearfully hated as Benjamin 
 F. Butler. We do not allude to the South, for that is 
 a unit ; but to other surroundings and associations. Some 
 men are born to absorb the love of the whole human race, 
 like the ill-fated Andre ; others have the mystic power of 
 touching the baser passions, and Honorable Benjamin F. 
 Butler is master of this last terrible art. But it may be 
 possible that he bears the same relation to the human fam- 
 ily that a chestnut burr does to the vegetable world, and 
 if we could only open the burr we might forget our bloody 
 fingers and find ample reward for our pains. 
 
 These last days of a closing session have been marked 
 by a war of words waged between the Honorable John 
 A. Bingham and General Butler. Now these little hand- 
 to-hand fights are the very spice of politics when they hap- 
 pen between the opposite ranks. But when Republican 
 measures lance with Republican, when the war is of a 
 fratricidal character, and brother gluts his hand in his 
 brother's blood, then it becomes the nation to take these 
 unruly members tenderly by the hand and to mourn after 
 the most approved fashion. It cannot be said that Hon- 
 
36 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 orable James A. Bingham has the manners of a Chester- 
 field, but we shall widely differ from letter-writers who 
 call him "Mephistopheles." There is nothing satanic 
 about him. He is only a very able man, terribly in earn- 
 est. When he puts his hand to the wheel he never looks 
 back. Whatever he undertakes must be carried out to the 
 bitter end. If he has seemed conservative, it was only 
 that he might not make haste too fast. He has been the 
 useful brakeman in Congress this winter; never in the 
 way when the locomotive was all right and the track 
 was clear. Those wicked side-thrusts from General But- 
 ler in regard to Mrs. Surratt have wovmded him, and he 
 chafes like a caged tiger ; but he can comfort himself with 
 the idea that there is one the less of the so-called gentler 
 sex to perpetrate mischief, and that a few more might be 
 dealt with in the same summary, gentle manner, if the 
 wants of the community or the ends of justice seemed to 
 demand it. 
 
 John Morrissey is in his seat, and, to all appearances, 
 he is on the royal road to one kind of success. Everybody 
 feels kindly towards him because he is so unpretending, 
 and he has the magic touch which makes friends. Quiet, 
 gentlemanly, and unassuming, his voice is never heard 
 except when it is called for or when it is proper for his 
 reputation that he should speak. If he would only slough 
 off the old chrysalis life — yea, cut himself adrift from 
 those gambling houses in New York, he might prove to 
 the world that there is scarcely any error of a man's life 
 can not be retrieved. We trust that John Morrissey will 
 remember that Congress is a fiery furnace; that it sepa- 
 rates the dross from the pure metal; and that, in this 
 wonderful alembic, men's minds and manners are tested 
 with all the nicety of chemical analysis. Also, that the 
 cream comes to the top and the skim milk goes to the bot- 
 tom and will continue to do so unless a majority of the 
 members can prevail on old Mother Nature to add a new 
 amendment to her "constitution." Olivia. 
 
A WEST END RECEPTION. 
 
 Thiv Modes and Methods op a Typicai. Society 
 
 Function. 
 
 Washington, January 15, 1868. 
 
 A gradual change is coming over the face of events in 
 Washington. The old monarchy's dying. Andrew John- 
 son is passing away. If it were summer, grass would be 
 growing between the stones of the pavement that leads 
 to the stately porch of the Executive Mansion, but the 
 motion of the political and social wheel of life is not in the 
 least retarded. In many respects it would seem as if time 
 were taking us backward in its flight and that we were 
 living over again the last luxurious days of Louis XV. 
 If Madame Pompadour is not here in the flesh, she has 
 bequeathed to this brilliant Republican court her unique 
 taste in the shape of paint-pots, rouge, patches, pointed 
 heels, and frilled petticoats ; the dress made with an im- 
 mense train at the back, but so short in front that it dis- 
 closes a wealth of airy, fantastic, white muslin ; the square- 
 necked waist, so becoming to a queenly neck; the open 
 sleeve so betwitching for a lovely arm. This is the 
 "style" which the fair belles of the capital have adopted. 
 Our letters are meant to embody both political and social 
 themes ; but, if the truth must be told, the business of the 
 people of the United States is suffering for want of being 
 transacted. Our great men are too busy with the tangled 
 skein of the next administration. Although half the 
 present session has slipped away, scarcely anything has 
 been accomplished. The real hard work is represented 
 by the lobby, which is as ceaselessly and noiselessly at 
 work as the coral builders in the depths of the sea. 
 
 General Butler is trying to enlighten the nation upon 
 the knotty subject of finance. He seems to have taken 
 the dilemma by the horns. It is not decided which will 
 get the best of it, but the people can rest assured that Gen- 
 
 (37) 
 
38 THE OI.IVIA I.HTTERS 
 
 eral Butler will make a good fight. Like Andrew John- 
 son, he has only to point to his past record. It will be 
 remembered that the gallant General paid his respects to 
 the step-father of his country on New Year's day. An 
 eye witness of this historical event pronounced the "scene'" 
 extremely "touching" and one long to be remembered 
 by the fortunate beholders. A sensational writer is en- 
 gaged upon a new drama founded upon this theme. It 
 will soon be brought out upon the boards at the National 
 Theater under the high-sounding title of "Burying the 
 Hatchet." The writer of the drama is at a loss whether 
 to call this production comedy or tragedy. It would be 
 extremely comic, only the closing scene ends with Andy's 
 plumping the hatchet into the grave from sheer exhaus- 
 tion, and the moment afterward he glides away into ob- 
 scurity like a graceful Ophidian, or Hamlet's ghost. The 
 wily warrior is left master of the situation ; not at all shut 
 up like a fly in a bottle, but still able to be of use not only 
 to his constituents but to the masses of his admiring coun- 
 trymen. 
 
 But why talk politics when the social strata is so much 
 more interesting? It is the social star which is in the as- 
 cendent to-day. The new Cabinet is discussed in shy lit- 
 tle nods and whispers, between sips of champagne and 
 creamy ices, in magnificent drawing rooms at the fash- 
 ionable West End. Aye, why not give our dear Chicago 
 friends a description of the most brilliant party of the 
 season, which took place at the handsome residence of a 
 merchant prince and member of Congress, the Honorable 
 D. McCarthy, of Syracuse, N. Y. As the guests were 
 brought together by card invitations, it follows that only 
 the cream of Washington society was represented. To 
 be sure there was a crowd ; but then, it is not so very un- 
 comfortable to be pressed to death by the awful enginery 
 of a foreign minister, a major-general and a Vice-Presi- 
 dent elect, or to find yourself buried alive by drifts of 
 snowy muslin or costly silk or satin, and your own little 
 feet inextricably lost by being entangled in somebody's 
 
THE OI.IVIA IvETTKRS 39 
 
 train, and yourself sustained in the trying position by 
 being held true to the perpendicular by the close proxim- 
 ity of your next neighbor. This can be borne by the most 
 sensitive, owing to the delicate nature of the martyrdom. 
 
 Between the hours of 9 and 10, and many hours after- 
 wards, carriage after carriage rolled up to the stately 
 mansion, lately occupied by our present minister to Eng- 
 land. Two savage policemen guarded the gate, and the 
 coming guests slipped through their fingers as easily as 
 if they had been attaches of the whisky ring. Once out 
 of the carriage you found yourself standing upon the 
 dainty new matting, from which your feet never departed 
 until they pressed the Persian carpet of the inner hall. All 
 wrapped and hooded and veiled, you ascended the broad 
 staircase to find at the first landing an American citizen, 
 of bronze complexion and crispy hair, who- led you tO' the 
 ladies' dressing-room. Handmaidens of the African type 
 instantly seized you and divested you of your outward 
 shell or covering. A dainty French lady's maid stood 
 ready to give the last finish to your toilet or to coax into 
 place any stubborn, mulish curl, and to repair, if it was 
 necessary, any little damage or flaw tO' your otherwise 
 faultless complexion. When you were "all right," you 
 found your attendant cavalier awaiting you at the door to 
 conduct you, as well as himself, to the presence of the sun 
 and moon of the evening, around whom all this growing 
 planetary system revolved. A cryer at the door calls out 
 the name of the cavalier and lady, in a stentorian voice. 
 You shudder. This is the first plunge into fashionable 
 life; but you come to the surface and find that you are 
 face to face with the duke and duchess, in the republican 
 sense of the word. Your hand is first taken by Mr. Mc- 
 Carthy, who is a tall and elegant person, whom you also 
 know to be one of the "solid men" in Congress, as he cer- 
 tainly is without. You next touch the finger tips of "my 
 lady," a noble matron in purple velvet, old point lace, and 
 flashing diamonds. At her right hand stand her two 
 pretty daughters, with real roses in their cheeks, and 
 
4^ THE OI.IVIA I^ETTERS 
 
 real complexions, delicate enough to have been stolen 
 from milky pearls. No jewels but their bright eyes. No 
 color in their faultless white muslin dress, except little 
 flecks of green that underlie the rich Valenciennes. You 
 leave them, and smuggle yourself in the enclosures of a 
 deep, old-fashioned window. The curtain half hides you 
 while you gaze upon a shifting, glittering panorama, more 
 gorgeous than a midsummer night's dream. The air is 
 laden with the perfume of rare exotics and the fragrance 
 of the countless handkerchiefs of cob-web lace. Just be- 
 yond you at the right stands the servant of Her Majesty. 
 Victoria of England. There is nothing to denote his rank 
 or position in his plain citizen's dress. A modest order, 
 worn on his left breast, tells you that he is the successor 
 of Sir Frederick Bruce; but in personal appearance Sir 
 Edward Thornton bears no- resemblance to his illus- 
 trious predecessor. He seems to be enjoying an animated 
 conversation with a lady of rank belonging to his own 
 legation. Monsieur the French Minister, exquisite, dan- 
 dified, polished as a steel rapier, is talking to the host of 
 the evening. Count Raasloff, the Danish minister, is ex- 
 changing compliments with Major-General Hunter. 
 Though all the grand entertainments in Washington are 
 graced by many of the diplomats resident here, they 
 seem to get through the evening as if it were a part of 
 their official duty. They cling together like any other 
 colony surrounded by "outside barbarians." The marble 
 face of a petite French countess never relaxed a line from 
 its icy frigidity until she found herself stranded in the 
 dressing room up stairs, safely in the hands of the for- 
 eign waiting-maid. Then such chattering — the artificial 
 singing birds in the supper room were entirely eclipsed. 
 But let us leave at once these cold, haughty dames, who 
 have nothing to boast of but the so-called blue blood in 
 their veins. The world would never know they existed, 
 unless some pen-artist sketched their portraits. We have 
 had no dazzling foreign star in society here since the de- 
 parture of Lady Napier. Oh ! spirit of a fairy godmother. 
 
the: OlylVIA LETTERS 4I 
 
 guide our pen while we touch our own American belles, 
 the fairest sisterhood under the sun. "Who is the belle 
 of the ball room to-night?" ever)^ one asks. You must 
 not be told her name, reader, but you shall know every- 
 thing else. Just imagine Madame Pompadour in the 
 palmiest days of her regal beauty, stepping out of the 
 old worm-eaten frame, imbued with life and clad in one 
 of those white brocaded silks upon which has been flung 
 the most exquisite flowers by the hand of the weaver. 
 Hair puffed and frizzled and curled until the lady her- 
 self could not tell where the real leaves off and the false 
 beg-ins. The front breadth of dress is not more than half 
 a yard in depth, but the long-pointed train at the back 
 could not be measured by the eye; a yard-stick must be 
 brought into requisition. There is a dainty little patch 
 on her left cheek, and another still less charming on her 
 temple. A necklace of rare old-fashioned mosaic is 
 clasped around her throat, and a member of Congress 
 from Iowa, who is said to be a judge, pronounces her to 
 be the most beautiful woman in Washington. Oh! that 
 newspaper letters did not have to come to an end. Room 
 for one of Chicago's fair brides, the only beloved daughter 
 of Senator Harlan, Mr. Robert Lincoln's accomplished 
 wife. She looked every inch the lily in this sisterhood of 
 flowers. She wore heavy, corded white silk, with any 
 quantity of illusion and pearls. 
 
 So far hath the story been told without a word about 
 the feast. The land, the sky and the ocean were rifled, 
 and made to pay tribute to the occasion. Artificial sing- 
 ing birds twittered in the flowers that adorned the tables, 
 while a rainbow of light encircled the same. This beauti- 
 ful effect was accomplished by the gas-fitter's art, and this 
 exquisite device came very near bringing Chicago to grief, 
 for the Honorable N. B. Judd found himself at the end of 
 the magic bow, but instead of finding the bag of gold he 
 just escaped a good "scorching," 
 
 Again we touched the hand of the lady hostess, and 
 then all was over. Owvia. 
 
IN THE ARENA OF THE SENATE. 
 
 Messrs. Nye and Doouttle Cross Beades in Ideas 
 AND Arguments. 
 
 Washington, January 26, 1868. 
 
 Again the Senate chamber recalls the early days of the 
 rebellion, or rather the last stormy winter before its cul- 
 mination. The galleries are densely crowded; the voice 
 of eloquence is heard ringing in clarion notes -through 
 the hall ; but in place of the handsome, sneering face of 
 Breckinridge as presiding officer, rare old Ben Wade 
 rises, like a sun of promise, to light up the troubled 
 waters, and to help warn the ship of the Republic off the 
 rocky shore. Scarcely a drop in the river of time since 
 haughty Wigfall arose, and, with right hand clenched 
 defiantly in the face of the Republican side, his flaming 
 eye resting upon Charles Sumner, declared that he owed 
 no allegiance to the Government of the United States. 
 It was the forked flames licking the marble column, for 
 Senator Sumner sat calm and immovable as the figure of 
 Fate. Gone, too, is Davis, the man of destiny; and 
 Toombs, the swaggering braggart, with silver-voiced 
 Benjamin, the only human being endowed with the same 
 melodious, flute-like tongue that bewitched our dear first 
 mother. And yet there is treason enough left to act as 
 leaven in case Senator Doolittle and the President suc- 
 ceed in introducing it into the loaf of reconstruction. 
 
 To-day two of the most warlike as well as two of the 
 most powerful men in the Senate have been engaged in 
 real battle ; but instead of muscle against muscle, the air 
 has been filled with javelins of arguments and ideas, Let 
 the pen be content with describing the two combatants — 
 (42) 
 
THE owviA i,i;tters 43 
 
 Senator Doolittle, of Wisconsin, and Senator Nye, of 
 Nevada. 
 
 The battle, like Massachusetts, speaks for itself. Sena- 
 tor Doolittle, the President's spirit of darkness, bears the 
 same relation to the human race that a bull-dog does to 
 the canine species. His arguments are tough and sharp 
 as a row of glittering teeth, and would do the same hor- 
 rible execution if the President and small party of bark- 
 ing Democracy at his heels were strong enough to tell 
 him "to go in and win." Rather above the medium 
 height, built for strength, like a Dutch clipper, with close 
 cropped hair and broad, projecting lower jaw, it must 
 have been an accident that made him let go of the Repub- 
 lican platform, or he must have been choked off by a pow- 
 er entirely beyond his control. But now that he is fast 
 hold of a different faith; no resolution of a Wisconsin 
 senate, no bitter protest of an indignant, injured constit- 
 uency, can shake him one hair's breadth. And to this 
 powerful makeup a pair of glistening steel-gray eyes, a 
 presence easier felt than described, and you have plenty 
 of material out of which to construct a triple-headed 
 Cerebus strong enough to guard the gates of — even the 
 Executive mansion. 
 
 His antagonist, Senator Nye, of Nevada, has the finest 
 head in the American Senate. Mother Nature must have 
 expended her strength and means in the handsome head 
 and broad shoulders. It must have been originally meant 
 that he should stand six feet and an inch or two in his 
 stocking feet, yet by some of those accidents which never 
 can be guarded against, he is scarcely of the average 
 height. His face presents one of those rare spectacles, 
 those strange combinations, in which intellect and beauty 
 are striving for supremacy. 
 
 Eyes of that indescribable hazel that light up with pas- 
 sion or emotion, like an evening dress under the gaslight. 
 Nose chiseled with the precision of the sculptor's skillful 
 steel, and a mouth in which dwells character, passion, and 
 
44 THE OWVIA LETTERS 
 
 all the graces, neatly fringed by a decent beard, as every 
 respectable man's should be. Hands small and bloodless, 
 the usual accompaniment of the powerful brain of an 
 active thinker. Last, but not least, there is enough elec- 
 tricity about him to send a first-class message around the 
 world, with plenty left for all home purposes. 
 
 The Senate chamber is a painful place for the eye to 
 rest this winter. Its furniture, carpets, and many other 
 etceteras are suggestive of molten heat. There is a flam- 
 ing red carpet on the floor, and every chair and sofa 
 blushes like a carnation rose. Red and yellow stare the 
 unfortunate Senator in the face whichever way he turns. 
 Even what little sunlight manages to sneak into this cele- 
 brated chamber steals in clothed in those two prismatic, 
 nightmare colors. When the galleries are packed, as they 
 were to-day, there is scarcely more air than in an exhaust- 
 ed receiver, and it is astonishing that so many delicate 
 women can remain so many hours subjected to such an at- 
 mosphere. And now that the galleries are sprinkled with 
 dark fruit, thick as a briery hedge in blackberry time; 
 this, taken into consideration, with many other wise rea- 
 sons, may help to account for the large Democratic gain 
 in the late election returns. 
 
 Never within memory, not even during the extrava- 
 gance of the late war, have so many costly costumes 
 adorned the persons of our American women as the pres- 
 ent winter in Washington. And the Capitol, with its ori- 
 ental luxuriance, seems a fitting place for the grand dis- 
 play. A handsome blonde, enveloped in royal purple vel- 
 vet, without being relieved by so much as a shadow of 
 any other color or material, brings the words of the 
 Psalmist to all thoughtful minds : "They toil not, neither 
 do they spin (or write), yet Solomon in all his glory was 
 not arrayed like one of these." Olivia. 
 
SPEAKER COLFAX. 
 
 His AiffECTioN for His Mothi;r — Other Char- 
 acteristics. 
 
 Washington, March 2, 1868. 
 
 The season of Lent has folded its soft, brooding wings 
 over the weary devotees of fashion in Washington. Lux- 
 uriant wrappers, weak tea, and soft-boiled eggs have suc- 
 ceeded the Eugenie trains, chicken salad, and all those 
 delicious fluids that are supposed to brace the human 
 form divine. The penitential season of Lent is just as 
 fashionable, in its way, as the brilliant season which pre- 
 ceded it. There is nothing left for the "Jenkinses" but 
 "to fold their tents like the Arabs, and as silently steal 
 away." 
 
 But as hardy native flowers defy the chilly frost, so 
 Speaker Colfax's hospitable doors swing upon their noise- 
 less hinges once a week, and the famous house known as 
 the "Sickles mansion" becomes a bee-hive, swarming, 
 overflowing with honeyed humanity; and let it be re- 
 corded that no man in Washington is socially so popular, 
 so much beloved, as Schuyler Colfax. General Grant, the 
 man who dwells behind a mask, is worshiped by the mul- 
 titudes, who rush to his mansion as Hindoos to a Bud- 
 hist temple; but Schuyler Colfax possesses the magic 
 quality of knowing how to leave the Speaker's desk, and, 
 gracefully descending to the floor, place himself amongst 
 the masses of the American people, no longer above 
 them, but with them, one of them — a king of hearts in 
 his own right; a knave also, because he steals first and 
 commands afterwards. 
 
 It is needless to say that all adjectives descriptive of 
 fashionable life at the capital have long since been worn 
 thread-bare. Why didn't Jenkins tell the truth and say, 
 
 (45) 
 
46 THK OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 instead of "warm cordiality, elegant courtesy," pump- 
 handle indifference and metallic smile ? Why did he not 
 tell the dear, good people at home the truth, and nothing 
 but the truth, and say that madame the duchess practices 
 smiles or grimaces before the glass, and serves the same 
 up to her dear friends at her evening receptions? Why 
 should not a smile jfit as well as her corsets or kid gloves ? 
 Too much smile without dimples to cover up the defect 
 destroys the harmonious relation of the features. Not 
 only that, but it invites every fashionable woman's horror. 
 It paves the way to wrinkles, the death-blows of every 
 belle. 
 
 "Look at my face," says Madame B , of Baltimore, 
 
 the widow of royalty, the handsomest woman of three- 
 score years and ten in America, addressing one who shall 
 be nameless. "You are not half my age, and )-et you 
 have more wrinkles than I; shall I tell you why?" "To 
 
 be sure, Madame B ." "I never laugh ; I never cry ; 
 
 I make repose my study." Now, let it be added that this 
 aged belle of a long-since-departed generation on every 
 night encases her taper fingers in metallic thimbles, and 
 has done so for the last forty years ; consequently her hand 
 retains much of its original symmetry, and the decay of 
 her charms is as sweet and as faultless as the falling leaves 
 of a rose. 
 
 Speaker Colfax's receptions, in one sense of the word, 
 are unlike all others. No prominent man in Washington 
 receives his thousands of admirers and says to them, after 
 an introduction, "This is my mother!" She stands by his 
 side, with no one to separate them, bearing a strong per- 
 sonal resemblance to him, whilst she is only seventeen 
 years the older. At what a tender age her love com- 
 menced for this boy Schuyler — nobody else's boy, though 
 he were President ! She has put on the chameleon silk, 
 and the cap with blue ribbons, to receive the multitudes 
 that flock in masses to do homage to her son. Pride half 
 slumbers in her bosom, but love is vigilant and wide 
 awake. There is no metallic impression on her counte- 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 47 
 
 nance; a genuine, heartfelt welcome is extended to all 
 who pay their respects to her idol. So the people come 
 and go, and wonder why Speaker Colfax's receptions are 
 unlike others. Only a very few stars of the first magni- 
 tude in the fashionable world shone at the Speaker's man- 
 sion last night. The Associate Justice of the Supreme 
 Court from Iowa was there, with his elegant, lavender- 
 robed wife — a woman who skims over the treacherous 
 waters of society in Washington as gracefully and safely 
 as a swan upon its native element. David Dudley Field, 
 of New York, was there — a tall, stalwart man, after the 
 oak pattern ; and the fine faced woman, with gold enough 
 upon her person to suggest a return tO' specie payment, 
 was said to be a new wife. Mark Twain, the delicate 
 humorist, was present ; quite a lion, as he deserves to be. 
 Mark is a bachelor, faultless in taste, whose snowy vest is 
 suggestive of endless quarrels with Washington washer- 
 women ; but the heroism of Mark is settled for all time, 
 for such purity and smoothness were never seen before. 
 His lavender gloves might have been stolen from some 
 Turkish harem, so delicate were they in size; but more 
 likely — anything else were more likely than that. In form 
 and feature he bears some resemblence tO' the immortal 
 Nasby; but whilst Petroleum is brunette to the core, 
 Twain is a golden, amber-hued, melting blonde. 
 
 Members of Congress were there. George Washington 
 Julian was present; great, gifted, good, as he always is, 
 proving to the world that even a great name cannot ex- 
 tinguish him. Nature was in one of her most generous 
 moods when she formed him, for he towers above the 
 people like a mountain surrounded by hills. He dwells in 
 a higher atmosphere and sniffs a purer air than most 
 Congressmen, and this may account for his always being 
 found in the right place, never doubtful. People know 
 just what George Washington Julian will do in any na- 
 tional crisis. So he is left alone to score the measures of 
 his conscience, just as the earth is left to her orbit, or the 
 magnetic needle to the pole. Olivia. 
 
THE HIGH COURT OF IMPEACHMENT. 
 
 Characteristics of Leading Counsee and Their 
 Arguments. 
 
 Washington, March 14, 1868. 
 
 With lightning leap the historical proceedings of the 
 "High Court of Impeachment" have flashed all over the 
 country. The bone and sinew of the matter have been 
 given to the people, but the delicate life-currents and de- 
 tails which go to make the creation perfect, if not gath- 
 ered by the pen, must be buried in the waste-basket of old 
 Father Time. Decorum, dignity, solemnity, are the order 
 of the day, and one might as well attempt a "glowing de- 
 scription" of a funeral as to weave in bright colors the 
 opening scenes of the greatest trial on record. 
 
 Outside the Capitol, in the crowd, the incidents are 
 beyond description. Men are there from all parts of the 
 country, pleading, swearing for admittance — offering un- 
 told sums for a little insignificant bit of pasteboard. But 
 the police, stony, frightful as the "head of Medusa," shut 
 the doors in their faces, inexorable as the fiat of the tomb. 
 A limited number of honest, tender-hearted Senators are 
 trying to smuggle in a few beloved "outsiders ;" but the 
 police are instantly convened into a "court of impeach- 
 ment," and the unfortunate Senator has to bow before 
 the majesty of the law. A ticket is the only open sesame, 
 and a bit of yellow pasteboard so dazzles the multitudes 
 that even Andrew Johnson is forgotten for a time. But 
 the fortunate ticket-holder, when once beyond the hurly- 
 burly outside, finds that an entrance to a different atmos- 
 phere has been attained. It is like leaving the famished, 
 parched plain at the mountain's foot and climbing up into 
 the cool region, almost among the eternal snows. The 
 (48) 
 
THE OIvIVIA I.ETTERS 49 
 
 Senate chamber, always chilly in comparison with the 
 warm, leaping blood of the House, is now wrapped in ju- 
 dicial robes of coldest gray. When it is remembered that 
 Senators were allowed four tickets and members half that 
 number, it will readily be understood that even the aris- 
 tocracy had to be skimmed to fill the galleries, and with 
 the exception of a few newspaper correspondents, the 
 chosen ones belong to or are attaches of the proudest fam- 
 ilies in the land. And it is a most significant fact that 
 women hold nearly all the tickets. They sail into the 
 gentlemen's gallery like a real "man of war," shake out 
 the silken, feathery crinoline, rub their little gloved hands 
 in an ecstasy of delight, and while perching their 
 heads significantly on one side, gaze sorrowfully at 
 the few forlorn men stranded amongst their number, 
 either through accident or to prove to the world 
 that the genus man under the most trying cir- 
 cumstances is not extinct. As the Senate clock 
 points to the hour of i, Senator Wade leaves the 
 chair, and Chief Justice Chase, robed in his judicial drap- 
 ery, enters at a side door and takes the vacant seat. Very 
 soon the managers of the impeachment file in, Bingham 
 and Boutwell taking the lead. A table for their accom- 
 modation has been prepared, and as they take their seats 
 the silence seems like the dead^ unbroken calm inhabited 
 only by time and space. The moment has arrived for the 
 utterance of the most solemn words ever echoed in the 
 Senate of the United States — the proclamation of the 
 Sergeant-at-Arms calling a recreant President to stand 
 forth and prove his innocence or else meet the just pun- 
 ishment of his crime. A momentary silence follows, and 
 the counsel for the accused advance and take their seats. 
 That which was uncertainty is now a positive fact. 
 
 Andrew Johnson will not meet the august tribunal face 
 to face. There is to be a state dinner in the evening at 
 the White House, and if feasting can be thought of at 
 4 
 
50 THE OUVIA I.ETTERS 
 
 such an hour, it may be possible that he is engaged on the 
 bill of fare. Louis XV was engaged with his powders 
 and paint box, Dubarry, Pompadour, and venison, when 
 the storm was brewing that destroyed his family and 
 swept the innocent with the guilty off the face of the 
 earth. The counsel, three in number, face the tribunal. 
 Mr. Stanbery is the first of the number to speak. Keen 
 and hair-splitting, he seems to think he is going to carry 
 the day by storm. He rather demands forty days for 
 preparation instead of requesting it. He is followed by 
 Mr. Bingham, who confines himself entirely to the law, 
 without the least flourish of rhetoric or word painting. 
 Very soon the Senate retires for consultation. Then an 
 hour and a half are devoted to gossip in the gallery, and 
 one has time to sweep the rows of seats with an opera 
 glass and glean all the handsome faces; and if the whole 
 truth and nothing but the truth must be told, old Mother 
 Nature (the more shame on her) has been just as nig- 
 gardly and mean in dealing out "magnificent eyes" and 
 "voluptuous forms" to the creme de la creme as if she 
 were only managing the family afifairs of some poor no- 
 body who has not a ghost of a chance for Congressional 
 or any other honor in our beloved country. A limited 
 number of large solitaire diamonds were visible; but 
 good taste excludes nearly all diamonds except in full 
 dress. As this was the highest court in the land amongst 
 men, it might as justly be said that it was the highest 
 court of culture, refinement, fashion, and good taste 
 amongst the women. If all the elements which make men 
 great, just, and wise were found on the floor, it can as 
 truthfully be said that the galleries were never filled by 
 so much purity, so much that goes to make woman the 
 connecting link between men and the angels. Who is 
 that noble woman with the silver hair? The mother-in- 
 law of Edwin M. Stanton. The other whose face time 
 has mellowed to autumnal sweetness and perfection? 
 The mother of Senator Trumbull. No, no ; that picture 
 
th^ oIvIvia letters 51 
 
 of delicacy and grace, arrayed in silk tinted with the 
 shade of a dead forest leaf, with dead gold ornaments to 
 match? Why, that is the queen of fashion — the wife of 
 a Senator, the daughter of Chief Justice Chase. 
 
 No more time to notice those chosen amongst the wo- 
 men. The Senate has assembled, and General Butler has 
 the floor. He takes the largest, most comprehensive view 
 of the case. He is going to make his mark upon the age, 
 if he has not already. He seems the very incarnation of 
 force and will. He is followed by Judge Nelson of Ten- 
 nessee, one of the President's counsel. Originally a 
 preacher, I am told, he brings the same kind of persua- 
 sion to bear upon the Senate that he would upon rebel- 
 lious sinners. As the Senate do not look upon themselves 
 in that light, it follows that something more substantial 
 will have to be used; but, as the President has chosen 
 each of his counsel for certain personal qualifications, it is 
 very probable that he expects nothing but flowery senti- 
 ment from him — the ornamental, instead of the useful. 
 Judge Curtis, the ablest of the President's counsel, said 
 but very little, seeming well content with Judge Nelson's 
 waste of words. Wilson, of Iowa, one of the ablest ju- 
 dicial minds in the country, made a few remarks, of which 
 law was the cubic measure; and, after some amendments 
 and voting, the day and the people vanished; and thus 
 ended one of the great historical days of the age. 
 
 Olivia. 
 
MRS. SENATOR WADE. 
 
 The; Maker o^ and Sharer in Her Husband's 
 Triumphs. 
 
 Washington, March ly, 1868. 
 
 A calm steals over the restless political waters, and 
 whilst we are waiting for the next act in the great drama 
 let us draw near those who, by the sudden turn of the 
 wheel of fate, are lifted high above the multitude. Never, 
 even in the days of the French Revolution, have the wo- 
 men performed more conspicuous parts in the national 
 play of politics than at the present time in Washington. 
 It can truthfully be said that there is nothing so malig- 
 nant and heart-rending in its effects upon a good man as 
 the burning desire to be President. God help the man 
 when this iron has entered his soul, for this fiery ambi- 
 tion drinks up every other sweet virtue, just as the July 
 sun licks up the purling brook and precious dew drop. 
 It is not man alone who is consumed by ambition; it is 
 woman also, who, in this as well as in everything else, 
 often takes the lion's share. It was Eve who first ate of 
 the fruit, and gave it unto Adam, and he did partake of 
 it also. It is a woman who apparently has everything 
 that the visible or invisible world has to bestow, and yet, 
 like the princess in the faii-y tale, deems her place incom- 
 plete unless a roc's egg is hung in the centre of the jew- 
 eled chamber. There is only one position at the "repub- 
 lican court" that this most elegant woman has not at- 
 tained. She has never "reigned" at the White House. 
 Every other triumph has palled upon her taste, and if the 
 nation would like the finest and amongst the largest of 
 diamonds in the country to glisten in the Executive Man- 
 sion, and the most graceful and queenly woman of the 
 (52) 
 
THIJ OLIVIA LETTERS 53 
 
 day to eat bread and honey in the national pantry, they 
 will hasten to withdraw their support from any military 
 chieftain, and bestow the awful burden upon a man who 
 at this very moment is staggering under as much as any 
 faithful public servant can very well carry. 
 
 Come, reader; let us leave the dusty highway of friv- 
 olity and fashion. Come into the cool, refreshing shade. 
 You are in the presence of the woman who, in 
 all human probability, will be the one above all 
 others of her sex to whom the argus eyes of this 
 great nation will soon be directed. She is in the 
 full meridian of middle life, tall and distinguished- 
 looking, as one would imagine a Roman matron might 
 be in the days of Italian glory, and it would seem that she 
 is precisely such a mate as her bluff and out-spoken hus- 
 band would select for a life-long journey in double har- 
 ness. It is evident that he must have chosen for qualities 
 that would wear under the most trying circumstances; 
 and the material must have met his expectations, else why 
 should they bear such a strong personal resemblance to 
 each other — the very same expression of countenance — ■ 
 unless they have suffered and rejoiced together, and hand 
 in hand tasted the bitter with the sweet ? 
 
 It is well known in Washington that Mrs. Wade has 
 not the least ambition to shine in the fashionable world; 
 that she has been heard to express her exceding distaste 
 for the formal reception; it has even been whispered by 
 those who ought to know that she has the old-fashioned 
 love for the click of the knitting needles ; and the nation 
 may yet find out that the reason why Senator Wade has 
 always stood so firm for the right was because his feet 
 have been clad in stockings of domestic manufacture, for 
 this is no more astonishing than had Archimedes the 
 slightest point on which to place his fulcrum he might 
 have moved the whole world. 
 
 For many years Mrs. Wade's name has been promi- 
 nently identified with the public charitable institutions at 
 
54 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 Washington as well as elsewhere. Says the secretary of 
 the "News-Boys' Home :" "It is her private benevolence 
 that will longest be remembered, for it is yet to be known 
 when a worthy object was sent from her presence un- 
 relieved." 
 
 When we remember her scholarly culture, her exten- 
 sive reading, and her acquaintance with the best minds 
 of the age, would it not almost seem that this second 
 tragedy, this suicide instead of assassination at the White 
 House, was the providential means taken to purify the 
 halls of legislation at the very fountain head? For if 
 Senator Wade drifts into the Executive chair, through 
 no fault or effort of his own, bound by no promise to 
 friend or foe, what hinders him from seizing the helm 
 of the ship of state, and, with the aid of Congress, guid- 
 ing her out of the breakers into the calm, still waters of 
 Republican prosperity and peace? As only a Hercules 
 can perform this labor, this may account for the succes- 
 sion, as well as for Senator Wade's clear head, broad 
 shoulders, and stout heart; and when it happens that 
 there will accompany him to the Executive Mansion the 
 same social atmosphere that characterized the days of 
 Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Madison, will it not seem like a re- 
 turn of the honest simplicity of our forefathers, or like 
 the long-delayed perfecting of the Republic's youthful 
 days ? OuviA. 
 
AT THE PRESIDENT'S LEVEE. 
 
 Disgusting Manners of a Member oe the French 
 Legation — Handsome Generai^ Hancock. 
 
 Washington, March 24., 1868. 
 
 It is well known that in every country the foreign dip- 
 lomats are among the last to desert the reigning dynasty. 
 There was a new illustration of the fact in the presence of 
 so many ambassadors from abroad at the Executive Man- 
 sion last night. Conspicuous among the number was a 
 representative of the French legation, Parisian to the 
 core, Johny Crapaud in all his glory. Instead of a nose- 
 gay, Louis Napoleon's decorations dangled from a stray 
 button-hole; and when we say that his white kids were 
 immaculate, that his necktie eclipsed the proudest triumph 
 of Beau Brummel, and that he was as plain in form and 
 feature as only a Frenchman dare to be, we have a com- 
 plete picture of foreign diplomacy, one item excepted. 
 This was a little jeweled opera-glass, carried in his left 
 hand, and when our country women with bare, dazzling 
 shoulders came within a certain distance of this august 
 person, instantly the glass was leveled to an exact angle 
 with the parts exposed, and with no more fear or hesita- 
 tion than the doctor who brings the microscope to bear 
 upon a bit of porcine delicacy when the cry of trichinae is 
 heard throughout the land. This may be the perfec- 
 tion of French taste and good manners, but it is simply 
 revolting to the American. There is a difference between 
 private life and the public stage; between a Canterbury 
 danseuse and the daughter of a Senator. It is because 
 we have treated foreigners so kindly, so forbearingly, 
 that they have learned to despise us. 
 
 Between the hours of 8 and 1 1 the Executive Mansion 
 
 (55) 
 
56 THE OI.IVIA I^ETTERS 
 
 was thronged by a crowd, in many senses of the word 
 truly dramatic. There were those who went to see the 
 "show" and those who were there on exhibition. There 
 is no surer sign of deterioration in entertainments than 
 the absence of women, and last night the men outnum- 
 bered the gentler sex ten to one. No doubt these mas- 
 culines were drawn there to show their sympathy or 
 gratify their curiosity; but President Johnson seemed in- 
 different tO' all surroundings. His unreadable face was 
 lighted up by smiles, and when Jenkins tells the world 
 that he "received his friends with cordiality, and elegant 
 hospitality," he will probably be telling as near the truth 
 as Jenkins, by his profession, is allowed to come. The 
 President was flanked by his illustrious Cabinet, with one 
 exception. The head was represented by the so-called 
 Secretary of State, and Secretaiy Thomas (ad interim) 
 brought this ingenious combination to an ignoble end. 
 As the real Secretary of State was killed at or about the 
 same time as our lamented Lincoln, it would seem that 
 the present incumbent is allowed to tarry in order to prove 
 to the world what a fearful thing it is to outlive a once 
 useful, honorable and perfectly rounded life. Let this 
 great, warm-hearted nation forgive him, and inscribe on 
 his living headstone : "Here lies the man who brought 
 on his death by wanting to be President." 
 
 Secretary McCulloch, sleek, oily, blonde-haired, helped 
 to relieve the background of the Presidental picture ; and 
 to look at him one would hardly realize that he is the 
 rock upon which so many officeseekers' hopes have been 
 split; and yet there is a certain snap about his mouth 
 that would remind one of a tobacco-box shut up and put 
 away for future use. A fine-faced, matronly woman 
 clung to his arm, clad in shimmering sea of green moire 
 antique, with almost any number of milky pearls on her 
 person, and strangers called her Mrs. McCulloch. 
 Father Gideon occupied the same position and appeared 
 in the same attitude that he does in the grreat historical 
 
THE OLIVIA I.ETTERS 57 
 
 , picture painted by Carpenter. Ever since he has come 
 into possession of the goose that lays the golden egg he 
 has helped every President to a seat on his shoulders, 
 just as Sinbad was aided by the "Old Man of the Sea;" 
 and if our next President becomes saddled, it is only the 
 seal of the great Solomon or more than mortal heroism 
 that can cope with this naval magician, for to all appear- 
 ance he is to be a national fixture for all time to come. 
 Secretary Browning is a medium sized, sunny-faced man, 
 attractive as a streaked apple. He had a youthful, pretty 
 woman on his arm, and it was apparent to everybody that 
 if any one resigned his Department in order to attend to 
 the President, or other important business, affairs would 
 be looked after as faithfully as the Attorney-Gerteral's, 
 or with the same diligent routine that stamps him an 
 efficient Secretary of the Interior. 
 y General Hancock was there, the handsomest man a ■. 
 
 /woman's eyes ever rested upon in the military service. \ 
 No matter about his record in New Orleans; no matter 
 about the dubious reasons that brought him to Washing- 
 ton. Queen Bess, one of the greatest women that ever 
 lived, would have made him prime minister at once, and 
 if Andrew Johnson wishes to emulate this illustrious 
 woman, and add glory to his declining reign, none but a 
 Senate lost to the most exquisite emotions will interfere. 
 Towering a whole head and shoulders above foreign min- 
 isters and all others in the room, one's eyes must be raised 
 to view the stars on his shoulders, just as they are lifted 
 to the flaming star that rests upon the strap of Perseus, 
 proving him to be one of the greatest generals in the 
 heavens. 
 
 Heretofore a President's levee has been a fair sample 
 of different layers of society; this last one has been the 
 exception. There were the President's few confidential 
 advisers, and those allied to him through interest who 
 remained in the room with him, dividing and sharing the 
 honor which they must feel is slipping away. Secretary 
 
58 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 Seward received by the side of Mrs. Patterson. General 
 Hancock held his reception a short distance from the 
 President; whilst the policeman on duty and Marshal 
 Gooding, who has to perform the task of introduction, 
 looked as if they wished the farce was over. The East 
 Room seemed an immense bee-hive, swarming with black- 
 coated honeybees, and if the truth must certainly be told, 
 the queens were as scarce as in any other well-behaved, 
 respectable hive. At precisely ii o'clock the Marine 
 Band tied up their shining horns and scattered in the 
 darkness, the guests vanished, and the Executive Man- 
 sion was left to its uneasy dreams. Olivia. 
 
MARY CLEMMER AMES. 
 
 Tribute to the Tai^knted Correspondent oe the 
 New York Independent. 
 
 Washington, March 31, 1868. 
 
 The fourth day of the trial of the great impeachment 
 case is made memorable by the speech of Benjamin F. 
 Butler. Whilst he was completing his tower of brilliancy 
 and logic, the lightning was playing with the beginning of 
 it, and when he had finished the great cities of the Union 
 were as wise as we who sat within the sound of his voice. 
 The struggle to obtain tickets equalled, if it did not ex- 
 ceed, the opening day of the trial, and the same elegant, 
 aristocratic crowd filled the galleries, the women, as 
 usual, outnumbering the men. The only really odious 
 thing connected with the trial is the ticket system. 
 Suppose a crowd does gather in the Capitol, the most per- 
 fect order prevails, and there are so' many police on duty 
 that it is very easy to protect the Senate and push back 
 the waves of humanity. The grocer's wife, the hum- 
 blest citizen, has just as much right to hear the impeach- 
 ment trial as the wife or the friend of a Congressman; 
 and when the galleries are properly filled, what hinders 
 the police from meeting the late comers and turning their 
 unwilling footsteps away? Anything that smacks of aris- 
 tocracy or exclusiveness should instantly be put under the 
 feet of every American citizen. It is the masses who are 
 the real aristocracy, because they are the source of all 
 power ; and the moment our public servants dare to draw 
 lines that in any way interfere with this great, good- 
 natured maelstrom, the least .of this mass can put a stone 
 in a sling which will do as good execution as the pebble of 
 the immortal David. 
 
 (59) 
 
6o The; olivia letters 
 
 Senator Wade has left the chair and Chief Justice 
 Chase immediately succeeds him. For an instant let us 
 survey this cold, haughty, handsome face. Not for a 
 moment could one imagine fire coursing along his veins. 
 His lips move, but only inarticulate sound reaches the 
 gallery. The New York Independent must be mistaken 
 when it says "he has become the friend of Andrew John- 
 son, the idol of the young Democracy." Ambition may 
 consume him with its unquenchable fire, but with the 
 corpse of William H. Seward before his eyes he will 
 never commit suicide. The Senate chamber is as quiet as 
 a vaulted tomb. The orator of the day arises, and thou- 
 sands of eyes are brought to a sudden focus. Benjamin 
 F. Butler has -the floor. History has associated the name 
 of Burke with Warren Hastings ; and inseparably linked 
 must be the names of Butler and Andrew Johnson. Mr. 
 Butler is not an orator. He did not attempt to impress a 
 jury. He simply read a great speech to the whole coun- 
 try, expecting the people to read it after him, and weigh 
 its argtunents discriminately ; to note the strong points, 
 and feel that Benjamin F. Butler had proved himself 
 equal to the task imposed upon him as a trusted servant 
 of the American people. In making up the gifts for this 
 rare son, it must be said that Old Mother Nature denied 
 him beauty ; but he had managed to outwit the fickle old 
 dame and come out even with her at last, for amongst 
 the few beautiful women in the gallery Blanche Butler, 
 the petite daughter, was fairest amongst the fair. "What 
 a strong resemblancce between the two!" you say. The 
 crooked eyes are straightened, a little added to their size, 
 and the same fire is flung into them both. In one case 
 you have a pair of Oriental almonds, seen nowhere out- 
 side of Correggio's Madonnas. In the other, you have 
 eyes belonging to Benjamin Butler. The description 
 ends. There is nothing on earth out of which to manu- 
 facture comparison. 
 
 In the exclusive crowd which filled the galleries, it may 
 
THS OUVIA LETTERS 6 1 
 
 be said there were two grand divisions — the aristocracy 
 and the press. The first named were elevated to their 
 seats by their social relations; the latter by the divine 
 right of being anointed sovereigns in the world of mind, 
 born to their inheritance, like the Bourbons and Haps- 
 burgs. Conspicuous amongst the limited but strictly ex- 
 clusive set might be seen the delicate, spiritual iact of 
 Mary Clemmer Ames, of the New York Independent. 
 She writes poetry; the newspapers tell us all that. She 
 also writes stately, solemn prose. Sometimes it is bitter 
 and pungent, as many of our public men know. How 
 easy and smooth the machinery of her mind must work ! 
 There are no sudden jars in the cogwheels of her brain, 
 for her face is almost as smooth as a dimpled babe's. She 
 is pure womanly, from the low, handsome brow tOi the 
 taper fingers, and when the time comes that woman shall 
 stand upon the true platform of equalty and justice Mary 
 Clemmer Ames, with all the rest of the same sisterhood, 
 will be remembered as the noble pioneers whose united 
 efforts alone achieved the great work. 
 
 Speaking of women in the world of mind, Anna E. 
 Dickinson addressed a fashionable audience here last 
 night, and as we have taken a solemn oath to say nothing 
 but honest words we must say that we don't like to hear 
 her' talk. That she is brilliant and gifted, that Philadel- 
 phia has reason to be proud of this talented child, it were 
 useless to deny. But God help the woman when honey 
 no longer drops from her lips, when nothing but gall 
 issues from the coral crevice! She gives the Republican 
 party no credit for what it has done, but only heaps abuse 
 and scurrility upon it because it has not done more. She 
 hurls arguments at the heads with sledge-hammer blows, 
 but she forgets to use woman's strongest, surest, most 
 fatal weapon — that jeweled, nameless, enchanted dagger, 
 that, if found in the hand of the weakest among us, never 
 fails of reaching the heart. OhiviA. 
 
AT THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL. 
 
 "Ad Interim" Thomas Flayed by General Butler — 
 Kindness oe the Wiee oe Senator Wilson. 
 
 Washington, April 14, 1868. 
 
 The interest surrounding the impeachment trial deep- 
 ens. The blows of the aggressive Butler are met and 
 sometimes parried by the sharp rapier of Evarts or the 
 stout claymore of Stanbery. The President has wisely 
 chosen some of the subtlest minds in the counti-y to de- 
 fend him, and it is almost worth the fruit of a lifetime to 
 sit in the presence of such a court, the jury composed of 
 the choicest men of each sister State, the lawyers upon 
 both sides the picked men of the country, whilst some of 
 the witnesses have a world-wide reputation, and the spec- 
 tators, with but few exceptions, are rare exotics, gathered 
 from the best hothouses in the land. 
 
 The sparring on both sides during Friday and Saturday 
 was a perfect feast to those who like to see mind meet 
 mind — who enjoy the din and crash of ideas; but what 
 is the use of stirring up the cesspool into which Andrew 
 Johnson has plunged, and for whom there is no earthly 
 resurrection ? Is not the country sick unto death of these 
 poisonous exhalations? Andrew Johnson has broken the 
 laws of the land. In the name of the humblest citizen, 
 what can be offered in his defence ? 
 
 The Sage of the Tribtine says, "Stick to the point, gen- 
 tlemen; stick to the point," and a placard to this effect 
 should be paraded before their eyes in every loyal paper 
 of the country. The President's conversations with Gen- 
 eral Sherman and other officers are of no more impor- 
 tance to the people of the United States than his delicate 
 semi-official talk with Mrs. Cobb. If we are to have one, 
 
 (62) 
 
THE OLIVIA IvETTERS 63 
 
 why not the other ? Why not let the land shake its rocky 
 sides, and one broad grin stretch its awful mouth from 
 Plymouth Rock to the silver sands of the Pacific slope? 
 "Stick to the point, gentlemen ; stick to the point." 
 
 For all future time General Lorenzo Thomas will be 
 known only as "Ad Interim" Thomas. Even the news- 
 boys cry, "Here's your evening paper. Testimony of 'Ad 
 Interim.' " If the poet had only lived long enough to 
 have seen this man he would never have written, "Frailty, 
 thy name is woman!" unless he had put in a clause inti- 
 mating that sometimes Dame Nature in her haste makes 
 mistakes; for Nature intended Lorenzo Thomas to be 
 feminine. She gave him a slender waist and sloping 
 shoulders, arched instep and taper fingers, and in place of 
 a beard planted a few seed on his chin ; and long years of 
 cultivation have only proved that some productions of 
 nature will not flourish on a foreign soil. If any more 
 proof were necessary it is his testimony before the Senate 
 on Friday, when he says : "Mr. Stanton put his arm 
 around my neck, as he used to do, in a familiar manner, 
 and says — " No matter about that. As the heroic and 
 honorable Secretary of War thus far has made no mis- 
 take, is it not to be inferred that he knew what was so 
 deftly hidden from mortal view? The spiritual inter- 
 course between the two must have been complete. 
 
 If anything more was wanting to touch a sympathetic 
 chord in every woman's soul in the vast galleries, to 
 bring her nearer in sympathy with Lorenzo Thomas, it 
 was the cruel, merciless way in which General Butler 
 laid bare the heart of this interesting witness. He 
 brought his little amiable foibles and weaknesses to light 
 of day, just as the surgeon brings out the queer things 
 with the dissecting knife. The galleries breathed easy 
 when the tortures were over. 
 
 It was refreshing, at last, to see the soldierly form of 
 General Sherman advancing to the witness stand. There 
 are some handsomer men in the Senate chamber at this 
 
64 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 moment, but none of finer or more exquisite workman- 
 ship. The high forehead and eagle eyes ; the thin, quiver- 
 ing nostril, and square manly shoulders; the muscles of 
 wire-drawn steel. Like an exquisite stringed instrument, 
 he must be kept up to concert pitch, and then follows such 
 ravishing melody; but out of tune, or with a string 
 broken, horrible discord would be sure to follow. He 
 may be the best of husbands and fathers, but it is very 
 plain that Nature was intent upon fashioning a good sol- 
 dier, a leader amongst men, and in this particular instance 
 she had made no mistake. 
 
 Reader, let your mind's eye wander to the galleries. At 
 the right of the diplomatic seats sits a woman reminding 
 us of an English duchess. She is not delicate or sylph-like ; 
 on the contrary, nothing shall be said about avoirdupois. 
 She is elegant and distinguished looking. Her black, 
 flowing drapery is moire antique; a costly camel's-hair 
 shawl is thrown carelessly back from her shoulders, and 
 lilac plumes dance and flutter with every turn of her head ; 
 amethysts and diamonds hang suspended from her ears, 
 and her left hand sparkles with the weight of a moderate 
 fortune. Would you know her title? It is the same 
 whose name flew all over the country in connection with 
 the Prince of Wales at the time the Gothamites feasted 
 the Prince and provided him with a partner also. It will 
 be remembered that on that most important evening the 
 floor fell into the cellar, and there are people of to-day 
 who are no wiser than to say, "No wonder! No won- 
 der!" In the sky of wealth and fashion in Washington, 
 this queenly woman is a flaming star of the first magni- 
 tude; or, more properly speaking, she is the Pleiades, 
 Hyades, and possibly the "big dipper" also. 
 
 And now, reader, you are to know about the wife of a 
 Senator who is not in her coveted seat to-day, for the 
 reason that she has given to one of her husband's constit- 
 uents her ticket, and, therefore, like the humblest amongst 
 us, has to remain at home. Would you know this pure 
 
the: OLIVIA LETTERS 65 
 
 type of womanhood, who says with her own Hps, "We 
 owe more to our constituents than to ourselves" ? Would 
 you know the woman whose sincere pity goes unchal- 
 lenged amidst all this frivolity and wickedness, and whose 
 unostentatious charity would be as refreshing and as 
 broadcast as the evening dew if the source of supply 
 was as unfailing as her own generous heart? Scarcely 
 a public institution of charity exists in Washington with- 
 out her name on the roll call and she alone gathered the 
 first thousand dollars that made the "Newsboys' Home" a 
 success. 
 
 There are holy places in the mosque of the Moslems 
 where only the "faithful" can tread with unsandaled feet, 
 and there are some human lives so purified and exalted 
 that only the pen of the Recording Angel is worthy to 
 transfix their fleeting lights and shadows, their struggles 
 in their upward flight. Ah! reader, would you know 
 why Senator Wilson lies so close to the heart of cold, 
 haughty Massachusetts; why he has the least of this 
 world's goods of any man in Congress ; why he fights so 
 manfully for the poor and down-trodden ; why he is one 
 of the most popular and best-beloved men in the land ? It 
 is because he is strengthened and solaced and the armor 
 
 Olivia. 
 
HON. BENJAMIN F. WADE. 
 
 Considered the Proper Size for Presidential 
 Timber. 
 
 Washington, April 21, 1868. 
 
 The dying throes of the rebelHon end with the impeach- 
 ment trial. Whilst Grant crushed the head of the reptile 
 in Virginia, and Sherman's swarming legions cut the 
 monster in twain, it is left for a loyal Congress to deal 
 with that part of the serpent which it is said "never dies 
 till the sun goes down." The death-dealing rattle of the 
 Ku Klux Klan is borne to us on the breath of the soft 
 south wind ; the lonely cane-brake still echoes the hunted 
 fugitive's cry; the hand of palsy grasps our Southern sis- 
 ter States; and the nation is heart-sick, well nigh unto 
 death. But the warm glow of another sunrise is upon us. 
 A new day already dawns in the East, and the coming 
 man stands before the people, whom destiny has called to 
 be the leader, and to guide the ship of state into a peaceful 
 sea. All hail ! Benjamin F. Wade, of Ohio. 
 
 Massachusetts spared him room to be born, but the 
 great West nourished him upon her broad bosom, and 
 there his mind drank in the grand landscape of dimpled 
 lake and sunny, dew-kissed prairie, and there he learned, 
 irrespective of color or sex, devotion to his race. 
 
 A self-made man like our own lamented Lincoln, look- 
 ing out upon the world with the same kind, brown eyes ; 
 but there the comparison ends. Mr. Wade is not tall, 
 ungainly, or awkward. Rather above the medium height, 
 broad shouldered, he was apparently built for use instead 
 of ornament, like a printing-press or a steam engine. 
 Handsome, for the reason that not a weak place in form or 
 feature shows itself; comely, because every point is purely 
 (66) 
 
THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 67 
 
 masculine, with no trace of the other sex, unless his 
 mother's soul looks out of his brown eyes — for it is well 
 known that Mr. Wade is one of the kindest men in Con- 
 gress, also woman's best and truest friend. It is for this 
 alone that we stand in his presence with uncovered head. 
 It was Senator Wade who brought the bill before_ Con- 
 gress giving to woman in the District of Columbia the 
 right to hold her own property and earnings in direct op- 
 position to the rights of a dissolute husband. It was his 
 personal efforts in the beginning that changed the laws of 
 Ohio in woman's favor ; and, to use his own language : 
 "I did not do it because they are women but because it is 
 right. The strong have no business to oppress the weak." 
 Sitting in his presence the other day, we ventured to 
 remark, "How did it happen, Mr. Wade, that you signed 
 the petition of Mrs. Frances Lord Bond, recommending 
 her for a consulate? Would you really advise the country 
 to give a woman such a position ?" 
 
 The spirit of mirth danced over his face as he replied, 
 "I would sign any petition that reads as that did. It said, 
 'if she could perform the services better than any one 
 else?' I had a doubt in my mind about that; but if she 
 could do the work better than any one else I would not 
 prevent her because she is a woman." 
 
 There has been a time within the memory of us all 
 when a shuddering chill has crept up to the vitals of the 
 nation. Then a plain, straightforward honest man was 
 lifted above all others, far up to the highest pinnacle of 
 power. As God gave him light to see the right, he led 
 us through the smoke of battle, over the burning desert 
 of war, and when the green oasis of peace was in view, 
 he fell by the bullet of the assassin. Is it Fate, is it God, 
 who reaches forth his hand and again lifts another 
 straight-forward, unpretending man to the highest place 
 in the gift of the American people? As a Senator, who 
 had a purer record? In every crisis, on every national 
 question, who for a moment doubted where Ben Wade 
 
68 THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 would be found ? Who ever caught him balancing on the 
 top of the fence, if the seeds of life or death were to be 
 sown broadcast over the land? Admitting that he has 
 none of the polish of Chesterfield ; that he sometimes nails 
 his sentences with words noted for strength rather than 
 for elegance and beauty (or that might be left out alto- 
 gether) ; that he may not possess all the classical culture 
 that some of his brother Senators may boast; yet, as a 
 people sore and heavy laden, let us thank our Maker for 
 Benjamin F. Wade — kind, noble, honest citizen, great, 
 not in himself, for men themselves are paltry, but great, 
 just like a mathematical figure which stands to repre- 
 sent the distance of the sun. He may be rubbed out, like 
 the digit on the big blackboard, but the principles em- 
 bodied in him are as enduring as the mountains of gran- 
 ite of his own native State. Oeivia. 
 
TWO NOTABLE WOMEN. 
 
 Mrs. Kati: Chase; Sprague and Mrs. Oak^s Ames. 
 
 Washington, April 2^, 1868. 
 
 Like a rolling avalanche, impeachment gathers in size 
 and velocity as it rushes on to its final resting place. The 
 testimony has all been taken ; the arguments have already 
 commenced. Manager Boutwell occupied many hours 
 yesterday in reading his argiunents. This able effort will 
 soon find its way into every household in the land, there 
 to be weighed and judged discriminately; but Manager 
 Boutwell is no wizard or brownie, and therefore cannot 
 go himself where his words will fly. How does he look, 
 and what could he see if he should take his eyes off the 
 printed page and glance hither and yon, to the right, to 
 the left, or, with both at once, make a grand Balaklava 
 charge? Is it possible for a man to get to that point in 
 his life when the mind's fruit hangs in clustered perfec- 
 tion, like the juicy purple grape of mid-autumn? 
 
 Manager Boutwell is in the zenith of life, rather under 
 the medium size and compact, and when tested gives the 
 true ring of the genuine coin, or a perfect piece of porce- 
 lain, handsome enough for all the practical uses of life, 
 but nothing startling or electrical about him, like Benja- 
 min Butler; and it would seem as if wily Massachusetts 
 was wide awake, as she has furnished two managers. But 
 in case General Butler should exhaust himself like fiery 
 Vesuvius, behold there is Boutwell, cool, solemn, eternal 
 as the glacier-crowned Alps. 
 
 Mr. Boutwell is a good speaker, but his reading seems 
 wearisome, and yet the galleries listen with attention; at 
 least it is very quiet in there — not a breath of air tO' spare. 
 
 There is a faint odor of exquisite perfume exhaling 
 
 (69) 
 
70 run OLIVIA L^TTIJRS 
 
 from hundreds of snowy, cob-web handkerchiefs ; dainty- 
 women scattered here and there, everywhere. Paris has 
 Eugenie ; Washington has Mrs. Senator Sprague, the ac- 
 knowledged queen of fashion and good taste. She occu- 
 pies a seat at the left of the reader. Her costume is just 
 as perfect as the Hly or the rose. She is a hlac blossom 
 to-day. Not a particle of jewelry is visible upon her per- 
 son. She has copied her bonnet from the pansy or wood 
 violet. A single flower, of lilac tinge, large enough for 
 the "new style," rests upon her head, and is fastened to 
 its place by lilac tulle so filmy that it must have been 
 stolen from the purple mists of the morning. An ex- 
 quisite walking dress of pale lilac silk has trimmings a 
 shade darker, whilst lilac gloves conceal a hand that 
 might belong to the queen of fairies. Is she a woman or 
 a flower, to be nipped by the frost ; to be pressed between 
 the leaves of adversity ; or, alas ! to grow old and wither ? 
 Impossible ! She is a flower of immortality ; not perfect, 
 it is true, as other letter-writers say, but she happens to 
 be placed in a sphere where perfection is expected, and 
 she is mortal like the rest of us. She shrinks from the 
 hard and lowly task of visiting the wretched hut, the sick, 
 and the afflicted. So do Victoria and Eugenie, whose 
 fame is wafted to us across the great water. 
 
 To the left of the queen sits another woman distin- 
 guished in Washington society. It is the wife of a mil- 
 lionaire — Mrs. Oakes Ames of Massachusetts. She is a 
 handsome matron, in the early autumn of life. She has 
 no desire to shine in the fashionable world, and her smil- 
 ing face would only come out the brighter after an eclipse 
 of that kind. Her elegant parlors are headquarters for 
 old-fashioned hospitality, and to those who possess the 
 "open sesame" she is always at home. But it is in Massa- 
 chusetts that she finds her true sphere. There she is the 
 wife of the baronet, the "Lady Bountiful of the neighbor- 
 hood," surrounded by her husband's tenantry or working 
 people. It is the "squire's wife" who visits the lowly cot- 
 
THK OLIVIA IvIITTERS 7 1 
 
 tage, bringing sunshine and temporal relief. It is the 
 "squire" who pays the clergyman his salary, that his peo- 
 ple may be saved through no loss of spiritual grace, and 
 instead of going to London for the winter they come to 
 Washington. What! Gossips, you say; but it is an ad- 
 mitted fact. Olivia. 
 
JUDGE NELSON. 
 
 The; President's Counseiv During the Impeachment 
 Trial. 
 
 Washington, April bj, 1868. 
 
 Another effort of the immortal mind has been inscribed 
 upon the scroll of fame. Judge Nelson, of Tennessee, has 
 spoken in behalf of the President, and only the pen of 
 genius can do justice tO' this dewy, refreshing speech as it 
 fell upon the American Senate. 
 
 When it is known that Judge Nelson dropped the cowl 
 of the monk for the lawyer's pointed lance, it is not aston- 
 ishing that he mistook the Senate for a set of Tennessee 
 sinners, and appealed to its feeling instead of its judg- 
 ment. This most interesting speech was interspersed 
 with poetry, borrowed for the occasion, to be sure, but of 
 equal use and effectiveness — nevertheless, like mourning 
 garments, borrowed from friendly neighbors ; and yef the 
 speech was destitute of all solemnity. A rich vein of 
 humor coursed through it, and the Senate seemed to enjoy 
 the repose so much needed after the strong arguments of 
 Mr. Boutwell. 
 
 It is said Andrew Johnson chose Nelson for these very 
 qualities ; but, gratifying as it may have been to the Presi- 
 dent, it did not find favor in the minds of those who are 
 friendly to the lost cause. A genuine sneer curled itself 
 up and nestled in all the hide-and-seek places in the deli- 
 cate face of William M. Evarts, while stately Mr. Groes- 
 beck seemed severely offended. Members of Congress 
 folded their unseen tents and silently stole away ; the Chief 
 Justice uncoiled his dignity just enough to catch a breath 
 of the fluttering breeze; and the high court of impeach- 
 ment was relieved as if by an unexpected holiday. 
 (72) 
 
the; OLIVIA LETTERS 73 
 
 Judge Nelson was a semi-rebel — a sort of Tennessee 
 neutral — during the rebellion, and it has not been ascer- 
 tained whether it was for this reason that Andrew John- 
 son chose him for the defence; but it is now known be- 
 yond a doubt that minister and lawyer are so ingeniously 
 mixed in the judge's composition that a third compound 
 is the result, bearing no more resemblance to the first in- 
 gredients than soap bears to oil and alkali. 
 
 Mr. Groesbeck had the floor next — apparently a good, 
 strong man, bearing the same relation to the human fam- 
 ily that a fair, rosy-cheeked apple does to the remainder 
 of the fruit in the orchard. Like Mr. Stanbery, he 
 pleads illness. His voice seemed in the last stages of col- 
 lapse. It is very difficult to catch the hoarse sentences in 
 the galleries. There is nothing flashing, brilliant, or elec- 
 trical in his speech, and if there were, it would be entirely 
 lost, unless it rose, cloud-like, into the galleries. Hard, 
 cold, flinty argument must be hurled upon the impassive 
 Senate. Mr. Groesbeck seems to be aware of this fact, 
 as he contends against the odds. 
 
 The gallery wears its usual high-toned, fashionable 
 elegance. A real hothouse of rare human exotics is gath- 
 ered together, partaking of the same weaknesses and de- 
 sires that animate creation in the humbler spheres of life. 
 Some of these exquisite butterflies have a way of spread- 
 ing their voluminous crinoline to the exclusion oi some 
 unfortunate in want of a seat ; but as soon as an acquaint- 
 ance makes an appearance, in the twinkling of an eye 
 space is evolved from a minus quantity and immediately 
 occupied, and the real honest possessor has no redress 
 except in repeating an ave, or declaiming mentally the 
 touching poem of "sour grapes." 
 
 Allowing it to be exceedingly gratifying, it is not good 
 taste to be eating in public. History tells us that a great 
 monarch used to take his emetics and vomit gracefully in 
 the presence of the court, but even royalty could not add 
 dignity to, nor throw a rosy glamor over, one of Nature's 
 
74 1*HE OUVIA LK'TTERS 
 
 disgraceful freaks. And in the high court of impeach- 
 ment no pink-lipped, amber-haired beauty can afford to 
 distort her features and wantonly assail the ears of her 
 neighbors by cracking nuts with her pearly teeth. If a 
 woman has neither youth nor beauty, and commits the 
 same fatal error, "Angels and ministers of grace de- 
 fend us !" OwviA. 
 
A FAITHFUL SERVANT. 
 
 A Comprehensive Review oe the Liee Work oe 
 Hon. Thaddeus Stevens. 
 
 Washington, April 28, 1868. 
 
 After the storm and cloud of an eventful life, Thad- 
 deus Stevens lingers on the disc of the Western horizon, 
 surrounded by the glory of departing day. As he stands 
 the central figure in the House of Representatives, he 
 likewise occupies the same place at the manager's table 
 in the high court of impeachment. Like Lord Brough- 
 am, his intellectual powers seem to lose little by age, and 
 his argument in behalf of the House has none superior, 
 if any equal to it. Short, compact, conclusive, it was 
 made up of the cream of the whole matter in the dispute. 
 On the day of its delivery, as the Chief Justice ceased 
 speaking, the galleries were hushed into more than at- 
 tentive silence. Slowly the venerable speaker advanced 
 to a chair on the platform so as to be able to face the 
 Senate, his position being at the same time such that he 
 could be plainly seen by the crowd in the vast galleries, 
 who were listening, intent on catching the faintest word. 
 He seemed to be impressed with the solemnity of the sur- 
 roundings, also to realize that the present difort was to 
 be the last great crowning work of his life. Slowly he 
 rose, trembling, yet brilliant as the flame that sometimes 
 shoots upward when the taper burns low in the socket 
 before it expires. His reading, at first low and tremu- 
 lous, grew stronger and stronger until it reached every 
 nook of the vast Senate chamber. As he sat in his easy 
 chair, the beholder could not help but feel that Thaddeus 
 Stevens lives to prove to the world the immortality of the 
 soul. He shows that the body is not necessary to human 
 
 (75) 
 
y^ TH^ OlylVIA LETTERS 
 
 existence. He shows that passion can live notwithstand- 
 ing the fire of Hfe is nearly out ; and though every window 
 of his mansion of clay is broken, and through each rent 
 and crevice the storm of the outer world pours in, yet, 
 like a couchant lion in his den, his mind is ready to spring 
 upon an adversary ; and in any work that devolves upon 
 the servants of the country, Thaddeus Stevens is ready 
 to accept the royal share. 
 
 As every season of the year has its beauties, so has 
 every season of life. Though it be winter, it is only the 
 poor who sigh for the summer heats. He who is rich 
 in intellect, though he stands upon the snows of age, par- 
 takes of the holiest and most elevated joys. Far up the 
 mountain the traveler has ascended. Human life, with 
 its contentions and struggles, is spread out before him in 
 the valley below. He can look down upon his fellow- 
 man kindly, lovingly, for he sees the thorn and the 
 bramble, the hidden ditch and the concealed stone, over 
 which his brother may stumble and sometimes falls. But 
 as he climbs higher and still higher, the valley, with its 
 smiling river and fairy dells, fades imperceptibly, the 
 twilight of the upper world surrounds him, and he sees, 
 both above and below, in letters of living fire, the single 
 word JUSTICE; and happy is he who, like Thaddeus 
 Stevens, has made this solemn word his song by day, his 
 pillar of fire by night, for eternal justice is the living God. 
 
 A great many years ago, a Green Mountain boy was 
 fairly embarked on the ocean of life. No gaily-painted 
 merchantman was at his command; only a little life- 
 boat, whose paddles were a pair of strong hands; no 
 supplies, only those so deftly hidden away in the cunning 
 recesses of his brain. In the beginning he said it is not 
 good to be alone ; so he fashioned himself a banner, in- 
 scribed with the golden letters of Universal Justice, Lib- 
 erty, and Education. With this flag upon his bosom, 
 singlehanded and alone, he fought the ignorant preju- 
 dices of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This 
 
TH]S OLIVIA LETTERS ^J 
 
 childless bachelor said the State should be taxed to edu- 
 cate the children. Was it light from the Infinite shining 
 upon Mr. Stevens that enabled him to see deeper into the 
 welfare of these children than their own parents or 
 guardians? He met the most powerful opposition, but 
 proved himself as invulnerable as Achilles without a 
 heel. He conquered. The commonschool system of 
 Pennsylvania owes its being to Thaddeus Stevens, and 
 unborn myriads may owe their success in life to this great 
 benefactor. 
 
 There was weeping and wailing heard through the 
 centuries. The stifled sob of slave mothers smote the 
 air because their babes were sold into bondage, and 
 though they might be living on the earth yet were dead 
 to them forever. The slave-pen lifted its atrocious head 
 and flaunted its pestilential shadows within the call of the 
 nation's capital. The auctioneer's voice rang shrill and 
 clear, going! going! gone! whilst the American Shy- 
 lock advanced and paid for his pound of human flesh. 
 The torturing chain and lash were held in the hand of 
 the overseer, and with no hope, no refuge, for the fugi- 
 tive but the deadly morass or more desolate canebrake, 
 there to be followed by the keen-scented bloodhound or 
 his still more relentless foe. The people of Israel lay 
 prostrate with faces buried in the dust, forgotten by the 
 nations of the earth, apparently forgotten by their God. 
 But the clouds of wrath gathered, and at last overspread 
 the whole land. The youthful Republic saw, for the first 
 time, a serious civil war. Although tried on many a 
 battlefield before, it was in the great war for the downfall 
 of oppression that Thaddeus Stevens sprang into exist- 
 ence as the "leader of the House." It was in the vast 
 arena of Congress, that awful place, where even more 
 than average men are lost in its immensity, that Thad- 
 deus Stevens shone with a steady unfaltering light — a 
 sun with a solar system around him. It was not alone 
 the untiring efforts of great generals, or the spilling of 
 
78 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 blood or the wasting of treasure, that saved the Hfe of 
 the nation. He who helps to keep the fountain of legis- 
 lation pure, who keeps the mantle of trust reposed in 
 him by the people clean and free from the speck or 
 blemish at all times, whether it be war or peace, is a 
 nation's benefactor. Let the nation's head be uncovered 
 in the presence of Thaddeus Stevens. 
 
 It is the work of a biographer to follow a great man 
 through a long and well spent life ; and it is extremely un- 
 fortunate that Mr. Stevens has never been known to 
 make the acquaintance of a Bos well, for how much that' 
 is crisp and readable must now be lost. It may be pleas- 
 ant to know that he has sold his lots in the two cemeteries 
 of which he was an owner because colored people were 
 refused burial in them ; though it may be possible that he 
 feels that he shall have future use for them. It is so nat- 
 ural to forget to say that a noble character has any faults. 
 But who remembers the spots on the sun? It is enough 
 to know that we owe life to its benign influence. 
 
 Long, long, will Mr. Stevens remain photographed 
 upon the minds of those who now have the honor to be- 
 hold him, as he sits in his easy chair day after day. Na- 
 ture did not make him handsome, but she fashioned him 
 with a bold, rugged outline, suggesting power and sub- 
 limity, like the solemn mountain or the surf-beaten cliff. 
 
 Olivia. 
 
JOHN A. BINGHAM. 
 
 Acquits Himsdlf With Honors in Forensic Con- 
 duct. 
 
 Washington, May /, 1868. 
 
 Never, even during the late days of storm and dark- 
 ness, has the sun set upon such scenes as were enacted 
 on the last day of argument before the High Court of 
 Impeachment. No more can it be said that the age of 
 oratory has fled, for John A. Bingham has shown that 
 there is a man amongst us who possesses the rare power 
 of electrifying the multitude; of making one vast sea 
 of humanity throb with overwhelming emotion. I might 
 as well attempt to "paint the sunbeams" as to give a de- 
 scription of his glowing words. From history he drew 
 the parallel between James the Second and our recreant 
 President. Mirabeau's immortal answer to the king's 
 usher, "Go tell your master that bayonets have no power 
 over the will of the people," seemed as if uttered anew by 
 the spirit of the great Frenchman. Never in the history 
 of the world has any man been called to plead before such 
 a bar, and for such a cause. No court has existed like it 
 in the world's annals, and no such criminal has been 
 called to answer. Only the attributes of conceded genius 
 sustained Mr. Bingham, and made him strong for the 
 work assigned to him. He seemed to feel that this trial 
 was not simply a means for the punishment of one daring 
 offender, but that it was to prove the strength and sta- 
 bility of republican institutions for all time — to prove 
 that the strongest are as imbecile before the majesty of 
 the law as the beggar of the highway. 
 
 Upon the floor of the American Senate the majestic 
 scenes of history are again repeated. One man stands out 
 
 (79) 
 
8o THi: OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 from the multitude, pleading the cause of myriads against 
 the aggressive encroachment of a wicked ruler. Every 
 inch of available space in the vast chamber contains a hu- 
 man being, and the silence of the grave prevails. Little 
 by little, blow after blow, as the sculptor chisels the 
 marble, the orator is building a monument — one which is 
 to stand through the centuries, long, long after lithe, 
 supple John A. Bingham is only a handful of dust. No 
 link is missing in the chain ; no dead sentiment clings to 
 his ideas; his perfect sentences are steeped at once in 
 logic and poetry. It is the handwriting on the wall in 
 letters of living fire. The orator closes. A momentary 
 silence like that which precedes the hurricane's crash, 
 and there arises from floor to ceiling such confusion 
 which even the vigorous blows of the Chief Justice's 
 gavel are inadequate to suppress. It was like the voice 
 of the gallant sea captain commanding the elements to 
 be still. Then Senator Grimes comes to the rescue, and 
 moves that the galleries be cleared. Senator Cameron 
 hopes that the galleries will not be cleared, and that al- 
 lowance will be made for the extraordinary occasion. 
 Mr. Fessenden and Mr . Reverdy Johnson call Mr. 
 Cameron to order, whilst Mr. Trumbull moves that 
 not only the galleries be cleared, but that all disorderly 
 persons be arrested. At the same time the British min- 
 ister and others in the diplomatic inclosure are seen ap- 
 parently contesting their rights with the doorkeepers, 
 whilst a flutter appears in the reporter's gallery similar 
 to that noticed in a flock of blackbirds when a handful of 
 shot has been remorselessly distributed amongst them. 
 From his throne, which was only a plain, cane-seated 
 chair. Manager Bingham surveys the tumult. He who has 
 sown the whirlwind smilingly surveys the storm. He is 
 weary and exhausted, and his cheek has the pallor of the 
 grave, but he feels that the applause was for him. The 
 uproar continues. At last the inexorable fiat is under- 
 stood. The galleries must be cleared upon the instant. 
 
the: OLIVIA le:ttkrs 8i 
 
 So a surging tide of humanity pours out of every open 
 door. Little knots of people are scattered here and there 
 the whole length of the long corridors, all talking about 
 the one absorbing theme. Grand tableaux of excited 
 men are grouped in the rotunda, even the stairs have 
 caught stray whisps of surplus, standing humanity, all 
 madly intoxicated with the enthusiasm of the hour. The 
 world never seems weary of Boswell's talk about Dr. 
 Johnson; and with the same desire to please, let it be 
 told that Mr. Bingham was asked how he felt after the 
 proudest triumph of his life. Using his own words : "I 
 don't know how I feel; I only know I have spoken 
 enough to make thirty columns in the Congressional 
 Globe. God knows I have tried to do my duty ; it is in 
 the hands of the Senate now. The great work of my 
 life is done." 
 
 Day after day we see our neighbor, John A. Bingham, 
 an unpretending man of simple tastes, and whose mind is 
 a storehouse of classic culture. About the average height 
 gf his fellow-men, he is far more slender and graceful, 
 and though not handsome according to the prescribed 
 rules of beauty, yet like the High Court of Impeachment, 
 which is a law unto itself, he looks like John A. Bing- 
 ham, and there is nothing better by which he can be com- 
 pared, estimated, or measured. Olivia. 
 
ANSON BURLINGAME. 
 
 His Triumphant Capture o? the Inhabitants oe 
 THE Flowery Kingdom. 
 
 Washington, June 20, 1868. 
 
 A new and startling drama is performing on the 
 world's stage. The Occident and the Orient are at last 
 united. The oldest nation on the face of the earth is 
 shaking hands with the youngest. Gray-bearded China, 
 after being hermetically sealed during the long ages, 
 opens her arms to embrace Young America, and in the 
 height of her good humor includes the rest of the world. 
 Another laurel is added to the fame of America. A 
 countryman of ours has shown what genius and courage 
 can accomplish in the great field oi diplomacy. Anson 
 Burlingame has smitten the strongholds of China as 
 Moses smote the rock in the wilderness, and the sweet 
 waters flow forth in Washington in the shape of dozens 
 of pig-tailed, almond-eyed, silken-clad Orientals, who 
 charm by their picturesqueness, and who leave the gates 
 of wonder standing ajar every day. To the eye of an 
 ordinary "barbarian" one Chinaman looks as much like 
 another as two pins from the same paper; but a very 
 close inspection shows that the two mandarins are made 
 of a little finer clay than the "suite." There is just about 
 the same difference as between their own exquisite por- 
 celain and the modern French china. 
 
 Owing to the fashionable shoes of their mother, the 
 mandarins have inherited feet made expressly for Cinder- 
 ella's slipper, whilst their delicate taper fingers vie with 
 any high-born damsel's in the land. They are exceed- 
 ingly attractive, but the sentiment they inspire is as 
 strange as themselves. It isn't the usual homage that 
 (82) 
 
THE) OLIVIA IvE:TTe:rS 83 
 
 woman gives the opposite sex, and their fluttering silken 
 skirts and fans help to keep up all sorts of illusions. They 
 have brought a miniature China with them, in the shape 
 of all that goes to sustain life — their own servants, cook- 
 ing utensils, favorite beverages, etc. 
 
 The Metropolitan Hotel had been turned into a 
 Chinese pagoda, and Minister Burlingame and his ele- 
 gant wife are the presiding seers, whilst the multitude 
 flock to offer incense at their shrines. Not an hour can 
 they call their own ; and though they are very weary this 
 exhausting weather, Mr. Burlingame says, "I am so glad 
 to meet with so much kindness from my countrymen." 
 It is this warmth — these genuine, electric flashes of the 
 soul — that melts all opposition. Since the birth of our 
 young Republic how many wise and good men have been 
 sent to China; but we must acknowledge that we never 
 sent the right man before. All honor to the young pio- 
 neer who reflects so much credit upon American di- 
 plomacy. It is a plain citizen of our Republic who intro- 
 duces the oldest monarchy to the whole civilized world. 
 
 In answer to the question, "How did you bring it 
 about?" "Bring it about?" said he. "I studied Chinese 
 character. I made them feel that we meant them no 
 harm. It has been the habit in times past, if any demand 
 or request was made by foreign powers to the Chinese 
 Government and the request was not favorably received, 
 to dispatch a gunboat to make a warm impression. This 
 never was my course of action. I never resorted to force. 
 I labored to make them feel that my propositions were 
 for our mutual good ; and," he continued, "I must not 
 forget to say how much influence women have in China ; 
 for if the two most influential women in the Empire had 
 not favored the expedition we should not have been seen 
 in this part of the world. Of these august ladies one was 
 the Empress' mother; the other the wife of the Em- 
 peror." 
 
 Mr. Burlingame did not say whether he met these 
 
84 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 ladies face to face; but, if he did, the birth of the Chi- 
 nese embassy is no longer a wonder, for even Queen Eliz- 
 abeth, one of the greatest sovereigns that ever lived, was 
 never proof against those subtle, insinuating influences 
 far easier felt than described. 
 
 Mr. Burlingame was cast in one of nature's finest 
 moulds. Towering just enough above the medium height 
 to be called commanding, with proportions as symmetri- 
 cal as a perfect tree in the forest, a face is added that is 
 strikingly classic, which attracts the eye for a moment 
 only, giving way to the spiritual impression. 
 
 Whilst this Chinese panorama was unfolding, a grace- 
 ful woman for a moment was pictured on the canvas — 
 Mrs. Burlingame, the only woman who accompanies the 
 party. There was a gleam of a pair of dark, lustrous 
 eyes; a shadow cast by the heavy coils of black, wavy 
 hair; something blue and filmy as Oriental gauze en- 
 veloped her fine figure ; a side door opened, and the vision 
 was gone. 
 
 Striking points of similarity exist between the old mon- 
 archy and the young Republic. China is divided into 
 provinces as our country is divided into States. Educa- 
 tion is within reach of all. From the humblest beginning 
 merit can rise and divide the honors with the imperial 
 blood. An inexorable fiat envelops China as with a net- 
 work of bristling steel. It is the supreme law of the land. 
 There is no appeal from its decree. It holds the highest 
 and the lowest in its vise-like grasp. Like death, it re- 
 spects no private claim. The Emperor is as impotent 
 before it as the Chinaman who has not the wherewith to 
 provide a dinner. This is the one great principle, the all- 
 powerful cohesive force which has kept this vast Empire 
 together from time immemorial. Let America try to for- 
 get the past, and in this respect walk in the footsteps of 
 the imperial China. Olivia. 
 
A TALENTED QUARTETTE. 
 
 Madame Le Vert, Gaie Hamieton, Vinnie Ream, 
 AND Mrs. Lander. 
 
 Washington, January, i86p. 
 
 A reception at the governor's mansion occupies that 
 middle ground which may be supposed to be between a 
 President's levee and the private party given by a well- 
 to-do Congressman. The governor must invite every- 
 body because he is everybody's servant, like the Presi- 
 dent, only he has no White House and paid retinue of 
 lackeys, no fuel and gas found, and no fifty thousand per 
 year. On the contrary "he must find himself," and this 
 he will be obliged to^ do whenever the enormous bills are 
 paid. If one could have seen the crowds that for four 
 mortal hours filled the governor's large dining-hall they 
 would have prayed for a repetition of the same miracle 
 that took place some eighteen hundred years ago, when 
 the bread and fish could not give out, and water was 
 spoiled by being turned into wine. 
 
 But the worst comes. We have got a governor — none 
 of your milk-and-water kind — and who looks every inch 
 a governor, as much as the great Napoleon looked like an 
 emperor. We have so many ''figure-heads," which are 
 the result of the appointing power, that when the real 
 article turns up let us thank President Grant for his act, 
 for it makes no difference to us whether he does the right 
 thing by design or mistake. But the governor's ball. 
 Everybody was there. The governor stood at the en- 
 trance of the broad door that led to the right of the hall, 
 arrayed with the usual ministerial black-looking robe, and 
 acting only as a governor should. By his side stood my 
 lady, tall, elegantly dressed in charming simplicity. She 
 
 (85) 
 
86 THK OWVIA I^ETT^RS 
 
 is still very youthful to be called to occupy so prominent 
 a place. Her dress was simple white muslin with an over- 
 dress of black velvet, white ruche at the throat with 
 tiniest of rosebuds in the pleatings ; no jewels, no' gew- 
 gaws. She must have taken Madame Thiers, the wife of 
 the early President of the French Republic, for her 
 model, or, later still, Madame MacMahon, not only the 
 first lady but one of the most sensible women in France. 
 
 The governor's mansion is admirably arranged for en- 
 tertaining large companies. The rooms seemed to be 
 fastened to the arc of a circle. The guests entered the 
 broad folding doors, followed on from room to room, 
 and came out near the point where they started; a turn- 
 ing wheel of glaring colors, a huge human kaleidoscope 
 — what better comparison? We will suppose you are 
 behind the governor, as Mephistopheles is said to have 
 stood behind Faust. But then you are only a harmless 
 correspondent, and the image is in the very worst taste; 
 and yet, even in newspaper comparisons, it is well to keep 
 all the best things for one's self. You are behind the 
 shadow of the governor — invisible, you see nothing, but 
 you feel a great deal. A turn of the wonderful kaleido- 
 scope and there comes to view the great warrior Tecum- 
 seh, sometimes called General Sherman, the Beau Bnim- 
 mel of fashionable life in Washington. Straight as one 
 of those guns he carried so successfully to the sea, and 
 just about as useful at the present day, yet very dear to 
 us, because he is the best paid for the least work of any 
 man in the Union. And yet he was seen at the Burns 
 Festival, as Avell as many other places, with Vinnie Ream 
 on his arm, and who knows what the veteran warrior 
 may have suffered? Vinnie is not large, neither is a 
 Minie ball, and yet if either one should hit the mark 
 the most direful consequences might follow. When we 
 compare Vinnie Ream to the great men who work in 
 stone she grows beautifully less, but when we compare 
 her with women she rises almost beyond feminine pro- 
 portions. She is a very small man, but a very great 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTi:rS 87 
 
 woman. Go ahead, Vinnie! Bust Tecumseh, or some- 
 body else will ! Our great men must be busted by some 
 one, and women ought to have a hand in that kind of 
 work. We intend to write a book about the famous 
 women of Washington, and you, dear, persecuted, self- 
 sacrificing little sprite, shall have almost the best place. 
 
 Another turn of the wheel. Who comes there? It 
 is our tall, lordly speaker of the House — our handsome 
 would-be next President — polished as steel, and Colfax- 
 ian to the last degree, except the smile. But he is our 
 Speaker of the House, and, as Don Quixote said about 
 his own Dulcinea, we challenge the world in his defence, 
 and if an enemy chooses to break a lance they can do so at 
 their own risk. 
 
 Here comes Mrs. Blaine, frozen as a New England 
 landscape in midwinter. The salt mist of the gray sea! 
 Ugh ! ugh ! Turn the kaleidoscope quick. The air is so 
 cold the artificial flowers are nipped by the frost. 
 
 And here is the sunny, laughing Gail Hamilton. Her 
 warm face and yellowish hair would melt an iceberg. 
 Even her dress is the color of sunbeams. Why is she not 
 sent to open the Northwest passage? It is true Franklin, 
 Kane, and Hall have failed, but that is because they did 
 not take along enough fire. And yet we could not spare 
 Gail, for what single woman would be left to teach mar- 
 ried ones how to manage their husbands? Who would 
 teach us how to bring up our children in a bazaar-like 
 way? It is true Gail Hamilton is not a mother, but this 
 may be her misfortune, besides she may not be old enough 
 to assume such enomious responsibilities in a small way. 
 
 A galaxy of stars blaze in the neighborhood of Gail 
 Hamilton. The woman in black with such elegant lace 
 is Mrs. Lander, of histrionic fame. Queen Elizabeth on 
 the stage! Queen Elizabeth in private life! This is her 
 court — dukes, lords, princes of republican blood. A wave 
 of the jeweled hand and they are gone. 
 
 A ship full-rigged, with a fair wind, in the offing. It is 
 
55 THE OWVIA LETTERS 
 
 great and good Mrs. Ann S. Stevens, Philadelphia's fair 
 jewel; long may she blaze. What a faultless costume! 
 Quaker color, and sU(Jh glorious lace. By her side stands 
 her slender, amber-haired daughter, clad in white satin 
 and tarleton, with pearls at her snowy throat and thin 
 ears ; "blooded," you may be sure of that. 
 
 Who next? Octavia Le Vert, only child of Madame 
 Le Vert — scarlet satin gown, great, black Oriental eyes, 
 exotic of the South. She makes you think of a magnolia 
 blossom, even the perfume in imagination stifles you. 
 This is Madame Le Vert, sweet, loving, trustful woman — 
 hurt her? Not much, if you only knew how to avoid it. 
 She steals your heart out of your bosom, you cannot tell 
 how; you only feel that you have missed something, you 
 search for it and it is gone. Oh ! these Southern women, 
 so savage in war, so loving, so winning in peace. Our 
 John used to say "you can't trust 'em." But who' wants 
 to trust 'em. We never expect to marry a woman if life 
 and death were staked on the result. 
 
 Another turn of the human kaleidoscope, lo! here is 
 Congressman Harmer, of Philadelphia, with his hand- 
 some wife. What a superbly matched pair. Quicker than 
 electric flash the mind goes back to Eden, to the first 
 Adam and the first Eve, and you are comforted with the 
 proof that creation goes on in pretty much the same fault- 
 less way, making pairs, each half for the other. It is 
 true there is often a missing link, but that makes the 
 union all the more beautiful by comparison of the broken 
 parts tossed helplessly on a sea of trouble. But Mrs. 
 Harmer, her dress must have been faultless, for alas, 
 nothing is remembered but her fine figure and handsome 
 face. 
 
 General and Mrs. Albright were there. Pennsylvania 
 at large had to be represented, and who could do this so 
 well as this kind-hearted, able, and accomplished woman, 
 with her husband to do all the heavy work. She reminds 
 one of a piece of sterling gold. In the course of years 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 09 
 
 she will lose no appreciable weight. How about increas- 
 ing in value? She will increase just like this precious 
 metal, for suppose we drain the country for exports, and 
 water the currency, and the bottom of the mines fall out ? 
 This is a fruitful subject, but no time to do it justice. 
 
 But there was a woman there whose gorgeous outfit 
 reminded one of the tales in the Arabian Nights. Her 
 jewels were of the rarest and most costly kind. With the 
 exception of a necklace worn by a Peruvian beauty, and 
 the Russian gems which used to adorn Madame Bodisco, 
 nothing has been seen lately at the capital so dazzling. A 
 pendant pearl, which hung from the centre of the en- 
 chanted string around her neck, was as large as the egg 
 of a humming-bird. Oh, the diamonds, the emeralds, and 
 all the other precious stones ! There was a mass of silk, 
 feathers, and lace, and no doubt a woman swaddled some- 
 where, but she could not be seen for the imprisoned glory 
 of those shining stones. She went away before 12 
 o'clock, else no doubt her godmother would have turned 
 her fine horses into mice. Who was she ? Listen, now ; 
 hold your breath ! if we must tell — the wife of the cor- 
 respondent of the New York Herald! 
 
 "Who is that man, did you say?" This is he whom 
 the cruel Don Piatt has dubbed the "Mighty Mullet," and 
 yet the facetious Don may be telling more truth than he 
 intends, for, like the noiseless coral, he is at work rearing 
 his strongholds all over the land. Think how many glor- 
 ious tombstones he will have, pyramids that will last hun- 
 dreds of years. He is our Ptolemy. Who dares dispute 
 it ? When asked his opinion -of a celebrated beauty he 
 replied : "If she only had a southern exposure and that 
 attic story was removed and a French roof put in its place, 
 she would be all right." Architecturally speaking, I 
 mean. A man never should have but one idea, if it is the 
 right one, and a great architect should have nothing but a 
 house in his head. 
 
 But the saddest part was when this great performance 
 
90 THE OLIVIA I.ETTERS 
 
 was drawing to a close. The writer, in company with 
 Colonel Magruder, went down to the subterranean re- 
 gions below. Such a sight met the eye of the spectator. 
 Colonel Magruder said that nothing had ever been done 
 in comparison to it by the board of public works. "It is 
 a matter of money. I can tell you that," said he, "and 
 no appropriation," The tables still groaned under the 
 fragments of the enormous feast. But the caterers and 
 waiters were in a fainting condition. For hours they 
 had gallantly stood at the plates, and still the coming of 
 morn would insure safety to the enemy advanced, and it 
 was feared that only besieged. The first three hours ex- 
 hausted the vast stores of both Wormley and Welcker. 
 Willard sent word that no provisions could be spared on 
 account of the hop the same evening. Cake acknowl- 
 edged that he was probably safe, because the crowd had 
 been at Belknap's and the governor's first, but as good 
 luck would have it, there was abundance for all, but, not 
 satisfied with the feast, some of the vandals in the shape 
 of men destroyed the beautiful ornaments of pyramids 
 and other elegant et ceteras made for the eye alone, in 
 order to carry off some good-for-nothing trophy. One 
 would think such manners must be found in some hun- 
 gry contractor. But, no; let us beg the workingman's 
 pardon. It is the same set of cormorants who manage to 
 get into good society. The same men who disgraced 
 themselves at Admiral Porter's and at the costly enter- 
 tainments given by the Japanese to the distingtiished 
 Americans at our capital. No one should be allowed to 
 enter the governor's mansion or a Cabinet Minister's 
 without his card of invitation. This is the only way to 
 exclude these well-dressed harpies. And yet all this 
 spoliation goes on for the women. "Angels and minis- 
 ters of grace defend us !" This must be borne, however, 
 because "women are the connecting link between men 
 and the angels." The governor's ball — the story is not 
 half told. OwviA. 
 
THE DRAGONS OF THE LOBBY. 
 
 Me;ssrs. GouLrD, Huntingdon, and Dii^lon and their 
 Cohorts. 
 
 Washington, February, i86p. 
 
 Winding in and out through the long, devious base- 
 ment passage, crawHng through the corridors, traiHng 
 its sHmy length from gallery to committee room, at last 
 it lies stretched at full length on the floor of Congress — 
 this dazzling reptile, this huge, scaly serpent of the lobby. 
 It is true. Senator Thurman is on hand fully equipped 
 with his judicial arrows; but what is Thurman — dear 
 old Thurman — in the face of such a statesman. Phila- 
 delphia's charming daughter — fair, fat and forty — em- 
 braces him with eyes whose seductive powers have only 
 been intensified by the years. A luscious, mellow ba- 
 nana; a juicy, melting peach; a golden pippin, ripened 
 to the very core. From India's coral strand comes the 
 two thousand dollar cashmere wrap that snuggles close 
 to her fair shoulders. Diamonds, brilliant as the stars in 
 Orion's jewelled belt, adorn her dainty ears, whilst silk, 
 satin, velvet, feathers, and laces prove what a railroad can 
 do when its funds are applied in the proper direction. 
 
 To-day a remarkable set of men are engaged in dig- 
 ging, burrowing, and blowing up senatorial rock — men 
 whose faces seem carved out of the very granite that 
 kissed of the Mayflower many years ago. Is it possible 
 that all the iron endurance and savage aggressiveness so 
 necessary to make indomitable character has been entirely 
 absorbed by the railroad kings? 
 
 In the Senate wing, in a room so perfect in its appoint- 
 ments that it might be taken for a jewel casket, may be 
 seen Jay Gould, the Napoleon of the hour. A small pic- 
 
 (91) 
 
92 THE OUVIA I.ETTERS 
 
 ture, but a great deal of time spent on the work. How 
 elaborately and how exquisitely finished. About the 
 height of the Little Corporal, but more delicate and slen- 
 der. A rare head, well rounded, with ears such as all 
 blooded animals possess. Pallid in complexion, like 
 every other mortal whose blood is pumped up into the 
 brain to keep the huge mental fires blazing. Eyes radiant 
 and piercing and hair tinted like the locks of the Prince 
 of Darkness. If Samson's strength lay in his curls. Jay 
 Gould's must be found in his nose, for it is a feature that 
 betrays the whole character of the man. As there is but 
 one Jay Gould on the face of the earth, there is but this 
 solitary nose, which is neither Grecian, Roman, aquiline 
 nor pug, but a nose abundantly able to poke into every 
 earthly matter and manage to come out victorious in the 
 end. His mouth is another extremely attractive feature 
 — the kind, however, that is not given to talk. It is more 
 useful as a dainty receptacle for terrapin and champagne, 
 though it may be considered a chasm of another danger- 
 ous kind, from which women are warned for all time to 
 keep modestly away. 
 
 For many months Jay Gould has kept one of the most 
 beautiful women in Washington busily employed on the 
 Congressmen, and, astonishing to relate, the Senators 
 seem rather to enjoy it than otherwise. Before Senator 
 Ben Hill made his late exhaustive railroad speech — in 
 fact, just before he arose on the Senate floor — a woman, 
 the most notorious of the lobby, had his ear. A Northern 
 Senator may listen to the "queen," but it takes the cour- 
 age of the sunny South, the rare chivalry for which that 
 clime is noted, to permit the contact in the broad, open 
 light of the day, with the eye of the press of the whole 
 country upon him. 
 
 Floating in Congressional waters, but unlike his awful 
 prototype which is securely fastened to the bottom of the 
 sea, at all hours of the legislative day may be seen the 
 burly form of Huntington, the great, huge devil-fish of 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 93 
 
 the railroad combination, bearing not the slightest re- 
 semblance to his elegant associates, so far as grace of 
 , manner or personal appearance is concerned. Cast in the 
 isame colossal mould as William M. Tweed, with all the 
 ^grossness exaggerated and all the majesty left out, he 
 ploughs the Congressional main, a shark in voracity for 
 plunder, a devil-fish in tenacity of grip ; for once caught 
 in the toils of the monster for the helpless victim there is 
 no escape. At the beginning of every session this repre- 
 sentative of the great Central Pacific comes to Washing- 
 ton as certain as a member of either branch of Congress ; 
 secures his parlors at Willard's, which soon swarm with 
 his recruits, both male and female, until scattered in the 
 proper direction by order of the commander-in-chief. 
 What a motley collection of camp followers. To the 
 naked eye are visible ex-senators and ex-members, dis- 
 charged Capitol employees who are thoroughly informed 
 as to the "ropes," whose business it is tO' warn those who 
 have the privilege of the floor the auspicious moment for 
 a successful raid. Every weakness of a Congressman is 
 noted, whilst the wily Huntington decides whether the 
 attack shall be made with weapon of the male or female 
 kind. Tall and broad, both round and square, a quiver- 
 ing mass of concentrated sensuality, bold enough to ap- 
 pear in public with the scarlet woman on his arm, a hero- 
 ism which daunts the courage of the vilest of his own sex, 
 not content with his already princely gains he now seeks, 
 like the late Jim Fisk, to lay a whole continent under his 
 avaricious tribute. Said a member of Congress : "He 
 can draw his check for hundreds of thousands of dollars ; 
 everything which is in the market he can buy." During 
 his life the time is too short for the people to learn how to 
 checkmate him. He is to this age what Alexander, Han- 
 nibal, and the great Napoleon were to the past. He gov- 
 erns, but not with cold iron or steel ; he uses keener and 
 more subtle weapons. Instead of the bullet which cleared 
 the way in a former age, man's honor is the point which 
 
94 'J'HE: OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 receives the poisoned poniard. What will be the fate 
 of the Republic when all national legislation is permitted 
 to become defiled? Within the memory of middle-aged 
 men foreign ministers were not allowed the privilege of 
 the floor. These sacred aisles have now become head- 
 quarters for the kings of lobby, who are as much at home 
 there as the Senators of the widest fame. 
 
 This is Sidney Dillon, president of the Union Pacific, 
 and one of the most superb creations to- be found within 
 the marble walls of Congress. What a princely pres- 
 ence and distinguished bearing, towering far above the 
 average of his sex in height, with features as classic and 
 clear cut as a cameo gem. In action, the embodiment of 
 an Achilles, and in repose as graceful as the statue of 
 the Greek slave. Can it be possible there is warm, red 
 fluid in his veins, or a fountain of human kindness in 
 his breast ? As he stands mentally playing with a Sena- 
 tor, he might easily be mistaken for something more than 
 human, yet neither horns nor tail are visible. What 
 power has he which the Congressmen appear to have not ? 
 Step a little closer. No sound is heard issuing from his 
 finely chiseled lips. He is speaking, but there is no ex- 
 pression at play with the classic features. Solemn, icy, 
 apparently immutable, he only needs the Hebrew cast 
 of countenance to become the living personification of the 
 Wandering Jew. Unlike Jay Gould and Huntington, 
 his work is seldom trusted to women. Though one 
 should approach him as fascinating as the serpent of the 
 Nile, as lovely as Venus, or as perfect as Hebe, the Union 
 Pacific would lean back on its everlasting snow-sheds 
 and defy the powers of darkness and Mother Eve com- 
 bined. Taken separately, or all together, no such trio 
 of men have ever appeared on the Congressional floor 
 at the capital and no such corporation has ever been 
 known to exist in the whole civilized world. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
PRESIDENT GRANT'S INAUGURAL. 
 
 Entering Upon the Duties oe the Executive. 
 
 Washington, March 5, i86p. 
 
 On the 4th of March the goddess of day arose with 
 bedraggled garments and watery eyes; but as the sun 
 advanced to her meridian the clouds trembled and dis- 
 solved in mid air, and the atmosphere grew balmy as an 
 infant's breath, and at high noon all nature seemed 
 decked in holiday mood to crown the eighteenth Presi- 
 dent of the United States. 
 
 A magic card was the "open sesame" to the Capitol, 
 and once inside, the beholder was dazzled with a picture 
 as gorgeous as anything ever beheld in the far-famed 
 halls of the Montezumas. Here were seen the great, 
 strong arms of the Government, as represented by both 
 branches of Congress, the Arniy and the Navy, and the 
 Supreme Court. The foreign ministers in their gay court 
 dresses, bespangled with decorations and shimmering 
 with gold lace, gave the last finishing touch of brilliancy 
 to the scene upon the floor. The diplomatic gallery was 
 filled with ladies through whose veins coursed the bluest 
 blood of Europe, though in personal attractions they 
 were equalled and in some cases totally eclipsed by the 
 grace and beauty of the American queens around them. 
 Never has the Senate been filled with a more aristo- 
 cratic assembly, and yet an occasional pretty Treasury 
 girl's face peeped out, proving some great man's exquisite 
 taste, as well as that exclusiveness was not carried so far 
 as to add the last feather to the camel's back. 
 
 One of the front seats had been reserved for the use of 
 Mrs. Grant and the friends who might be with her, but she 
 did not take possession of it, and it remained unoccupied 
 
 (95) 
 
96 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 during the entire ceremonies. The seat retained for 
 Mrs. Colfax and her friends was filled by that lady and 
 her relatives, while every available square inch of the 
 room in the vast gallery reflected some root, branch, or 
 favorite of the men in power to-day who represent the 
 leading Departments of the Government. 
 
 At precisely the hour of noon the buzz of whispered 
 conversation was hushed, and in came the "coming 
 man," the cynosure of all eyes, Ulysses S. Grant, who 
 was about to receive a new honor — the highest, the 
 holiest, within the gift of a sovereign people. He was 
 plainly attired in citizen's dress, nothing noticeable but 
 his yellow gloves. Many of the audience would have 
 said : "He seems as modest, diffident, and shy as ever." 
 Others would have seen a man of power, reticent, self- 
 possessed, and as far removed from his near surround- 
 ings as the first Napoleon upon the eve of battle. He 
 took his seat in front of the Vice-President's desk, where 
 he sat as immovable as though encased in armor, while 
 the President pro tempore administered the oath of office 
 to Schuyler Colfax, and pronounced a requiem by simply 
 saying, "the Fortieth Congress is no more." In clear, 
 distinct tones Mr. Colfax took the oath of office, and im- 
 mediately entered upon his duties as Vice-President of 
 the United States. 
 
 At the east front of the Capitol a different scene was 
 enacting. At a proper distance from the platform stood 
 the rank and file of the people, white, black, and inter- 
 vening all shades, promiscuously mixed, a fair represen- 
 tation of the genuine glory of the Republic. For long, 
 long hours the multitude had stood upon the cold, wet 
 earth, waiting for a passing glimpse of the last closing 
 scene ; but their weary eyes were not to be feasted with 
 dainty gold-laced foreign ministers and the great digni- 
 taries of the land. It is true the Senate chamber could 
 not hold the masses, but the national square contains 
 room enough for all, and is it not time these old relics 
 
THB OLIVIA LETTERS 97 
 
 of another age were packed in the dust, Hke so many 
 small clothes outgrown by the country? It is the royal 
 people who are the sovereigns, and who has the right 
 at any time to push them from their own marble temples 
 with glittering bayonets? Soldiers are machinery to be 
 used in time of war, and not engines of power in days 
 of peace to thrust the cold steel into the breasts of loyal 
 citizens. 
 
 No accident marred the festivities of the day. The 
 long procession in its picturesqueness more than sur- 
 passed the public expectation. The soldiers were there, 
 clean and trusty as their own polished weapons, and 
 among them might have been seen the "black boys in 
 blue." The gallant firemen were out in gala dress, their 
 eng-ines gaudily decked in holiday attire, and all the dif- 
 ferent organizations in and out of the city seemed to vie 
 with each other which should lend the most glory to the 
 passing hour. 
 
 Just as the choicest viands are served for dessert, it 
 was meant that the inaugural reception should eclipse 
 all its predecessors as well as shine by itself after the 
 manner of the mighty Kohinoor in the crown jewels of 
 England. The place selected for this festival seemed 
 most appropriate. 
 
 In the structure known as the Treasury building were 
 gathered thousands of both sexes and the brilliant scene 
 carried the spectator back to the middle ages. It was 
 like some haughty chief in his feudal castle, summoning 
 together the proud nobility of the land. Nowhere could 
 be seen the simplicity of a republic. Only the crowns 
 were wanting; everything else was there. 
 
 Mrs. Grant stood by the side of the new President in 
 
 faultless dress of white satin and point lace, with pearl 
 
 and diamond ornaments, and just beyond her stood the 
 
 Vice-President and Mrs. Colfax, unassuming as a violet, 
 
 7 
 
98 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 in pink satin and illusion. Her ornaments were also 
 pearls. 
 
 The various committees had endeavored to make prep- 
 arations for every emergency except the most impor- 
 tant one; they had made no calculation for numbers. 
 When it was too late to remedy the error, the members 
 of the committee discovered they had sold too many 
 tickets; but this must have leaked out beforehand, for 
 very few leading- men were accompanied by their wives. 
 In many cases they were seen with daughters or other 
 young people clinging to their arms, whose youth would 
 seem a shield against the fearful annoyance of the 
 crowd. Toward midnight the jam culminated. The 
 interesting spectacle might have been seen of two thou- 
 sand people trying to get through a single door at the 
 same instant into the supper room. It was the camel 
 attempting once more to go through the needle's eye. A 
 short time after this, there was a grand division of the 
 guests, composed of two parties — those who had fared 
 sumptuously and those who had been used like Mother 
 Hubbard's darling: 
 
 "And when she got there the cupboard was bare, 
 And so the poor dog got none." 
 
 Three to one could sing the old faithful nursery song. 
 A supper had been set aside in another part of the build- 
 ing for the President, Vice-President and their friends, 
 and rumor said that it was a most superb affair; but this 
 only aggravated the famished ones who had paid their 
 money for the substance and when about to grasp it had 
 caught only an empty bubble with "Inaugural Ball' 
 stamped on the rainbow-tinted, soapy, globular nothing. 
 The breaking up of the inaugural reception baffles de- 
 scription. The tearing up of the icebergs in the Arctic 
 seas of a spring morning might seem more solemn, but 
 alas ! alas ! not half so enthusiastic and interesting. The 
 hats and coats of the gentlemen had been numbered, and 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 99 
 
 then all thrown pell-mell together. As a matter of course 
 when a check was presented, the hunt commenced. For 
 hours men waited, and then were obliged to go home 
 without hats or coats. In the meantime, the ladies, 
 weary of waiting, sunk down in graceful attitudes on the 
 carpeted floor, or else called their carriages and took 
 their departure alone, leaving their escorts to follow as 
 soon as the hat-and-coat trouble found solution. 
 
 When the sun arose on the 5th of March, his rays 
 gilded eight hundred frantic men, who still stood dog- 
 gedly at their posts, calling in vain for their hats and 
 coats ; but as this letter has nothing to do with anything 
 but the 4th of March, the kaleidoscope is finished with 
 the dawn of a new day. Olivia. 
 
 Lore. 
 
PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S FAMILY. 
 
 Traits of the Female; and Younger Members 
 Thereof. 
 
 Washington, March p, i86p. 
 
 The family of Mr. Andrew Johnson was the least os- 
 tentatious of any that has yet inhabited the White House, 
 and its members preserved at the capital the simple man- 
 ners of their former State. The retirement and quiet of 
 their life was so great that many are curious to know 
 of them, and a few words of description may be inter- 
 esting to your readers. 
 
 During her occupancy of the Executive Mansion Mrs. 
 Johnson has lived almost as secluded as a nun. This has 
 been in part owing to a bronchial difficulty and a con- 
 sumptive tendency, with which she was first afflicted at 
 the beginning of the rebellion. This physical trouble 
 was subsequently aggravated by the loss of her eldest and 
 favorite son, who was thrown from his horse and in- 
 stantly killed, at the beginning of the war, whilst on his 
 round of duty as surgeon of the First Regiment Tennes- 
 see Infantry. Very few American women have suffered 
 more than Mrs. Johnson in behalf of the Union. She has 
 known what it was to fill with her own hands the basket 
 of bread and meat that was to be stealthily conveyed to 
 a hiding place in the mountains, to keep from starv^ation 
 her daughter's husband. It was a chastened spirit she 
 brought to the White House, and though her presence 
 was seldom denied to personal friends, with the glitter 
 and pomp of state she had nothing to do. 
 
 Mrs. Andrew Johnson, whose maiden name was Eliza 
 McCardel, was born in 1811. and will be fifty-eight years 
 of age her next birthday. She is two years younger than 
 (100) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS lOI 
 
 her husband, and not older, as the newspapers are in the 
 habit of telhng the story. She was married in Greeneville, 
 Tenn., when she was in the i8th year of her age. Her 
 young husband at the time was not 20. The honeymoon 
 was spent in teaching the future President the rudiments 
 of education. Mrs. Johnson says she "taught him the 
 letters, but he was an apt scholar, and acquired all the 
 rest himself." With the exception of a few months in the 
 early part of Mrs. Johnson's married life, her home has 
 always been in Greeneville, Tenn. It was here her five 
 children were born, three sons and two daughters, of 
 whom Mrs. Patterson is the eldest. This daughter's 
 name is Martha, and she was married to Judge Patter- 
 son in December, 1855. Soon after their marriage, Mr. 
 Patterson — who was practicing law at the time — was 
 appointed judge of the first judicial district of East Ten- 
 nessee. During most of the time of President Johnson's 
 administration he has occupied a seat in the Senate. 
 
 Mrs. Johnson's second daughter (Mary) married Mr. 
 Stover, in April, 1852. Colonel Stover was one of the 
 most gallant of those officers who laid down their lives 
 in the defence of the Union. Though he had not the sol- 
 dier's honor to perish on the battlefield, his slow, painful 
 death was in his country's cause. Colonel Stover was 
 one of the leaders who headed the Union men of East 
 Tennessee. He was one of the first to enroll himself 
 among the number who as an organization were known 
 as the "Bridge-burners." His patriotic course attracted 
 the attention of the rebels at once, and without a mo- 
 ment's preparation he was driven to the mountains of 
 East Tennessee. During the inclement months of Novem- 
 ber and December, 1861, and January, 1862, he was a 
 hunted fugitive, hiding in the holes and caverns of the 
 rocks. It was during this awful winter that Mrs. Johnson 
 filled the basket with meat and bread, when her daughter, 
 the sorrowful wife, was so smitten with anguish that she 
 had not the strength to perform the task. Every man 
 
I02 THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 who tapped at the door of the lonely farmhouse was 
 supposed to be coming to bring the news that the son and 
 husband was hanging to a forest tree. Some of their 
 neighbors had been afflicted in this way, and this dread 
 was the penalty paid for Unionism in East Tennessee. 
 During this fearful period, in which Colonel Stover suf- 
 fered from cold and starvation, the seeds of consumption 
 were planted in his constitution. At last, through the 
 efforts of some old personal friends who were strong- 
 rebels, he was allowed to go home ; but he brought with 
 him a sharp, rasping cough. Soon after he was allowed 
 to pass through the rebel lines, in company with his 
 family and Mrs. Johnson. He proceeded at once to 
 Kentucky, where he raised a regiment which was after- 
 wards known as the Fourth Tennessee Infantry. No 
 braver regiment served during the war, and but very few 
 did the country more effective service; but before this 
 gallant band had time to distinguish itself in any great 
 battle its brave, energetic colonel had passed away at the 
 early age of 35. 
 
 At the beginning of the rebellion Colonel Stover was 
 living the independent life of a farmer in affluent cir- 
 cumstances. His large farm was well stocked with cattle, 
 and his barns were filled. His house soon became known 
 as a kind of resting and breathing place for the fleeing 
 Union fugitives. After the departure of the family the 
 buildings were destroyed. At his death his widow was 
 left with three small children and a scanty subsistence. 
 Mrs. Stover has never asked Congress to indemnify her 
 for any losses. 
 
 Visitors at the White House during the past two or 
 three years may retain the memory of a dignified, statu- 
 esque blonde, with a few very fine points which a fash- 
 ionable butterfly once said would make any woman a 
 belle if she only knew how to make the most of them. 
 Mrs. Stover never became a star in fashionable circles, 
 and now that she has left the gay capital, perhaps for a 
 
THE OIvIVIA I.ETTERS IO3 
 
 lifetime, she is remembered by those who knew her best 
 as the charming companion of the domestic fireside, a 
 true daughter and a judicious mother. 
 
 The eldest son of Mrs. Johnson was killed. Not long 
 after his receiving his diploma as physician, he was ap- 
 pointed a surgeon in the First Tennessee Infantry. One 
 bright spring morning, starting on his rounds of pro- 
 fessional duty in the exuberance of youth, health, 
 and spirits, he sprang upon the horse of a brother officer. 
 He had gone but a short distance when the high-mettled 
 creature reared upon its hind feet suddenly; the young 
 man was thrown backward suddenly, and falling upon 
 the frozen earth, was instantly killed. The concussion 
 fractured his skull. Mrs. Johnson has grieved for this 
 son as did Jacob for his beloved Joseph, and not only the 
 mother but the whole family have mourned with unusual 
 poignancy his untimely death. 
 
 Robert Johnson, the eldest living son, entered the army 
 as a volunteer while still a young boy ; and was given a 
 position among the older men, on account of his father. 
 It was at this time that he formed the fearful habit of in- 
 temperance. As soon as Mrs. Johnson was settled at 
 the White House, she sent for this son, hoping that his 
 responsible position as private secretary to the President 
 and the personal influence of his sisters and herself could 
 reclaim him ; but alas ! she found his new position, in its 
 surroundings, a still heavier death weight to her hopes. 
 Clever, genial "Bob," the young man who had the ear 
 of the President at any time, was everybody's friend. 
 A crowd followed him wherever he went. The choicest 
 viands of Willard's and Welcker's were set before him, 
 and miniature rivers were made to float with wine. Rob- 
 ert Johnson is now in an asylum, hoping and trying to 
 overcome this vice. During the few months of his so- 
 journ in Washington he provoked no enmity and left 
 many true personal friends. 
 
 Andrew Johnson, jr., the youngest child, who makes 
 
I04 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 the fourth and last of Mrs. Johnson's children, is a boy 
 of 15, attending the college for young boys in George- 
 town, D. C. He is a slender, finely formed youth, char- 
 acterized by the same modest deportment usual to the 
 family. His face bears a striking resemblance to Mrs. 
 Patterson's, but at present he is only noticeable on ac- 
 count of his family relations, and because he is the last 
 child of his mother. 
 
 Mrs. Johnson is unusually feeble at this time; but, 
 weather permitting, she will soon leave with Mrs. Pat- 
 terson for her distant home in Tennessee. Olivia. 
 
SENATORIAL PEN PICTURES. 
 
 Ferry as a Heart-breaker — Conkling as a NovEiy 
 Reader — Eaton and Anthony in Repartee. 
 
 Washington, March 20, i86p. 
 
 Like the great flaming carbuncle on the mountain's 
 brow, the dome of the Capitol dispels the darkness in 
 Washington. It is night. The moon peeps out between 
 scudding clouds, the elements howl like a spirited child, 
 but the Senate is in open session. The original resolution 
 endorsing the President's course has been torn in shreds 
 by the politicians, and such bitter partisans as Cameron 
 of Pennsylvania, and Dawes of Massachusetts, have 
 paired off and ran home, rather than remain on the bat- 
 tlefield to bury the dead or carry off the mortally 
 wounded. Within the Senate chamber the faithful are 
 gathered; Morton, Anthony, and Conkling to lead the 
 rank and file. The Democracy are in martial line, de- 
 fending the independent sovereignty of the States, with 
 Andy Johnson at the head, ready to die for the Constitu- 
 tion. The magnificent decorations which make the Sen- 
 ate chamber a marvel of beauty in the day seemed 
 touched with the fairy hand of enchantment at night. 
 The incomparable rays of the sun are rivalled by the mel- 
 low beams of artificial light, which sift through the 
 stained glass above. It falls on the golden stars of the 
 tufted carpet. It makes an areola around the head of 
 Senator Ferry, the young President pro tempore of the 
 Senate, who sits in one of those graceful attitudes so 
 becoming to the bachelor of the period. Major Ben: 
 Perley Poore says he was born in Mackinaw, Mich., June 
 I, 1827, consequently he will soon reach his forty-eighth 
 birthday, and not long after will score off a half a cen- 
 
 (105) 
 
I06 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 tury. The newspapers call him "voung," and it can be 
 seen that time has dealt very gently with him. His beard 
 is as yellow as the golden fleece and his chestnut locks 
 have defied the frost. Content with himself, content with 
 the world, is written all over his manly person. Has he 
 a heart? This is a question which none are able to an- 
 swer, but nevertheless he has been proved to be the most 
 adept "lady-killer" of his day, and a bill is soon to be 
 introduced by Senator Spencer, a rival bachelor, to ar- 
 rest, if possible, this wholesale destruction. Senator 
 Ferry never fails to gather a harvest of hearts during 
 their proper season. When each generation of girls at- 
 tains that point on life's journey when the affections are 
 like the mellow flush of a juicy peach he w^alks in the 
 garden, when lo! presto! change! something is gone! 
 The young statesman is not harmed. His eye has a 
 brighter light, his cheek a warmer flush, and the renova- 
 tion lasts until the season approaches for another seed 
 time and harvest. One-half the mischief lies in the fact 
 of his being a member of the Young Men's Christian As- 
 sociation, and the other to the exquisite bouquets which 
 are furnished free to Congressmen from the National 
 greenhouse. When the bouquets arrive regardless of 
 time and number, it is a sign of a funeral where the 
 corpse is invisible and the mourners dare not show their 
 heads. This kind of man is always in love, deep love 
 with himself, and, though a woman were as wise as a 
 Juno and lovely as Hebe, she could never upset his vanity. 
 The doorkeepers are curled up asleep on the cushions 
 in the corners of the galleries. Many of the Republicans 
 have left their seats, and are to be found chatting and 
 smoking in the adjoining cloak-rooms. The fragrance 
 of dying Havanas ascend to the galleries, reminding one 
 of the days of the Randolphs and Jays, when men sat in 
 their seats in the Senate with their hats on, and smoking 
 their clay pipes in full view. The habit is not cured, but 
 it is concealed, and this must be one of the facts which 
 
THK OUVIA LE;TTHRS I07 
 
 marks the progress of civilization. A tall man arises to 
 address the Senate. It is Kernan, the new Senator from 
 New York. He has reached the mid-aiitumn of human 
 life. It is his first speech, and a bouquet of Senators 
 cluster around him. The back of his head has a heavy 
 covering of dark iron-gray hair, but his fine, scholarly 
 face is rimmed with a fringe of pure white, which at once 
 stamps his individuality on the memory. His Creator 
 never designed him for an orator, but he gives us good, 
 sound sense, dressed neatly in pure English. He does 
 not speak to convince his opponents. He seems to realize 
 that what he says will be heard by the millions of people 
 in the State of New York. His colleague, Conkling, 
 snifTs him from afar, as one mastiff does another, if it be 
 a stranger of the same tribe. Roscoe has been reading a 
 pamphlet with a yellow cover, which he holds daintily 
 between his finger and thumb. If it were any other but 
 our Roscoe, the "yellow cover" would be a serious sus- 
 picion of "Braddon" or "Ouida," but the fact is self- 
 evident that the book was obtained because the binding 
 is a complete match for his hair. Senator Conkling is 
 the Apollo of the Senate. His beauty is the aqua-marine 
 type. It resembles a very fine diamond considerably off 
 color, unless one is fond of flame; then the delusion is 
 perfect. If Senator Conkling was a planet, he would be 
 called Mars, not because of his rapid revolution around 
 the great central power, but owing to that precious high- 
 colored ingredient which was used so lavishly in his phys- 
 ical construction, and which serves to keep his pride 
 burning like the lamp of the vestal virgins, that neither 
 time nor circumstances can put out. 
 
 Come back to the Senators that cluster around the 
 Speaker! All new men except Allison, of Iowa, one of 
 the most polite and genial men tO' be found. Out of 
 courtesy, alone, if nothing else, he listens to the maiden 
 speech of his peer irrespective of the fact of his politics. 
 The first man that heads the list is Wallace, of Pennsyl- 
 
I08 THK OIvIVIA LIJTTERS 
 
 vania, whom the gods have blessed with a fine face but 
 a finer form, and yet it is evident that the Creator took 
 no special pains with his construction ; for he has thickly 
 sprinkled just such men in every town of the State, cities 
 of course excepted. Senator Wallace has reached the 
 Senate chamber in the noon of life. The sun is station- 
 ary over his head. His face is not the kind that tells its 
 own story. The tempest of passion has swept over it, 
 but left no signs of the tornado in its track. If he has 
 had deep thoughts they have ploughed no furrows. In 
 his battle with time so far he has won. As he has never 
 tried his wings, it is too soon to pronounce him a sena- 
 torial eagle, but as he hails from Pennsylvania he may 
 turn out an honest bird of prey. 
 
 To the right of Senator Wallace may be seen B. K. 
 Bruce, of Mississippi, a handsome man, whom the Crea- 
 tor cast in bronze. Darker by far than Douglass or 
 Pinchback, but superior to either so far as beauty is con- 
 cerned. Below the colossal, but above the average size, 
 with a pure type of the Anglo-Saxon features, thin quiv- 
 ering nostrils, and a mouth such as the colored women 
 are known to admire. His mahog'any person is evei'y 
 day swathed in the finest linen and broadcloth, orna- 
 ments, diamond shirt-studs. The day he was elected the 
 members of the legislature of Mississippi owned great 
 quantities of scrip, worth less than sixty cents on the dol- 
 lar. But on that auspicious day some speculator bought 
 the scrip and paid for it at par; but Senator Bruce had 
 nothing to do with it, because he is a very rich man, and 
 only white men have been known to bribe legislatures. 
 Senator Bruce says he intends to stand by the civil rights 
 bill, and proves it by employing white men to wait on 
 him, and furthermore declares that he has no objection 
 to Mrs. Bruce associating with the wives of white Sena- 
 tors so long as their moral characters are above reproach, 
 and they have committed no more serious crimes than 
 Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS IO9 
 
 And now we come to General Burnside, whose fine 
 person bears the brand of the miHtary aristocracy, just 
 as the blue-blooded Englishman is sometimes stamped 
 duke; just the right size for a general, and with plenty 
 of intellect to represent so small a State as Rhode Island. 
 His graceful whiskers are festooned on his dainty cheeks 
 and curl like the tendrils of the grape on the wall. As a 
 man among men he is the same as a banana among fruits. 
 The frost of time has sweetened and brought him to the 
 highest state of perfection. 
 
 Among the most remarkable of the new men is the one 
 who is just rising from his seat. When sitting he does 
 not attract particular attention; but when he attempts 
 the perpendicular one mentally asks : "When is he going 
 to stop?" Hail! Cameron of the illustrious family of 
 that name — the successor of the festive and woman- 
 loving Carpenter, of Wisconsin. "Ye banks and braes 
 of bonnie doon" is written all over this grizzly Scotsman, 
 who is composed entirely of bone and muscle, and desti- 
 tute of meat as Mother Hubbard's cupboard. What a 
 superb specimen of the Highlander ! If he could only be 
 induced to wear his Tartan, bring his bag-pipe and show 
 the Senate what is meant by bringing together the two 
 wings of the Cameron clan. Oh, Carpenter ! Carpenter ! 
 will the time ever come when Wisconsin will weep tears 
 of blood because she so bitterly scourged thee? 
 
 The man who occupies a seat this side of Cameron is 
 Jones, of Florida. Another red man, but not of the 
 Saxon type of Conkling. The clay from which he is 
 made must have been formed of iron pyrites. A smooth 
 face, thickly strewn underneath with arteries and veins, 
 in which the scarlet fluid comes and goes at the slightest 
 behest of the passionate will. Tall and broad above the 
 average of men, and, so far as physical appearance is 
 concerned, a fitting representative of the lovely State of 
 magnolia and orange groves, the Mecca of the invalids, 
 and the luscious retreat of the happy alligator. 
 
no the: owvia letters 
 
 And this is dainty, delicious Pinckney Whyte, of 
 Maryland, whose pedigree is as clean and well defined 
 as Victoria of England, and who, by the way, in some 
 remote manner, claims kinship to him. How good it 
 must feel to have such blood in one's veins, and yet 
 Pinckney has made no complaint to the Senate. If he 
 has scrofula like old George the Third, there is no visible 
 sign of it, and the only evidence of insanity he has 
 shown was when he consented to come to the American 
 Senate. In violation of the maxim that precious things 
 are never done up in large parcels, he is fully up to the 
 average size, with a handsome face, and features as finely 
 cut as those of an exquisite cameo. What thin ears and 
 slender fingers! It is true he has not tried his strength 
 in the senatorial race, and it is not known whether he will 
 succeed in writing his name high on the scroll of fame, 
 but he has a mission, a noble mission, in which he must 
 succeed, for his presence helps neutralize the effect of the 
 carpetbaggers; and even this small bit of the purest re- 
 spectability, like the yeast in dough, in time may come 
 to leaven the whole lump. 
 
 Senator Eaton, of Connecticut, is speaking. He plays 
 the sovereignty of the States like Ole Bull's whole opera, 
 on one string; but Senator Anthony has tripped him by 
 asking: "How can a State be 'sovereign' when she can 
 neither make treaties, coin money, or go out to stay all 
 night without asking her father, who is all the time her 
 Uncle Sam?" Senator Eaton replies that he would an- 
 swer that question to the satisfaction of the Senator from 
 the little State of Rhode Island, but he is sick and cannot 
 be interrupted in his patriotic argimient, and he again 
 declares the sovereignty of the State, because little 
 Rhody, Connecticut, and pretty Delaware are the peers 
 and equals of Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio. 
 Why? Because they are independent sovereigns, and 
 command the same respect. 
 
 It is now almost midnight. Behold the conquering 
 
The: OLIVIA LETTERS III 
 
 hero comes. It is Andy Johnson, the veteran warrior of 
 Tennessee. For the first time he arises to address the 
 highest legislative body on the face of the globe. There 
 is an ominous silence. He is asked by a brother Senator 
 if Monday, the next day of the Senatorial calendar, will 
 not do. An affirmative answer is received, and the ses- 
 sion of the night adjourns. Olivia. 
 
SENATOR SPRAGUE. 
 A New Champion of a Panacea eor Ills Financial. 
 
 Washington, April 14, i86g. 
 
 A new music reaches the ear of Washington. It is 
 the voice of the workingmen, with brass instruments in 
 their hands, saluting their new leader. All hail ! Sena- 
 tor Sprague of Rhode Island. The man who touches 
 the pulse of the invalid with an earnest desire to do the 
 patient good is called a kind physician. The man who 
 feels the feverish pulse of a suffering nation, sees the 
 people rise in their awful majesty, and immensity, echoes, 
 "Here! Here!" 
 
 Senator Sprague has been studying the rise and de- 
 cline of nations. He reminds us that there is a vicious 
 something which underlies the basis of modern as well 
 as ancient society, a nameless horror which picks the 
 bones of a nation just as Victor Hugo's devil-fish fin- 
 ishes the last delicate morsel of what was once a man. It 
 is the same to the nation that the destructive worm is to 
 the ship. It is the accumulation of tubercular deposits in 
 the national tissues. The fatal seed of dissolution is al- 
 ready planted, and the harvest, when garnered, will be 
 safely packed away in the frightful storehouse of death. 
 With blanched face, in the distance, we shrink from the 
 leprous patient, but upon closer examination we find the 
 "sick man" is old Uncle Sam, and his old war wounds 
 are still unhealed, though in a healthy condition, and none 
 give him any trouble to-day except the sabre cut of Fi- 
 nance. In the early part of the last winter General But- 
 ler laid his hand on this tremendous wound. The nation 
 quivered with hope and expectation, but Uncle Sam said, 
 "Hands off, my brave general; don't you see just so 
 (112) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 113 
 
 much of my substance has been shot away? If a lobster 
 loses one of its claws, will any patent medicine make it 
 crrow again? Leave the lobster to the care of the kindly 
 dements, and a new member, precisely like the old one, 
 makes its appearance, beautifully, by degrees. The 
 humblest reptile can teach the wisest man important wis- 
 dom " When just so much substance has been destroyed 
 by fire and sword, is it not the folly of madness to try 
 to replace it by "financial policy" ? Is there no other 
 way to make a dollar except to dig the metal out of the 
 bowels of the earth, take it to the mint, and give it a le- 
 gitimate birth? The smallest child can understand the 
 great "financial problem" as it exists to-day. Did Gen- 
 eral Butler enlighten us on the subject? We owe just so 
 many gold dollars. As a lawyer he pointed out the way 
 in which we could avoid a partial payment of our hon- 
 est debts The people said to General Butler, "We like 
 your sagacity as lawyer, but we still believe that time is 
 the best cure for all." General Butler then subsided on 
 the finance question. A new champion has arisen to point 
 out a greener path over which to journey, as we march 
 heavy ladened. It is the youthful millionaire, Senator 
 Sprao-ue His bill before the Senate can be summed up 
 in exactly three words: "Make more greenbacks " This 
 is the way to make money plenty? Why not? If Sena- 
 tor Sprague wants ten thousand yards of calico, he man- 
 ufactures it. If the workingman wants more money, he 
 is advised to manufacture the same. It is a great deal 
 easier to print a paper dollar than to earn the gold the 
 paper is expected to represent. But Senator Sprape 
 was born into the manufacturing business, and, as it has 
 been of such vast importance to him, is it a wonder that 
 he advises the same employment to others when he has 
 reaped riches and honor, whilst he is yet a growing man ? 
 Senator Sprague would also make the Government a kind 
 of "Grand Lama"— a huge autocrat doing business for 
 
114 the; ouvia i.ette;rs 
 
 himself, just like Astor, Vaiiderbilt and Stewart. He 
 would have him loan money; also, make him liable to 
 sue and be sued. To be sure, this would extinguish all 
 millionaire upstarts. So far so good; but would it not 
 also add fresh fuel to the fires of corruption ? What is the 
 whisky ring but a set of dishonest officials, acting in the 
 name of the Government, covering their plunder with the 
 garments of Uncle Sam? Instead of diminishing the 
 power to rob the people, Senator Sprague advocates an 
 additional supply of the grand army officials. The flock 
 of to-day may be compared to a cloud of locusts. "No!" 
 say our legislators. Only a lunatic attempts to extin- 
 guish a fire by throwing on more fuel. A good govern- 
 ment should be like the azure vault of heaven, resting on 
 all alike, protecting the poor man in his cabin, the rich 
 man in his palace, if he has honestly acquired his wealth. 
 It should fall upon the honorable citizen like a web woven 
 by fairy fingers ; upon the criminal, whether powerful or 
 weak, like the lariat flung by the unerring hand of the 
 Indian hunter of the pampas. Senator Sprague and the 
 workingmen who endorse him propose to take from the 
 Government this most holy inheritance bequeathed us by 
 our Revolutionary ancestors, baptized anew by the pre- 
 cious blood of three hundred thousand lives, and set it up 
 in all the great cities of the Union, as the golden calf was 
 set up in the wilderness, and the people, instead of being 
 told to bow the knee, are advised to borrow. How will 
 this help the poor man who has no security to give; or 
 is the great national broker expected to lend without any 
 security at all? No one disputes the fact that a great 
 harassing debt annoys the people. It might have been 
 much less. With sorrow we remember the millions that 
 were flung into the sea by the incompetency of the late 
 Navy Department ; but with this folly our creditors have 
 nothing to do. It is for us to say that we will pay to the 
 last farthing. Shall we allow speculators in the name of 
 Uncle Sam to use the people's money and take the risk 
 
THE OUVIA I.e:TTERS II5 
 
 of being benefited in the end? Never! No, never! It 
 is proven beyond a doubt that if the tax on whisky and 
 tobacco could be honestly collected and turned over to 
 the Treasury Department it would liquidate every penny 
 of the interest of the public debt ; other taxes would then 
 gradually consume the principal. But if we are in haste, 
 as we ought to be, to pay our debts, let the noble women 
 of this country say, "No more of our gold shall drift sea- 
 ward to bring us back jewels, silks, and knick-knacks." 
 Let the graceful, elegant wife of Senator Sprague be con- 
 tent with a wardrobe which vies in costliness with that of 
 an European princess. Thirty silk walking dresses, all 
 made to fit the same exquisite image, were within hear- 
 ing of the workingmen's serenade. 
 
 If, then, sharp Benjamin Butler has knocked a hole in 
 his keel by cruising amongst the financial breakers. Sena- 
 tor Sprague, so much younger, with much less experience, 
 need not be ashamed to strike his colors before he goes 
 down. No man in the Senate has a better record than 
 this intrepid young Senator. We may question his good 
 taste about bringing his Rhode Island battle upon the 
 floor of the American Senate, but this harms no one but 
 himself. In the strife for honor and fame at a nation's 
 hands he has had two diffiailties to overcome. The talent 
 of his early life has been obscured by his immense wealth ; 
 in later years he has dwelt in the blighting shadows of 
 greatness. 
 
 Our first recollection of the rebellion cluster around his 
 head. When the great coal mines of Pennsylvania tossed 
 out their grimy workers, and they rushed to the defence 
 of Washington, without stopping to change their clothes 
 or bid their wives farewell, William Sprague was at the 
 scene of action, giving his time, money, all that a man 
 has to give, that these citizen-soldiers might have where- 
 with to preserve life. With the boom of the first cannon 
 this citizen of Rhode Island flung his soul into the strug- 
 gle for the life of the Republic. Away up in the rocky 
 
Il6 THE OI.IVIA LETTERS 
 
 ledges of the American continent is a magic spring of 
 smallest proportions. If at a certain period of the world's 
 life a foreign substance, no larger than a man's boot, had 
 been thmst into it, the course of the mighty Mississippi 
 would have been changed. Who can estimate the incal- 
 culable blessing to this nation produced by a single man 
 coming forward at exactly the right moment with the 
 real bone and sinew of war in his hands. He bought the 
 blankets, and tincups, and loaves of bread for the new 
 recruits, whilst General Jim Lane was guarding Abra- 
 ham Lincoln. It is superfluous to recall his meritorious 
 conduct as an officer in every fearful trial which has 
 rocked our ship of state, for it is fresh within the memory 
 of us all. It may be said that many speeches for polish 
 and elegance of diction surpass those of the Senator from 
 Rhode Island, but the inquiry naturally arises, is a man 
 dear to our hearts for his words or his deeds ? For both, 
 we answer. But if the two are not always found wedded 
 like husband and wife, give us the substance, and whilst 
 the Creator is filling anew his generous order for more 
 men, let us humbly petition that he send a good round 
 number no better, no worse, than Senator Sprague. 
 
 OUVIA. 
 
SEALED SISTERS OF MORMONISM. 
 
 Inteview with Onk of the Ribs of Brigham Young. 
 
 Washington, April 2^, i86p. 
 The dreamy twilight which envelops the city during 
 every recess of Congress has settled upon Washington. 
 During the small hours of the morning the tardy Sena- 
 tors have folded their tents and to-day they are stealing 
 away. Spring, clean and fresh as a mermaid, trips dain- 
 tily along our broad highways. The flowers are opening 
 their pretty eyes ; the zephyrs greet us sweet as the breath 
 of love, and all nature conspires to lead the mind into the 
 luxurious revels of an Oriental extravaganza. The mod- 
 ern Caliph, Brigham Young, of Utah, has sent his be- 
 loved Zobedie to Washington, and to-day at ii a. m. 
 her shadow falls across the door of the White House, 
 but whether she gains the ear of President Grant your 
 correspondent knoweth not. Several weeks ago the news- 
 papers told us that a number of women, all so-called 
 wives of Brigham Young, were en route for the States. 
 A party composed of the elite of the Salt Lake harems 
 are in Washington. No single man has two wives in the 
 expedition. Brigham Young has contributed his favorite, 
 whilst both of his two sons, who help compose the party, 
 have confined themselves to one apiece. Two single 
 women are added to this rare bouquet, but whether "seal- 
 ed" or otherwise is known only to the "Prophet" or the 
 saints. The party is stopping near the corner of I and 
 Fourteenth streets, under the protecting care of Mr. 
 Hooper, the Delegate from Utah Territory. It has been 
 said by those who thought they were acquainted with Mr. 
 Hooper that he does not profess the Mormon faith, but 
 for the information of those who may be curious about 
 
 (117) 
 
Il8 THD OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 this interesting subject it is safe to believe that Brigham 
 Young has no more faithful follower than this accom- 
 plished Delegate. 
 
 Just at this magic hour when the light and the dark- 
 ness were quarreling for supremacy we might have been 
 found in the presence of one of our own countrywomen, 
 a woman born in the great State of New York, educated, 
 beautiful, elegantly attired, and yet there seemed to be 
 no common platform upon which we could meet and con- 
 verse, for our ideas ran in grooves as far apart as thought 
 can separate. Had it been Victoria, we could have re- 
 called the memory of the Blameless Prince, or alluded to 
 the Alabama claims ; had it been Eugenie, we could have 
 seized Pio Nono; or Mrs. President Grant, we could 
 have applied for the "Nasby" postoffice. But, oh, tor- 
 tured soul, it was Lady Zobedie, the seventieth double of 
 Brigham Young. What did it matter? Though she is 
 a rib nearest his heart to-day, a woman with a ruddier 
 cheek may crowd her aside to-morrow. Woman, is she 
 living, breathing, poised on the edge of a frightful preci- 
 pice? Yes! But a woman with the fire of life smolder- 
 ing in the ashes; no rollicking flame. A woman who 
 would leave a room colder for having passed through it. 
 
 Conversation darted hither and thither like Noah's 
 dove, who could find no rest for the sole of her foot. The 
 watery waste of speech was all around us, but the Gentile 
 was afraid and the Saint coldy indifferent. The Gentile 
 ventured to ask if the queen was not pleased with the 
 prosperity of our country, and was it not astonishing, 
 after such a prolonged civil war? 
 
 She "hadn't been accustomed to think much about such 
 things." 
 
 "How does Utah compare with this part of the world ?" 
 was the next inquiry. 
 
 "Not much difference; the world is just about the 
 same all over." 
 
THK OLIVIA LETTERS II9 
 
 "I am told it is very expensive living after you leave 
 Omaha." 
 
 "I never think about such things." 
 
 "Have you met Madame Daubigney, the great French 
 traveler ? I am told she has a reputation in Europe next 
 to the late Madame Pneiffer. She is in Washington, and 
 expects to leave soon for Salt Lake." 
 
 "Yes, she has been to see me two or three times, but 
 I try to discourage her. I don't believe in women lec- 
 turers and women artists. I am told she dabbles in both." 
 
 A fearful pause. 
 
 "Have you called upon Mrs. Grant?" 
 
 "No, I never call upon ladies, but I intend to pay my 
 respects to the President. I wouldn't like to tell them at 
 home that I hadn't seen him." 
 
 The Gentile kindly alluded to the fact that Joseph 
 Smith was an old acquaintance of her family, and al- 
 though her father differed with him in belief, yet, as a 
 neighbor, he was trusted with many of his first revela- 
 tions. No response; the electric current of the mind 
 would not work. 
 
 Our meeting was like the greeting of two planets whose 
 paths happened to intersect. We neared each other for 
 a moment, only to separate, each flying from the other, 
 and one, if not both of us, feeling the awful effects of 
 human fanaticism when it comes between two citizens of 
 the same Republic. 
 
 The lengthening shadows of night crept into the room. 
 A street lamp before the open window had been lighted, 
 and its rays fell upon the marble features of this pale, 
 amber-haired blonde, and the classic cast of her counte- 
 nance might have answered for a model of beauty for 
 either the sculptor or the painter. But other shapes al- 
 most as tangible were there also. They were the de- 
 mons of the dark ages come back to mock us. This sev- 
 entieth wife with her fair face had touched the sepulchre 
 of the past, and grinning specters of the past were among 
 
I20 THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 US. The very air seemed to say for this silent woman : 
 "If we were strong and you were weak, woman should 
 again take her place at the foot of a ladder. Is the 
 woman of to-day wiser or better than was Rachel or 
 Sarah?" 
 
 Brigham Young has sent this woman abroad to be on 
 exhibition like any other work of art. She is expected to 
 make new converts. She is allowed to indulge her taste 
 in silks, jewels and point lace. The other wives are 
 young, giddy, and commonplace. Their manners are just 
 what must be expected from youth and inexperience, and 
 their conversation, so far as two of them are concerned, 
 was only noticeable on account of its warmth of gram- 
 matical accuracy. All the Mormons who come to Wash- 
 ington make us feel that they are by the side of us yet 
 not annealed with the great body of the people. They 
 have a bitter hatred of the Gentiles, cloaked, though it 
 may be, by a frigid politeness. Mr. Hooper says : 
 "Things seem strange to you, out our way, but it is quite 
 as strange to us in this part of the country ; but we don't 
 feel like meddling with your institutions." He also re- 
 marked that it was very strange that so many people 
 seemed desirous to settle out in that part of the world. 
 He said it was the poorest, most unattractive portion of 
 the American continent. It was for this reason that the 
 "chosen people" exiled themselves, planted their homes 
 where nature has set a bitter, sterile face. The late cry 
 of "We only ask to be let alone" is borne to us from the 
 saline hills of Utah. We answer it with the scream of 
 the locomotive. The Pacific Railroad is the guillotine 
 which will cleave the head of Mormonism asunder, and 
 polygamy, the last sad relic of barbarism, the one single 
 blemish which clings to our beloved Republic, is doomed. 
 
 Olivia. 
 
AWAITING AUDIENCE AT THE WHITE 
 HOUSE. 
 
 General Dent and Robert Douglas as Buefers. 
 
 Washington, April 2j, i86p. 
 
 Just as the monarch of a Persian story gives audience 
 to the high and low, so does President Grant receive the 
 people, precisely after the fashion of an Oriental tale. 
 It is not quite certain whether the President roams about 
 the capital in the disguise of a dervish, as did the good 
 Caliph Haroun Alraschid in his beloved Bagdad, but of a 
 Sunday, if the weather be fine, he dashes up Fourteenth 
 street, drawn by steeds as fleet as the far-famed Arabian 
 coursers, and a cloud of dust envelops his costly barouche 
 as potent and insinuating as the flying sand in the desert. 
 
 A day in the ante-rooms of the White House will prove 
 to the most skeptical that the "Arabian Nights" are as 
 authentic as Hawthorne's "Twice-Told Tales." The 
 Eastern Hemisphere had her rise and decline before the 
 sun of civilization kissed our rugged New England hills. 
 The Orient is asleep. The Occident fills the eyes of the 
 world to-day. 
 
 President Grant has a grand vizier. It is General 
 Dent, late of the Union Army. It is the business of Gen- 
 eral Dent to receive all who seek the presence of the Presi- 
 dent. When Andrew Johnson was Chief Executive, all 
 those waiting for an audience with power were left by 
 themselves to pass the long hours in waiting. It is some- 
 what different now. The large reception room over the 
 front of the East Room is fitted up with tables, as well 
 as sofas and chairs, and all, from the humblest to the 
 highest, are admitted to General Dent's presence. In the 
 coziest corner of the reception room, beneath the window 
 
 (121) 
 
122 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 which commands the uninterrupted view of the dehghtful 
 park which fronts the mansion, may be found the broad, 
 long table at which General Dent sits, with his accom- 
 plished assistants by his side. General Dent is in the 
 meridian of life, rather below the medium size, though 
 the rich, dark-blue military garb in which he is encased 
 diverts the mind from size altogether. Now add a face, 
 neither handsome nor plain, but a benign, good counte- 
 nance, through which the soul shines like flame through 
 an astral shade, and you have the picture of the man 
 through whose hands you are to pass before you are con- 
 signed to the august presence of majesty. At the same 
 table, directly opposite General Dent, may be seen the as- 
 sistant private secretary, Mr. Robert M. Douglas, eldest 
 son of the late Hon. Stephen A. Douglas. Those who 
 can recall the form and features of the departed Senator 
 will see them reproduced, but, like the second edition of 
 the same book, a little revised and somewhat corrected. 
 Mr. Douglas inherits the broad shoulders, crowned by 
 the same massive head, so well remembered by the nation. 
 His North Carolina speech has made him famous as a 
 youth, and it seems certain at present that he was created 
 to prove the exception to the rule that a great man never 
 bequeaths his talent to posterity. The social manners of 
 Mr. Douglas are such as would endear him tO' a sovereign 
 as haughty as Queen Elizabeth, and just as soon as he 
 culminates as private secretary it will be for the honor of 
 the foreign service to send him abroad. But at the pres- 
 ent he can not be spared from a certain ante-room in the 
 White House. 
 
 At the left of General Dent may be seen Mr. Crook, 
 one of the few men left who were bequeathed as servants 
 to the people by our beloved Lincoln. He has seen the 
 inauguration of four Presidents and the installation of 
 three different families in the White House. His mind is 
 a storehouse of legend and story. He is still a young 
 man, more than comely in personal appearance, and dis- 
 
THE OIvIVIA IvETTERS 1 23 
 
 tinguished by social manners which admirably befit court 
 life. 
 
 And now we come to that part of the story which bears 
 such a strong resemblance to an Eastern tale. High and 
 low, rich and poor, all shades, all colors, from the 
 blanched cheek of the haughty Circassian belle to the 
 Ethiopian polished ebony, may be found waiting in the 
 ante-rooms of the White House. Yellow women are 
 there, with skins like dead gold, their large, soft, lustrous 
 eyes reminding one of a Moorish picture. A dash of a 
 carriage is heard on the stone pavement below. Two ele- 
 gant women alight, in faultless traveling costume. They 
 are shown by a messenger to the ante-room, and General 
 Dent arises to receive them. One of them is exceedingly 
 beautiful. "We have called," says the beauty, "to pay 
 our respects to^ the President." "Any business?" in- 
 quires General Dent. The dainty upper lip curls percepti- 
 bly. "None whatever; we are traveling; we wish to 
 see the President." "Impossible, Madame," the General 
 replies. "All these people you see are waiting to see the 
 President on business. General Grant would be pleased 
 to see you, but he has no time he can call his own." The 
 great, haughty eyes of the traveler wander about the 
 room. As the two are about to depart General Dent 
 asks them if they would be "shown about the building" ? 
 A dignified consent being given, the two stately swans 
 sail away, piloted by the same messenger who showed 
 them up the stairs. 
 
 The doors of the inner temple tremble on their hinges, 
 and the form of a ponderous Senator emerges from the 
 presence of the sun of day. It is Henry Wilson, of Mas- 
 sachusetts. He strides to a centre table and shakes hands 
 with a distinguished group of men, composed of Cole of 
 California, Carpenter of Wisconsin, irrepressible General 
 Butler, and General Markland, the personal friend of 
 General Grant, who was nominated for Third Assistant 
 Postmaster-General. Very soon Mr. Gobright of the As- 
 
124 THE OLIVIA I.KTTERS 
 
 sociated Press joins hands with them; but the attention 
 of all eyes is drawn in another direction. Two strangers 
 are announced, and again General Dent arises to receive 
 them. Two strange beings, — the man wears the national 
 costume of Burmah, the picturesque turban, and the high- 
 colored shawl gracefully draped about his person; the 
 woman has spoiled her identity by adopting certain por- 
 tions of European dress. They are native Burmese, and 
 have been studying in this country, but soon take their 
 departure for Burmah, where they expect to act as mis- 
 sionaries. They have called to bid President Grant fare- 
 well, and are at once shown intO' his presence. 
 
 Every hour brings new arrivals. A colored delegation 
 from Alexandria has arrived. It was promised they 
 should see the President at i o'clock. It is now past 
 the hour, but still they wait patiently. It seems to be the 
 colored man's fate to wait. There is a silent grandeur 
 about this resignation. It is like the march of the cen- 
 turies. Art has portrayed it in the face of the Egyptian 
 sphynx. 
 
 A few Senators have seen the President. General But- 
 ler has dashed in there where none of the rest are allowed 
 to go. No one saw a messenger depart with his card. 
 He went in, disappeared for a moment only, and now 
 flings himself again amongst the throng. He takes a 
 cigar from a side pocket and a barbarous arrangement of 
 some kind from another. With the last thing he is going 
 to kindle a fire. He strikes the flint against the serpent, 
 and something clicks like the lock of a gun. One! two! 
 three! Civilization and Barbarism once more embrace 
 and General Butler has lighted his cigar by the flame, and 
 at the same time, like the blaze of a comet, he has disap- 
 peared. 
 
 The weary, weary waiters 1 The sun begins to blink 
 askance, and tO' creep into western windows. A man 
 says : "This is the tenth day I have waited to see the 
 President." Some of the people who were always to be 
 
THE OIvIVIA LETTERS I25 
 
 found haunting Andrew Johnson have transferred them- 
 selves to President Grant. These are the barnacles, or 
 fungi, which every administration inherits from its prede- 
 cessor. A pale woman in weeds seems to^ shrink away 
 behind the friendly covering of an open door. Her face 
 is tear-stained. A feeble little child sits calmly by her 
 side. There is much to attract sympathy to the woman. 
 The joyousness of infancy seems to be trampled out of 
 the innocent child. Little sickly bud, growing in the 
 shadow of grief, God help thee ! 
 
 In the space of one hour audience day will be over, and 
 the disappointed will go, to return again on the morrow. 
 
 Olivia. 
 
JOHN M. BARCLAY. 
 A Fund of Rkminiscencks at the Command oe the 
 
 JOURNAE CeERK OE THE HoUSE. 
 
 Washington, November 6, i86p. 
 
 For more than a score of years strangers visiting the 
 House of Representatives may have noticed, at the right 
 hand yet a Httle below the speaker, a dignified, majestic 
 man, who says the least, yet, perhaps, we may say, does 
 the most, for the country of any man within hearing of 
 the Speaker's voice. The name of this man is John M. 
 Barclay, and without his presence, or another equally po- 
 tent in his place, the House of Representatives might be 
 likened to a locomotive deprived of its beloved steam. 
 The business of the House can proceed with an indiffer- 
 ent Speaker, weakness and effeminacy in other officers 
 can be borne ; but the man whose business it is to keep a 
 faithful record of all that is done in the House has to get 
 his commission from his Creator, and then have it ap- 
 proved by the man who happens to be elected Clerk of 
 the House. It is Mr. Barclay's duty to hand down the 
 archives of the nation to other generations. For the last 
 twenty years his mind has been a river through which 
 the work of the House of Representatives has found its 
 way into history. In this noisy, turbulent House it is his 
 place to catch that which is proper and legitimate and fix 
 it in permanent form for the benefit of the whole country. 
 The Clerk of the House is the responsible figure-head for 
 this most important position, but Mr. Barclay is the 
 power behind the throne. In the clamor for office, peti- 
 tions few or none are sent up for the one Mr. Barclay oc- 
 cupies. A man to take his place must have a perfect un- 
 derstanding of parliamentary law. When the House is 
 (126) 
 
THE OLIVIA I.ETTKRS 1 27 
 
 in session, not for a moment must his attention wander 
 from the points of discussion. The reporters in the gal- 
 lery can enjoy their little siestas, give and take from each 
 other; but Mr. Barclay must depend upon himself. So 
 long has he occupied this position, so admirably has he 
 performed his difficult duties, that he may now be com- 
 pared to an exquisite piece of machinery. He never gives 
 offence. In early years he was a Whig, in later a Repub- 
 lican; but so just is he that partisan sentiments are en- 
 tirely overlooked, and both parties in the House reverence 
 him alike. 
 
 The usages and precedents of the British Parliament 
 constitute the basis of all parliamentary law amongst peo- 
 ple who speak the English language. Many years ago 
 Thomas Jefferson wrote a book, which is called "Jeffer- 
 son's Manual of Parliamentary Practice." It is formed 
 of the precepts of the United States Constitution, and the 
 regulations early adopted in the United States Senate, 
 collated with a digest of English Parliamentary practice. 
 This book is a well-known authority in this country. Mr. 
 Barclay furnishes the House with a manual containing a 
 digest of its own rules, so much of Jefferson's Manual as 
 governs the proceedings of the House, together with the 
 precedents of order, usages of the House, etc., which is 
 really a complete and independent code by which the 
 House is guided. The rules and laws of the House of 
 Representatives of the United States are universally 
 adopted for the government of all State and local conven- 
 tions, and form the basis of the rules and practice of 
 nearly all State legislatures. The influence of Mr. Bar- 
 clay's knowledge and judgment, therefore, in the parlia- 
 mentary affairs of the country, will be seen to be very 
 great. A correspondent of much repute, in a letter some 
 time ago, which has been widely copied, made the clerk 
 to the late Speaker, an estimable young man, entirely in- 
 nocent of the profundities and bewildering intricacies of 
 
128 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 parliamentary law, the actual monitor of Mr. Colfax — 
 a mistake hardly necessary to correct. 
 
 Mr. Barclay has seen the rise and decline of the reign 
 of eight different Speakers, Mr. Blaine being the ninth 
 on the list. Of the Speakers whose sceptres have with- 
 ered, whose gavels have sounded for the last time. Mr. 
 Barclay gives Mr. Colfax the credit of being the best par- 
 liamentarian, as well as the hardest and most persevering 
 student of the law. Mr. Barclay has seen the proud honor 
 of Speaker bestowed upon Robert C. Winthrop, Howell 
 Cobb, Linn Boyd, N. P. Banks, James L. Orr, William 
 Pennington, Galusha A. Grow, Schuyler Colfax, and 
 James G. Blaine. 
 
 During the long years of treason and rebellion he was 
 a silent witness of the moral battles in the House. This 
 warfare steadily preceded the smoke of the cannon and 
 the surgeon's glittering knife. It is true Mr. Barclay 
 stores up only the actual substance of the House ; and yet 
 how much he might reveal in regard to this august body 
 which is left out of the official record, as well as out of 
 "Gobright's Recollections of a Third Century," and also 
 the awful columns of the Congressional Globe. 
 
 Should Mr. Barclay have kept notes of his long experi- 
 ence at the helm of the House, what a book he could 
 make. His calm, judicial mind would be sure to do jus- 
 tice to all parties. No reporter in the gallery of "the 
 gods" over his head — no statesman on the floor below — 
 could give so many fascinating pages. He could de- 
 scribe the men who sat in the House when Cobb was 
 Speaker, — most of them now gathered to their fathers. 
 He could tell us of the finished orator, James McDowell, 
 of Virginia, and of that great speech of his, in 1850, 
 which electrified the country; of George C. Drumgoole, 
 of the same State, calm and clear even in his potations; 
 of the knight of later strifes, the spotless patriot and pure 
 rhetorician, Henry Winter Davis, of Maryland ; of Hot- 
 spur Keitt, and handsome, hectoring Brooks, of South 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 1 29 
 
 Carolina; of dandy Dawson, of Louisiana; of gifted but 
 self-destroying McConnell, of Alabama ; of quick George 
 W. Young, of Tennessee; of young Jejfferson Davis, of 
 Mississippi, when he first came into the House, wearing 
 a Byron collar ; of haughty Toombs ; logical Stephens ; 
 jolly T. H. Bayly; quiet Mr. Aiken; nervous Clingman; 
 dominating David Wilmot; brilliant D. K. Carter, and 
 eloquent Henry M. Fuller. He could narrate many a 
 side-scene in the great drama, when the actors got be- 
 hind the curtain and sported in their own green-room. 
 He could show how the great struggle grew from words 
 to blows, from blows to battles, and from battles to de- 
 feat. With Cobb and Orr, and Banks and Pennington, 
 and Grow and Colfax, Barclay was on terms of equality 
 and intimacy. He could describe the discomfiture of 
 Barksdale when he lost his yellow wig ; of Potter, when 
 he answered Pryor and offered to fight him ; of the quar- 
 rel between Cutting and Breckinridge : of Douglas in 
 his prime, and of Adams in his decay ; and of the whole 
 procession of life, fun, frolic, sorrow, failure, disgrace, 
 and death ; of the pages who grew to be generals, of the 
 generals who became Congressmen, and of the Congress- 
 men who longed to be President. Write us a book, Colo- 
 nel Barclay. You are still in your prime. Take a re- 
 porter to your room, and let him interview you, if you 
 won't jot it off in your own clerkly hand ; and if Congress 
 don't vote you a pension, or retire you on a solid annuity, 
 you and your posterity can live on the proceeds, and be 
 honored in the inevitable credit it will confer on your 
 name. Olivia. 
 
WOMAN SUFFRAGE. 
 
 Grace; Greenwood, Phoebe Couzins, and Other Ad- 
 vocates oE THE Cause. 
 
 Washington, January i8, i8yo. 
 
 The National Woman Suffrage Convention was in- 
 augurated last evening in Washington by a lecture on 
 domestic life by Grace Greenwood. A respectable-sized 
 audience, with young people largely in the preponderance, 
 under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation, welcomed the authorities to the platform, and lis- 
 tened with grace, respect, and occasional spice of ap- 
 plause, to the essay christened "Indoors." With a hand- 
 some, gallant preamble, Mrs. Lippincott (better known 
 to the world as Grace Greenwood), was introduced, and 
 her lecture went far to prove that women "indoors" could 
 accomplish far more for the benefit of the human race 
 than on the platform. There was intellect enough in the 
 talented woman to fill Lincoln Hall, but unfortunately 
 physical power was wanting. Not over one-third of 
 those present were within hearing of the speaker's voice. 
 
 Nature has set her face against women as public speak- 
 ers unless they have been trained for the stage, like Olive 
 Logan. No woman's voice can bear the tension of an 
 hour and a quarter without becoming husky and even 
 painful to the last degree, and the speaker of the evening 
 was no exception to the rule. Grace Greenwood appeared 
 upon the platform in heavy black silk, with scarlet trim- 
 mings, which well became her dark autumnal beauty. 
 She has a face of character, like Fanny Kemble, which 
 glows and pales according to the combustion within. She 
 commenced her lecture by saying that "Horace Greeley 
 has said that old-fashioned domestic life has taken its 
 (130) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS I3I 
 
 departure." She said she hoped the time would come 
 when the women would be developed mentally, morally, 
 physically, but about that time the millennium would ap- 
 pear. She said woman, though denied the privilege of 
 an equal chance to earn her own living, yet had the same 
 chance on the scaffold, and the same swing at death. 
 From English literature she abstracted what purported 
 to be a description of the ideal woman. This creature 
 was to be blessed with patience, a desire to stay at home, 
 little learning. By no means was she to know how to 
 spell correctly ; as an accomplishment she was tO' know 
 how to lisp. Then she drew a picture of Fanny Kemble 
 as Lady Macbeth, a woman whose trained robe would 
 sweep the men who concocted such pictures off the stage. 
 At one time she intended to write a course of lectures to 
 young men, but she did not say what deterred her from 
 doing so. She gave us a glowing description of home, 
 but regretted that the homes of the aristocracy were in- 
 vaded by the "Jenkinses" and all the sacredness therein 
 laid bare. Among those she denominated as Jenkins 
 were the distinguished writers, George Alfred Town- 
 send and Don Piatt. In painting the home she gave the 
 "old maid" the most exalted position, and she decided 
 that single life is not entirely bereft of comfort. The 
 marriage relation, its joys, its sorrows, its struggles, 
 were delineated with poetic fervor, and those who were 
 fortunate enough to hear her pronounced the evening's 
 entertainment a success. 
 
 Ten o'clock, January 18, the hour and day appointed 
 for the. Woman Suffrage Convention, found Lincoln Hall 
 decorated. Soon after a few women came in ; slowly the 
 number increased until a small and appreciative audience 
 had gathered. Very few men were sprinkled around, but 
 quite enough to receive the anathemas that were to be 
 showered upon the whole sex. At just a quarter to 1 1 a 
 side door from the platform opened and some of the 
 shining lights of the "cause" came into view. Elizabeth 
 
132 THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 Cady Stanton, majestic and beautiful as a snowy land- 
 scape, came forward with that grace as indescribable as 
 it is incomparable. An elegant black silk and a camel's 
 hair scarf made up her perfect costume. At her right sat 
 Mrs. Pauline Davis, of Providence, R. I., another exquis- 
 ite picture of the snow. She w^as most daintily attired 
 in blue satin and black velvet, and in the contemplation 
 of this serene and noble picture the mind is reconciled to 
 old age. Susan B. Anthony was there in black silk, with 
 soft white lace around her throat, but even lace, frothy 
 as sea-foam, failed to relieve that practical face. Just 
 what a gnarled oak is amongst trees Susan B. Anthony 
 is to her sex, — hard, obdurate, uncompromising. Jose- 
 phine Griffin, best among women, was there at her post, 
 one of the most earnest in the cause. Mrs. Wright, the 
 sister of Mrs. Mott, brought a kind greeting from that 
 venerable woman, who was kept at home by age and 
 other infirmities. But the ornament of the platform was 
 Phoebe Couzins, of St. Louis, a young law student of that 
 distinguished city. Her elegant outfit was made of a 
 light, neutral-tinted silk adorned with tiny flounces. A 
 double-breasted jacket of blue velvet, with jaunty Lom- 
 bardy hat to match, upon which a bird of paradise seemed 
 to nestle from choice. Don't we pity the judge when 
 Phoebe shall plead before him! One flash from those 
 eyes surmounted by the arched brows — ^but, stop, the 
 illusion is not complete, the rosy lips are wanting. Henry 
 Clay had a large mouth, and it did not prevent his be- 
 coming a great lav^^yer. 
 
 A description of Professor J. K. H. Wilcox, so prom- 
 inently identified with the "cause," is necessary, in order 
 to show why, in some respects, the movement is retarded. 
 This man is afflicted with a mild form of lunacy, after 
 the form of George Francis Train, and, like every other 
 decoction of weakness, becomes sickening from its insipid- 
 ity. He is called professor, but the most minute inquiry 
 fails to discover by what means he has earned this ap- 
 
the: ouvia r.ETTDRS 133 
 
 pellation. Like Train, whom he takes for his model, his 
 object is notoriety, and it is safe to assume he will achieve 
 a success. Professor Wilcox was entrasted with a mes- 
 sage tO' his countrymen from Clara Barton, who is now 
 residing abroad. A few simple words were sent to the 
 late soldiers by this good woman, but why the paper 
 should be read at a woman's meeting only Professor Wil- 
 cox can disclose. 
 
 But if the solemn women who represent the "cause" 
 have a desire to see the world move they had only to look 
 at the reporter's desk and see the large yellow envelopes 
 marked "New York Tribune." Behind the papers might 
 be seen Miss Nellie Hutchinson, who has earned the title 
 of the "spicy little reporter of the Tribune." Miss Nellie 
 allows her hair to wander in "maiden meditation, fancy 
 free." Her jaunty military suit, trimmed with gilt cord 
 and buttons, shows at once her determination tO' win a 
 battle. She is said to be a strong advocate for the 
 "cause," and writes it up just as much as the Tribune will 
 permit. As all valuable papers were handed to her by 
 Miss Anthony from the platform, whilst your corre- 
 spondent was left in the cold, she gives this fact as a slight 
 proof of the kindness bestowed upon a lady who is en- 
 gaged upon the Tribune. ' As the perusal of these papers 
 was not shared by the correspondent of The Press, any 
 omissions are requested to be overlooked. 
 
 In a few handsome words, Mrs. Stanton introduced 
 Miss Phoebe Couzins, who began her brief address by 
 quoting, "Westward the Star of Empire takes its way." 
 Then she told us that the East must look to her laurels, 
 else she would wake up and find them stranded on the 
 shores of the Western rivers. Had Phcebe read the 
 Scotch Parson in an old number of the Atlantic Monthly 
 on the subject of "veal," she never would have gone so 
 far sky-rockety on the subject of the Territory of Wyom- 
 ing. Mrs. Stanton says the subject is settled out there 
 once and forever. 
 
134 THE OUVIA IvKTTERS 
 
 ]\Irs. Paulina Davis reail a letter from John Stuart 
 Mill, in which he said he regretted not being able to 
 respond to their kind invitation, but that he thought 
 Americans abundantly able to take care of the cause. He 
 then eulogized his wife, and said she had been the means 
 of converting him. 
 
 Senator Pomeroy, the only man from Congress in the 
 hall, followed with a few appropriate remarks. But con- 
 sidering that Mrs. Pomeroy was at home, and did not 
 countenance the meeting with her presence, it looked 
 something like those electioneering dodges which the best 
 of politicians sometimes indulge in. Senator Pomeroy 
 said he was no new convert to the "theme." The Scotch 
 parson advises young people never to talk about ''themes," 
 but as Senator Pomeroy is no longer young, the advice 
 of the parson cannot be meant for him. The Senator 
 said he would not compel a woman to vote; he would 
 simply remove the impediments in the way. He talked 
 about "the mountains near where God dwells." He said 
 he had been waiting two months for petitions to be sent 
 in. Mrs. Stanton interrupted him and said she had 
 brought them. He said he was for carrying woman suf- 
 frage into the fundamental laws of the land. He would 
 let a Chinese vote, only a Chinese could not be natural- 
 ized, and therefore could not vote. If a woman was con- 
 victed of crime, she must die. A woman had once been 
 hung in \\^ashington. This is the new year for the rally- 
 ing question. He onl}- hoped this convention would be a 
 triumphant success. 
 
 Susan B. Anthony then came forward and attempted 
 to read a letter from a Jersey "Honorable," but the writ- 
 "ing was so poor that she could not. Then she explained 
 what the man meant, but by what process is known only 
 to Susan herself. 
 
 Mrs. Cady Stanton came forward and said if the Re- 
 publican party did not come forth and champion the 
 cause, the Democrats would, and therefore infuse a n^w 
 
the: OI.IVIA Iv^TTKRS 1 35 
 
 life into their decaying body. She also instanced a case 
 where a Democrat had paid the fare of all the ladies in 
 the omnibus that morning coming from the depot to the 
 hotel. 
 
 The beautiful prayer delivered at the opening of the 
 session by the Rev. Mr. May, from Syracuse, was worthy 
 of a better cause. The few remarks which followed by 
 the same man were more creditable to his heart than 
 head ; but he was sincere and honest, and one could not 
 help but wish that more men like him could be found in 
 the world. 
 
 The audience was made up mostly of women, but not 
 the curled, dainty fashionables of the capital. Sad-faced, 
 sorrowful women were there. A poor woman touched 
 your correspondent on the arm, and asked if they "got 
 places for women to work here." Queenly Mrs. Davis 
 was reading, regal in diamonds and point lace. The 
 woman added, pointing to the speaker, "Do you think 
 she can help me?" Ouvia. 
 
EUZABETH CADY STANTON. 
 How She Engineers the Sueerage Movement. 
 
 Washington, January ip, 18/0. 
 
 The hour having arrived for the opening oi the last 
 evening's session, and the great Hghts not appearing on 
 the stage, it was moved by Professor Wilcox and sec- 
 onded that Mrs. Joseph Griffing be chosen temporarily 
 to occupy the chair. The Hon. James M. Scovel, of New 
 Jersey, was asked to speak, and immediately began. He 
 said it was the coming question whether women shall 
 have the ballot. He believed the thing is right. His 
 mother had said when she went tO' a village and saw men 
 coming out of a house she knew that to be a tavern ; when 
 she saw women going in she knew that to be a church. 
 It is not flattery that women want ; it is their rights. The 
 time had been in Jersey when women had no more rights 
 than lunatics and idiots, and it was not much better to- 
 day. He didn't come there to make a speech; he came 
 there a convert. We shall have no peace until women 
 can go side by side with men to the ballot-box. At this 
 point Mr. Scovel retired, having proved to the rather slim 
 audience that "stump speaking" was an accomplishment 
 that sometimes made its escape from Jersey. 
 
 Again the irrepressible Wilcox appeared and read a 
 letter which he had received from the wife of O'Donovan 
 Rossa, in answer to his polite invitation to be present at 
 the meeting. Madame Rossa regretted that unavoidable 
 departure from the country prevented her attendance. 
 She also added some nice things about liberty and her 
 good wishes for the speedy advancement of the cause. 
 
 Just as the letter was concluded, Mrs. Stanton swept 
 upon the stage, followed by the planets in her train. She 
 (136) 
 
THE OWVIA LETTERS 137 
 
 came forward and introduced Mrs. Wilbour, of New 
 York. Mrs. Wilbour, stately in black velvet, point ap- 
 plique, and diamonds, came forward and read a rather 
 prosy, dry essay. Mrs. Wilbour has a voice for public 
 speaking superior to most of her sex. She varied the old 
 question by asking for human rights instead of woman's 
 rights. She said it is urged that woman has less force 
 than man, and therefore, should not exercise this inalien- 
 able right. She asked what should rule — force power or 
 beauty power? Brain not brawn rules this world. A 
 small white hand can move an engine, or wield a pen, an 
 instrument stronger than the sword. All that gives har- 
 mony to the world is the beautiful. Religion beautifies 
 the soul. A preponderance of beauty is on the feminine 
 side, but force is found on the masculine. Mrs. Wilbour 
 talked about the ballot as a little slip of paper. She might 
 as well have spent her strength on the paper wadding in- 
 stead of the deadly bullet that follows it. After a time 
 the sleepy essay came to an end. 
 
 Mrs. Stanton then came forward, introducing the Hon. 
 A. G. Riddle, one of the most distinguished lawyers of 
 the District. She prefaced the introduction by calling 
 him a lawyer but an honest man. He gave us the argu- 
 ment; the audience were the jury, but no judge was 
 present to decide the case. Mr. Riddle said the question 
 of the final relation of the sexes had come for final adjudi- 
 cation. These masculines must look the question in the 
 face. It is so broad you can't go around it. As Mr. 
 Riddle has said the best things so far, it is to be regretted 
 that so much of it has been lost. 
 
 The next speaker was Miss Couzins, of St. Louis. She 
 said she felt great trepidation in coming forward when 
 she found the great men at the national capital turning a 
 cold shoulder for reasons of policy, and the women given 
 up to frivolity and fashion. She felt like drinking in- 
 spiration from the West, where the leading people were 
 with her. She felt she was fighting a forlorn hope, but 
 
138 THE OUVIA I.ETTI:rS 
 
 Washington fought a forlorn hope at Valley Forge, and 
 won a victory. She graphically delineated the saying of 
 women being classified with lunatics, idiots, slaves, etc. 
 Women have a right to demand that the laws shall be 
 changed in order to insure their happiness. Women had 
 been subjected from the time of William the Conqueror. 
 Bible authority is quoted to oppose the ballot ; but there 
 was no law found there for a man and a separate law for 
 woman. Men say when a majority of women desire the 
 ballot they shall have it. She said if the majority had 
 rights the minority had also. Deeds of heroism were 
 related. She said a monument was about to be erected in 
 Washington, dedicated to the martyrs who fell in the late 
 war. The women of St. Louis sent word to know if 
 women were represented. They received the answer : 
 "No, but if the women of St. Louis would raise the money 
 for it, they should have a shaft placed near the monu- 
 ment, with the Goddess of Liberty on the top of it." She 
 alluded to the freed women of the South, forgetting how- 
 ever, to say that they, being an integral part, were up- 
 lifted with the race. At a very late hour, with the ter- 
 mination of Miss Couzin's speech, the evening session 
 closed. 
 
 The second day's session was opened with a prayer by 
 the Rev. Mr. May, of Syracuse, who thus far has as- 
 sumed the spiritual direction of the movement. Mrs. 
 Griffing came forward and said the great object of the 
 meeting was to secure legislation by Congress. The 
 press follows every reform with its scandal. Christ has 
 arisen from the dead, and the women all over the country 
 are making application. Will Congress adhere to the 
 Constitution ? She had hope and faith that Congress will 
 hear us. No ray of divine life quickens Congress. Wo- 
 men, raise your voices in prayer. A eulogy to Stanton 
 was pronounced, whom she styled the last of the trinity 
 of martyrs — John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and Edwin 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 139 
 
 M. Stanton. She said that this discriminating word 
 "male" shall be expunged from every law of the District. 
 
 At this point of the speech Professor Wilcox came for- 
 ward and said that no effort had been put forth by the 
 President to close the Departments so that the clerks 
 would be enabled to attend the woman-suffrage conven- 
 tion. Mrs. Stanton said she had seen the President, and 
 he had said he was too busy to attend the convention, so 
 the cream of the movement was skimmed to confer with 
 the ruler of the Republic. This committee which is to 
 beard the lion in his den is composed of Mrs. Stanton, 
 Miss Anthony, Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Wilbour, Mrs. Davis, 
 Rev. Olympia Brown, Phoebe Couzins, Mrs. Beecher 
 Hooker and several others. After this business matter 
 was finished Miss Anthony came forward to excuse the 
 absence of Miss Lillie M. Peckham, of Milwaukee, by 
 saying she was detained at home by the sickness of her 
 brother. This incident went to prove that strong-minded 
 women have sympathies and feelings like other people. 
 A few letters from obscurity were brought forth, but did 
 not add any brilliancy to the proceedings. 
 
 At this point of the meeting Senator Pomeroy, who 
 was on his way to Congress, called in to give a word of 
 encouragement. He said it was a long time before the 
 movement could even get the ear of the public. Men 
 were for making fighting the basis of suffrage. Who are 
 those who are called to bear arms ? Would you disfran- 
 chise a man because he is over forty-five? The military 
 power is subservient to the civil. This is a government 
 of law, not of force. Who feeds, clothes, and supports 
 the soldiers in the field, and thus secures our victories? 
 Services were rendered by women in those hours who 
 cannot vote. Women have borne arms. In Northamp- 
 ton, Mass., near where the Senator was born, was a tomb- 
 stone on which was cut in the marble, "Her warfare is 
 accomplished." This stands there in time-honored mem- 
 ory to prove the military qualities of the sex. There was 
 
I40 THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 an inequality in the basis of representation, and if the 
 mothers, wives, and sisters were not so much better than 
 we are, they would not have borne the deprivations of 
 their rights. Remove the obstacle to education; open 
 every hall to black and white, male and female. Remove 
 the obstacles; repeal the law; I am for the sixteenth 
 amendment; a woman is a citizen, and should have the 
 power to legislate in the District of Columbia. There are 
 places of employment not open to women. There are 
 offices under the government which women should have. 
 We must "fight it out on this line," — but the quotation 
 was left unfinished, and the distinguished Senator sat 
 down. But wishing to see the effect of his glowing 
 words, he moved that those women in the audience who 
 wished to vote should raise their hands. Not a score of 
 hands were to be seen. 
 
 At this unfortunate moment Mrs. Stanton came for- 
 ward to the rescue of the bewildered Senator. "Allow 
 me," said this lieutenant-general, "to correct the Senator. 
 Those who wish to vote are requested to^ sit still." 
 
 The command was instantly obeyed. Not a woman 
 was seen to move. The Senator wiped the perspiration 
 from his forehead and looked his thanks to the gallant 
 chief of the staff, whose strategy had saved the day. Af- 
 terwards those who did not wish to vote were requested 
 to show their colors. A few women were noticed mak- 
 ing themselves conspicuous, but the great mass were not 
 to be deluded into giving an expression either one way 
 or another. 
 
 Mrs. Stanton then introduced Madame Anneke, a Ger- 
 man woman who could not talk English, but could talk 
 the language of the heart — an immense woman, whose 
 weight would reach the hundreds. The stage shook un- 
 der her powerful trampings. She made up for language 
 in pantomime. She drew her hands through her short 
 hair as only a poet can describe. She said she had waded 
 fields of blood, but this had not been her orreatest trials. 
 
THE OIvIVIA I.ETTERS I4I 
 
 She had come from Wisconsin with a heavy load — the 
 petition of many hundreds who wanted to vote. She had 
 come with credentials from "t'ousands and t'ousands." 
 She appealed in the name of Germany — in the name of all 
 Europe, The enfranchisement of women would be the 
 enfranchisement of the whole human race. 
 
 Madame Anneke then retired, giving place to a woman 
 as lean as she was fat — a Quaker woman from Philadel- 
 phia. This dear, good old Quakeress looked spiritual 
 enough to be translated. She gave us some good Quaker 
 doctrine, such as Philadelphia knows all about, and her re- 
 marks, for this reason, are omitted. She was called Mrs. 
 Rachel Moore Townsend. 
 
 After Mrs. Townsend the Rev. Olympia Brown came 
 forward, the brightest, freshest, strongest woman we 
 have ever heard, devoted to the "cause." She is a small 
 woman, and looks exactly as one might imagine Char- 
 lotte Bronte — a picture of exquisite nicety, from the 
 dainty point lace collar to the perfect fitting shoe. 
 
 She commenced her address to those who did not wish 
 to vote: "You may say you are in comfortable homes, 
 with kind husbands and kind fathers, and you may won- 
 der what these strong-minded women want. The tem- 
 perance question alone shows the want of the ballot for 
 the drunkard's wife. Women have been patient too long, 
 and therefore responsible in a degree for the sin of drunk- 
 enness. I wish women would stand up and say they 
 would not encourage men who use intoxicating drinks 
 and tobacco. We are seeking a nobler womanhood. It 
 is the duty of every mother to feel that she is responsible 
 for that society into which she sends her son. Our young 
 lady should have something to look forward to. A young- 
 lady, upon leaving school, told her companion that she 
 was sorry that school had ended, because she would have 
 nothing to do. 'Can't you stay at home and make pretty 
 things to wear?' was the reply. This assertion and an- 
 swer covered the whole ground of young ladyhood." 
 
142 The OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 When she first entered the world as a young- woman, she 
 consulted her minister as to what she should do. He 
 told her to sit down at home and amuse herself reading, 
 and occasionally engage in a strictly private benevolence. 
 The time will come when women will go forth to make 
 a name and a fortune just as men do to-day. Women 
 are told that Christ died for them ; she would tell them 
 that Christ lived for them. He taught women a life of 
 earnestness, and she bade them go forth and follow his 
 example. She compared the workingmen of Europe to 
 our own mechanics — the bone and sinew of the land. 
 "What makes the difference between them ? It is the bal- 
 lot. When tanners can aspire to be President you can see 
 what the ballot can do. If it does so' much for the men, 
 it will do equally as much for the women. We want 
 every incentive to make women brave, wise, and good. 
 Let us learn not to fight with guns, but with our tongues. 
 The warfare is not ended until the ballot is in our hands. 
 Vermont will give women the ballot before the year is 
 out, and Connecticut will soon follow, for I have moved 
 down there to accomplish it. Only a perfected woman- 
 hood will satisfy the age." 
 
 Mr. Stillman, the only man in the Rhode Island legis- 
 lature who dared to stand up for woman suffrage, came 
 forward, but want of time prevents an account of his 
 speech. 
 
 Phoebe Couzins followed him after the same style of 
 her first speech. 
 
 After she had finished Professor Wilcox came forward 
 as the last crowning glory of the day and moved that 
 Harriett Beecher Stowe, in her dire extremity, have the 
 sympathy of the convention. Mrs. Stanton said it was 
 out of order, and the Professor exhaled. Olivia. 
 
ISABELLA BEECHER HOOKER. 
 Fitting Rs:presentative: oi? a Distinguished Family. 
 
 Washington, January 20, iSyo. 
 
 Wednesday's evening session opened with the usual 
 brilHant array of distinguished women on the stage. 
 Among the number might have been seen Mrs. Isabella 
 Beecher Hooker, of Connecticut, another candidate for 
 immortality in this family so- widely known to fame. 
 Mrs. Hooker is the beauty of the Beecher constellation. 
 She has a dreamy, poetic face, like the picture of Mrs. 
 Browning, and the early snow has been sprinkled among 
 her curls. Mrs. Hooker is orthodox, and draws inspi- 
 ration from the old Calvinistic doctrines undefiled. She 
 appears timid almost to awkwardness. She says she in- 
 tends to be a "speaker," and an assertion from a mem- 
 ber of this family, like some kinds of paper, is worth 
 more than its face. 
 
 In the obscurest place on the platform sits the genius 
 of the convention, Jennie Collins, the factory girl of New 
 England, with her sad, hungry face. You can only re- 
 member the eyes, which look as if there was Fomething 
 fierce and awful behind them ready to spring out and 
 bite. 
 
 The meeting is called to order by Mrs. Stanton, and is 
 followed by a few of her well-chosen words. She had 
 hoped to have a company of distinguished Senators and 
 members, but unfortunately the Congressmen were all 
 hoarse. TwO' Senators had sent their regrets. Senator 
 Ross pleaded prior engagements, but sent his sympathy. 
 Senator Carpenter regretted that official duties prevented 
 his coming, accompanied with the usual condolence. 
 
 Mrs. Stanton proceeded to enlighten the audience on 
 
 (143) 
 
144 I'H^ OWVIA I.KTTERS 
 
 the sixteenth amendment, which is simply striking the 
 obnoxious word "male" out of every statute of the land. 
 She said the future great memorable day would occur 
 in March, because it was in this month that Mr. Julian 
 had offered this amendment to the Constitution. In 
 changing the fifteenth amendment the voice of every per- 
 son should be heard in the land. If women are not people, 
 what are they? We are building a model Republic and it 
 needs a crowning glory. That glory is a perfected wom- 
 anhood. 
 
 Miss Anthony arose and proposed a vote. Those who 
 demand that Congress shall adopt the sixteenth amend- 
 ment say "aye." The ayes had it. Miss Susan said she 
 had been interviewing members, but did not stop to tell 
 the result. She said there was a factory girl on the plat- 
 form. Miss Jennie Collins, of Boston. The movement 
 was not to benefit those who had fathers and husbands, 
 but those who had to earn their own living. 
 
 Miss Collins was then introduced. She said she had not 
 come to make a speech, but to lay her offering at the feet 
 of the imperial Susan. We have a class of women who 
 have not brains enough to comprehend a comic almanac; 
 but if you would have an opinion, go to the working 
 woman. She who has toiled knows her opinion. Why 
 do girls not go into the kitchen? Because no man will 
 marry a woman from the kitchen ; but if she goes be- 
 hind the counter a man will give her his arm. She said 
 the Republican party had accomplished its mission, and 
 was now dead. A new party was coming up from the 
 people. The trades unions will be heard from. These 
 unions were formed around camp-fires to protect each 
 other, and they now girdle the land. She did not look 
 to the politicians for aid ; it must come from the working 
 people. What helped the workingman ? It was the bal- 
 lot. Then why would it not help the working women as 
 well? If the Southerner had whipped the slave woman, 
 the New England stockholder would not stop the loom 
 
the: OLIVIA LKfTERS 145 
 
 long enough to do the whipping. She painted the hideous 
 Hves of the 48,000 factory girls of Massachusetts. Her 
 presence breathed the print of the nails. She made you 
 hear the whir of the machinery, and you could feel the 
 flakes of cotton falling like snow. Miss Collins abused 
 General Grant, abused the Republican party, but the audi- 
 ence was under her spell and did not raise a dissenting 
 voice. A young girl in the audience spoke loud enough 
 to be heard by those around her, "Isn't she a frightful 
 woman?" It was the savage looking out of the New 
 England factory prison, and the picture is the strongest 
 that has been presented in the convention. 
 
 Miss Anthony then announced that the Senate District 
 Committee had agreed to meet the leading women of the 
 movement on Saturday at 10 o'clock a. m. 
 
 The meeting now adjourned, and the distinguished 
 women proceeded to the Arlington Hotel, where they 
 had previously announced their intention oi holding a 
 reception between the hours of 10 and 12 p. m. This 
 midnight reception was held to accommodate members 
 and Senators who were supposed to be disengaged dur- 
 ing these hours. But, alas! Senators one appeared, 
 Pomeroy, of Kansas, whilst the gallant General Logan 
 was the sole representative of the House. 
 
 Mrs. Stanton was queenly, as usual, in black velvet; 
 Mrs. Hooker in gray moire antique ; whilst Mrs. Wil- 
 bour eclipsed all the lesser lights in black silk, embroid- 
 ered with golden grain. Diamonds glittered, wit and 
 satire flashed, illuminating all the beholders; but the 
 grand dames, the philosophers, the politicians of the 
 capital were not there. If the strong-minded can talk 
 better than the fashionables, they must yet learn to "re- 
 ceive." Mrs. Hooker held up her moire train as if she 
 were keeping it from the mire. But this must have been 
 owing to the neat training in the "land of steady habits." 
 Mrs. Stanton "is at home" in the masculine way of doing 
 10 
 
146 THD OUVIA I^^TTERS 
 
 business. To be sure she had talked sense, but she made 
 one long for a little nonsense ; for something upon which 
 the mind could rest after the severe tension of the day. 
 
 General Logan was dressed in black pants, not very- 
 much the worse for wear, while a claret overcoat, bound 
 in black silk braid, was thrown open before. What his 
 boots lacked in polish was made up by a mental lustre 
 which such insignificant things as bootblacks can neither 
 add to nor take away. He moved about hither and 
 thither with as much apparent ease as he intends to move 
 the capital. Senator Pomeroy wore his ordinary ap- 
 parel with the exception of his hair. Nellie Hutchinson 
 of the Tribune said the reception was a failure, and the 
 readers of The Press can take her word for it. 
 
 Meeting called to order with veiy few on the stage. 
 The usual prayer was omitted. Mrs. Stanton opened the 
 battle. Daughters should be prepared for every emer- 
 gency. Cultivate will power, and everything else yields. 
 She said she had visited fashionable women in their lux- 
 urious homes and when she talked to them of these great 
 questions, they said they had been so happy they had 
 never thought of these things. She would say to these 
 women. Do you live in Chinese walls? Have you never 
 read Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables"? What sort of a 
 soul must people have if they can only feel what sacri- 
 fices their own flesh ? She then told the drunkard's story, 
 but she always finishes a convention with the same tale. 
 When Mrs. Stanton tells this personal experience she 
 rises to the dignity of a great actress. The pauses, the 
 gestures, one learns by heart. Do the great and good 
 men of the world repeat themselves in the same way? 
 
 Miss Anthony having somewhat recovered, read a let- 
 ter from Hon. Jacob H. Ela, of New Hampshire, and he 
 assured the convention that he was with it hand and 
 glove. During the evening a few members and Senator 
 Sherman were espied in the audience. Miss Anthony 
 was interrupted in her speaking, and Senator Sherman 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS I47 
 
 was called on by name to come forward and answer how 
 he stood on the sixteenth amendment. As he did not 
 seem inclined to give an opinion, Miss Anthony bade 
 him, unless he was for it, to say nothing at all. 
 
 Judge Woodward (Democrat) was alsO' seen, and his 
 name was called out, but he arose from his seat and went 
 quietly out. With the encroachment upon good taste 
 (for certainly Congressmen have some rights which the 
 public should respect) the convention has lived its brief 
 life, and left its mark upon the age. Olivia. 
 
GATHERING OF THE STRONG-MINDED. 
 The Woman Suffragists TelIv of Their Trials. 
 
 Washington, January 21, iSyo. 
 
 The last evening's session of the woman's suffrage 
 convention opened under the most dazzHng auspices. No 
 movement of the kind at the national capital has ever 
 been so honored before. Quite a strong solution of in- 
 tellect, power, and fashion shaded its eyes before the me- 
 teoric display. For the first time in convention, respec- 
 table audiences have seen spiritualism, long-haired mas- 
 culine, and pantaloon feminine banished from the stage. 
 Just as a flame flashes up more brilliantly before it ex- 
 pires, the convention assumed a vermillion hue before its 
 final dissolution. 
 
 Mrs. Stanton appeared clad in solemn black velvet, but 
 the bright ribbons nestling in her snowy curls, the girlish 
 ornaments in exactly the right place, strangled all 
 thoughts of a funereal aspect. 
 
 Mrs. Wilbour glimmered in the black silk of golden 
 wheat memory, and Mrs. Beecher was clad in royal 
 purple; Phoebe Couzins smothered her manifold attrac- 
 tions under a great white opera cloak, and Susan B. An- 
 thony was just as twisted and knotty as ever. 
 
 But whilst the beautiful feminine element which Mrs. 
 Wilbour has so faithfully portrayed formed the back- 
 ground of the picture, the great central form of attrac- 
 tion was Professor Wilcox, otherwise known in the capi- 
 tal as "the Knight of the Sorrowful Figure." A descrip- 
 tion of his person, as he corruscated upon the stage, is 
 copied from the Washington Chronicle: "Professor 
 Wilcox appeared upon the scene in wrappings of swal- 
 low-tail and patent leather. His polished foundation was 
 (148) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 149 
 
 only eclipsed by the manifold attractions of the other 
 extremity. His whiskers were trimmed to an angle of 
 forty-five degrees, whilst his superb eyes rested in serene 
 beneficence upon the feminine elements that surged and 
 rolled in grandeur op the stage." 
 
 As the women were detained at home for the arrange- 
 ment of their toilettes beyond the hour appointed, Pro- 
 fessor Wilcox moved that Mrs. Griffing address the meet- 
 ing. This most estimable woman proposed a substitute 
 in the person of Madame Anneke, who came forward 
 and said she could not talk, only "wid her heart." She 
 could not speak English. "All my friends I embrace." 
 This last sentence must have been a metaphor, for al- 
 though Professor Wilcox was in grappling distance, 
 nothing occurred which could shock the most delicate 
 mind. Madame Anneke said that it had been told that 
 Germany was not in favor of this movement. This was 
 a mistake. Germany was with us; all Europe too. 
 Twenty years ago she had started a paper to advocate the 
 cause, but it stopped in two years because of her sickness. 
 One hundred years ago a German philosopher said that 
 women should have equal rights with men. A hundred 
 years ago a good man had said the same things which 
 these women were telling the people to-day. But she 
 could say no more, she was going to act. 
 
 Mrs. Stanton then came forward and said Madame 
 Anneke was going to travel all through the West for the 
 "cause," and this was what she meant by the word act. 
 If Madame Anneke can not talk English to Western bar- 
 barians, she can make up by acting on the stage. Her 
 immense rotundity, quivering like a huge caldron of jelly, 
 will stir the human heart to its profoundest depths, and 
 it can safely be said by a Western woman who knows 
 the taste of the home community that Madame Anneke 
 will be able to attract audiences. 
 
 Rev. Mr. May now came forward. He said that our 
 late civil war was brought on by the deprivation of the 
 
150 THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 rights of four millions of the people, and consequently 
 certain things will follow like a natural law, the taking 
 away of the rights of fifteen millions more. Woman 
 cannot be denied her rights. She cannot be degraded 
 without degrading the other half of creation. God made 
 man dual. How absurd for man to assume the right to 
 all power ; to take all power into his hands. Why do not 
 women take all the power to themselves? It would be 
 just as reasonable. Barbarians subject the weak to the 
 strong. 
 
 Miss Anthony now^ came forward and wanted to have 
 a resolution introduced into Congress to equalize wages. 
 The motion was put and carried with the exception of 
 one male voice. Here was a chance for Susan to score 
 the Adam, and the opportunity was not lost. No eagle 
 from his eyrie ever pounced upon a chicken with more 
 force than did Susan upon this masculine biped. Nobody 
 knew whether the unfortunate had a wife, but Susan as- 
 sumed that he had, and that it was his intent and purpose 
 to sneak away her wages. Susan finished him on the 
 spot, and the audience applauded the heroic act. 
 
 Mrs. Stanton then rose and said a woman had just 
 visited her who was connected with the Washington pub- 
 lic schools. For a long time she had tried to get her 
 wages ; that she was in debt, with all its attendant evils ; 
 that she had applied time after time for her dues, but they 
 were withheld, but that a school trustee had put his hand 
 in his pocket and ofifered the teacher forty dollars instead 
 of forty-five, the amount due. She instanced this as an 
 atrocious advantage taken of a helpless woman. As she 
 took her seat a man in a distant part of the hall arose 
 for an explanation. He painted the awful picture of a 
 depleted city treasury, of the inability of the school com- 
 mittee to get blood out of a stone, and thought the man 
 did a most generous act to give the woman forty dollars 
 and wait indefinitely for the forty-five. He said the man 
 was touched by her necessities, and no doubt cramped 
 
THE OWVIA LETTERS I51 
 
 himself to do a good act, for the school committee are 
 poor men. 
 
 A silence followed. Mr. May again came forward to 
 bring forth some mental gem that in his former speech 
 had been forgotten. He wanted to say something about 
 woman as an inventor. A woman had invented the cot- 
 ton-gin, but in this case she had been maliciously de- 
 prived of her rights. The audience listened patiently and 
 his last talk came to an end. Then Mrs. Charlotte Wil- 
 bour took the stand and read one of her sleepy essays. 
 But she made rather a handsome figure with the gaslight 
 dancing on the golden sheaves that bespangled her royal 
 drapery. Her costly fan was suspended from her waist 
 by a heavy gold chain, and this, with the length of her 
 long train, made her look anything else but "strong- 
 minded." 
 
 When her essay came to an end, Mr. May arose for 
 an explanation, but the decorous, good humored audi- 
 ence had swallowed enough of Mr. May, and its stomach 
 actually refused any more of the decoction. Stamp! 
 Stamp! Stamp! Motherly Mrs. Stanton came forward 
 and said, "Be a good child. Take it down; take it for 
 the sake of free speech." Mr. May began. Hissing, 
 stamping. Again Mrs. Stanton's sweet face beams on 
 the audience and says, "Why will ye?" 
 
 Mr. May began and said: "I shall stand here until 
 you hear me, if I stay till to-morrow morning." De- 
 termination was written on that face, with the broad 
 lower jaw and mouth, which sprung together like the 
 shutting of a steel trap. His arms were folded, and his 
 whole person breathed the spirit of the Egyptian sphinx. 
 The audience felt the presence of its master, and yielded 
 as good naturedly as it began the battle. Mr. May told 
 us something about a State's prison, where there were 
 nothing but female convicts and female ofificers, but 
 whether this model prison is in his own State of New 
 York or elsewhere escaped the ear of the writer, but it is 
 
152 THE OLIVIA I^^TTERS 
 
 safe to say if it is not in New York it certainly ought to 
 be there. 
 
 Miss Anthony now came forward and told a good 
 story, a noble one, about Olympia Bro\vn. Four months 
 Olympia traveled in Kansas in every way except by rail- 
 road. She spoke every day of the four months, and of- 
 tener twice than otherwise. Generally she had met the 
 kindest treatment, but sometimes not, for in every audi- 
 ence there is generally a fringe of humanity where there 
 is more boot-heel than brain. There was one district in 
 Kansas where intelligent people lived, where for years 
 they were unable to get a schoolhouse. They could get 
 no majority to vote upon the question, because the claims 
 in the town were owned by single men, whO' did not 
 want to vote to be taxed, or else by non-residents who 
 were never there to give a decision one way or another. 
 The father worked on year after year, but all in vain. 
 After the passage of the law giving woman the right to 
 vote on the school question, the mothers arose at 1 1 
 o'clock at night, voted, and got a schoolhouse. Why the 
 women should be obliged to arise at 11 o'clock at night 
 to vote, instead of waiting until a respectable hour in the 
 morning, Susan forgot to mention. Miss Anthony said 
 once upon a time she was announced to speak in Brook- 
 lyn, at the same time with Miss Anna Dickinson. Just 
 as she had changed her frock, and got ready for starting, 
 the fickle Anna telegraphed that she could not be there. 
 There was no time to prepare for this unforeseen catas- 
 trophe, so she put on her bonnet and went over to Brook- 
 lyn — went into the vast hall, crowded with humanity, 
 who had come to see Anna, not her. Had the heavens 
 opened and buckets of ice-water been showered down 
 upon her head she could have felt no worse. She looked 
 around and there sat Henry Ward Beecher, and Chapin, 
 and a host of intellectual lights, which were enough to 
 cook any woman's marrow to the bones, and she was as 
 bare of thought as New York is of honesty. She applied 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 153 
 
 a forcing pump to her mind, but still the water of thought 
 wouldn't come; her brain was as dry as a squeezed 
 orange. What should she do? She looked around on 
 the hungry audience, and at last her eyes rested on Henry 
 Ward Beecher, and she felt saved. Leaving her place on 
 the platform, she advanced to the great preacher, and, 
 laying her hand on his shoulder she said, "You must help 
 me ; I can't do it." Susan did not tell us whether it was 
 owing to her command or the pressure which she brought 
 to bear on his shoulder that conquered him. At any rate, 
 he came gallantly to her side; and never was such a 
 rousing speech made by the great parson in all the days 
 of his life. Then she said, "What did I tell this story 
 for? Something I am sure! Let me see. Oh, yes! I 
 wanted to prove that men and women needed to work 
 together side by side. When one fails, the other can 
 come to the rescue." At this moment Susan gave evi- 
 dence of having touched the bottom of her remarkable 
 strength and vitality. The unmitigated drain upon her 
 vital forces for three days of convention seemed to have 
 done its work. Any other woman would have fainted, 
 but not Susan. She only said, "I think I'll sit down," 
 
 Mrs. Stanton came forward and said she wanted to 
 talk an hour to the young ladies about health and 
 strength. Napoleon could not make a soldier of a sick 
 man. If girls are left with white hands and poverty an 
 inheritance, as it often is when they are orphaned, the 
 sin of it lies at the parents' door. Educate women for 
 ministers, and there will be better theology preached. Let 
 them study the law. Would it bring them more into 
 notice than the public ball? There is no place where 
 there are such temptations as in fashionable life, for no- 
 where are such sensuous men found. If marriage is con- 
 templated, it is not thought whether a man has character 
 but whether he has wealth. She said she had an interest 
 in the perpetuity of the American Constitution. Women 
 will never respect themselves, but will be ground down 
 
154 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 until they learn self-support. She had personal knowl- 
 edge of many girls who wanted to do something for 
 themselves, but the fathers stood by, saying, "Degrade 
 women to go to the polls ?" If a woman is so rash as to 
 marry a man, should she be afraid to go by his side to 
 the ballot-box ? She had six men in her family, and, ex- 
 cepting the tobacco, she found them very endurable. She 
 thought men and women ought to be together in every 
 movement. A drunken man will try to act sober when 
 women are around. Conversation is never so good when 
 men are alone; nor is it so elevating among women as 
 when a few philosophers or well-informed men are pres- 
 ent. 
 
 Senator Wilson arrives and is lustily cheered. He 
 ascends the platform and shakes hands with his personal 
 friends. He said he did not come to address an argument 
 to this meeting; he did not come to add his faith to the 
 creed to be promulgated. Whenever he had a vote to 
 give to any practical measure which should benefit this 
 country it should be given to men and women alike. But 
 he came there to redeem a promise to- Miss Anthony, who 
 really would not let him say "no." "But I am with you. 
 For the last thirty-four years I have tried, in private and 
 in public, to emancipate a race. The work is done. Com- 
 plete political equality is nearly accomplished; and what 
 little time may be allotted me I shall still go on with the 
 work which has given four and a half millions freedom. 
 I am with you in sentiment, feeling, and all which relates 
 to the work." 
 
 Mrs. Stanton having perceived several Congressmen 
 in the hall, invites them to the platform. They do not 
 choose to come. Senator Tipton is called by name, and 
 rises and begs to be excused, and Mrs. Stanton shows 
 her weakness by excusing him. 
 
 Rachel Townsend, the Quakeress, takes the platform, 
 and scores the factory girl for her effective speech of the 
 evening before. She says she has a good word to say 
 
the; OLIVIA i.i:tte;rs 155 
 
 for Congress ; a good word for President Grant, who has 
 taken the colored man by the hand and raised him to a 
 place he never occupied before. He had placed the de- 
 spised Quakers over the Indians and the Quakers had 
 done what powder and bullets had failed to do. Quaker 
 women were amongst the Indians, Christianizing them 
 as much as the other sex. 
 
 Mrs. Jocelyn Gage was then introduced by a handsome 
 preamble, in Mrs. Stanton's own style. She said Mrs. 
 Gage was author of a pamphlet upon "Woman as an 
 Inventor," and that the pamphlet went to prove that 
 women originated the cotton-gin. Mrs. Gage, however, 
 did not tell the audience any new facts about woman 
 suffrage. 
 
 The majestic, most queenly Pauline Davis criticised 
 Senator Wilson because he had spoken of the black men 
 and said nothing about the black women. 
 
 Miss Anthony then offered a resolution on the six- 
 teenth amendment, and made just such a speech as only 
 Susan can. She demanded that Congress submit the 
 amendment. She commanded the Judiciary Committee 
 of the District to present the bill before the House, and 
 that it be done quickly. She wanted something practical 
 to work on. She said there were black men so ignorant 
 that when they went to the polls they expected to have a 
 mule given them at the same time. "Do you suppose such 
 women as Mrs. Stanton, Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Wright, and 
 others — I'll say myself; yes, I'll say we — have suffered 
 hooting, degradation, persecution, everything for all 
 these years, and not accomplish what we have to do !" 
 Vesuvius could be painted more easily than Susan at this 
 supreme moment. What is this invisible force? Heads 
 were bowed until the whirlwind swept by. Susan went 
 up like a rocket but came down like a stick, but it did not 
 hurt her. She said she was tired of harping on one 
 string. She looked sO' weary. Oh ! that Susan had a 
 place softer than a pillow on which to lay that tired head. 
 
156 the; oIvIvia i^etters 
 
 There is no time to tell all the strong words this 
 woman said^ because it must be told that Mrs. Beecher 
 Hooker tried to speak and failed. Alas ! for the Beechers. 
 She said that Christ had come to deliver woman. She 
 had entered into this movement because undefiled, pure 
 religion was to be found there, I assure you. Few of us 
 know the burden which Christianity brings. Let us take 
 hold and work together. At this moment she said so 
 many earnest faces gazing at her made it impossible to 
 go on, and she withdrew her beautiful face, suffused 
 with the pure Beecher blood, the sweetest picture the 
 family has had the honor to present for many days. 
 
 Miss Olympia Brown came to the rescue. It was like 
 shifting a panorama; Olympia is beyond criticism in 
 some respects. Her face glows with enthusiasm; she 
 talks because she is in earnest, and not for effect. She 
 was followed by Miss Couzins, who could not be com- 
 pared with Olympia, and yet the former won the ap- 
 plause. But men's boots were heard in the uproar. 
 Phoebe is pretty, and the rest followed. The hall was 
 crowded with the best and strongest audience that ever 
 greeted the woman suffrage movement in Washington. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
AT A COMMITTEE HEARING. 
 Thic Ladies Plead Their Cause at the Capitoe. 
 
 Washington, January 22, i8yo. 
 
 At a proper fashionable hour this morning the women 
 delegates began slowly to gather in the moderately sized 
 room occupied by the Senate Committee on the District 
 of Columbia. Last of all came the most prominent dele- 
 gates. Mrs. Stanton went to a side table and laid down 
 her dainty little bonnet and shook out her curls. Then 
 she took her seat at the head of the table. Susan B. stood 
 next, then Mrs. Beecher Hooker, Pauline Davis, Joseph- 
 ine Griffing, Phoebe Couzins and Mrs. Wright. The 
 usual buzz of conversation was carried on whisperingly, 
 for the dignity of the Senate chamber extended to that 
 floor. The small audience was of the most exclusive and 
 aristocratic kind. The factory girl had been sent off 
 North early in the morning, lest her roar should alarm 
 the Congressional doves. In the awful stillness might 
 have been seen wall flowers, to^ whose fragrance a whole 
 nation can testify. Grace Greenwood was there, in a 
 lovely winter costume; but there is no time to describe 
 the attractive beauties of the scene. 
 
 After a little Senators Hamlin, Patterson, Pratt, and 
 other gentlemen connected with the committee came in, 
 and a general introduction and handshaking took place. 
 The committee of the Senate were arranged on one side 
 of the long table, and the House committee on the other, 
 whilst the head of it was left for each woman who should 
 make her speech. The solemn occasion was opened, as 
 usual, by Mrs. Stanton. 
 
 Senator Hamlin, who sat at the head of the Senate 
 committee, and consequently at the speaker's right hand, 
 
 (IS7) 
 
158 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 turned his ear in a calm and patient attitude, with a sup- 
 pressed merry twinkling of the eye altogether incompat- 
 ible with the hour. Senator Pratt, of Indiana, laid his 
 head on the back of his chair, rolled his eyes heavenward, 
 and looked as if he felt his genuine modesty more than 
 ever. Mr. Rice, of Arkansas, sat holding his chin, ap- 
 parently fearful that unless taken just the right kind of 
 care of it might drop down, leaving the floor open with 
 all sorts of consequences. Judge Cook, of Illinois, folded 
 his hands over his breast, seemingly as resigned as if for 
 the last time, whilst Judge Welker, of Ohio, looked just 
 as if he wanted to say "boo to a goose." Just before 
 Mrs. Stanton began Senator Hamlin read two petitions — 
 the first signed by some of the women of the District, 
 praying that suffrage be extended to them, and another 
 from Massachusetts, of the same purport. After he had 
 finished he calmly sat down, and told the women he was 
 prepared, with the other gentlemen, to hear what they 
 had to say. Mrs. Stanton came tO' time as usual, and 
 began the story which all thoughtful persons have by 
 heart who have heard her three times. She read it, how- 
 ever, and one sitting by her side could see slips of paper 
 cut from newspapers pasted between portions of the 
 manuscript, and it was said these slips were taken from 
 the time of the Revolution. The essay began about 
 eternal principles. That it was best to do right, and leave 
 the rest to God. That Congress should legislate for 
 equality. The Republican party had put the word "male" 
 intO' the Federal Constitution. The States had the right 
 to regulate, but not to prohibit suffrage. It is despotism 
 of the most odious kind to prevent woman from the exer- 
 cise of those powers which God has given her. She said 
 there was a proposition before Congress to change the 
 whole code of laws which govern the District of Col- 
 umbia; and when this was done the only way to regen- 
 erate and purify the spot was to remove disabilities, and 
 let all vote — male and female, black and white. She 
 
THS OLIVIA I.ETTKRS 1 59 
 
 wanted this mooted question of suffrage ended. She went 
 over the ground of the late war, and said that woman 
 had not been a disinterested observer for the last hundred 
 years ; that she came over in the Mayflower, side by side 
 with man in the old Revolution; and can woman now 
 stand silent and see the selling of her birthright of lib- 
 erty? The emancipated serfs of Russia were clamoring 
 for more liberty, and they would get it, too. Do you 
 intend to stand by these old landmarks, instead of ad- 
 vancing with a newer civilization? Mrs. Stanton then 
 proposed for the committee to ask any questions which 
 they might think proper to do. An ominous silence fol- 
 lowed. Mrs. Stanton then said she did not choose tO' be 
 represented by John Morrissey and two men in the New 
 York legislature who could neither read nor write. Laws 
 have been changing at woman's instigation for the last 
 thirty years, which proves that woman knows what is 
 good for her. We are obliged to build sidewalks and 
 other improvements an have we not a right to say how 
 our money shall be expended? You have seen dogs in 
 the street quarreling over a bone; if you throw them 
 two bones the quarrel is over. The "drunken scene" was 
 left out, like everything else which in a way could have a 
 personal application. 
 
 After some more talk Mrs. Stanton sat down, and 
 Susan B. — bless her heart! — faced the Congressional 
 guns. The great pumping power which this woman car- 
 ries in her brain had lifted the blood into her cheeks, and 
 her eyes blazed with the fire of early day. Lilac kid 
 gloves covered her kind, strong hands and it was aston- 
 ishing to us all to see how much she looked like a woman. 
 She put her hands behind her as if it was best to have 
 them in a safe place, and commenced by telling the gen- 
 tlemen that they had it in their power to strike the word 
 "male" out of the Constitution. (Susan has a way of say- 
 ing the word "male" so that it sounds like the snapping of 
 small arms.) In the District the experiment was tried 
 
l6o THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 of giving colored men their rights, and it seems as if this 
 is a fitting place for the inauguration of a grander experi- 
 . ment — that of doing for the woman what you did for the 
 negro. It is only a long custom which you hate tO' break. 
 
 Mrs. Stanton now prompted Susan to speak of Kansas. 
 She then told the story of the schoolhouse, and it was as- 
 certained that the reason why the women had to rise at 
 1 1 o'clock at night to vote was because the men had de- 
 termined to settle the question that day. The men 
 wrangled and could not come to a conclusion, so the 
 women were called as the last feather to break the camel's 
 back. 
 
 A little time before Senator Sumner had come in and 
 taken a seat at the foot of the table. Susan now asked the 
 Senator a question, and forgot and called him "Mr. 
 Sumner," just as if he was like other men. But she was 
 called to order by Mrs. Stanton, and made haste to repair 
 the wrong by begging his pardon and saying "Senator" 
 with a snap to it. She asked the Senator how it worked 
 in Massachusetts by having women vote on the school 
 question. The Senator said it worked well. As there 
 seemed no chance for an argument, she paused for fresh 
 inspiration, but she was interrupted by Phoebe Couzins, 
 and prompted to say something she had already said. 
 
 Whilst they were parleying, Mrs. Pauline Davis took 
 the floor and said a few words in a voice too low to be 
 heard except by those at the table. Before Miss Anthony 
 sat down, Mrs. Beecher Hooker touched her by the arm 
 and begged her not to be too severe. Susan said she did 
 not mean to be severe. 
 
 Mrs. Hooker then took her seat at the head of the table, 
 as her modesty would not let her stand up before this 
 august tribunal. Mrs. Hooker leaned over the table and 
 made the daintiest kind of a picture. Senator Hamlin 
 straightened himself up and pulled down his vest. Sen- 
 ator Pratt opened his sleepy eyes to the widest extent, 
 and Senator Sumner gave his undivided attention. Mrs. 
 
THE OlylVIA I.ETTKRS l6l 
 
 Hooker said that woman looked to the Government for 
 her rights. "I assure you, Christ uses the word thou shalt 
 do this, and thou shalt do that, which means to apply to 
 women quite as much as to men. The Bible says, 'Honor 
 thy father and mother, and thy days shall be long in the 
 land.' How can a son honor his mother when he chooses 
 to use his young thoughts to legislate for her whilst he 
 is so much younger than she is. It cannot be right." She 
 did not believe so much in woman's rights as woman's 
 duty. At this moment her voice stole away from her like 
 the dying notes of a swan, and she removed to another 
 seat, her white forehead bedewed with perspiration. 
 
 Madame Anneke was now introduced, and commenced 
 by saying : "Honorary Sirs : Perhaps you will be kind 
 enough tO' listen to my poor talk, I come delegate from 
 Wisconsin; from oder places too. You have lifted up 
 the slaves, shentlemen, you hear t'ousand and t'ousand 
 voices. In Europe you hear the cry, help us, gentle- 
 mens, and den we help ourselves." After some more 
 such logic, Madame Anneke ponderously withdrew. 
 
 Senator Patterson now modestly proposed a question: 
 Suppose a difference of opinion should arise in the family, 
 what will prevent the mischief of discord? 
 
 Mrs. Stanton, who had the cunning answer already to 
 spring upon him, said there is already discord there. "I 
 do not think this can make any more. There is always 
 the superior mind in every family. If it belongs to the 
 man, he decides it; if to the woman, she does the same. 
 The smallest men are most tenacious of their rights," 
 Senator Patterson, seemingly afraid to be classed in this 
 category, closed his lips. 
 
 Judge Cook now asked, "What evidence have you that 
 the great body of women in the country want to vote?" 
 
 Mrs. Stanton replied that in New York, where she 
 had scattered tracts and otherwise labored, she had been 
 rewarded with petitions signed by 20,000 women. 
 
1 62 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 Judge Welker then asked, "How large a number 
 want to vote in the District of Columbia?" 
 
 Mrs. Stanton said they had just closed a convention 
 attended by fifteen hundred persons who were enthusi- 
 astic on the subject. 
 
 Mrs. Davis then said : "People are tired of asking for 
 this thing and that thing. It is time that legislators 
 knew their business without being petitioned." 
 
 Miss Anthony then reiterated the glories of the late 
 convention, and went off into one of those spasmodic 
 efforts practically impossible to any one but Susan. 
 
 Mrs. Beecher again cautioned her, and told her not 
 to forget the place where she was. This brought Susan 
 to terra firma. 
 
 Mrs. Gage then said she held a petition in her hand, 
 signed by 3,000 people, but no one seemed inclined to 
 take it away from her, and she quietly sat down. 
 
 The Honorable Hannibal Hamlin then arose to cor- 
 rect Mrs, Stanton in what she had said about changing 
 the laws for the District of Columbia; that no such bill 
 was before the committee to which Mrs. Stanton had al- 
 luded. There was a bill, but it was unlike the one re- 
 ported in the newspapers. The District of Columbia 
 was governed by laws made a hundred years ago, and 
 the age had outgrown them. He believed they should be 
 modified, and he advocated the change to be made by the 
 citizens, subject to the will of Congress. He only spoke 
 for himself and not for his associates. 
 
 Judge Cook, of Illinois, chairman of the committee of 
 the House, said that Congress was no' place to bring up 
 such a great question. There is too much to do here 
 already. We have no time — absolutely no time — for the 
 consideration of the subject. At the same time he seemed 
 to be looking about for a hole to escape. 
 
 Mrs. Hooker said that time should be made for such 
 a subject. 
 
THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 163 
 
 Mrs. Stanton said, "Present the sixteenth amend- 
 ment." 
 
 Honorable Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, chairman of 
 the Senate Committee, said, "We will take this question 
 into consideration. When Saul went up into Damascus 
 he said unto Paul, 'I am almost persuaded to become a 
 Christian.' " The reporters' table was illuminated by 
 smiles, and one man was malicious enough to say a little 
 Scripture reading would do the Senator good, for he 
 meant Agrippa instead of Saul. Another answered that 
 the Senator was figuratively speaking, and he rrtight as 
 well use one name as another. 
 
 The council was broken by the Congressional lions go- 
 ing stealthily away, but before they all had a chance to 
 get out, Susan bottonholed two or three. "Sixteenth 
 amendment" was distilled from her lips like honey from 
 flowers. Senator Sumner came around genial as a sum- 
 mer's sun, yet it was noticed that during the whole ordeal 
 he never opened his lips, but endured all with the resigna- 
 tion of martyrdom. And thus the meeting of the Ama- 
 zon warriors passed away. Oeivia. 
 
HONORING THE PRINCE. 
 Reception to the Visiting Scion of Royalty. 
 
 Washington, January 26, iSyo. 
 
 In the very heart of the fashionable quarter of the 
 capital may be seen a most unpretending two-story-and- 
 a-half house, in the usual American imitation of brown 
 stone. A modest bay window keeps steady company with 
 a classic little porch at the front entrance of the mansion. 
 As you enter the building you find yourself in a moder- 
 ately sized hall, and if you turn to the left you are ushered 
 into a drawing-room, octagonal in shape, and you per- 
 ceive the vista opening to another of the same shape and 
 size, leading to the third, which completes the suite of 
 apartments thrown open at the entertainment of guests. 
 These parlors are not extravagantly furnished. The 
 walls are not covered with costly pictures ; yet this estab- 
 lishment at present is the cynosure of all eyes, because a 
 prince of the royal blood of England finds shelter under 
 its hospitable roof. The ugly truth must be told. Great 
 Britain does not consider the United States a first-class 
 mission, and she does not furnish her minister resident 
 with a palace and et ceteras to match, as in Paris and 
 other continental cities. But England does honor our 
 Republic by sending Mr. Thornton to represent her, one 
 of nature's noblemen, and plain Mrs. Thornton, without 
 a drop of blue blood in her veins. So Victoria has sent 
 her good-natured boy amongst us, and the wife of Eng- 
 land's minister is doing the handsome part by her guest. 
 
 For reasons already mentioned no very large enter- 
 tainment can be given at the English embassy. A dinner 
 party was given on Monday evening, at which were pres- 
 cr-!- the Cabinet and a portion of the diplomatic corps, as 
 (164) 
 
THS OUVIA LETTERS 1 65 
 
 well as General Sherman and Senator Sumner. Differ- 
 ent sets of invitations were issued; or in other words, 
 each woman's card was a separate affair from her hus- 
 band's. Only gentlemen were entertained at dinner — 
 the ladies came afterwards to the reception, which began 
 at half past nine in the evening. Each woman invited 
 to the residence of the English minister to honor the 
 Prince received a special card from Mrs. Thornton. 
 
 The dinner passed away like other dinners when gen-' 
 tlemen have it all their own way; but the reception was 
 as brilliant as the presence of beautiful and accomplished 
 women could make it. The guests were first introduced 
 to Mrs. and Mr. Thornton, and they in turn presented 
 them tO' their prince. Mrs. Thornton's eyes sparkled as 
 only an English woman's can with the son of her sover- 
 eign beside her. 
 
 Prince Arthur is a medium sized youth, who has just 
 reached the door-sill of adolescence. A soft yellowish 
 down occupies the place where whiskers are intended to 
 grow, and his thoroughly English face has the peachy 
 bloom which distinguishes the gentry of that famous 
 island. He bears a strong resemblance to the Prince of 
 Wales, but with indications of more force of character. 
 His hands are as pink as a sea shell, and anything else 
 but aristocratic. At the reception he was dressed in a 
 suit of black cloth, high standing collar, handsome cravat, 
 and polished patent leathers. Three emerald studs 
 adorned his faultless shirt front, and a sprig of violets 
 dangled from a button-hole. He wore no gloves, but 
 gave his bare, pink palms for an instant to the keeping 
 of American citizens. He was so kind, plain, and 
 straightforward, that everybody forgave him for being a 
 prince. 
 
 After all had been introduced to the young lion, and 
 many little pleasant wisps of conversation had floated 
 away, the company proceeded to the dining-room, where 
 ices, fruits, and wines regaled the guests. Mrs. Thorn- 
 
l66 THD OLIVIA I.KTTERS 
 
 ton and Baron Gerolt, the Prussian minister, led the way, 
 followed by the Prince and Mrs. Fish, Minister Thornton 
 and the Baroness Gerolt, Secretary Fish and Mrs. Bel- 
 knap, Secretary Belknap and Mrs. Creswell, Chief Justice 
 Chase and Madame Catacazy, the wife of the Russian 
 minister, and the most beautiful woman belonging- to the 
 foreign legations; Mr. Robeson, the bachelor Secretary, 
 and Philadelphia's handsome Madame Potestael, and a 
 host of other lights distinguished in the political and 
 fashionable world. The tables were elegantly decorated 
 with flowers, while the vintage at the English minister's 
 is celebrated above all others in Washington. Conver- 
 sation was varied by excellent music, contributed by the 
 voice of Madame Garcia, of the Argentine Republic, as- 
 sisted by Blacque Bey, the Turkish minister, who also 
 took a prominent part in the evening's entertainment. 
 
 Among the guests were noticed General and Mrs. 
 Tete, the new minister from Hayti. These members of 
 the diplomatic corps are of mixed blood, the African 
 largely predominant. Mrs. Tete was dressed in a claret 
 colored silk, high in the neck, long sleeves, and without 
 ornaments. She has unassuming manners, though ex- 
 ceedingly courteous and high bred. She remarked to 
 one of the company that she did not know how she would 
 be received in society in Washington, but so far she had 
 met with nothing- but kindness. This evening in par- 
 ticular, she was made to feel at home. 
 
 Though the newspapers sparkle with descriptions of a 
 dinner given at the White House in honor of Prince Ar- 
 thur, there was no such entertainment. The state dinner 
 which takes place every Wednesday at the Executive 
 Mansion occurred as usual, and Prince Arthur happening 
 to be sojourning temporarily in Washington, whilst on 
 his youthful travels, our plain President simply laid an 
 extra plate for his unexpected guest — unexpected, be- 
 cause all the other guests were invited before the Prince 
 reached the city, and these guests received nO' notice that 
 
THD OIvIVIA LETTERS 1 67 
 
 Victoria's son would be among them, and consequently 
 could not feel that they had been selected to meet roy- 
 alty. Only thirty-six persons can be seated in the 
 dining-room of the White House, therefore a "royal" 
 entertainment is reserved for a future folly. 
 
 When the subject of entertaining the Prince was men- 
 tioned before our President, he simply said: "I think 
 if Ulysses was in London he would be lucky if he got any 
 dinner at Windsor Castle at all." Whether it was owing 
 to that sly strategy which put down the rebellion, or other 
 causes equally potent, it did happen that some of the most 
 sensible women in the nation were invited guests at this 
 particular state dinner. These women, these wives of 
 members of Congress, are not known to the fashionable 
 world; they, dare to live within their husband's means, 
 and have been known to appear at a full dress reception 
 in plain black silk dress, and without the usual quantity 
 of false hair. In the veins of such women runs the blue 
 blood of the Republic, and their presence is as sweet as 
 violets. 
 
 The arrival of Prince Arthur in Washington has cre- 
 ated very little excitement, probably for the reason that 
 every boy knows that he has a far better chance of being 
 President than the royal scion has of being king. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
LEVEE AT THE EXECUTIVE MANSION. 
 Cabinet Ladie;s Take Part In Assisting Mrs. Grant 
 
 Washington, February 5, i8yo. 
 
 A stranger attending a Presidential levee for the first 
 time at the capital has an opportunity to drain the cup 
 of Washington society to its very dregs. Card recep- 
 tions, such as are held at the homes of the Cabinet, Chief 
 Justice Chase, and General Sherman, in a certain sense 
 are veiled under the sacred seal of hospitality, and the 
 newspaper correspondent dare not, cannot, without vio- 
 lating all delicacy and good taste, make a pen picture of 
 the men and women whom the dear people at home like 
 to know all about. A Presidential levee is altogether a 
 different affair. It is public. It belongs to the people. 
 When we go to the Executive Mansion we go to our own 
 house. Our sacred feet press our own tufted Wiltons. 
 We recline on our own satin and ebony. We are received 
 graciously by our own well-dressed servants, and the 
 people have a right to know, through the columns of The 
 Press, the exact state of the situation. Whoever goes to 
 a levee at the mansion becomes public property, and has 
 no more right to complain because he has been caught in 
 the net of a newspaper correspondent than the fish who 
 has swallowed the hook of an honest fisherman. The 
 time has been when a levee at the White House was like 
 a social gathering in a modest village. The President 
 not only shook hands with his guest, but also asked him 
 to take a chair and inquired about the state of the crops 
 "Down East." The most precious republican simplicity 
 has taken its departure with the Jeffersons and the Madi- 
 sons; or rather it has necessarily been cast off with all 
 the other swaddling-clothes of an infant Republic. A 
 (168) 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 1 69 
 
 perfect river of human life pours through the Executive 
 Mansion. Human beings are packed together just as 
 solid as sardines in a box, whilst the President and Mrs. 
 Grant are obliged to take each separate atom by the hand. 
 After two hours of this kind of work, its ravage begins 
 to show its effect upon the person of the Chief Magis- 
 trate. His eyes begin to have a far-off look, great drops 
 of perspiration stand on his forehead, and his thin, quiv- 
 ering nostrils rise and sink, like the gills of a darling 
 dolphin when taken out of the water. Sometimes the 
 President gasps; but this is usually thought to be a 
 handsomely suppressed yawn, and no matter how much 
 he may desire to bring in his superb knowledge of mili- 
 tary tactics, so far as it is known he has never been guilty 
 of a flank movement ; he has only appeared as if he would 
 like to shoulder arms. 
 
 Mrs. Grant stands a little way from the President — 
 "fair, fat and forty." She appears in grace and manner 
 just as any other sensible woman would who had been 
 lifted from the ranks of the people to such an exalted 
 position. It is true she shows the people her comely neck 
 and shoulders, and, notwithstanding the wintry weather, 
 makes no attempt to cover her shapely arms ; but her 
 gracious condescension is appreciated, and the exhibition 
 is free to all. 
 
 Who are the people who file past the President? Titled 
 men and women of foreign countries ; a large part of the 
 community which romance would call the "republican 
 court ;" and the mighty power sometimes called the sov- 
 ereign people. Now it happens, as the stream flows on- 
 ward through the Executive rooms, that particles of hu- 
 manity are lodged in the same apartments that are hon- 
 ored with the presence of the President and his wife. 
 
 The most distinguished guests remain permanently in 
 the room of power. The picture is made up of the Presi- 
 dential party in the foregroimd, and back of them stand 
 the Army, Navy, and Cabinet, as well as the Vice-Presi- 
 
170 THE oiviviA i.i;ttsrs 
 
 dent of the United States. Of all the public men in the 
 nation few or none stand so near the national heart as 
 Schuyler Colfax, and the reason assigned is because he 
 has got a mind like an elephant's trunk. It picks up any- 
 thing, from the largest man to the smallest woman, and 
 his heart is big enough to give them all standing room. 
 If he is introduced to a manufacturer he knows what 
 kind of articles the man sends to market. If a literary 
 woman is presented to him she finds that she has been 
 registered in exactly the right place in his mind. He 
 knows whether she writes about fashion, or, alas! alas! 
 reports women conventions. Schuyler Colfax knows 
 everything that is published in the newspapers. There is 
 no room in his mind for lumber. It is full of working 
 material, and he is the fairest specimen of progressive 
 Young America to be found on the continent. 
 
 Miss Nellie Grant is a prominent feature of the levees 
 and receptions at the White House. She is just exactly 
 at the age when the feathers of her wings are not quite 
 well enough grown to admit of her flying as a woman, 
 and yet they are far enough advanced to- spoil her attrac- 
 tions as a child. Her costume is of the rarest and cost- 
 liest kind, and she conducts herself as becomes the only 
 daughter of a President. 
 
 An elegant woman is seen standing in the background, 
 slender almost to fragility, arrayed in a trailing robe of 
 black velvet. Her powdered head and Greek profile take 
 you back to the days of Louis XIV, and you feel that 
 Madame Pompadour or some other beauty of that period 
 has stepped out of her picture frame and stands flesh and 
 blood before you. This woman is Mrs. Cresswell, the 
 accomplished wife of the Postmaster-General. 
 
 In the shadow of the crimson curtains stand the Mar- 
 quis and Madame de Chambrun. The marquis is an at- 
 tache of the French legation ; the madame is the grand- 
 daughter of General Lafayette, and one of the most at- 
 tractive women in Washington. Nature meant to make 
 
THE OWVIA I.ETTERS 171 
 
 her a blonde, but forgot herself and kept on with the 
 bleaching process. One cannot help in contemplation 
 wondering whether her soul is as white and transparent 
 as the casket. She inherits her grandfather's love for 
 republican principles. The madame has been only a short 
 time in the country, but the marquis has been here, more 
 or less, for quite a number of years. It is said that he is 
 writing a history of our Republic. He has always been 
 connected with the European press, and ranks high as a 
 literary man at home. 
 
 Just beyond the marquis in the offing might have been 
 seen Admiral Goldsborough, heavy and ponderous as one 
 of his own war vessels, and carrying nobody knows how 
 many gtuis. He wheezed and puffed as if there was 
 something the matter with his machinery, but all per- 
 sons present seemed unaware of danger, and no sign of 
 an explosion or accident took place. Mrs. Goldsborough 
 accompanied her stately husband, apparently a fitting 
 consort in time of war or peace. 
 
 "Ad Interim" Thomas was there in the brightest of 
 military buttons and army blue. He looked as harmless 
 as one oi the wooden guns at Manassas, and it was im- 
 possible to believe that he was the same "Ad Interim" 
 that once shook the Republic from center to circumfer- 
 ence. A fine looking woman clung to his arm, but 
 whether it was Mrs. "Ad Interim/' or another the writer 
 failed to discover. 
 
 A handsome Virginia member of Congress was there 
 who looked as if he carried the regal blood of that proud 
 Commonwealth in his veins. He had the courtly bearing 
 which history attributes to the Randolphs, but, fearful 
 that he might be a carpetbagger, his name was not as- 
 certained. 
 
 Secretary Boutwell was present, accompanied by his 
 daughter, a good, sensible-looking New England girl, 
 who bears the same relation to the picture made of her in 
 
172 THK OLIVIA IvDTT^RS 
 
 Harper's Bazar that any small circle does to a large one. 
 She is her father's hope and her mother's joy, but she is 
 not Secretary of the Treasury. 
 
 The Marine Band discoursed some very bad music, 
 considering what is expected of what ought to be the 
 most perfect musical organization in the country. The 
 Marine Band has sadly deteriorated of late, and it would 
 be well for the people in power to make excellence in this, 
 as well as all other things, a distinction of national favor. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
OFFICIAL ETIQUETTE. 
 
 RuivDS Therefor as Drawn by President Washing- 
 ton — The Existing Code. 
 
 Washington, February lo, 1870. 
 
 Originally the word "etiquette" meant a mark or title 
 affixed to a bag or bundle denoting its contents, but in the 
 modern acceptation of the word it is an account of cere- 
 monies. It is a term applied to the forms which are ob- 
 served toward particular persons, or in particular places, 
 especially in courts, levees, and on public occasions. 
 
 In the beginning of the nation's life our beloved fore- 
 fathers thought that all these forms which marked the 
 distinction between classes or individuals should be done 
 away with at the same time with all the rest of the hollow 
 mockeries which go to make a monarchical form of gov- 
 ernment. Notwithstanding President Washington meant 
 to practice republican simplicity at the headquarters of 
 the nation, "courtly" ways did creep into daily social in- 
 tercourse. For instance, at Mrs. Washington's recep- 
 tions in both New York and Philadelphia the "first lady 
 in the land" received precisely after the manner of Queen 
 Charlotte's drawing-room levees. The guests were ar- 
 ranged standing against the walls, and the President's 
 wife marched the rounds and said a kind word to all. 
 When Mrs. Washington paid a morning visit, a servant 
 or usher was sent in advance, "who rapped smartly with 
 his knuckles on the door" and announced, "Mrs. Wash- 
 ington is coming." 
 
 During these chaotic, unsettled days our far-seeing 
 Washington realized that some rules and just regulations 
 must be formed, lest the dignity of the Republic should 
 be found trailing in the dust. He saw that it was neces- 
 
 (173) 
 
174 THK OLIVIA Li:TTeRS 
 
 sary to establish a rank without violating the Constitu- 
 tion, which prohibits Congress and the States from 
 granting any title of nobility. Of so much importance 
 to the country did he consider this subject that he ad- 
 dressed letters to Messrs. Adams and Hamilton, asking 
 their attention and advice upon certain points of etiquette 
 touching the deportment of the President of the United 
 States. After mature reflection, the three wise men, 
 Messrs. Washington, Adams, and Hamilton, fixed upon 
 certain rules, which were afterwards endorsed by Jeffer- 
 son. 
 
 THE RULES. 
 
 In order to bring the members of society together in 
 the first instance, the custom of the counti-y was estab- 
 lished that residents shall pay the first visit to strangers ; 
 and among strangers, first comers to later comers, for- 
 eign and domestic, the character of stranger ceasing after 
 the first visit. To this rule there is a single exception — 
 foreign ministers, from the necessity of making them- 
 selves known, pay the first visit to the Cabinet ministers 
 of the nation, which is returned. 
 
 When brought together in society all are perfectly 
 equal, whether foreign or domestic, titled or untitled, in 
 or out of office. All other observances are but exemplifi- 
 cations of these two principles. 
 
 The families of foreign ministers arriving at the seat of 
 Government receive the first visit from those of the na- 
 tional ministers as well as from all other residents. 
 
 Members of the legislature and the judiciary, inde- 
 pendent of their offices, have a right as strangers to re- 
 ceive the first visit. 
 
 No title being admitted here, those of foreigners give 
 no precedence. 
 
 Difference of grade among the diplomatic members 
 gives no precedence. 
 
 At public ceremonies to which the Government invites 
 the presence of foreign ministers and their families, a 
 
THK OUVIA LETTERS 175 
 
 convenient seat or station will be provided for them, with 
 any other strangers invited, and the families of the na- 
 tional ministers, each taking place as they arrive, and 
 without any precedence. 
 
 To maintain the principle of equality, or of pde-mele, 
 and prevent the growth of precedence out of courtesy, 
 the members of the executive will practice at their own 
 houses and recommend an adherence to the ancient usages 
 of the country — of gentlemen in mass giving precedence 
 to the ladies in mass, in passing from one apartment 
 where they are assembled into another. 
 
 From time to time these severe republican rules have 
 been discussed and ameliorated to suit the growing aris- 
 tocratic taste of the great modern American Republic. 
 
 In later years a set of rules has been adopted which 
 is called the "Code." It is said all branches of the Gov- 
 ernment were appealed tO' in order to be suited, and the 
 rules of the code were the result ; but whether President 
 Monroe or some other dignitary of those days was the 
 author, the writer has nO' means of ascertaining. 
 
 THE CODE. 
 
 The President. — Business calls are received at all times 
 and hours when the President is unengaged. The morn- 
 ing hours are preferred. Special days and evenings are 
 assigned each season for calls of respect, — one morning 
 and evening a week being assigned for this purpose. 
 
 Receptions are held during the winter season, generally 
 once a week, between 8 and lo o'clock in the evening, at^- 
 which time the guests are expected in full dress, and are 
 presented by the usher. 
 
 The President holds public receptions on the first of 
 January and the Fourth of July, when the diplomatic 
 corps present themselves in court costume, and the offi- 
 cers of the Army and Navy in full uniform. The execu- 
 tive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Government 
 are received between the hours of ii and 12: after which *^ 
 
176 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 the diplomatic corps, officers of the Army and Navy, and 
 civihans en masse. 
 
 The President accepts no invitations to dinner, and 
 makes no calls or visits of ceremony ; but is at liberty to 
 visit without ceremony, at his pleasure. An invitation to 
 dinner at the President's must be accepted in writing, and 
 a previous engagement cannot take precedence. 
 
 The address of the Executive in conversation is Mr. 
 President. 
 
 The Vice-President. — A visit from the Vice-President 
 is due to the President on the meeting of Congress. He 
 is entitled to the first visit from all others, which he may 
 return by card or in person. 
 
 The Supreme Court. — The judges call upon the Presi- 
 dent and Vice-President, annually, upon the opening of 
 the court, and on the first day of January. 
 
 The Cabinet. — Members of the President's Cabinet call 
 upon the President on New Year's day and the Fourth 
 of July. First calls are also due from them, by card or 
 in person, to the Vice-President, judges of the Supreme 
 Court, Senators, and the Speaker of the House of Repre- 
 sentatives, on the meeting of Congress. 
 
 The Senate. — Senators call in person on the President 
 and Vice-President on the meeting of Congress and the 
 first day of January; and upon the President on the 
 Fourth of July, if Congress is in session. They also call 
 in person or by card upon the judges of the Supreme 
 Court and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
 on the meeting of Congress. 
 
 The Speaker of the House of Representatives. — The 
 Speaker calls upon the President on the meeting of Con- 
 gress, the first day of January, and the Fourth of July if 
 Congress is in session. The first call is also due from 
 him to. the Vice-President on the meeting of Congress. 
 
 The House of Representatives. — Members of the 
 House of Representatives call in person on the President 
 on the first day of January, and upon the Speaker of the 
 
THK OUVIA LKTTKRS 177 
 
 House on the opening of each session. They also call, by 
 card or in person, upon the President on the Fourth of 
 July, if Congress is in session, and upon the President, 
 Vice-President, judges of the Supreme Court, Cabinet 
 officers, Senators, Speaker of the House, and foreign min- 
 isters, soon after the opening of each session of Congress. 
 
 Foreign ministersr — The diplomatic corps call upon 
 the President on the first day of January, and upon the 
 Vice-President, Cabinet officers, judges of the Supreme 
 Court, Senators, and Speaker of the House, by card or in 
 person, on the first opportunity after presenting their 
 credentials to the President. They also make an annual 
 call of ceremony, by card or in person, upon the Vice- 
 President, judges of the Supreme Court, Senators, and 
 Speaker of the House, soon after the meeting of Con- 
 gress. 
 
 The Court of Claims. — The judges of the Court of 
 Claims call in person upon the President on the first of' 
 January and the Fourth of July. They also make first 
 visits to the Cabinet officers and diplomatic corps, and 
 call by card or in person upon the judges of the Supreme 
 Court, Senators, Speaker, and members of the House, 
 soon after the meeting of Congress. 
 
 The families of officials. — The rules which govern offi- 
 cials are also applicable to their families in determining 
 the conduct of social intercourse. 
 
 The above code answers the same purpose to social life 
 in Washington that the Constitution does to the whole 
 country. So long as those engaged in the controversy 
 stick to it they are safe. The moment they leave it they 
 are adrift. At present a severe war is waging between 
 the Senators and Supreme Judges. We beg the pardon 
 of these sensible men ; we mean their families have armed 
 themselves cap-a-pie, and a great smoke is ascending from 
 the battlefield. The wives of the Senators claim that the 
 Senate created the Supreme Judges, and, to use the words 
 
 12 
 
178 THE OI.IVIA I.ETTERS 
 
 of one of the brightest leading Senators, "Should the 
 creature outrank its creator?" The Supreme Judge is 
 made by the Senator, and if he is guilty of misdemeanor, 
 he is tried by the Senate, and if found guilty, is deposed 
 from his high office by the same. But once let a man 
 get to be a Supreme Judge, and he stands as firm on 
 the pinnacle to which he has been raised as the rock of 
 ages on the bed of eternity. 
 
 Then it is claimed that all those who stand in the direct 
 line of succession to the President outrank all the others. 
 Our wise forefathers meant that our Government should 
 never fall to pieces for the want of a "head." So, if our 
 military chieftain should go of¥ like one of his own can- 
 nons, we should still have our precious Schuyler. If 
 Vice-President Colfax should be snatched away from the 
 evil to come, we should have to comfort ourselves with 
 Speaker Blaine. Alas! alas! if he should fall like the 
 smart rap of his own gavel, Chief Justice Chase would be 
 left on our hands, and death could get no farther. 
 
 The "Code" says — and, by the way, it is just as good 
 as the Constitution — that the Cabinet shall make first calls 
 on the Vice-President, Supreme Judges, Senators, and 
 Speaker of the House, but General Grant has taken these 
 favored darlings to his bosom and allows them to do just 
 as they please. He says : "The Cabinet is a part of my 
 family ; I want them looked upon as such." So when the 
 Supreme Judges, with Chief Justice Chase at their head, 
 went to pay their respects to the President, on last New 
 Year's day, they found the President surrounded by his 
 Cabinet, and these haughty men were obliged to bow the 
 knee. Now, there is nothing in nature so free from the 
 elastic qualities as the spine of a judge of the Supreme 
 Court of the United States. As soon as time would allow, 
 Chief Justice Chase addressed a letter to the Chief Magis- 
 trate, protesting against such unheard of and altogether 
 unusual proceedings ; but Ulysses smoked his cigar whilst 
 he dictated one of those masterly papers of diplomacy, 
 
THIC OLIVIA LliTTl^RS 1/9 
 
 and the military secretary saw that it was safely deliv- 
 ered, and nothing more has be^H heard of it from that day 
 to this. 
 
 The "Code" also says that the President accepts no in- 
 vitation to dinner. This has heretofore been the custom, 
 not because the President was a man, but because the man 
 was a President, and, therefore, it was necessary to give 
 no citizen cause for complaint, for if the President dines 
 with one neighbor, why not with another? Besides, there 
 are millions who would be glad to share their crust with 
 this man. Ulysses S. Grant proves tO' the world that he is 
 not above being a man because he has been elected Presi- 
 dent, and that he has nO' objection to going out to dinner, 
 provided the viands be substantial and all the beverages 
 pure. But let it be understood, the President does not 
 scatter the bright light of his countenance indiscrim- 
 inately, for only certain aristocratic dwellings are hon- 
 ored at dinner time by the presence of power. 
 
 Two receptions are held at the White House weekly, — 
 one in the daytime, the other in the evening. The first is 
 held on Tuesday, and is called in the newspapers "Mrs. 
 Grant's reception." It is held on one of the Cabinet days, 
 and, after the Cabinet consultation is over, the President 
 descends to the Blue Room and aids Mrs. Grant in her 
 arduous undertaking. Heretofore every President's wife 
 has received by herself, unless some guest happened to^ be 
 stopping temporarily at the mansion. Mrs. Grant, how- 
 ever, has inaugurated a new order of things. Several 
 women, usually the wives of some of the members of the 
 Cabinet or of the Senators, are invited to the White 
 House tO' lunch, and afterwards are detained to help do 
 the pleasing work. Imagine a room of blue and gold, 
 satin and ebony, where art, tO' carry out everything, has 
 not only drawn inspiration from the "Arabian Nights' 
 Entertainment," but at the same time has exhausted itself. 
 Then picture our simple American dames, in costume that 
 vies with Victoria's and Eugenie's on drawing-room 
 
l8o THi: OLIVIA L^TT^RS 
 
 days, each in her appointed place, at the right or the left 
 of the "first lady in the land," we trow no finer picture of 
 a queen, surrounded by her "maids of honor," can be 
 found in any monarchy on the face of the globe. These 
 dainty receptions are advertised in the Chronicle to begin 
 at 2 o'clock p. m., but alas! alas! it has happened to our 
 positive knowledge that whilst these dames were linger- 
 ing over the Presidential lunch table 2 o'clock has come 
 and gone, and in the meantime exasperated American 
 women have doubled their pretty little gloved fist in the 
 East Room, and some have whisked out of the mansion 
 without stopping to pay their respects to the "first lady 
 of the land." In the name of the masses of the people 
 we ask, can our officials of to-day afford to depart from 
 that simple republican platform of etiquette laid down by 
 the immortal Washington? Can our public men, tem- 
 porarily in power, safely divorce themselves from that 
 later code laid down by general fitness and substantia] 
 common sense? 
 
 Whither are we drifting, in a social, republican point 
 of view, when a Senator's wife tosses her head and says : 
 "Would you think it possible that the wife of a member 
 has had the impertinence to ask me to come and spend an 
 evening socially with her?" To a spectator, looking on 
 this small society side-show, it seems all the more ridicu- 
 lous, as the Senator-husband is so small that he is scarcely 
 ever heard of either in the country or the Senate, whilst 
 the member in dispute has a fame like the flag of our 
 country. 
 
 To a neat little volume, called "Philip's Washington 
 Described," we are indebted for a copy of the "Rules" as 
 laid down by General Washington, as well as the "Code," 
 which was meant to be a new edition of the "Rules," re- 
 vised and corrected. Oijvia. 
 
GENERAL PHIL SHERIDAN. 
 
 The: Handsome Warrior Graci^s the Speaker's 
 Reception. 
 
 Washington, February 14, 18/0. 
 
 Never since the inauguration of our Republic has social 
 life in Washington assumed such brilliant hues as during 
 the present winter. With the departure of the Demo- 
 cratic dynasty, and the disappearance of the Southern 
 queens of society, it has been thought that the sunshine 
 of the "Republican court" would go out forever. But the 
 extravagant magnificence of to-day eclipses all former 
 years ; and if Mrs. Slidell or Mrs. Crittenden should re- 
 visit the haunts of their former triumphs they would find 
 the social kingdom in stronger hands than their own. If 
 the Southern woman ruled as queen, the haughty North- 
 erner sways the sceptre of an empress. The Southern 
 queen pointed to her slaves ; the empress of to-day wears 
 a coronet of diamonds, and only death can set her bond- 
 men free. 
 
 Reception, ball, dinner, sociable — which shall be de- 
 scribed first? The Prince's ball darted across the social 
 sky like a meteor. It has come and gone, and Washing- 
 ton's fashionable women still survive. The New York 
 Tribune says that one young lady refused to^ dance with 
 the Prince because she invariably declined all round- 
 dances. Then she refused to be his partner in a quadrille, 
 because it would keep dear papa and mama later than 
 they had decided to stay. All this sounds very nice in 
 the newspapers, only it is a pretty fib and counterfeit and 
 should never pass for the genuine. 
 
 The President's levee and the Speaker's reception bear 
 a strong resemblance tO' each other. Everybody is ad- 
 
 (181) 
 
l82 THE OLIVIA I.ETTERS 
 
 mitted to Speaker Blaine's the same as the Executive 
 Mansion. All the great men are there except the Presi- 
 dent, and all the pretty girls, in their best clothes, are cast 
 up on this fashionable beach by the social waves of the 
 people. If there is one sight in this wicked world, more 
 pitiful than another, it is to see a poor widow's daughter, 
 or an innocent young Treasury employee in her simple 
 robes of muslin, apparently raised for a brief time to the 
 social platform of wealth and power. In no place on the 
 face of the globe can the two opposite social elements 
 come together as at a President's levee or a Speaker's re- 
 ception. Wealth is pitted against poverty; strength 
 against weakness, and the result sometimes is brought 
 forth in a fruit more deceitful, bitter, and dusty than the 
 apples of the Dead Sea. 
 
 It is the night of the Speaker's social reunion. Car- 
 riages draw up before the handsome imitation brownstone 
 residence. These vehicles deposit the precious perfumed 
 darlings — the aristocracy — the cream of society. Gay 
 cavaliers dance attendance on these flounced, frizzled, be- 
 jeweled butterflies. These cavaliers generally wear hats 
 and overcoats which look as if they had been borrowed 
 from the old-clothes man, or purchased at a bargain at 
 the second-hand store hard by ; but as no better place on 
 the earth can be found for losing one's outside wrappings 
 than these levees and receptions, the men show their good 
 sense by going prepared. The cars are freighted to over- 
 flowing. The ambitious young mechanic takes his 
 young sweetheart on his arm and pays his respects to the 
 Speaker. The suite of parlors at the brown mansion are 
 on the first floor, and through the broad open doors, all 
 newcomers can be inspected as they march to an upper 
 story to be divested of wrappings, and it is quite as un- 
 safe to judge what is beneath the ugly waterproofs as to 
 guess what is under the caterpillar's skin. Mirrors are 
 provided in the dressing-room, where jaded maid and 
 faded matrons can assist nature to carry out her most 
 
TH^ OIvIVIA I^^TTERS 183 
 
 pressing needs. Boxes of pearl powder, brushes, combs, 
 pins, dressing--maid are convenient, and if the last finish- 
 ing touch of the toilet is omitted, the lady of the mansion 
 is not to blame. It must be mentioned, however, that it 
 is only the silk that powders in public ; muslin and merino 
 are the spectators in the scene. 
 
 "Belle, don't you think one of my eyebrows is a little 
 blacker than the other?" 
 
 "Yes ; I think they both need touching up." 
 "Too late now ! Why didn't you tell me before we left 
 home? There, take up my handkerchief and rub it off." 
 Pretty little white-gloved hand goes through with the 
 daintiest manipulations, and the two eyebrows come out 
 like Bonner's fast team. Out of the dressing-room, down 
 the tufted stairs that smother footsteps. There is some- 
 thing frightful about a human habitation where no foot- 
 fall is ever heard. The eye is a glorious organ, but the 
 ear is the better friend. You enter the first parlor, which 
 is the beginning of the three en suite. It is elegantly fur- 
 nished in exquisite taste. One of Bierstadt's Rocky 
 Mountain pictures has a conspicuous place on the wall. 
 A Beatrice Cenci, in its voluptuous beauty, suspended in 
 another place, takes you back to old sensual Rome, whilst 
 a miniature world swings on its axis in a friendly corner 
 in a second room, with plenty of books tO' keep it com- 
 pany. 
 
 Near the hall door of the first parlor stands the Speaker 
 of the House of Representatives, and by his side may be 
 seen his wife. If it is right to judge by personal appear- 
 ance, they seem excellently matched. Speaker Blaine is 
 a handsome man in every sense of the word. There is 
 just about the right amount of material used in his con- 
 struction, and, as a general thing, it has been put in the 
 proper place. He has a large kindly eye that would not 
 do to look into for any great length of time, for the same 
 reason that gazing intO' the sea is apt to make one sick. 
 All his other features have been arranged artistically to 
 
184 THK OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 match his Oriental eyes, and his form is as straight and 
 symmetrical as a Maine pine tree. He shakes hands with 
 his numerous countrymen with a vigor, and if he did 
 hold on an instant longer than it was necessary to the lit- 
 tle kid-gloved digits of the New York World's corres- 
 spondent, it only proved that he was mortal like poor 
 Adam, and that he was willing to touch any amount of 
 evil for a woman's sake. 
 
 Mrs. Blaine stood beside her husband with something- 
 brighter and better than mere physical beauty in her face. 
 Few if any women at the capital have a stronger counte- 
 nance, and yet it is sweet and womanly. Everything 
 about her is toned down to softest neutral tints. If she 
 calls forth no thrill of admiration, she awakens no spirit 
 of criticism. There are some colors in nature that are 
 particularly grateful to the eye. There are some women 
 in the same sense that are particularly grateful to all the 
 senses. Their presence breathes repose. When you get 
 near them your miind takes off its armor, draws in its 
 pickets, and prepares to go into winter quarters. Mrs. 
 Blaine's superb taste may be seen in her elegant, well ap- 
 pointed home, in the world-renowned behavior of her 
 husband, and just as he fills his most honored position, 
 with dignified grace, she fills another still higher — that 
 of the American matron at home. 
 
 Most noticeable of all the distinguished men who hover 
 around the Speaker is General Phil Sheridan. In an 
 instant you perceive that he is carved out of material from 
 which Presidents ought to be made. Judging from mem- 
 ory, he seems no taller than the late Stephen A. Douglas, 
 and in the same sense that Mr. Douglas was called the 
 "Little Giant," General Sheridan impresses you with the 
 awful attribute of power. He has uncommonly broad 
 shoulders for his height, and an eye like the American 
 eagle's. As if to carry out this picture, the country 
 knows that he is a solitary bird, without even a mate to 
 share his lone eyrie in wicked Chicago, and if matters do 
 
THE OWVIA I.ETTERS 185 
 
 not mend in this direction it would be well for the people 
 to take this most interesting situation into their own 
 hands, and at the same time put a man in his place who 
 will not retreat in the face of the feminine foe. 
 
 A tropical exotic is seen in a distant corner. It is 
 young Lopez, the son of the Dictator of Paraguay. 
 "Shirley Dare," a woman of taste, says, he is "hand- 
 some." To our eyes he is distinguished looking, 
 nothing more. That peculiar flame born of mixed blood 
 burns under his swarthy skin; it flushes his cheek, red- 
 dens his lips, and shines in his eyes with the cold glitter 
 of black diamonds. You picture him swinging in his 
 hammock under South American skies, and yet it is well 
 to remember that he has not been in his native country 
 for eight years, and the probability is, if he should re- 
 turn, his father would see in him a formidable rival, and 
 in that case he would share the fate of all his illustrious 
 relatives. 
 
 Colonel Parker, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 
 was there with his white wife. It will be remembered 
 that Colonel Parker belongs to the Indian tribe known 
 as the "Six Nations." It is said that he comes from 
 mixed blood. If this is the case, the Indian was put on 
 the outside, and the white blood was kept for the lining. 
 He looks as much like an Indian as President Grant looks 
 like a white man, and he is a very good representative of 
 his race. His wife is fair, standing beside him, and at- 
 tracts attention because she has broken a law; but why 
 should she be received in society for the same reason that 
 puts the poor Irish washerwoman, who links her fate 
 with another race, beyond the pale of association, only 
 the newspapers can answer. 
 
 As yet no half breeds have made their appearance, 
 which proves there is a destiny which has something to 
 do with shaping our ends. 
 
 For the reason that the card receptions of Secretary 
 Fish are held the same evening, many of the ladies of 
 
l86 THE OUVIA I^DTTKRS 
 
 the foreign legations pay their respects to the Speaker and 
 his wife before going to the mansion of the Secretary of 
 State. Whilst the toilette of the American woman is 
 quite as costly, it cannot be said to be as elaborate and far 
 fetched as that of the European sisters. The dresses of 
 these foreigners are usually made up of trimmings. The 
 eye is bewildered and lost in the multiplicity of flounces, 
 fringes, laces, ribbons, and all those things which, in mod- 
 eration, ought to be dear to every woman's heart. The 
 stylish daughters of Baron Gerolt, the Prussian minister, 
 were there, and their costumes must have been perfect ac~ 
 cording to the European standard. The whole upper 
 surface of their pretty little heads was turned into a 
 flower garden ; rosebuds were planted around the edges, 
 and full blown roses blossomed in the center whilst 
 long shoots and tendrils clung to their chignons as ivy 
 nestles up to a damp wall. Their dresses were composed 
 of that peculiar tint of silk called "ashes of roses," and 
 the fringes and satin trimmings were deep rose pink. 
 Oh, the weary, weary labor of making these butterfly 
 wardrobes, and these dresses were made by hand! No 
 sewing machine had been used in the production. The 
 tiny short sleeves were put together like patchwork, and 
 between each tiny piece of silk was a satin cord. There 
 was just the same proportion of human work on the long 
 trained skirts, on the little fractional waists; and yet 
 these extravagant toilettes, worn by these daughters of 
 so-called lineage, only proved that in matters of dress 
 there is such a thing as gilding refined gold and painting 
 the rose, but this kind of work is always attended with 
 the same consequences. 
 
 A literary woman connected with the Rural Nezv 
 Yorker was present, and dazzled the beholders with her 
 handsome face, lemon-colored silk, and black lace. A 
 sweeter face scarcely ever looks out of a picture; but 
 alas! alas! why did she not put herself into the hands 
 of some stylish modiste, and yield the point as gracefully 
 
THK OLIVIA I.ETTKRS 187 
 
 as a literary woman knows how? There is nothing so 
 damaging to a woman's toilet as to begin a certain style 
 and not have the stamina or force of mind to carry it 
 out. What is worse than a weak decoction of anything? 
 If a woman decides to adopt "Pompadour" it must be 
 completion to the last, else all is sacrificed. The reason 
 that literary women sometimes fail in matters of taste 
 in dress is because they do not give sufficient attention 
 to the subject. The perfect arrangement of a woman's 
 costume is one of the fine arts as much as carving a statue, 
 painting a picture, or v/riting an exquisite newspaper 
 article. Ouvia. 
 
MIDWINTER SOCIETY. 
 
 How THE Cabinet Ladies Conduct Their Severae 
 Functions. 
 
 Washington, February 15, 1870. 
 
 Midway between a President's levee and a private en- 
 tertainment lies the social ground occupied by the card 
 reception. It is semi-official in its character^ because pub- 
 lic position has much to do with general invitations ex- 
 tended to the guests. It does not necessarily follow that 
 calls must have been exchanged between any of the par- 
 ties in the contest. A man is invited because he is a 
 Senator, head of a bureau, or an upper clerk in either 
 branch of Congress. At the same time each Cabinet 
 minister means to look after the social interests of his 
 own State by gathering under his hospitable wings as 
 many of its citizens stopping in Washington as his man- 
 sion will possibly admit, estimated by cubic measure. 
 
 Since the beginning of the social season four out of 
 the seven Cabinet ministers have issued cards for three 
 receptions each. These include Secretaries Fish, Bel- 
 knap, Cox, and Postmaster-General Cresswell. The re- 
 ceptions held at the magnificent mansion of the Secretary 
 of State have been simply a continuation of those elegant 
 entertainments for which his distant home was celebrated 
 when he was a citizen in private life. Only a man of 
 great wealth can afford to be an American "Premier." 
 All the foreign legations are gathered around his liberal 
 American hearth, and is it not most consoling to our na- 
 tional pride to remember that it is broad and generous 
 in every sense of the word? Yet why our open-handed 
 countryman should be obliged to spend his private means 
 (188) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 189 
 
 to keep up the dignity of the RepubHc only the people 
 through their representatives can answer. 
 
 Elegantly unostentatious have been the receptions held 
 at the handsome residence of the three remaining minis- 
 ters. In either case no effort has been made of display. It 
 would seem that these Secretaries have a just apprecia- 
 tion of the social bearings of their positions, and yet real- 
 ize, with Mr. Dawes, that, in the face of the financial peril 
 of the country, frugality and economy should be the order 
 of the day. 
 
 The great reception triumph of the season has been 
 held at the historic Seward mansion, at present the home 
 of the Secretary of War. Outside of the public buildings 
 no house in Washington is so memorable in associations 
 as this plain, unpretending pile of brick and mortar. It 
 is broad, old-fashioned, with rooms extending far back, 
 and everything about it reminds one of the good old days 
 of one's grandfather, and its severe simplicity is as re- 
 freshing as pure air when compared with the sensuous 
 gingerbread work of the luxurious modern mansion. 
 
 The reception of the War Secretary and his accom- 
 plished wife was honored by the President of the United 
 States, accompanied by the well-known Dent family. 
 The newspapers have much to say about the ''Dents;'* 
 but a close inspection of their everyday lives, as well as 
 their antecedents, proves that our Chief Magistrate 
 might have fallen into much worse hands. It is true 
 they are numerous; but, as they did not make them- 
 selves, this sin must be laid at another door. Besides, are 
 they to blame because a President happened tO' drop into 
 their nest? Is there a man or woman in the country 
 with stamina enough to keep them modest if they had a 
 brother-in-law more potent than any king? Besides, 
 these dozen or more brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law 
 are exceedingly well behaved, considering the excellent 
 opportunities which might be turned to mischief. A 
 member of the Dent family has never been known to be 
 
igo THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 connected with the gold ring; has never been summoned 
 before a Congressional committee. It is true, they like 
 to snuggle under the warm wing of the President; but 
 are not the great arms of the nation long enough to em- 
 brace the whole brood ? 
 
 Up the very stairs that once echoed to the footsteps of 
 the assassin Paine poured a stream of life composed of 
 the creme de la creme of the national capital. Members 
 of the foreign legations, with their ladies, were there; 
 and this is unusual, as many of these haughty foreigners 
 are seldom or never seen in Washington society except 
 at the mansion of the Secretary of State. The Cabinet, 
 Supreme Bench, Senate, House of Representatives, dis- 
 tinguished members of the press, were present; and, to 
 give additional brilliancy to the scene, the Army and 
 Navy were largely represented, glittering in blue broad- 
 cloth and the usual golden trappings. 
 
 At the entrance of the first parlor stood the Secretary 
 of War ; at his right hand might have been seen his fair 
 young wife. With all due respect to secrecy, it is whis- 
 pered that Secretary Belknap is just a shade handsomer 
 than any other man in the Cabinet. 
 
 His exterior surface indicates the pure Saxon, and 
 his eyes are the color of that deep blue liquid which is 
 obtained by dissolving indigo in sulphuric acid. He had 
 the true soldier's form, which is tall, broad, and deep, 
 and his voice is as mellow as an organ's. His step has a 
 ring when his foot touches the pavement, and his hand 
 has the true grip, whether it hauls a rebel colonel over 
 the earthworks on the battlefield, or touches the dainty 
 finger-tips of a woman. It is said that Secretary Bel- 
 knap has a warm place in the Chief Magistrate's heart, 
 which proves that the feminine element does not enter 
 into the construction of a President. General Belknap 
 is a warrior by inheritance as well as by practice, for ever 
 since the beginning of the Republic the long line of Bel- 
 knaps have taken up arms in defense of their country. 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTKRS I9I 
 
 The fine young face of Mrs. Belknap, as she receives 
 the host of dignitaries who have come to pay their re- 
 spects to the great war power represented by her husband, 
 is just as refreshing as pure water at the hillside. The 
 bride of a year, a newcomer to the capital, she has not 
 had time to be spoiled by adulation. The genuine, kind 
 ways of private life she bears unspotted to her high social 
 position, and the graceful manners which she brings with 
 her from her Kentucky home remind us of the days of 
 Mrs. Crittenden, when the distinguished women of that 
 State were the fixed stars of society in Washington. 
 Mrs. Belknap wore upon this occasion the same superb 
 dress which graced the Prince's ball, which proves 
 that she does not intend to imitate those extravagant 
 women who will not be seen twice in the same toilette. 
 If this independent trait in her character lessens her in 
 the opinion of her feminine peers, let us hasten to tell her 
 how much it endears her to the people. Mrs. Belknap 
 shares the honors of beauty with Mrs. Cresswell in the 
 Cabinet. 
 
 Just beyond the War Secretary stood the President, 
 with his sister-in-law, Mrs. Sharp, at his side. Marshal 
 Sharp might have been in the vicinity, but as he is only 
 a Dent by marriage, his presence or absence need not be 
 noted. The President brought with him the same "kill- 
 ing eye" which the New York World so vividly described, 
 yet another Dent sunned himself in its beams without the 
 least sign of damage. Mrs. Grant remained at home, 
 owing to indisposition, but Mrs. Sharp performed her 
 part with exceeding grace and good nature. She wore a 
 handsome blue silk dress, almost devoid of trimmings, 
 with an elegant point lace shawl, and pearl jewelry. Mrs. 
 Sharp is not noticeable for beauty or the want of it. She 
 has the average face of American women, and her friends 
 speak of her in the highest terms of praise. 
 
 Secretary and Mrs. Fish were seen not very far re- 
 moved from the Presidential party. If Mr. Fish was not 
 
192 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 the Secretary of the State, we should call him jolly. He 
 looks as if he breakfasts on reed birds, dines on terrapin, 
 and floats his life barge on rivers of champagne. Oh! 
 the dainties, the flavors, the sweets that go to make up 
 this genial and generous man. In contemplating him, 
 one realizes that it would not be so very bad to be a South 
 Sea Islander or an innocent Feejee. It must be because 
 he is so palatable in personal appearance that he makes 
 such an admirable Secretary of State. How delicately he 
 has manipulated our complicated Spanish and Cuban af- 
 fairs! how discreetly he manages the Alabama claims! 
 It is said, "There are as good fish in the sea as were ever 
 caught." Secretary Fish, with the official hook in his 
 mouth lives to fling the truth in the face of the old adage. 
 
 Mrs. Fish — ah ! where shall words be found to- de- 
 scribe the woman that awakens that exalted sentiment, 
 and makes one long to call her mother or some other en- 
 dearing name? She has an intellectual countenance, 
 noble enough to belong to a nun. Mrs. Fish has the 
 mind, heart, and manners to grace the White House, and 
 no greater compliment can be paid to an American 
 woman. 
 
 In the vicinity of Mrs. Fish might have been seen 
 standing many of the members of the foreign legations. 
 Most noticeable were the ponderous daughters of the Pe- 
 ruvian minister, Colonel Don Manuel Freyre. The 
 weight of these South American damsels reaches far into 
 the hundreds. It is well for the country that Barnum has 
 been lost in the Mammoth Cave else our relations with 
 distant countries might become hopelessly entangled. 
 Considering how densely humanity was packed in the 
 parlors of the war mansion, these elephantine beauties 
 might have created a panic had a tramp or a promenade 
 become necessary, but, fortunately for life and limb, this 
 was not undertaken, and nO' accident occurred to mar the 
 festivity of the scene. These accomplished South Ameri- 
 can ladies are considered great beauties in their country, 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 193 
 
 for in the land of the Incas superabundant flesh is not 
 considered in the way. 
 
 In a picturesque attitude, leaning against a doorway, 
 might have been seen Mary Clemmer Ames, of the New 
 York Independent. Aggressive Hterary labor begins to 
 work its way in tiny little grooves and daintiest of chan- 
 nels on her poetical face. Mrs. Ames has written some 
 very fair poetry, which she is well aware of, and it has 
 raised her to that sublimatic height to which common 
 mortals seldom or never attain. Her costume was a 
 credit to the New York Independent, for nothing more 
 elaborate was to be seen in the rooms. To prove to the 
 wo-rld that literary women do' know how to dress it is 
 necessary to describe this star of the first magnitude. 
 Mrs. Ames appeared at the reception of the gallant War 
 Secretary in purest white silk, en train, surmounted by 
 a heavy pink satin overskirt. This overskirt arrange- 
 ment was the crowning triumph of her superb toilette. 
 This upper skirt was scalloped, paniered, and squared 
 with mathematical exactness, and rounded with poetic 
 measures. It was lifted up at the proper corners ; at the 
 same time it floated free in Greek outlines after the man- 
 ner of ancient drapery. Nothing that an elegant pink 
 satin overskirt coukl do for a poetess was left undone. 
 It might be said that this rose-colored cloud had accom- 
 plished its destiny, and ought henceforth tO' be spirited 
 to the Milky Way, there to shine in starry glory forever, 
 a warning to all those common mortals who have a way 
 of stretching their mouths every time they see a first-class 
 literary woman prepared for the altar of a social occa- 
 sion. Mary Clemmer Ames takes to rosebuds. Isn't this 
 surest evidence of the poetic talent? Rosebuds have 
 stirred up more genius than all the cabbages which have 
 been raised since the world began. A masculine biped 
 hovered in the vicinity of Mrs. Ames, but as it was plain 
 that he was no poet, a description of his person is omitted. 
 13 
 
194 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 In another parlor were to be seen a galaxy of dia- 
 monds, with Mrs. Fernando Wood attached to the back 
 of them. The writer has never seen so many handsome 
 gems assembled, except on the person of Madame Bo- 
 disco, who used to wear the Russian family jewels at 
 Washington. A necklace of great value sparkled at her 
 throat, great clusters gleamed in her hair, her handsome 
 arms were manacled with the same, but she did not seem 
 to mind being a prisoner, for when her jailor appeared 
 in the person of the Hon. Fernando, she took his arm 
 just the same as if he were like other men. 
 
 The Hon. Samuel Hooper, of Massachusetts, was there, 
 the finest wintry picture on the floor. After the same 
 manner of the Secretary of State, he looks as if the earth 
 loved him and had brought him the choicest offerings in 
 her power. The sunshine of life has mellowed his char- 
 acter. Altogether he is a New England elm, around 
 which the ivy of youth and affection loves to twine. Few 
 men have so many strong friends as Mr. Hooper, and 
 none can be found in public life less harassed by enemies. 
 
 For hours this distinguished sea of humanity whirled 
 and surged through the mansion. Waiters managed, by 
 some secret known only to themselves, to wedge their 
 way through the dense throng and refresh the guests 
 with cakes and ices. A room was provided where coffee 
 and chocolate were served, but no costly wine or any 
 other beverage that intoxicates was seen at the reception 
 of the Secretary of War. 
 
 A glowering night prepared itself for the reception of 
 the Postmaster-General. It rained, but as this part of 
 the program concerned nobody but the hackmen and 
 the horses, and as no Professor Bergh was present to look 
 after the trials of his four-footed friends, the reception 
 came off with additional glory reflected from the dark 
 surroundings. In the midst of the pelting rain the car- 
 riages drew up before the handsome residence of the 
 Postmaster-General, in the most fashionable quarter of 
 
THS OLIVIA le;tters 195 
 
 the West End. Matting or drugget was laid outwardly 
 from the mansion. A policeman opened the door of your 
 carriage and held an extensive umbrella over your head 
 while you found your way into the entrance. That short 
 walk was the most impressive part of the evening's enter- 
 tainment. A cloud darker than the heavens above lined 
 either side of the open space. It was reflected from the 
 dense crowd of colored people who had collected to in- 
 spect the guests, who for a moment were visible as they 
 passed from the carriage to the mansion. This crowd 
 of boys, girls and men seemed as indifferent to the pelting 
 rain as the dumb creatures which nature clothes in her 
 own curious fashion. Once within the vestibule, we had 
 light and music, celebrated men and brave women. In 
 the usual place at the entrance of the first parlor might 
 have been seen the Postmaster-General, and not far re- 
 moved his accomplished wife. The Postmaster-General 
 has a commanding person, a broad, towering brow, and 
 underneath it a pair of opal eyes which burn and glow 
 with the usual brilliancy of that exquisite gem. The 
 lower part of his face denotes aggressive power, as well 
 as that unmistakable pertinacity so necessary in a public 
 man. He has set his face against the franking privilege, 
 and the chances are that the Postmaster-General will win. 
 No man in the United States has been so tortured with 
 applications for office ; and if he had the photographs of 
 all the women who' have applied to him for postoffices, 
 and they were all laid in a row, single file, they would 
 reach from Maine almost to California. Considering 
 Postmaster-General Cresswell's troubles, he is the most 
 remarkably well preserved man in Washington. 
 
 Mrs. Creswell is handsome, as well as one of the most 
 graceful women at the capital. Since the absence of Mrs. 
 Senator Sprague from fashionable society, if she must 
 have a successor, Mrs. Creswell seems the most available 
 candidate for the vacant place. As an example of her 
 
196 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 exquisite taste she wore black velvet the evening of her 
 reception, and no toilet is so "perfect at home." 
 
 There seemed to be no end to the rooms in this modern 
 mansion. In one place a soothing weed was prepared 
 for the lords of creation, where they could steep them- 
 selves in smoke if they felt it to be desirable. In an- 
 other chocolate and coffee were dispensed in dainty little 
 cups that must have been imported from Constantinople. 
 In the coffee-room might have been seen the genteel 
 Montgomery Blair. He had a certain calm look of resig- 
 nation on his face, sphinx-like in the extreme, as if he had 
 the strength to bide the time of half a dozen administra- 
 tions, if it was necessary, before the right one would 
 "turn up" for the Blair family. Ex-Secretary McCulloch 
 was also in the chocolate-room, surrounded by a bevy 
 of pretty girls ; but his associates were no better 
 than he deserved, for a better, kinder-hearted man is hard 
 to find. Another room was devoted to sandwiches, cakes, 
 and ices. In a corner of this room was seen an immense 
 punch-bowl, in which miniature icebergs were grating 
 their sides. This punch-bowl contained lemonade colored 
 with claret. An old lady whose veracity can be trusted, 
 said there was just enough claret introduced in it to coun- 
 teract dreadful effects of the ice and the acid in the bev- 
 erage; that one could drink a dozen glasses without the 
 least painful effect. At any rate, great quantities of this 
 purple fluid disappeared, and no serious mischief fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 Conspicuous among the hundreds of elegant women 
 present was "Shirley Dare," the Washington corre- 
 spondent of the New York World. She was robed in blue 
 satin, which was extremely becoming to her refined face, 
 milky complexion, and amber-tinted hair. Her dress 
 throughout was commc il faut as one of her own fashion 
 letters, and among all the literary women who' shine at 
 the capital she is the one whom the writer feels most like 
 grasping by the hand. She is the true woman journalist, 
 
THD OLIVIA IvETTKRS 197 
 
 who accepts the situation, and is wilHng to fight the battle 
 of hfe on the woman's platform. She believes that in our 
 so-called weakness lies our strength, and that if women 
 are only a mind to wake up and go to work, the men will 
 never put down the brakes. The New York World has 
 sent her here upon as delicate and difficult a mission as 
 the females of "olden times undertook when they were 
 sent out by their sovereigns to distant courts tO' take 
 charge of certain branches of diplomacy. The World 
 ought to have provided the wardrobe, the carriage, jewels, 
 and other important et ceteras to match, and afterwards 
 give her a duchy when she returns to New York covered 
 with scars and glory. A masculine reporter can slip un- 
 noticed through the mazes of society; not so with a 
 woman. She must be able to bear inspection. She must 
 be prepared for any fate. What does a man know about 
 society after he has bathed in it ? He is unable to write a 
 respectable society article. The great New York dailies 
 have tried man after man at the capital, and have finally 
 concluded there are some things which men cannot do. 
 The newspapers now, in some directions, acknowledge 
 the supremacy of woman. 
 
 Gen. Fitz Henry Warren, late minister to Guatemala, 
 was present, accompanied by his accomplished wife. Mrs. 
 Warren is a kind of periodical star in Washington society. 
 A few years ago, when her husband was Assistant Post- 
 master-General, she was one of the noticeable women of 
 the capital. She reappears again, bringing the graceful 
 manners of the old regime, to which is added that rare 
 cultivation acquired only by residence abroad, and the 
 best gifts garnered in the passing years. Very few 
 American women have remarkable inclinations for intel- 
 lectual pursuits, but Mrs. Warren is found among the 
 number. 
 
 Wending his way daintily, avoiding the long silken 
 trains as if they concealed serpents and scorpions, was 
 seen handsome Senator Carpenter, of Wisconsin. Oh ! 
 
198 Tut OLIVIA i.ette;rs 
 
 that this letter had not reached such a prodigious length, 
 so that an inventory of his attractions might be made 
 public! Let it be summed up that he is everything he 
 should be and very little that he should not be. Few if 
 any of the men at the reception had a finer presence. 
 Colonel John W. Forney was there also. It was impos- 
 sible to find out whether he was made for the reception, 
 or the reception was made for him. At any rate, the 
 fit was excellent; but the same reason that prevents a 
 description of Senator Carpenter prohibits dwelling upon 
 this specimen of his kind, and these two last difficult sub- 
 jects must be laid, for the time, on the table. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
PROFESSOR MELAH. 
 
 The Functionary in Charge oe State Dinners at 
 THE White House. 
 
 Washington, March 8, iSyo. 
 
 With the termination of the present week we have the 
 last state dinner at the White House. That event prob- 
 ably marks the close of the fashionable season. With the 
 New Year these dinners are inaugurated, and every 
 Wednesday of each week the President is expected to 
 entertain a given number of Senators and Members. 
 Thirty-six persons only can be seated in the banqueting 
 hall of the Executive Mansion, consequently it is impos- 
 sible that all the people's representatives, during one 
 season, shall have the honor of crossing their feet under 
 the national mahogany. If the President would follow 
 the custom of other nations, and invite only men to these 
 official banquets, it would happen that all, or nearly all, of 
 our Congressmen would be thus honored yearly. But the 
 fairer portion of creation is mixed ingeniously in these 
 highly important state matters. Consequently the same 
 number of public men are obliged tO' dine elsewhere. In 
 the infancy of the Republic the President had time to 
 bestow upon his guests, as well as plenty of room, to 
 entertain the nation's limited number of Congressmen. 
 In those days women were necessary tO' fill up the chinks 
 of conversation ; at the same time no public man was left 
 out in the cold for a whole year because his seat was 
 taken. It has now become a matter of great delicacy to 
 choose who shall be invited to the White House, and who 
 shall not; but no President has given less offence than 
 the present Executive. It is, however, only amongst the 
 
 (199) 
 
200 THE) ouviA i.e;tters 
 
 women, who are the social rulers at the capital, that any 
 feeling is expressed, for the Congressmen who declare 
 state dinners to be "bores," and those who escape the 
 trial, consider themselves fortunate. 
 
 The "state dining-room" at the White House is a hand- 
 some apartment. A long table, rounded at the ends, ex- 
 tends through the middle of it, at which thirty-six can be 
 comfortably seated. There is plenty of room besides for 
 the servants to perform their duties admirably. New 
 mirrors and chandeliers have been added since the admin- 
 istration of President Grant, but the carpets, upholster- 
 ing, and papering have descended from Johnson's regime. 
 The exquisite taste of Martha Patterson is seen on the 
 daintily tinted walls, the figures of the carpet so nicely 
 adjusted to th^ size of the room, the dark green satin 
 damask at the windows, and the quaint chairs, under her 
 supervision, arranged to match. A clock as ancient as 
 the days of Madison adorns one of the marble mantels, 
 whilst a pair of hydra-headed candlesticks, grim with age, 
 descended from nobody knows whose brief reign, grace 
 the other. With the exception of a pair of modern 
 mahogany sideboards, the furniture seems to have be- 
 longed to the eras of Washington or Jefferson, it is so 
 solid and sombre. The White .House was modeled after 
 the palace of the Duke of Leister, and the state dining- 
 room, more than any other part of the building, is sug- 
 gestive of a baronial hall. But if there is one thing more 
 than another from which the state dining-room suffers it 
 is from a dearth of silver. "Steward Melah," the silver- 
 voiced Italian whom the Government employs to look 
 after this part of its business, actually wrings his hands 
 with terror and dismay when he "sets" the table for state 
 occasions. "Why, madame," says Melah. "there isn't 
 enough silver in the White House to set a respectable 
 free-lunch table." Now, the incomparable Melah has 
 been steward at the Everett House, Boston, the Astor, 
 New York, the Stetson at Long Branch, the St. Charles, 
 
THE OWVIA LKTTKRS 20I 
 
 New Orleans, and having served in these first-class 
 capacities it may be possible that his ideas are too exalted 
 for the same kind of work in the White House. It must 
 be remembered that all these state dinners are paid for out 
 of the President's private purse. The President, how- 
 ever, had put this delicate matter into Steward Melah's 
 hands, and the Italian "gets up" a dinner according to the 
 quality of the guests. These dinners cost from three to 
 fifteen hundred dollars, though the average cost is about 
 seven hundred. The state dinner of which Prince Arthur 
 had the honor of partaking was composed of nine courses, 
 and cost fifteen hundred dollars; but it is only when 
 royalty is to be entertained that these feasts assume such 
 costly proportions. This modest sum does not include 
 the wine and other beverages, for these come under a 
 separate "item." In no other administration has the Gov- 
 ernment appointed a man to spend the President's money. 
 Heretofore the "ladies of the White House" have looked 
 after this part of the official business, and it will at once 
 be seen what frugality is necessary in order to make both 
 ends of the Presidential year meet; but no man during 
 the existence of the Republic has ever been the recipient 
 of so many costly gifts as the Executive, and he reflects 
 honor in return by his unexampled and reciprocal gener- 
 osity. 
 
 A rare work of art adorns the center of the long table 
 in the state dining-room. It is several feet long, and per- 
 haps two feet wide, and is composed of gilt and look- 
 ing-glass. The foundation is a long mirror, and this is 
 beached by a perpendicular shore three inches in height, 
 but of no appreciable thickness. Little fern-like upheav- 
 ings may be seen rising out of the tawdry gilt at equal 
 distances apart, and these are used as receptacles for 
 natural flowers. But, lest the guests should look into this 
 mirror, and see each other's faces reflected, at moments, 
 too, when the human mouth assumes anything but poetic 
 proportions, large vases of flowers are strewn on its 
 
202 THK OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 glassy surface, and the mischief of the mirror is nipped 
 in the bud. The ornament is not merely ornamental ; it 
 is useful. It answers the very purpose to help out a social 
 ambuscade, for it can be so arranged as to hide the Presi- 
 dent from any guest from whose presence he is suffering-, 
 whether the said person comes under the head of enemy 
 or friend. Conversation at a state dinner cannot be gen- 
 eral. Each guest must depend upon his own neighbor- 
 hood. The quality of the conversation depends entirely 
 upon the kind of people who manufacture it. Mike 
 Walsh terrified Mrs. Franklin Pierce at a state dinner by 
 talking about "going a fishing on Sunday." A modern 
 Congressman filled up the official time between each 
 mouthful by telling his next lady the exact things which 
 his palate craved. He didn't like "French dishes" but he 
 was, "fond of pork and beans, as well as ice-cream and 
 canned peaches." No doubt the word "Jenkins" will be 
 flung at your correspondent for these social criticisms; 
 but gentleman is the highest term which can be applied to 
 a politician, and the people have just as much right to a 
 description of an official dinner as any other public event, 
 especially when the Government employs a public func- 
 tionary in the person of Steward Melah to see the dignity 
 of the nation carried to the perfection point. 
 
 Once upon a time an accomplished young American 
 woman had the honor to dine with the Czar of all the 
 Russias. During the royal entertainment a plate of de- 
 licious grapes was passed around. It is true the young 
 lady saw the golden knife which rested on the side of the 
 basket, but as the fruit came to her first she had no way 
 of learning its use; so she did just as she would have 
 done in America — she reached out her dainty fingers and 
 lifted from the dish a whole stem of grapes. What was 
 her consternation to see the next person, as well as all the 
 other guests, take the golden knife and sever a single 
 grape each, and transfer it to their plates. Had a young 
 Russian lady in this country helped herself to a whole 
 
THI5 OIvIVIA I.ETTI5RS 203 
 
 chicken the error would have been precisely the same. It 
 IS true the young woman committed no crime, but her 
 feelings and those of her friends would have been spared 
 had she learned the etiquette of royal tables before she 
 became an Emperor's guest. 
 
 A man who will go to a state dinner, eat with his knife, 
 and remain ignorant of the use of his finger bowl, should 
 be expelled from Congress, and ever afterwards be pro- 
 hibited from holding any place of trust under the Govern- 
 ment. Who does not long for the good old "courtly" 
 days of Hamilton and Jefferson? The writer of this 
 letter has once during the winter had the supreme honor 
 of seeing a gentleman of the old school hand a lady to 
 her carriage. Oh ! that an artist had been on the spot to 
 photograph this noble picture. The old man stood with 
 hat uplifted ; his right hand touched the tips of the lady's 
 fingers ; the wind played with the scanty locks of his 
 uncovered head, and there was a dignity and purity about 
 his movements that reminded one of the out-door service 
 when the preacher says "ashes to ashes." The superb 
 manners of the aged gentleman could only be felt; they 
 cannot be described. 
 
 It is the evening of the President's state dinner. The 
 guests are not only invited, but expected to be punctually 
 in their places at 7 o'clock p. m. President and Mrs. 
 Grant are already in the Red Room waiting the company. 
 The ladies have disrobed themselves of outer wrappings, 
 and, like graceful swans, they sail slowly into the 
 presence. Mrs. Grant is in full evening dress — jewels, 
 laces, and all the et ceteras to match. Her lady guests 
 are attired as handsomely as herself, and the gentlemen 
 are expected to wear black swallow-tail coats and white 
 neckties. 
 
 President Grant leads the way with the wife of the 
 oldest Senator present on his arm — not the oldest Senator 
 in years but the one who has enjoyed the longest term of 
 office. The President is followed by the other guests, 
 
204 THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 whilst Mrs. Grant, assisted by the husband of the woman 
 who honors the President by her exclusive attention, 
 brings up the rear, and after a slight confusion the guests 
 are comfortably seated. 
 
 When nO' parson is present the divine blessing is 
 omitted, unless it be the Quaker thankfulness — the silence 
 of the heart. In the beginning of the feast fruit, flow- 
 ers, and sweetmeats grace the table, whilst bread and 
 butter only give a Spartan simplicity to the "first course," 
 which is composed of a French vegetable soup, and 
 according to the description by those who have tasted 
 it, no soup, foreign or domestic, has ever been known 
 to equal it. It is said to be a little smoother than pea- 
 cock's brains, but not quite so exquisitely flavored as a 
 dish of nightingale's tongues, and yet "Professor Melah" 
 is the only man in the nation who holds in his hands 
 the recipe for this aristocratic stew. 
 
 The ambrosial soup is followed by a French croquet 
 of meat. Four admirably trained servants remove the 
 plates between each course, and their motions are as 
 perfect as clockwork. These servants are clad in gar- 
 ments of faultless cut, which serve to heighten to the 
 last degree their sable complexion. White kid gloves 
 add the finishing touch to this part of the entertain- 
 ment. The third "course" of the dinner is composed 
 of a fillet of beef, flanked on each side by potatoes the 
 size of a walnut, with plenty of mushrooms to keep them 
 company. The next course is dainty in the extreme. It 
 is made up entirely of luscious leg of partridges, and 
 baptized by a French name entirely beyond my compre- 
 hension. It will readily be seen that a full description 
 of the twenty-nine courses would be altogether too much 
 for the healthy columns of a newspaper to bear, so we 
 pass to the dessert, not omitting to say that the meridian 
 or noon of the feast is marked by the guests being served 
 bountifully with frozen punch. As a general rule, wine 
 is served about every third course. Six wineglasses of 
 
THE OLIVIA IvETTERS 20$ 
 
 different sizes and a small bouquet of flowers are placed 
 before each guest at the beginning. 
 
 The dessert is inaugin-ated by the destruction of a 
 rice pudding, but not the kind which prompted the little 
 boy to run away to the North Pole because his mother 
 "would have rice pudding for dinner." It is not the 
 same dish which our Chinese brethren swallow with the 
 aid of chop-sticks, but it is such a pudding as would 
 make our grandmothers clap their hands with joy. 
 Charles Lamb has made roast pig classic; Professor 
 Melah's rice pudding is worthy to be embalmed in ro- 
 mance or story, or at least to be illustrated in Harper's 
 Weekly. This Presidential dish cannot be described ex- 
 cept by the pen of genius, therefore it can only be added 
 that no' plebeian pies or other pastry are allowed to keep 
 its company. After the rice pudding, canned peaches, 
 pears, and cjuinces are served. Then follow confection- 
 ery, nuts, ice-cream, coffee, and chocolate, and with these 
 warm, soothing drinks the Presidential entertainment 
 comes to an end, and the host and his guests repair tO' the 
 Red Room, and after fifteen minutes spent in conversa- 
 tion the actors in a state dinner rapidly disappear. 
 
 Whilst we are discussing state dinners it may as well 
 be remembered that private citizens in New York, Bos- 
 ton, and Philadelphia, in some respects have equalled if 
 not surpassed the White House in the elegance of their 
 entertainments. In New York perfumed fountains ex- 
 hale their liquid delights in the centre of the table, and 
 this is as far ahead of that old mirror arrangement as 
 the genuine surpasses the imitation. No fault, however, 
 should be found with Professor Melah, for as far as he 
 goes, no officer of the Government performs his duty 
 better. At the same time it would be well for the Pro- 
 fessor to remember that at an entertainment honored by 
 the presence of women something besides the sense of 
 taste and vision must be gratified. He should imitate 
 the Japanese in the perfection of his surprises. He must 
 
2o6 TH^ OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 make pastries out of which Hve birds will sprin^^. Such 
 a dish as this is none too dainty to set before President 
 Grant and his friends. 
 
 When Mrs. Lincoln lived in the White House she 
 dearly loved to have everybody know that she kept house 
 in the Executive Mansion. If an entertainment was to 
 be given she didn't mind lending a helping hand, just 
 as she w^ould have done in that modest home in the 
 "prairie land." Martha Patterson saw that the milk- 
 pans were kept sweet and clean, a matter of just as much 
 importance in the White House as in the humblest way- 
 side cottage; but now that this order of things which 
 commenced with Martha Washington and ended with 
 another Martha has passed away, and the Government 
 employs a man to look after this beloved household, is it 
 not a duty devolving particularly upon the press to see 
 that this officer performs his duty with military strategy 
 and perfection? Who' has the authority to punish this 
 man in case the President's digestive organs are im- 
 paired? Napoleon lost a battle on account of a vicious 
 dumpling. The greatest divorce case on record was 
 founded on the following touching epistle: "Dear Mrs. 
 B. : Chops and tomato sauce. Yours, Pickwick." 
 
 There are no entertainments in England like the state 
 dinners in the United States. The Queen has her draw- 
 ing-room receptions, which are not unlike the afternoon 
 reception's of Mrs. Grant excepting the rigidity and 
 frozen formality. A woman must have a court dress in 
 order to be presented to Victoria ; but a working woman 
 in her serge can take the President by the hand. The 
 Queen asks whomsoever she pleases, informally, to her 
 palace, but she leaves "cabinet dinners" to her Prime 
 Minister and the Speaker of the House of Commons. 
 
 Women are never included in these official dinners, 
 but the same evening the wife of the minister or Speaker 
 holds a reception, to which the families of the guest are 
 invited, and the day closes with the feeling that all have 
 
Tl-IK OUVIA LliTTE:RS 207 
 
 been entertained. It will be remembered that Mrs. 
 Thornton asked gentlemen only to meet the Prince at 
 dinner, but in the evening- the ladies were assembled to 
 honor the royal guest. At a regal entertainment only 
 gold, silver, and glass are to be seen on the tables. The 
 King of little Hanover is said to have six million dollars' 
 worth of silver to set before his guests. The King of 
 Pmssia has for table ornaments mountains of silver from 
 three to five feet high, with deer climbing them, and 
 huntsmen following, all composed of that precious metal. 
 It is next to an impossibility for a mere traveler to be 
 introduced to the King of Prussia. He cannot be pre- 
 sented through the American minister, as it is practiced 
 in France and England. If the traveler is a distin- 
 guished citizen of this country the case is different, and 
 Prussian majesty allows itself to be approached. Men 
 in official life are invited to dine at the royal table in 
 Prussia, but a woman in high life must await the com- 
 ing of a court ball, and then, if her rank is strong enough, 
 she is shown into the royal dining-hall and has the su- 
 preme honor of hearing his majesty say : "How many 
 wax candles do you think I am burning to-night ?" The 
 old King of Prussia was burning waxen tapers by the 
 thousands, and he wanted his generosity appreciated. 
 Century after century the etiquette of England and Prus- 
 sia have followed in the same groove. Certain rank has 
 certain privileges as well defined as the night and day. 
 In France this stony rigidity is somewhat relaxed ; but 
 the length to which this letter has already attained pre- 
 vents any further allusion to the subject. 
 
 OWVIA. 
 
SOME SENATORIAL SCENES. 
 
 John Sherman, Zach. S. Chandler and Oliver P. 
 Morton in the Lime Light. 
 
 Washington, March 12, iSyo. 
 
 In order to see the light of the sun echpsed, or com- 
 pletely thrown in the shade, it is necessary to visit the 
 Senate in night session. In prosy daytime one's senses 
 are ravished by the bewildering beauty of the decorative 
 art in this "chamber;" but thus seen only a magic hall 
 pictured in the "Arabian Nights' Entertainment" will 
 compare with the fairy-like beauty of the scene. Whence 
 come the beams that steep everything in a sea of liquid 
 amber? No jetty flame is visible anywhere. The ex- 
 quisite roof of stained glass gleams with a deeper, richer 
 light than was ever borrowed from old Sol's rays. In or- 
 der to be disenchanted one must be told that innumerable 
 little gas jets cover the interior roof of the chamber, but 
 the stained glass hides the ingenious contrivance from 
 view. Who shall describe the sea of splendor that wraps 
 and beautifies everything caught in its embrace? Under 
 its influence grave Senators relax that stern gravity and 
 austerity so becoming in a man upon whom half the dig- 
 nity of a sovereign State depends. During last evening's 
 session, Senator Ramsey deliberately placed his hands 
 behind him, apparently without malice aforethought, 
 marched across the floor, and patted Senator Drake on 
 the head. But the most astonishing thing connected with 
 the performance consists in the fact that Senator Drake 
 never quacked or even called the attention of the Senate 
 to this strange proceeding. If in the course of legisla- 
 tion a Senator's head must be patted, by what authority 
 has a man the right to do so? Considering the irascibility 
 (208) 
 
The: OLIVIA LETTERS 209 
 
 of Senator Drake, his behavior under the hand of Sena- 
 tor Ramsey was becoming in the extreme. 
 
 If there is a chestnut burr in the American Senate, it is 
 found in the person of Senator Drake, of Missouri. He 
 bristles with sharp points, hke a porcupine. He is ever 
 on the alert for his foes, and when found he hurls shaft 
 after shaft, unmindful where he hits; yet there is some- 
 thing so upright and true in the man that one forgets, as 
 in the case of pricked fingers when a hoard of satin- 
 backed chestnuts are brought into view. 
 
 But the shimmering rays of the evening light up a 
 unique picture. In the outer circle of Senatorial chairs 
 may be seen the one occupied by the colored man from 
 Mississippi. As yet it cannot be said that a negro or black 
 man has broken into Congress. Senator Revels has the 
 head of a bronze statue, and his hands are Anglo-Saxon. 
 But the cruel weight of slavery has left its mark upon him. 
 He brings to bear upon the tufted Wilton of the Sen- 
 ate chamber the plantation's walk. Slave idiom clings to 
 his mellow, flute-like speech. He looks so lonely and for- 
 lorn in his seat, the first in the edge of the charmed circle, 
 just as if he had been washed there by some great tidal 
 wave, which had retired, never more to return. Senator 
 Revels is a good man, but not great, after the manner of 
 Frederick Douglass ; or keen as a Damascus blade, like 
 Sella Martin, the editor of the colored man's national or- 
 gan. And yet, in legislative attainments, he compares 
 favorably with the majority of the new Senators from the 
 reconstructed States. 
 
 The Senators are talking about the "funding bill." In 
 the colloquy the clear-cut face of John Sherman, of Ohio, 
 comes to the surface. He has put his shoulder tO' the 
 mountain of finance, and how manfully he tugs. Oh, the 
 wear and tear to the understanding in the attempt to com- 
 prehend the money situation ! A masculine biped whis- 
 pers to his next door neighbor, "Do you understand why 
 14 
 
2IO The: OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 they had a night session?" Of course the httle woman 
 didn't know. "It was to choke off all discussion and come 
 to a vote. In the House they have a way of putting on 
 the brakes, but in the Senate a man can talk and talk until 
 he spins a cocoon out of his brain, through which he must 
 eat in order to come back to common sense and terra 
 firma. You see," continued the man, "that the Senate is 
 tired. It wants to get home; but a few of the hardy 
 swimmers will not give up the race." 
 
 Senatorial abandon takes possession of the hour. A 
 Western Senator perambulates the floor, smoking a cigar, 
 but there are very few ladies in the gallery, and the cigar 
 is daintily fragrant, considering its obnoxious origin. In 
 the door of an adjoining cloak-room may be seen the 
 broad, open face of Zachariah Chandler, and from its 
 moon-like disc may be noticed small volumes of smoke 
 escaping; but whether this fiery exhibition is the result of 
 the destruction of tobacco, or a mild volcanic eruption in 
 a very delicate region, there is no means of ascertaining. 
 
 During the impatient conflict Charles Sumner is seen in 
 his seat, solemnly solemn as the sphinx. A woman whis- 
 pers: "Did you ever see Charles Sumner smile? I did 
 once, you ought to have seen it." "Why?" asked her 
 companion. "Because he looked so handsome. The smile 
 transfigured his countenance. I have liked his face ever 
 since." "May I never see him smile," said the other 
 woman. "I prefer to contemplate this man in the Sen- 
 ate as I do the mountain in a picture, or as I would an 
 Arctic landscape in a gloomy, sullen sea." 
 
 Apparently weary of wielding the Vice-President's 
 sceptre, Schuyler Colfax has slipped out of the honored 
 chair to a lower seat, and a Senator occupies his place. 
 If a public man wants to be buried alive he can accom- 
 plish it by getting himself elected heir-apparent to the 
 Executive. The Vice-President of the United States 
 never has a chance to read his name in the newspapers, 
 and by the time his four years are up the dear public have 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 211 
 
 forgotten him. Oh, the horror of riding on the topmost 
 wave of popularity, and then suddenly finding oneself 
 plumped out of sight, actually buried under a mountain of 
 greatness. If the President would only die. But who 
 ever knew a President to commit suicide, though he is 
 perfectly aware that another man has been actually pre- 
 pared to take his place, and that the people of this country 
 will not suffer for the want of a President? The actual 
 reason why the great body of American women are 
 against woman suffrage is because they fear that some 
 time in the course of their natural lives they will be called 
 on to act as Vice-President. Schuyler Colfax was seen 
 reading a newspaper at the foot of his throne, and if he 
 gets any comfort out of his position it must consist in 
 holding the gavel suspended over the heads of the shin- 
 ing lights of the country. And yet there is no chance of 
 bringing these Senators to order, as in the case of the 
 unruly members of the House. The Senators are always 
 in order; there is no chance of enjoyment for Schuyler 
 Colfax except to crawl out of his seat and read a news- 
 paper. And what does he find in that newspaper? Oh, 
 sorrow and consternation ! Dawes is ravishing the East 
 with economical delights, and Logan is cleansing the 
 Augean stables of the House in which iniquity has herded 
 ever since the Republic began. There are two- positions 
 which are alike, so far as the country is concerned, the 
 Vice-Presidency of the United States and that of a coun- 
 try schoolmaster. 
 
 In the person of Senator Harlan, of Iowa, may be seen 
 the presiding officer ot the hour. How admirably he be- 
 comes the sombre, dignified place. Nature has cast this 
 man in a noble mould. Broad forehead, clear gray eyes, 
 and features as handsomely chiseled as if fresh from the 
 hands of a first-class sculptor. Few men in the Senate 
 have the simple tastes of Senator Harlan. His personal 
 presence would be superb if it were not for the general 
 appearance of threatened disruption which marks his 
 
212 TH^ OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 every-day attire. But, notwithstanding the incHnation of 
 his coats to wear out under the arms and fringe in ex- 
 actly the wrong place, no Senator at the capital is more 
 beloved or trusted by the people of his own State now 
 residents of Washington than Senator Harlan. 
 
 The funding bill still agitates the waters of legislation, 
 and Senator Morton, of Indiana, arises slowly, leaning 
 upon his cane. What subtle influence brings to the mind's 
 eye the picture of a tiger chained to a broken cage? 
 Surely that powerful organization was made to last three- 
 score years and ten. What a glorious casket! Away 
 with the cane! The pallor of his countenance is a part 
 of the uncanny mockery of the night. There is no better 
 speaker on the floor of the Senate. His thoughts flow 
 fresh, clear, sparkling, like water from a hill-side spring. 
 It is true, Indiana is a benighted State, morally defective, 
 as seen by her divorces ; her territory swampy, with fever 
 and ague a yearly crop. But which is the iDcst harvest a 
 State can yield? Why men, to be sure, and when this 
 fact is considered Indiana need not feel ashamed of her- 
 self. 
 
 At this hour of the evening the floor is thickly strewn 
 with all sizes of fragments of paper. It rustles under the 
 feet of the nimble pages. Senator Wilson is opening his 
 evening mail. He snaps the letter envelopes and hauls 
 out the insides as gracefully as a bear scrapes honey out 
 of a hollow tree. He is so earnest, and there is so much 
 to do, and the sun will not stand still even for Massachu- 
 setts. He takes the time to read the name only of his 
 correspondents; the reading through these letters must 
 be done by a private secretary. What a huge pile of pa- 
 pers menace him ! Public opinion says he is a man of 
 "practical talent." Is not this the best gift bestowed upon 
 man? BljessecL.t ln-ice bl essed, i$J:he State, tliat hasji_ nian 
 i3_the_S^ite[connecte2[b^£u,j]^^ 
 JierjDeople! 
 
 Senator Cameron is walking up the broad aisle, erect 
 
THE OUVIA I.KTTERS 213 
 
 and stately as a majestic pine in midwinter. This man is 
 not one of the brilhant figures of the Senate, but he is 
 high Hke the mountains and deep like the mines of the 
 great powerful State he represents. Few, if any men, 
 carry greater weight in Senatorial legislation. 
 
 Senators Conkling and Stewart may be seen in their 
 respective seats, and these two men may properly be called 
 the ''blondes" of the Senate. If these Senators were wo- 
 men they would have the whole masculine world at their 
 feet. It would seem as if the forces of nature conspired 
 to keep them at a red heat, these men are steeped in liquid 
 sunshine ; their beards, at a distance, are the best kind of 
 imitation of spun gold. Once a watery veined Senator 
 was actually seen warming his hands only a short dis- 
 tance from Senator Conkling' s head ; but notwithstand- 
 ing this fact a handsomer man is seldom seen on the floor 
 of the Senate. 
 
 There is evidence of strong-coming impatience. Sena- 
 tors pace the floor as lions stride their dens. When will 
 the interminable talk cease? No one heeds it. Senator 
 Sprague is seen in a leaning attitude against the wall. 
 The golden background helps to make a fitting picture of 
 the young millionaire. His face has a marble pallor 
 which the rosy light of the chamber cannot dispel. 
 
 Very few people are in the galleries. A few dusky 
 faces may be seen at the right of the reporters' seats. The 
 diplomatic space is unoccupied. In the ladies' gallery is 
 the intellectual countenance of Mrs. Secretary Cox. She 
 is followed by a suite of pretty, youthful faces. Mrs. 
 Sprague is also present, superbly graceful as ever. This 
 elegant woman is not only ornamental, but useful to the 
 world. When she is traveling amongst foreign nations 
 her manners reflect honor on the country that gave her 
 birth. 
 
 But the gavel has sounded, and the night session ends, 
 
 Olivia, 
 
THE ROBESON TEA PARTY. 
 
 The Se:cri;tary of the Navy Awarded the Paem for 
 Entertaining. 
 
 Washington, March 22, i8yo. 
 
 Humiliating as the task may be, it must be acknowl- 
 edged that in every race undertaken by the two sexes at 
 the same time, for reasons which never can be explained, 
 the men will manage to come out ahead in the exquisite 
 art of millinery and dressmal<ing, where it would seem 
 natural that woman's nimble fingers and dainty tastes 
 should rival the work of the fairies; yet stubborn facts 
 bring us face to face with Monsieur Worth, the masculine 
 milliner of Paris, who has stepped on to the throne, and 
 by superiority of judgment has robbed woman of her 
 rightful heritage. "Ah !" said an American of rare taste, 
 just returned from abroad, "you should have seen the 
 dress prepared by this man for the Queen of Prussia. It 
 was made of the simplest material, being composed of 
 grass and lace, but the lace was filmy tulle, almost as 
 ethereal as the moonbeams, and the grass was soft and 
 velvety, such as may be supposed to adorn the river banks 
 in Paradise. Over this faultless combination was flung 
 a shower of seed pearls." From whence did this man 
 Worth get the pattern? He went to Nature's glorious 
 book, just as all Earth's children must when they seek 
 inspiration. Dear reader, have you seen in the early 
 morning a handkerchief of cobweb glisten with pearly 
 dew spread out on the grass? Monsieur Worth has no- 
 ticed this fairy work, and the hint enabled him to fashion 
 a queen's dress which was pronounced by competent 
 judges to be the most faultless ever worn by royalty. 
 Dresses imported from Paris by the score may be seen in 
 Washington society; but these costumes have not re- 
 (214) 
 
THK OWVIA I^^TTKRS 215 
 
 ceived the last touches of grace from the hands of the 
 o-reat mascidine dressmaker. Monsieur Worth has all 
 tlie orders he can fill for such women as Eugenie, Clo- 
 thilde, the Queens of Prussia, Belgium, and others with- 
 out puzzling his dainty brains for the simple daughter of 
 a Republic, who may be somebody to-day but nobody to- 
 morrow. 
 
 This letter is written, in all humility and sorrow, to 
 prove that the great social success of the season has been 
 awarded (must the truth be told?) to a man, and the citi- 
 zen is known to the world as the Secretary of the United 
 States Navy. Whilst the President of the Republic has 
 tickled society with his levees, and the married men of the 
 Cabinet have held their receptions, Secretary Robeson, the 
 jolly bachelor tar, has given a tea-party, and such a 
 one as would make the Widow Bedott clap her hands 
 with joy. No other woman in Washington in fashiona- 
 ble society would have dared ape the custom of other 
 days; but the gallant Secretary, after donning a mental 
 armor as invulnerable as ironclad, has sailed into the face 
 of public opinion and won a victory as complete as Mc- 
 Clellan's capture of the wooden guns. 
 
 It will be remembered that at the tea parties given m 
 the old times by the Widow Bedott the dear old snuft- 
 taking stocking knitters assembled of an afternoon and 
 talked their honest gossip by the light of the patient sun. 
 But owing to the hard day's work which has to be per- 
 formed by the Secretary of the Navy the company was 
 not assembled until long after candle-light ; but as can- 
 dles are not as plentiful as they used to be in the good old 
 days of our grandmothers,— a modern substitute was 
 found to light the mansion, by the flame of which every 
 wrinkle was visible on the faces of his guests. 
 
 Thirty persons attended the tea party, but the most as- 
 tonishing "feature consisted in the fact that nearly one- 
 half of the company were men. It is true the Secretary is 
 single and these men were possibly invited for protection 
 
2i6 the; OI.IVIA lktte;rs 
 
 sake ; but what hindered him from stationing a squad of 
 marines outside of his modest home, within easy call, in 
 case superior strength was needed ? There is not a house 
 in Washington fitted up so snugly and cosily as the home 
 of the bachelor Secretary. Everything about it is sugges- 
 tive of every-day comfort. Instead of heavy silken drap- 
 ery at the windows, chintz, modest chintz, pure enough 
 to smile on the dreams of a bachelor, shuts out the sun's 
 too obtrusive rays. Chintz covers the luxurious sofas and 
 twines around the broad-shouldered, deep-chested chairs. 
 All these happy surroundings had much to do with the 
 jolly comfort of the guests of the tea party. Two hours 
 were spent dallying with music before the tea-room was 
 disclosed. At the expiration of that time a pair of fold- 
 ing doors were opened as if by magic, and in the offing 
 might have been seen a tea-table such as would have 
 brought tears of envy to Mrs. Potiphar's eyes. It has 
 been proved that the moon is made of green cheese, and 
 Secretary Robeson had a piece of it on his tea-table. 
 Then there were muffins, crisp as a frosty morning, and 
 a pot of tea for which a war vessel had been dispatched 
 with sealed orders, and the captain, under threats of dis- 
 missal, was commanded to return within a given space of 
 time, bringing from Japan the exact quantity of tea 
 requisite for the occasion. It was also rumored, but the 
 writer cannot vouch for the facts, that the vessel brought 
 over a Japanese man to brew the tea, and, after the awful 
 thing was done, the miserable Jap committed hari-kari. 
 
 Besides the pot of tea the table groaned under a huge 
 weight of dainties too numerous to mention. Terrapins, 
 quails, oysters, salmon, honey sweet as that of the bees 
 of Hybla, chickens broiled in the same style as they are 
 always cooked in Mrs. Southworth's novels, confection- 
 ery, and cream such as exudes from the Sacred Cow. 
 But this table was not to be approached except by those 
 anointed for the purpose. In the room were sprinkled 
 around tables of all sorts and sizes, from the dining cover. 
 
THK OLIVIA I^^TT^RS 2iy 
 
 capable of supplying six to eight persons, to the modest 
 light stand, which had been hastily abstracted from a 
 chamber. The guests could seat themselves in any man- 
 ner they chose, provided they kept away from the foun- 
 tain of supply. At one of the little tables might have 
 been seen a youthful pair in the highest attitude of human 
 enjoyment; there was just room enough for themselves, 
 and no more. It can safely be said that the bachelor 
 Secretary did more in the match-making line that night 
 than all the manoeuvring mammas at the capital in the 
 whole season. Some of the tables accommodated four 
 persons; others more or less. In the meantime waiters 
 performed their duty with the regularity of American 
 watches. 
 
 But if there is one person more than another at the 
 capital that deserves a national reputation it is the cook 
 belonging to the naval establishment of the United States. 
 The sex of the person cannot be ascertained, but this is 
 of no mortal consequence sO' long as men and women are 
 henceforth to stand on the same platform. Women have 
 served on the jury in Wyoming, which proves that the 
 reputation of a person has nothing to do with the sex. 
 Secretary Robeson's cook eclipses the President's Italian 
 "Melah," and Professor Blot is requested to keep away 
 from Washington if he has any regard for his well earned 
 laurels. Two festive hours were spent at Secretary Robe- 
 son's tea-table. Conversation rolled as easily as a clean, 
 smooth-bottomed war vessel with a flowing sail and a 
 rolling sea. When the guests found themselves unable to 
 hold any more tea they reluctantly wended their way back 
 to the neglected parlors, where a band of music had been 
 stationed to compose their sensibilities. It must not be 
 omitted that the wine and punch freely mingled with the 
 tea, but this must be looked upon as a modern improve- 
 ment attached to a harmless old fashion. Dancing and 
 the german completed the grand social success of the 
 season, and history will baptize it "A naval tea-party." 
 
 OWVIA. 
 
DELEGATES FROM THE SOUTHLAND. 
 
 Pleading Their Cause Before President and Leg- 
 iseators. 
 
 Washington, March 24, i8yo. 
 
 Before the late war a man's life was unsafe south of 
 Mason and Dixon's line, if he professed to believe in the 
 abolition of slavery. The same malignant spirit exists 
 to-day. It is not safe to be a Republican in many parts of 
 the sunny South. In the sparsely settled districts men are 
 shot and whipped for the offence of forming- what are 
 termed "Grant clubs." Murder succeeds murder, and the 
 offenders never feel the hand of justice. Officers of 
 the United States Government are assassinated in cold 
 blood ; but it is the helpless f reedman that is made to feel 
 most the sharp edge of the situation. Before the war, 
 when this part of humanity had a money value, it was 
 different. The overseer on the plantation which be- 
 longed to the husband of Fanny Kemble Butler said he 
 generally managed "to work 'em up once in seven years." 
 What has the f reedman gained by the boon of liberty if 
 he is still to be hunted and killed like the wild beasts in 
 the jungle? What hinders the Government from Aviping 
 out the Ku Klux Klan of the South? Late Confederate 
 soldiers have laid aside the gray uniform, and now wear 
 the mask of the inquisition, and their work is performed 
 with the horrible secrecy of that medieval conclave. Gen- 
 eral Grant has sent the Quakers to look after the Indians. 
 Why will not Congress enact a law to send General Phil 
 Sheridan and Colonel Baker on a mission after the Ku 
 Klux to protect millions who are as helpless as so many 
 orphan children? 
 
 When President Lincoln issued the proclamation of 
 (218) 
 
THE OIvIVIA I^ETTERS 219 
 
 emancipation 5,000 slaves were held in bondage by the 
 Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians; or, in other words, 
 three-fourths of a tribe of people held the other fourth as 
 slaves. When the chattels of the Republic became free 
 these bond people expected their freedom also; but this 
 was denied them by their Indian masters because it was 
 claimed that these masters owed no allegiance to the 
 United States. A subsequent treaty was formed, freeing 
 the parties, containing two conditions : First, that the 
 freedman should have forty acres of land as their share 
 and right in the Territory, or in case they should leave 
 the Territory they were to receive $110 each, and the 
 Government was to reserve this amount of the Indian 
 fund and pay it to those who chose to emigrate. The 
 freedmen desire to remain in the Territory, but the In- 
 dians will not allow them to occupy the land; will not 
 permit them to have a right or privilege which an Indian 
 is bound to respect. These patient men and women, na- 
 tive Americans, born to the same heritage as the Presi- 
 dent of the United States, are slaughtered in cold blood. 
 Oh! there is no langiiage strong enough tO' paint the 
 hideousness of the Indian character. Was an Indian 
 ever tame? These poor, forgotten outcasts of a distant 
 Territory have sent a man to lay their sad case before 
 Congress. 
 
 A band of loyal Georgians are in Washington, praying 
 that the power of the Government may be exerted for 
 their protection. They have seen the President, who did 
 not hesitate to give them some kind, strong words; but 
 it remains to be shown whether Congress will hearken to 
 them. The delegation is composed mostly of colored 
 men, with Governor Rufus B. Bullock at their head. A 
 meeting was called at Lincoln Hall, by the citizens of the 
 District, to show their sympathy for the cause which 
 these Southern men represent. Mayor Bowen presided; 
 John W. Forney made the welcoming address; while 
 Senator Thayer and Representative Maynard spoke some 
 
220 the: OUVIA I^^TTKRS 
 
 good, strong, manly words, which must have brought the 
 blush to Congress if Congress had been present to hear it. 
 The great feature of the evening were the speeches made 
 by the Southern men. Governor Bullock said little. Gov- 
 ernor Scott of South Carolina, though unaccustomed to 
 public speaking, made his short sentences into arrows, 
 and fired them at the audience with the precision of a 
 William Tell. Governor Scott has been a soldier. The 
 exigencies of war stranded him on Southern soil. He has 
 taken root there, where he has grown into a goodly tree, 
 and not a single Ku Klux has yet dared to lay the axe at 
 the root of it. 
 
 It will always remain a secret "who struck Billy Pat- 
 terson" and why the noble governor of Georgia should be 
 surnamed Bullock, for in personal appearance he bears 
 not the slightest resemblance to that fiery, untamed ani- 
 mal. It is true, he has a handsome shock of hair on his 
 head, but he is as destitute of horns as the administration 
 is of knavery, and a better looking white man is seldom 
 to be found. 
 
 Most noticeable on the platform was Simeon Beard, 
 chairman of the Georgia delegation, a man whose superb 
 oratory and strange personal appearance are most difti- 
 cult to describe. Take away the prejudice of the race 
 which, alas ! descends to us in the same way as the color 
 of our eyes or the length of our hair — a prejudice which 
 education, prayer, or any other softening, refining in- 
 fluence of civilization never can remove — rend this veil 
 asunder, and we should see a man that we could honor as 
 President. 
 
 Simeon Beard has the lithe, erect form, and the smooth, 
 raven locks of the Indian. Both African and white blood 
 course in his veins; his complexion is that pale, rich 
 brown — the same color with which nature loves to tinge 
 the leaves in mid-autumn. But the spirit of some animal 
 long kept at bay looks out of his deepset eyes, and his 
 words burn as if they had been forged in a redhot fur- 
 
THE OUVIA Iv1;TTERS 221 
 
 nace. He made the audience feel the print of the nails in 
 far-away Georgia. Only a little longer will Frederick 
 Douglass stand the acknowledged mouthpiece of the 
 mixed races and the darker stratum which underlies it. 
 
 Simeon Beard was followed by a Texan, Mr. Ruby, 
 another member of the proscribed family. How shall 
 we describe this swarthy man, who appeared to be made 
 up of sharp, glittering points, and who* seems to bear the 
 same relation to the human family that a dagger does to 
 other weapons? He had the indescribable sway of the 
 body of the children of the sunny climes. When his 
 youthful face appeared it did not seem possible that he 
 had the essential requisites to address such an audience, 
 but surprise gave way to admiration and applause. He 
 spoke in behalf of Georgia, asking nothing for Texas. 
 "Why is it," asked the speaker, ''that the same atrocious 
 state of afifairs does not exist in middle and western 
 Texas as in Georgia to-day?" Lowering his voice until 
 it hissed, "I'll tell you; when a Union man was killed a 
 rebel was made to bite the dust. Only one man was shot 
 in my neighborhood. He was a poor colored preacher 
 who had started a school. Some men disguised went in 
 broad daylight and shot him in the schoolroom. Mind 
 ye, he was a poor man with no friends; but every man 
 engaged in that day's work was hunted down. We killed 
 them as we would so many reptiles (raising his voice un- 
 til it sounded like a musical instrument) ; that is the way 
 we stamped out treason in our part of the world." 
 
 A colored man of polished education followed this 
 fierce and war-like Texan. His words were admirably 
 chosen. The glowing appeals flowing from the lips of 
 Messrs. Beard and Ruby seemed like the virgin ore torn 
 from the rocks where it had been imbedded for ages. 
 The smooth, handsome sentences of Professor Langston 
 fell from his tongue like coin from the mint, each word 
 having an appreciable value. Professor Langston is at 
 present at the head of the law department in the Howard 
 
222 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 University. He was born in Maryland, of slave parent- 
 age, but was emancipated at a very early age, and recei^^ed 
 a thorough classical education through the indulgence of 
 his paternal ancestor. After leaving college he studied 
 law, and he now occupies one of the most honorable posi- 
 tions in the country. Like all of his race at the capital, 
 he takes the deepest interest in the welfare of the freed- 
 men farther South. The delegation earnestly asks that 
 the Bingham-Farnsworth amendment, which is tacked on 
 to the last law of reconstruction, may be crushed in the 
 Senate, as its passage would hand the loyal element to 
 the tender keeping of the late masters of Andersonville 
 and Salisbury. Oeivia, 
 
THE TREASURY TRIO. 
 
 Wyman, Tuttle; and Spinne;r Guard the: Treasury 
 DEPOSITS — Jew^IvS in Storage. 
 
 Washington, December 28, 18/0. 
 
 From time to time fabulous stories have been afloat in 
 Washington concerning the secret of the United States 
 Treasury vaults. It has been whispered by certain snowy- 
 locked clerks who have been noted for years for strictest 
 veracity that hidden away in the dust and darkness of a 
 certain vault might be found jewels that would vie with 
 or possibly eclipse those found in the diamond cave by 
 Sinbad the Sailor. Hidden away in the wooden boxes, 
 it has been said that pearls as large as pigeon's eggs have 
 nestled, their waxen beauty undisturbed by human eyes, 
 whilst diamonds, both great and small, have winked and 
 blinked without awakening a shaft of feminine envy. In 
 this same vault it has been known that parcel after parcel 
 has reposed, whilst hands that placed them there have 
 crumbled into dust, and the mystery connected with them 
 has been lost to this generation forever. 
 
 In this connection it must be mentioned that this par- 
 ticular vault is the ninth in the Treasury calendar, and it 
 bears a resemblance to a bottomless pit, because hereto- 
 fore anything under the head of "special deposits" placed 
 therein has never been heard of again. 
 
 Amongst other bits of dainty information, it may be 
 chronicled that the famous Field medal was placed here 
 for safe keeping. Once while Andy Johnson was Presi- 
 dent an order came from "headquarters" tO' send the 
 medal to the White House for inspection. The medal 
 left the building, but was returned, unknown to some of 
 the lawful custodians of the place. 
 
 (223) 
 
224 I'HE OIvIVIA I.:eTTeRS 
 
 It has been the habit from time immemorial to never 
 disturb the ashes of the sepulchre ; hence the Field medal 
 rested, but no great harm ensued. It is true, Andy's 
 reputation for a brief time was under a passing cloud, 
 and the hardest worked man in the country was accusea 
 of not reading the newspapers; and here the mischief 
 ends, because the same plates were used to make a new 
 medal, whilst the first one is worth its weight of precious 
 metal, and only a small amount of human labor is lost. 
 
 But in order to have a thorough understanding of this 
 mysterious conglomeration of metal, mortar and stone, 
 a description of the men who know the secret of the locks 
 should be forthcoming. Nine locks are concealed in the 
 solid door, and each more desperate and secret than the 
 other. Three men only in the country understand this 
 wonderful combination, but as it is an established fact 
 that no one ever dies or resigns in the Treasury, there 
 need be no fear of a national calamity. United States 
 Treasurer Spinner, Assistant Treasurer Tuttle, and Cash- 
 ier Wyman are the men designated for the awful duty. 
 As it would stretch this article to a most unreasonable 
 length to do anything like justice to the lives and duties 
 of these faithful public men, it is only necessary to say 
 that General Spinner is the most honest, bluff, inflexible 
 servant that the people ever employed ; that he gives out 
 the same kind of metallic ring as one of his own gold 
 coins when properly tested. Assistant Treasurer Tuttle 
 bears the same relation to the Treasury Department that 
 one of Hoe's cylinder presses does to a newspaper office, 
 and that he is a rare combination of faithfulness, strictest 
 integrity, business talent, and hard work, is a fact never 
 disputed in Washington. Cashier Wyman is the third 
 man of the trio whose business it is tO' hold the awful 
 keys, and he guards the Treasury vaults just as Cerebus 
 is said tO' stand sentinel over a remote region, though 
 instead of three heads only one is visible. Whilst Treas- 
 urer Spinner and his able assistant know the secret of 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 225 
 
 the locks, it is Cashier Wyman who daily performs the 
 necessary duties connected with them, and he who goes 
 through the awful door must pass his body, dead or 
 alive. During the recent interesting investigations it 
 gave every indication of life. 
 
 Treasurer Spinner says : "There is nothing in my De- 
 partment that I'm not willing the people should know 
 all about, unless it is something under seal turned over 
 to me for safe keeping by the War Department. Some 
 things are here subject to an order from the Secretary 
 of War. I don't know myself what is in the vault, I 
 think the Secretary had better send some one, and, with 
 others of this office, a thorough understanding can be 
 had, and the authorities will know what is best to do in 
 the matter." 
 
 One gloomy afternoon the work of investigation be- 
 gan. The first object that saw the light of day was a box 
 as elfish as the one dragged from the sea by the fishermen, 
 but instead of being made of copper and fastened with the 
 seal of the great Solomon, it was bound with red tape and 
 bore the waxen seal of some deceased Secretary of the 
 Treasury. When opened it emitted an odor of dead 
 roses. The first article lifted from the box was a heavy 
 square bottle which contained the attar of roses. A con- 
 siderable quantity of the precious fluid had made its es- 
 cape, but quite enough remained to perfume the city, if 
 this shall be considered necessary after the carnival has 
 passed away. There was no paper to indicate to whom 
 this attar of roses belonged, but tradition says that some 
 East Indian prince sent it to Martin Van Buren ; that it 
 had once been deposited at the Patent Office, and after- 
 wards sent to the Treasury, in the year 1848. The next 
 bottle lifted from the paper wrappings contained pearls. 
 These were remarkably fine on account of shape, size, and 
 purity of color. Two of the pearls were the largest the 
 writer has ever seen. They were oblong in shape, and 
 IS 
 
226 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 these two must have given color to the fancy "pearls as 
 large as pigeon eggs." As there was no way of counting 
 these jewels, it was judged there might have been one 
 hundred and fifty altogether. The next article was a small 
 vial containing diamonds. None of these w^ere large, 
 but they were very clear, and perfect in shape. It seemed 
 as if they must have once been a part of some royal neck- 
 lace which had been stolen. As is usually the case in 
 calamities of this kind, the detectives only recover the 
 smaller stones. There might have been a thimbleful of 
 diamonds. Thieves evidently had been at work with 
 the treasure, for in the next article brought forth the 
 golden lining of a snuff-box was missing. Next came 
 a gold ornament which had once held together a pearl 
 necklace. The silken string and tassel attached to it 
 showed its East Indian origin. This, it appears, was the 
 article left to show that some President or officer of the 
 Government had been presented with a pearl necklace. 
 It had been placed on exhibition somewhere, and thieves 
 made way with it; but in order to secure what was re- 
 covered beyond all chance of future escape, the string 
 and gold fastening were laid in this box. 
 
 The next article was a tin box. There was no way to 
 ascertain whether the box was originally intended for 
 pills or matches. There was every reason to believe that 
 the original "Pandora's box" had been found. But on 
 opening it there w^as discovered a sealed paper containing 
 gems — thirteen small diamonds of the finest water and 
 four large pearls. A small piece of paper in a box had 
 written upon it this interesting bit of information : "These 
 jewels had originally been presented to Martin Van 
 Buren, but had been stolen from a case in the Patent 
 Office on the night of November 8th, 1848." These un- 
 fortunate gems convey the most useful lesson : If Mis- 
 tress Van Buren had worn her jewels, instead of placing 
 them where thieves break in and steal, she would have 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 22^ 
 
 set an illustrious example, and the country would have 
 been no poorer than it is to-day. 
 
 The second box opened contained counterfeit coins and 
 dies. These had been deposited by M. C. Young, esq., 
 and they had been received from agents employed to 
 detect counterfeiters. These bore the date of May lo, 
 1847. These counterfeit gold and silver coins could not 
 deceive an infant of this generation. The first package 
 opened contained Confederate bills, bonds, and small cur- 
 rency. The second package were the spoils won by the 
 United States in a law-suit. This bundle of papers was 
 found to consist of bonds received from Messrs. Redin 
 and Kendall, per Henry May, amount $97,276.33, being 
 the same received by them from Corcoran & Riggs on 
 decree in case of the United States versus Gardiner. 
 Bond to the State of Tennessee. Date of the oldest cou- 
 pon due, July i, 1857. The treasurer gave Mr. May a 
 receipt therefor, and is directed by the Secretary of the 
 Treasury to hold these bonds until he shall decide as to 
 entries, etc. Dated April 9, 1855. 
 
 The third package was marked $24,963. Upon exam- 
 ination the mark and the contents did not exactly coin- 
 cide. 
 
 The fourth package contained bonds, loan of 1848, re- 
 turned October 10, 1857, marked $300. 
 
 The next in order came a box containing notes of the 
 survey of the boundai-y between the United States and 
 Mexico, under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, from 
 the junction of the Gila and the Colorado to the Pacific 
 coast, deposited by Brevet Captain Hardcastle. United 
 States Navy Topographical Engineers, June 11, 1852. 
 
 Fifth package, marked $3,059.64-100. On the outside 
 wrapper was written : "Received of A. Smith, cashier of 
 the Bank of the Metropolis by order of the Secretary of 
 the Treasury the within uncurrent funds, which had been 
 held by said bank on special deposit, consisting of un- 
 current bank notes." 
 
228 THE OUVIA I.ETTERS 
 
 Package No. 6 contained counterfeit State bank notes 
 and legal tenders sent as specimens by M. J. E. D, 
 Cousins, chief of police of St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Package No. 7 contained Confederate bonds held sub- 
 ject to the order of the Secretary of War. Total amount, 
 $12,050. 
 
 Package No. 8 contained the sad relics left by a de- 
 faulting Treasury clerk in his desk. The man's name 
 was E. French, and he was assistant disbursing clerk in 
 the Treasury extension. After he had absconded his 
 keys, papers, and money was safely lodged in the vault. 
 The money consisted of $50 in gold and $2.10 in silver. 
 
 Oeivia. 
 
VICTORIA C. WOODHULL. 
 
 Her Memoriai, to Congress on the Subject oe 
 Woman Sueerage. 
 
 Washington^ January ii, i8yi. 
 
 At precisely the hour appointed Mrs. Woodhull was in 
 her seat in the committee room, awaiting the appearance 
 of the representatives of the legislative body that had 
 declared itself ready to hear anything or everything she 
 had to say pertaining to why she should not be allowed 
 all the "privileges and immunities belonging to citizen- 
 ship." To Mrs. Woodhull alone, it is said, belongs the 
 discovery of detecting that, under the rulings of the four- 
 teenth and fifteenth amendments to the Constitution, wo- 
 men are entitled to the ballot. The members of the Ju- 
 diciary Committee are rather slow in getting to their seats. 
 At half past lo Mr. Bingham might have been seen in 
 his chair, his hands pinned closely to the back of it, and 
 his expressive face aglow with manly patience. On the 
 opposite side of the table sat Judge Loughridge, of Iowa, 
 leaning listlessly on his hand, his keen, good-natured 
 eyes alive with expectation. Judge Loughridge is fully 
 committed toi the movement, but as he is a single man, he 
 is liable to be responsible for any amount of mischief. Mr. 
 Cook, of Illinois, and Mr. Eldridge, of Wisconsin, only 
 were in their places. As time would not wait for lag- 
 gard members, and the precious morning was slipping 
 away, Mrs. Woodhull was reminded by Mr. Bingham 
 that she could proceed. At this time the room was 
 sparsely filled, and nearly all present were women, friends 
 to the movement, and the majority were people from 
 different States. 
 
 Almost hidden from sight in the deep recesses of a 
 
 (229) 
 
230 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 window might have been seen NeUie Hutchinson, of the 
 New York Tribune, her piquant face and tangled hair as 
 saucy and as refreshing as ever, and not far removed 
 from her was seen another pretty ornament of the press, 
 in the person of Mrs. McChane, of the Philadelphia In- 
 quirer. But, arranged in a row behind Mrs. Woodhull 
 were a number of women whose voices have been heard 
 throughout the length and breadth of the land. At the 
 head of the class stood Mrs. Beecher Hooker — her soft, 
 fleecy curls tied down with orthodox precision ; the curl- 
 ing feathers of blue harmonizing with her peachy com- 
 plexion. Her elegantly fitting coat was embroidered with 
 steel beads, but this had nothing to do with the suffrage 
 question. Susan B. Anthony snuggled beside her, clad in 
 a smart new dress of black silk, with velveteen overskirt 
 and fancy basque. Her spectacles clung to her nose, and 
 she had that longing, hope-deferred look which humanity 
 always wears when it has been centered for half a cen- 
 tury upon a single idea. Then came Paulina Davis, her 
 face surmounted by her beautiful snowy curls; then Mrs. 
 Josephine S. Griffing, the noblest woman in the land. 
 Rev. Olympia Brown appeared modestly as the "Wall 
 Street firm," for both the members were present, and dis- 
 tinguished from the other women in the room by dress 
 and other characteristics. The firm of Woodhull & Claf- 
 lin are clad precisely alike, and call each other "sister." 
 Their costume consists in what Miss Kate Stanton pro- 
 nounces a "business suit, because they are strictly business 
 women." These costumes are made of blue naval cloth, 
 skimp in the skirt. The basque or jacket has masculine 
 coat-tails behind, but the steeple-crowned hats are the 
 towering triumph of the most picturesque outfit. The 
 high sugar-loaf hat has a brigandish dash to it, and the 
 clipped hair underneath seems to have nipped all the femi- 
 nine element originally possessed by this flourishing 
 "firm." Mrs. Woodhull arose and stood before the tri- 
 bunal. She is a medium-sized woman, with a sharp nose, 
 
THE OI.IVIA li;tte;rs 231 
 
 and thin lips which closed tightly over her white teeth. 
 She apologized for any hesitancy in her manner, because 
 it was the first time in her life that she had attempted 
 public speaking. She then read her printed memorial : 
 
 The memorial of Victoria Woodhull to the Honorable the Senate 
 
 and the House of Representatives, United States of America, in 
 
 Congress assembled, respectfully showeth : 
 
 That she was born in the State of Ohio, and is above the age of 
 twenty-one years; that she has resided in the State of New York 
 during the past three years; that she is still a resident thereof, and 
 that she is a citizen of the United States as declared by the four- 
 teenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States. 
 
 That since the adoption of the fifteenth article of amendment to 
 the Constitution neither the State of New York nor any other State, 
 nor any Territory, has passed any law to abridge any citizen of the 
 United States to vote, as established by said articles, neither on ac- 
 count of sex or otherwise. 
 
 That, nevertheless, the right to vote is denied to women citizens 
 of the United States by the operation of election laws in the several 
 States and Territories, which laws were enacted prior to the adoption 
 of the said fifteenth article, and which article is inconsistent with the 
 Constitution as amended, and therefore are void and of no effect; 
 but, which, being still invoked by the said States and Territories, 
 render the Constitution inoperative as regards the right of women 
 citizens to vote. 
 
 And whereas article six, section second, declares "That this Con- 
 stitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in 
 pursuance thereof, and all treaties made or which shall be made 
 under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law 
 of the land; and all judges in every State shall be bound thereby, 
 anything in the constitution and laws of any State to the contrary 
 notwithstanding. 
 
 And whereas no distinction between citizens is made in the Con- 
 stitution of the United States on account of sex, but the fourteenth 
 article of amendments to it provides that "No State shall make or 
 enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities 
 of the citizens of the United States nor deny to any person within 
 its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." 
 
 And v/hereas Congress has power to make laws which shall be 
 necessary and proper for carrying into execution all powers vested 
 by the Constitution in the Government of the United States, and to 
 make or alter all regulations in relation to holding elections for 
 Senators and Representatives, and especially to enforce by appro- 
 priate legislation the provisions of the fourteenth article. 
 
 And whereas the continuance of the enforcement of said local 
 election laws, denying and abridging the right of citizens to vote 
 on account of sex, is a grievance to your memorialists and to various 
 other persons, citizens of the United States, being women. 
 
 Therefore your memorialists would most respectfully petition your 
 
232 THE ouviA i.ktte;rs 
 
 honorable bodies to make such laws as in the wisdom of Congress 
 shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the right 
 vested by the Constitution in the citizens of the United States to 
 vote without regard to sex. 
 
 And your memorialists will ever pray. 
 
 Victoria C. Woodhuu-. 
 
 New York City, December ig, 1870. 
 
 After Mrs. Woodhull had finished her memorial, Miss 
 Susan B. Anthony took the floor and told the committee 
 that she had hurried as fast as railroad and speed would 
 allow her from Kansas, last winter, at this time, in order 
 to get a petition before this body, but after all she was 
 glad that Wall Street had spoken. 
 
 Mrs. Beecher Hooker now arose and said that after 
 the subject had been presented to her in this light she had 
 immediately written to Myra Bradwell, who was practic- 
 ing law in Chicago, for a judicial opinion. She had also 
 invited Mrs. Bradwell to come to this convention and 
 plead the case. Mrs. Bradwell declined on the plea of ill- 
 health, but at the same time she sent a written opinion of 
 the judge of the Superior Court and had presented this to 
 Mr. Riddle, one of the ablest lawyers in the counti-y, and, 
 at her request, Mr. Riddle would now address the com- 
 mittee. 
 
 Mr. Riddle arose and said he meant to say nothing 
 save what would bear upon the case ; however, he meant 
 to say strongly what he intensely felt, and whoever would 
 take the pains to examine the Constitution which he held 
 in his hands would not attempt to gainsay the facts con- 
 tained therein. The right of suffrage is a natural right. 
 The right of self-government pertains to all alike, the 
 right to be exercised as all other rights. The right to 
 dress is a natural right, and the right to consume food 
 no matter how artificially prepared is another. What 
 was necessary to bring the negro race to the enjoyment 
 of their natural rights ? It was simply to remove obstruc- 
 tions. Legislation can regulate the franchise but not pro- 
 hibit it. Those who were content for women to vote 
 must do it in one of two ways — either get rid of the word 
 
THE ouviA i,i:ttkrs 233 
 
 "male" or define the meaning of citizenship. A gifted 
 woman has just given us an argument that can not be 
 refuted. This change has been wrought by an amend- 
 ment to the Constitution. 
 
 The speaker was interrupted by Mr. Cook, of Illinois, 
 asking: "What clause of the Constitution would give 
 us the right to allow Mrs. Woodhull the exercise of suf- 
 frage in New York?" 
 
 Mr. Riddle replied : "All persons who live under the 
 Constitution are citizens of the United States ; those who 
 framed it meant citizenship. We have no half citizens." 
 
 Mrs. Hooker arose and said this term "citizen" had 
 not been fully defined. 
 
 Mr. Riddle proceeded to say : "If you look into the 
 dictionaries, you will find it means an inhabitant of a city 
 who is allowed the enjoyment of political rights. The 
 fourteenth amendment claims that all born within the 
 jurisdiction of the United States are citizens, and it also 
 says no State shall make laws to abridge the privileges 
 of citizenship. What does privilege or immunity mean? 
 It means that New York shall not do' anything to abridge 
 the privileges." 
 
 The speaker was again interrupted by Mr. Eldridge, 
 of Wisconsin, asking, "Do you claim by this prohibition 
 that the natural rights of infants must not be interfered 
 with, as well as idiots, who must come under the law 
 as you interpret it?" 
 
 Mrs. Hooker answered, "That State may say when I 
 may exercise it, but not whether I may do so." 
 
 Mrs. Hooker's lawyer then proceeded to read from 
 law books some very substantial authority, but the writer 
 could not see its application to the case. He then said 
 two citizens of two different States had a law-suit. Dela- 
 ware set out to know whether she had the right to rake 
 the oyster beds of New Jersey. In this suit the meaning 
 of "citizen" was thoroughly and carefully discussed, but 
 Mr. Riddle did not let us know whether the Jersey oyster 
 
234 'I'H^ OWVIA LETTElRS 
 
 beds were raked. The eloquent speaker went on to say 
 that the right of self-government was older than any 
 amendment to the Constitution. The right of suffrage 
 already exists, but it is not for Congress to define the 
 full meaning of the Constitution. The married woman's 
 fate is one of servitude. Her identity is lost in that of her 
 husband. She is his servant, and as such only is known 
 to the law. If Mrs. Riddle were killed by an accident on 
 the railway, I could only recover damages for my ser- 
 vant. But, gentlemen, I leave the case in your hands 
 after defining the word "citizen." It is the natural person 
 rounded and finished with political rights. 
 
 Mrs. Hooker arose and said that it was not of so much 
 consequence when the right came. For her part she 
 would not allow men to vote until they were twenty-fivc 
 years old. The one great power that keeps a government 
 alive is personal responsibility and personal liberty. She 
 had heard people say that we could run our national ma- 
 chine alone; but here comes the foreigner with his igno- 
 rance and his ways so different from ours. When he first 
 comes he expects to be equal with the first in the country, 
 but he sees his neighbor living in a fine house, unaccus- 
 tomed to labor, and the spirit of hatred is engendered. 
 But at the polls, at least one day in the year, he is equal 
 to the greatest man in the whole land, and it makes a 
 man of him. It teaches him to think that he is helping to 
 frame the laws under which we live. I used to think a 
 man should be here ten or twenty years in order to under- 
 stand our institutions, but now I would give him the bal- 
 lot as soon as his naturalization papers could be made 
 out; and, gentlemen, when you limit manhood, you cut 
 your own throats. When, with God's aid, the oak ribs 
 were put in the MayUozver, he knew what was to be the 
 result. 
 
 Miss Anthony then arose and said few women have per- 
 secuted Congress as she had done, and she was glad that 
 new, fresh voices were heard to-day. "But, gentlemen. 
 
THE OIvIVIA I.15TTERS 235 
 
 I entreat you to take this matter up in Congress. You 
 have let a petition, presented by the Honorable Mr. Julian, 
 last winter, come to its death. When I went to Illinois 
 last year I told the people not to return Mr. Trumbull, 
 for he had allowed the same thing to take place in the 
 Senate. I ask you, gentlemen, to report this matter, so 
 that I can lay off my armor, for I am tired of fighting. If 
 Mr. Riddle had presented his argument in favor you 
 you would not hesitate about your course. No woman 
 has a fault to find with the old Constitution. I begged you 
 not to put the word "male" into the amendment. I hur- 
 ried from Kansas as fast as the locomotive would bring 
 me, but all in vain. I think that is General Butler I see 
 sitting before me, though I never saw him before. I 
 wish, General, you would say "contraband" for us. But, 
 gentlemen, bring in a report of some kind, either for or 
 against; don't let the matter die a natural death here. 
 Make it imperative that every man in the House must 
 show whether he is for or against it." 
 
 Mrs. Hooker caught the last refrain as Miss Anthony 
 sat down and said : "Pledge yourselves, gentlemen, that 
 we should have a hearing in Congress;" but the gentlemen 
 did not pledge themselves, and the meeting between Mrs. 
 Woodhull and her co-workers and the Judiciary Com- 
 mittee came to an end. 
 
 Mrs. General Farnsworth, wife of the member from 
 Illinois, and Mrs. Ely, of New Hampshire, represented 
 the Congressional element of the House, but the Sena- 
 torial dames were unfortunately detained elsewhere. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
SPREADING THE LIGHT. 
 
 Woman's Rights Discussed by Mesdames Hooker^ 
 Blake), Anthony, and Others. 
 
 Washington, January 12, iSyi. 
 
 After the Judiciary Committee meeting adjournment, 
 the leader of the woman suffrage movement visited 
 the Senate to hear Senator Sumner on the San Domingo 
 muddle ; but two hours later found Lincoln Hall invaded, 
 and the inevitable ball set in motion, which Susan B. 
 Anthony says never shall rest until woman is in the pos- 
 session of every right, both foreign and domestic. The 
 sweet liquid voice of Mrs. Hooker called the meeting to 
 order, and the divine Olympia Brown prayed as only a 
 woman can pray when she is thoroughly in earnest. 
 
 Mrs. Paulina Davis was on the platform, one of the 
 most queenly women in the court of intellect, and as beau- 
 tiful and as exquisite as a winter landscape. This woman 
 is the possessor of great wealth, the highest social posi- 
 tion, and, to use her own words to describe her : "I care 
 very little for dress ; my tastes are very simple. But this 
 movement is very expensive. Last summer I paid the 
 whole expense of a convention in New York City. It 
 cost me five hundred dollars. I don't mind that, because 
 in this way I think I am doing the greatest good." 
 
 Susan B. Anthony was in her place, for what would a 
 woman suffrage convention be worth without Susan to 
 give it flavor? And then she is so patient and irrepres- 
 sible, and has such a wholesome antipathy to men. 
 
 Miss Lillie Peckham represented the youth and au- 
 dacity of Wisconsin, and Miss Kate Stanton the beauty 
 and fire of her illustrious name. The people who had 
 assembled to listen, proved, by personal inspection, to 
 (236) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 237 
 
 have grown higher in the social scale than those attending 
 last year. Women were present who unmistakably were 
 the heads of families— comely matrons who had left the 
 pot boiling at home. Butterflies spread their wmgs there 
 in the same way as they would attend any other place 
 of amusement, but the wives and daughters of Congress- 
 men for some reason stayed away. 
 
 After the prayer, Mrs. Hooker introduced Mrs. Vic- 
 toria C. Woodhull, who commenced to say that she was 
 not in the habit of speaking in public meetings— a fact 
 which her manner instantly proved. Although it would 
 seem that a Wall-street experience would fit a woman to 
 face the worst, yet Mrs. WoodhuU's heart went pit-a-pat, 
 and the blood rose and fell from her cheek as fortunes 
 go up and down on 'change. Mrs. Woodhull read anew 
 her petition to the Judiciary Committee, and this being 
 her solitary ewe lamb, after its presentation there was 
 nothing left to do, and she quietly took a back seat. 
 
 Mrs. Devereaux Blake, of New York, was then intro- 
 duced—a medium-sized woman, rather pretty than other- 
 wise, and very carefully done up in handsome, fashion- 
 able clothes. Mrs. Blake, however, had nothing new to 
 offer on the question under discussion. She rehashed the 
 subject of women carrying arms, and proved by the old 
 argument this was not a necessity ; and then she told us 
 of women's sacrifices, and how, in extremest dilemma, 
 they had sacrificed their hair. She said a woman's life 
 was love, and for this reason it was a great wrong to de- 
 prive her of tliat she loved best. 
 
 After other weighty arguments of this kind this 
 speaker melted away to give place to Miss Lillie Peck- 
 ham, of Wisconsin. This young woman did not attempt 
 the difficult task of striking out a new path, but content- 
 edly ambled along over the old highway ; but, neverthe- 
 less, she had a very interesting, parrot-like way of ex- 
 pressing herself, and very wonderful, because so difficult 
 to imitate. 
 
238 THK OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 As the hour of adjournment drew near, Susan B. 
 Anthony came forward and talked "business." Oh, the 
 inimitable, the delectable Susan ; the woman with a pecu- 
 liar relish which one has to learn to love; the woman of 
 whom a very small piece goes a great way; the musk 
 among drugs; the acid in the chemist's laboratory! 
 Susan has finished and the meeting ends. 
 
 The evening session of the woman suffrage conven- 
 tion met at the Congregational Church on Tenth street. 
 Before the hour appointed, there was quite a gathering 
 at the church, and the notables, as fast as they arrived, 
 took their seats on the platform. With those assembled 
 on the topmost round of expectation, the coming woman 
 was seen marching up the aisle, wearing the jolly form 
 of Senator Pomeroy. In the modest aspect of this dis- 
 tinguished man, one could see the embryo of the first 
 female President; and Senator Nye following close be- 
 hind showed that he meant to come in for the second 
 best time on record. All the lights of the morning were 
 on the platform except Tennie Clafiin of the Wall-street 
 firm. Miss Clafiin must be one of the most charming 
 little brigands in Wall street, else her peaked hat and 
 chubby face tell a wrong story. Her merry brown eyes 
 twinkle like the peepers of Santa Claus or old Nick ; 
 and w^orst of all she keeps her mouth shut, and this proves 
 the brewing of mischief. Tennie looks like one of the 
 women in the picture of the "Merry Wives of Windsor," 
 and she seems to be the one above all others fitted to sus- 
 tain her position in Wall street. 
 
 Senator Nye arose to open the meeting. He said he 
 had yielded to the pressing invitation of a woman on the 
 platform to preside at the meeting, and had given a re- 
 luctant consent. He had never seen a good reason why 
 the mothers of voters should not vote. One thing is cer- 
 tain, as mothers are elevated, so are the children ; as 
 women are degraded, the rule holds the same. But he 
 felt that he was out of place in presiding over a meeting 
 
The; olivia lettkrs 239 
 
 of ladies ; that he was more in the habit of being presided 
 over by them. 
 
 He then introduced Miss Kate Stanton, of Rhode Is- 
 land, as one of the fairest daughters of the State. Sena- 
 tor Nye added that she had undertaken to work in a field 
 where strong men often fail, but he trusted, in her case, 
 that she w^ould meet with success. Miss Stanton then 
 came forward, half hesitating, her eyes brilliant wnth ex- 
 citement and true carnation in her cheek. This was the 
 second time in her life that she had faced an audience, and 
 the ordeal was quite as much as she could bear. She com- 
 menced reading her lecture, and when she became accus- 
 tomed to her own voice she glided along gracefully, as 
 only a truly gifted woman can. Miss Stanton will be 
 one of the stars in the lecture field if she speaks equally 
 well on other subjects as the one at present under discus- 
 sion. She has a remarkably clear, fine voice, a most 
 pleasing personal presence, an unusually cultivated mind, 
 and the true vim of a young American woman. It is 
 true she did not give us any new ideas about woman 
 suffrage, but she treated the subject in a natural, girlish 
 way; and if sentiment predominated, it seemed a halo 
 around her head, for young people are romantic, and 
 when they are otherwise, the gloss of youth has gone for- 
 ever. Miss Stanton's great point in her so-called argu- 
 ment may be summed up in a few words. The laws made 
 by man are fractional. The woman must be added to 
 make the unit. 
 
 After Miss Stanton's logic was finished, Senator Nye 
 introduced Mr. Riddle. The lawyer went over exactly 
 the same ground traversed in the morning before the 
 Judiciary Committee. It is true he enlarged here, crop- 
 ped off there, but it was the same thing altogether. He 
 commenced by asserting that women were as broadly 
 and deeply citizens as the men of this nation. That the 
 right of government is a natural right. The right to 
 govern is inherent in the people. That there is no right 
 
240 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 to be conferred, for there is nothing to confer ; and that 
 all who stand in the way would have to get out or else 
 get crushed. Mr. Riddle did not make his case clear, and 
 the audience yawned in his presence for applause. 
 
 After he had finished, Mrs. Hooker arose and said she 
 did not agree with Mr. Riddle in his denunciation of 
 men; that women equally were to blame for the state 
 of things. "A great many women say they do not wish 
 the ballot, but I can prove to them that they do wish to 
 vote. There are three vital questions equally dear to 
 every woman's heart : First, there is temperance. Are 
 women indifferent to this? Then, there is education. 
 Are not all women interested in the manner it shall be 
 brought about, whether it shall be secular or religious, 
 or whether education shall be compulsory or otherwise? 
 And there is a third, of most absorbing interest, and this 
 is chastity. The Bible says, 'The wages of sin is death.' 
 Sin is sin, no matter who is the sinner. In England, a 
 country governed by a queen, has been the battle-ground 
 of great strife. It has attempted on behalf of the mili- 
 tary to pass laws that should make the passage of vice 
 easy, and the wages of sin not death. By some secret 
 iniquity these laws passed Parliament, and then the at- 
 tempt was made to include the cities Vv^ith the military, 
 but such women as Harriet Martineau and Florence 
 Nightingale, as well as those belonging to royal families, 
 went to work to prevent this great wrong. Petitions 
 were gotten up, signed by thousands of the workingmen's 
 wives and daughters, and these petitions were brought 
 to the feet of Parliament and they have, for a time at 
 least, prevented the wrong. France sends word to Eng- 
 land that her downfall in a great measure is owing to her 
 social crimes. This subject is now being agitated in our 
 own country. St. Eouis and Cincinnati are shaking with 
 doubts. Would you, women of America, have the pas- 
 sage to iniquity and sin made easy for your husbands 
 and sons ? These are the great questions upon you which 
 
THE) OLIVIA i.e;tti;rs 241 
 
 we are obliged to think and speak." When Mrs. Hooker 
 finished, a kind of awe took possession of her hearers; 
 and whilst this woman dwelt upon this last subject she 
 spoke with all the force of a Beecher and with the purity 
 and delicacy of an angel. Ouvia. 
 
 16 
 
AN OPPOSING PETITION. 
 
 Signatures oif Notable Ladies Against Granting 
 THE Baelot to Women. 
 
 Washington, January ij, i8yi. 
 
 A bitter contest is going on in Washington between 
 the women who do want their rights and those who do 
 not. The following petition has been handed into the 
 Senate, signed by a thousand of our countrywomen. 
 
 The Petition Against Woman Suffrage. 
 
 To the Congress of the United States, protesting against an ex- 
 tension of woman sufifrage : 
 
 We, the undersigned, do hereby appeal to your honorable body, 
 and desire respectfully to enter our protest against an extension of 
 sufifrage to woman ; and in the firm belief that our petition represents 
 the sober conviction of the majority of the women of the country. 
 Although we shrink from the notoriety of the public eye, yet we are 
 too deeply and painfully impressed by the grave perils which threaten 
 our peace and happiness in these proposed changes in our civil and 
 political rights to longer remain silent. 
 
 Because the Holy Scripture inculcates a different and for us a 
 higher sphere, apart from public life. 
 
 Because as women we find a full measure of duties, cares and re- 
 sponsibilities devolving upon us, and we are therefore unwilling to 
 bear other and heavier burdens, and those unsuited to our physical 
 organization. 
 
 Because we hold that an extension of suffrage would be adverse 
 to the interests of the workingwomen of the country, with whom we 
 heartily sympathize. 
 
 Because these changes must introduce a fruitful clement of dis- 
 cord in the existing marriage relation, which would tend to the 
 infinite detriment of children, and increase the already alarming prev- 
 alence of divorce throughout the land. 
 
 Because no general law, affecting the conditions of all women, 
 should be framed to meet exceptional discontent. 
 
 For these, and many more reasons, we do beg of your wisdom that 
 no law extending suffrage to women may be passed, as the passage 
 of such a law would be fraught with danger grave to the general 
 order of the country. 
 
 Should the person receiving this approve of the object in view, 
 (242) 
 
The OLIVIA i,e;tte;rs 243 
 
 his or her aid is respectfully requested to obtain signatures to the 
 annexed petition, which may, after having been signed, be returned 
 to either of the following named persons : 
 
 Mrs. Gen. W. T. Sherman, Mrs. John A. Dahlgren, Mrs. Jacob D. 
 Cox, Mrs. Joseph Henry, Mrs. Rev. Dr. Butler, Mrs. Rev. Dr. 
 Rankin, Mrs. Rev. Dr. Boynton, Mrs. Rev. Dr. Samson, Mrs 
 B. B. French, Miss Jennie Carroll, Mrs. C. V. Morris, Mrs. 
 Hugh McCulloch, all of Washington, D. C. ; Mrs. Senator 
 Sherman, Mansfield, Ohio; Mrs. Senator Scott, Huntingdon, 
 Pa. ; Mrs. Senator Corbet, Portland, Ore. ; Mrs. Senator 
 Edmunds, Burlington, Vt. ; Mrs. Luke P. Poland, St. Johns- 
 bur>-, Vt.; Mrs. Samuel J. Randall, Philadelphia, Pa.; Mrs. 
 Catharine E. Beecher, 6g West Thirty-eighth street. New York 
 City. 
 Please attach to this a paper for signatures. 
 
 Amongst this proud array of titled names it will be no- 
 ticed that it is not headed by our "first lady," and that 
 none of the wives of the present Cabinet are enrolled 
 amongst the same. When one of the leaders of this 
 movement laid this petition before a Cabinet dame, ask- 
 ing her signature, this gracious lady answered, "I have 
 all the rights I want ; I find more than I can do in my own 
 sphere of duties, but this subject is too deep, and too 
 broad to be acted upon, except after the most serious re- 
 flection. Although 1 coincide with Catherine Beecher's 
 views, I think if we come out with our petitions we are 
 doing that which we so much condemn in the strong- 
 minded. Besides, I dare not accept the responsibility 
 of speaking for the poor and lowly of my own sex. Let 
 them talk if they want to; this is a free country, and they 
 have a right to be heard." 
 
 During one of the sessions of the convention, Mrs. 
 Hooker alluded to this petition, and said she was glad 
 that women were beginning to think. That anything was 
 better than this apathy and indifference, for just as sooii 
 as w^omen began to think about the subject all doubts 
 concerning the success of the movement would be brushed 
 away. She was glad that Miss Murdoch had been heard 
 upon the same subject. These same strong-minded wo- 
 men had opened the platform to their sex, and they were 
 
244 the: OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 willing that women should now come forward to help 
 extinguish that power. 
 
 The morning of the last day's session opened with 
 every star of the movement, both great and small, twink- 
 ling upon the stage, if we except one pale sister. This 
 was the mischief, Tennie Claflin, of the Wall-street firm. 
 Susan B. Anthony, who means to be close-mouthed, 
 had opened her lips, and out came some useful informa- 
 tion. She said that Mrs. Woodhull had been up whis- 
 pering in the President's ear, but just exactly what did 
 take place at the White House would only be known 
 to those whO' were present, Mrs. Victoria Woodhull sat 
 sphinx-like during the talk of Miss Anthony, General 
 Grant himself might learn a lesson of silence from the 
 pale, sad face of the unflinching woman. Other women 
 have talked during this convention, but Mrs. Wood- 
 hull has read what she had to say from printed slips of 
 paper. No chance to send an arrow through the opening 
 seams of her mail. Apparently she has had little to do 
 in this campaign, and yet everything has revolved around 
 her. She reminds one of the force in nature behind the 
 storm, and if her veins were opened they would be found 
 to contain ice. When money was needed to carry on this 
 movement, she headed the list with ten thousand dollars. 
 She did this without the least emotion perceptible on her 
 face unless it seemed to say, "I have planted, but I can 
 wait," 
 
 But where was Tennie Claflin? The roguish, peaked 
 hat and dainty coat-tails were besieging the doors of 
 Congress, Whilst women were wasting breath in the 
 convention, she was anywhere and everywhere to be 
 found, where a worker ought to "turn up," Oh, the irre- 
 sistible Tennie! Congress has never been so tried since 
 Vinnie Ream succeeded in getting a stone contract, and 
 if Tennie would be modest, and ask only for ten thou- 
 sand dollars' worth of folly, she would win like her prede- 
 cessor. If Tennie is bold, this quality in her is so origi- 
 
THE OWVIA LETTERS 245 
 
 nal in its kind that it disarms criticism in the opposite sex, 
 and Mrs. Woodhull must have chosen her for a partner 
 for the same reason that she whispered in the President's 
 ear. 
 
 Senator Warner, of Alabama, presided at this session ; 
 but, as it is feared that, sooner or later, he will become 
 a woman, a description of his person may not be out of 
 place. Originally he must have been as plump as a 
 Baldwin apple; but the exigencies of the war and Sena- 
 torial duties must have had a trying effect upon him. 
 Already signs are visible of his shrinking in size, yet 
 abundance of material is left for all family purposes. A 
 pleasant sound issues from the side of his head, which 
 Susan B. Anthony takes advantage of, at the same time 
 saying, "If men are not good for something in the 'cause,' 
 pray what are they good for?" 
 
 Mrs. Halitz, a professor from one of the universities of 
 Michigan, addressed the audience, and spoke in a very 
 effective manner. Occasionally we heard the true click 
 of the metal of oratory. She is a small woman, but 
 filled to the brim with the pluck of determination. She 
 burdened the air with javelins of wit as well as anathema, 
 and she sat down amidst a round of applause. 
 
 Miss Anthony then arose and eulogized Mrs. Hooker 
 because she belonged to the Beecher family ; and the State 
 of Michigan on account of its universities. It had sent 
 out more strong-minded women than any other State. 
 She then proposed a good old-fashioned love-feast to 
 diversify the meeting. 
 
 An ominous silence prevailed for a little time; then 
 Madame Ellis, clairvoyant and fortune-teller, proceeded 
 to make herself heard in a loud voice. She commenced 
 by declaring herself a convert to the doctrine, made so 
 the previous night, but instead of reading the future for- 
 tune of the movement as laid in the horoscope of the 
 stars, she kept on talking as if she was only a common 
 
246 the; ouvia i.i;tte;rs 
 
 mortal. But she finally reached the bottom of her mind 
 and sat down, and Susan B. Anthony clapped her hands. 
 
 Mrs. Hooker then came forward and wanted Miss 
 Susan to tell her experience in Richmond. Miss Susan 
 hesitated, for there was other work to be done, but she 
 finally began by saying that she saw twenty black men 
 in their seats on the floor of the legislature. She went 
 there to invite all the members to attend a meeting in the 
 evening, where she was expected to speak. Some one of 
 the legislature moved that she might be invited to occupy 
 the Speaker's platform, but this could not be accomplished 
 unless the rules were suspended in order to take a vote. 
 A vote to suspend the rules was taken and lost — 38 to 29 ; 
 but amongst those who voted in her favor was every 
 black man upon the floor. One of the white men upon 
 the floor said if it had been Fred Douglass, instead of a 
 white woman, he would have got the place. 
 
 Mrs. Hooker read an extremely interesting letter from 
 Mrs. Justice Morris, late justice of Wyoming Territory. 
 According to this letter, ofTtice-holding by a woman was 
 a perfect success. Only one appeal was taken from her 
 decision, and that was decided in her favor. Mrs. Mor- 
 ris's family consisted of a husband and three sons, and 
 all these were more willing to help her in of^cial rather 
 than in her domestic affairs. Mrs. Justice Morris was 
 sixty years of age when she took upon herself the cares 
 of oflficial life. Olivia. 
 
UPHOLDING THE BANNER. 
 
 The Suffrage Convention and Its Leading Par- 
 ticipants. 
 
 Washington, January 14, i8yi. 
 
 The last evening's session of the woman suffrage 
 convention opened with Senator Wilson, of Massachu- 
 setts, on the stage. Although this Senator has greatest 
 faith in Catharine Beecher's views, it would be in direct 
 opposition to all the acts of his past life to turn a cold 
 cheek to the appeal of loving humanity; so his broad, 
 genial face stood out from its luminous background like 
 the moon attended by its starry host. The first person 
 introduced to the audience was Mrs. Cora L. V. Hatch 
 (now Tappan), and, judging by what followed, she must 
 have been entranced. It could not be ascertained 
 whether or not her mental machinery had been wound 
 up with the expectation that it would run down at the 
 end of a given period, but at any rate she kept on tick- 
 ing until Senator Wilson drew an instrument out of a 
 side pocket, apparently for no other reason but to find 
 out whether she was gaining or losing time. Mrs. 
 Hooker, in the meantime, looked anxious and weary, and 
 Susan B. Anthony, like Banquo's ghost, stalked across 
 the stage. This seemed to bring the "medium" to her 
 senses, and she closed after it was known that she had 
 been innocent of having anything to say. 
 
 As if to reward the audience for its late patience. 
 Miss Anthony came forward to give it some food for 
 thought. She said the object of this convention is to pre- 
 vail on Congress to decide on Mrs. Woodhull's definition 
 of the fourteenth amendment. "If we fail in this it is 
 our intention to apply for registration in the different 
 
 (247) 
 
248 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 districts where we belong, and if we are refused this 
 privilege, suits will at once be commenced, and the case be 
 followed up until it is decided by the highest court in 
 the land. But suppose we fail to obtain justice under 
 the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the Consti- 
 tution, we can go back to our good old sixteenth, and 
 work until our undertaking is crowned with success." 
 She then read the name of a grand central working com- 
 mittee, every name a well-tried, faithful servant of the 
 cause. She said no name would be placed on that paper 
 because she was a Mrs. Senator This or a Mrs. Rev. 
 That. The names were then read : 
 
 National Central Committee. 
 President, Mrs. Isabella Beecher Hooker, Hartford, Conn.; Sec- 
 retary, Mrs. Josephine S. Griffing, Washington, D. C. ; Susan B. 
 Anthony, Rochester, N. Y. ; Victoria C. Woodhull, New York City ; 
 Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Tenaphy, N. J.; Lucretia Mott, Philadel- 
 phia, Pa. ; Olympia Brown, Bridgeport. Conn. ; Mrs. Emily Stevens, 
 San Francisco, Cal.; Mrs. Harriet W. Sewall, Melrose, Mass.; Mrs. 
 Mary K. Spalding. Atlanta, Ga. ; Mrs. Anna Bodeker, Richmond. 
 Va. ; Mrs. Francis Pillsbury, Charleston, S. C. ; Mrs. Senator Gil- 
 bert, St. Augustine, Fla. ; Paulina Wright Davis, Providence, R. I. ; 
 M. Adele Hazlett, Hillsdale, Mich. ; Mrs. Dr. Ferguson, Richmond, 
 Ind. ; Jane G. Jones, Chicago, 111. ; Lillie Peckham, Wisconsin ; 
 Mrs. Francis Miner, St. Louis, Mo. ; Mrs. J. M. Spear, San Fran- 
 cisco, Cal; Mrs. C. I. H. Nichols, Wyandotte, Kans. ; Mrs. Laura 
 De Force, Gordon, Nev. ; Mrs. M. E. Post, Cheyenne, Wyo. ; Mrs. 
 Mary McCook, Colo. 
 
 "The business of this committee is tO' go to work and 
 get money to defray the expense of printing documents. 
 Congress will be asked to make an appropriation to this 
 end, but in case of disappointment from that quarter we 
 shall fall back on the national central committee. We 
 shall also ask the members to frank these documents, and 
 we hope to fill Uncle Sam's mail-bags with the same until 
 they groan. Among all my acquaintances in Congress, 
 I never found but one man who would allow me the use 
 of his frank, and this was Brooks, of New York. Yes, 
 Congressman Brooks. I know he is a Democrat, but I 
 find Democrats just as much inclined to give us the ballot 
 
the; owvia i.e;tte;rs 249 
 
 as the Republicans. And why should they not, for they 
 are all of them nothing but men ? She said the strongest 
 kind of appeals would be made for money during the 
 coming campaign. Mrs. Victoria Woodhull had sub- 
 scribed ten thousand dollars, and would any man in the 
 country do the same?" 
 
 Miss Lillie Peckham, of Wisconsin, was then intro- 
 duced by Senator Wilson. Miss Lillie confined her re- 
 marks closely to the labor question, and her efforts this 
 time were a marked improvement upon the last. She 
 told her hearers all about the difficulties in the way of 
 women when they attempt to enter the field of science and 
 art. Harriet Hosmer had to go the length and breadth 
 of this land before she could find a college where she 
 was allowed to study anatomy; Rosa Bonheur was 
 obliged to pursue her studies in the butcher shambles of 
 Paris, and Myra Bradwell was not allowed to practice 
 before the courts of Illinois because she was a married 
 woman, and as such could not be recognized, in conse- 
 quence of technicalities of the law. Ben Butler had said 
 that women should not hold clerkships under the Gov- 
 ernment because they were needed for wives in the far 
 West; Mr. Rodgers, of Arkansas, had introduced a law 
 too infamous to mention. In forcible terms she painted 
 the narrow field in which women whO' have no protectors 
 must necessarily struggle and die. At the magic touch 
 of her voice thousands of lowly women left their 
 wretched basements and attics, folded their rags about 
 them and stood on the stage. She went on to say, if the 
 ballot improves the workingman's condition, in Heaven's 
 name why not the workingwoman's? i\re they not the 
 same flesh and blood, warmed by the same heat, frozen 
 by the same cold, and subject to the same laws of life 
 and death? 
 
 After Miss Peckham had finished Miss Anthony came 
 to the financial point again, and appointed a committee 
 of two persons to receive the amount which any were 
 
250 The; ouvia i.e:tte;rs 
 
 disposed to give. Senators Wilson and Pomeroy made 
 their donation in the most modest possible way, and a 
 few others followed the example, and this brought the 
 woman suffrage convention to an end. 
 
 It will be remembered that it was called and organized 
 by three prominent women, and so far as it was a suc- 
 cess it must be attributed to them. It is safe to say that 
 the woman suffrage conventions at the capital are steadily 
 improving in social refinement and intellectual culture 
 as they succeed each other year after year. Women with 
 pantaloons and men with long hair have taken the back 
 seats, and if peaked hats and coat-tails are visible, these 
 badges are confined exclusively to Wall street, and there 
 may be a necessity for the peaked hats in this awful lo- 
 cality which the innocent world knows nothing about. 
 Senators of the United States have presided at every 
 session, and quite a number of members have attended 
 the meetings from time to time. Occasionally the head 
 of a bureau has peeped out from the audience, and a 
 slight sprinkling of clerks has been noticed now and then, 
 whilst the most perfect order has reigned from the begin- 
 ning to the end. 
 
 When the question was asked Miss Kate Stanton, 
 why the woman suffragists did not bring all their weap- 
 ons to bear upon the women of the country, instead of 
 wasting their ammunition upon the men, she replied : 
 "It is of no use; we must make the movement popular 
 with the men, and they will educate the women up to it." 
 
 Owing tO' the misfortune that some of the delegates 
 from a long distance did not reach Washington in time 
 for the convention, a meeting took place in the lecture- 
 room of the Young Men's Christian Association building 
 the following day. No business of importance took place. 
 Mrs. Brooks, a small, timid woman, undertook to give 
 a report of what was progressing in the West. But this 
 she found was too much for her modesty, so she gave 
 way for one of the masculine gender by the name of 
 
the: OLIVIA LETTERS 25 1 
 
 Jones, who feelingly gave the Western picture. Mrs. 
 Post, of Wyoming, gave her experience of voting, and 
 this of necessity was very interesting. She had "elec- 
 tioneered," been to caucus meetings and to the polls side 
 by side with the men, and, so far as she knew, her woman- 
 hood was just as good as ever, and matters had become 
 greatly improved since woman suffrage was a fixed fact 
 in Wyoming. Miss Anthony followed in one of her 
 best speeches. Miss Peckham said that Senator Car- 
 penter, of Wisconsin, was fully committed to the cause, 
 and Mrs. Josephine Griffing was willing to pledge her- 
 self for the District. Mrs. Pauline Davis eulogized 
 Rhode Island, and Mrs. Hazlett, of Michigan, spoke in 
 her usual bright, crispy way. She said she would pre- 
 sent her name for registration under the law of the four- 
 teenth amendment, and had no fear as to the result. Mrs. 
 Dr. Lockwood moved a vote of thanks to the reporters of 
 the Washington press for their courtesy, kindness, and 
 ability displayed during the convention, and the meeting 
 adjourned sine die. Olivia. 
 
CHAMPIONS OF THE SUFFRAGE CAUSE. 
 
 Mrs. Lucretia Mott, Mrs. Cady Stanton, and Mrs. 
 Josephine S. Grieeing. 
 
 Washington, January ip, 18/1. 
 
 Stirring events are shaking the national capital. 
 Scarcely have the colored lights of the country folded 
 their tents and stolen away from their convention before 
 Washington is visited by another dazzling meteoric 
 shower. To-day, the great national woman's rights con- 
 vention has met and occupies its position upon the world's 
 stage. Senator Pomeroy, of Kansas, seems to be the 
 central figure around which this planetary system of 
 women revolve. As early as 10 o'clock a. m. a great 
 number of the so-called weaker sex were seen hurrying 
 along toward Carroll Hall, the place designated for the 
 meeting. It was observed by all that these early comers 
 were not those sisters of the community who wear silk 
 and satin, and who fare sumptuously every day. They 
 seemed to come from the even plain of society; they 
 seemed to be the wives and daughters of the thrifty 
 tradesmen and well-to-do mechanics. Some of them 
 came in timidly, and took seats near the door, while 
 others marched in boldly, being handsomely flanked or 
 guarded by the "lords of creation." Curiosity and sup- 
 pressed mirthfulness characterized the appearance of the 
 latter; at the same time these men had provided them- 
 selves with newspapers, into which they could plunge 
 whenever it should seem the most convenient thing to do. 
 
 In a little side room at the right hand of the platform 
 
 were gathered a handful of combustibles of suflicient 
 
 strength and tenacity of purpose to move the world, if, 
 
 like Archimedes, they had only a point upon which to 
 
 (252) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 253 
 
 place the fulcrum. This fulcrum appeared to them to 
 be the ballot. Before the patience of the medium-sized 
 audience was entirely exhausted, Senator Pomeroy filed 
 out of the side room, followed by the venerable Lucretia 
 Mott, Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Miss Susan B. 
 Anthony, Mrs. Josephine S. Griffing, and a host of lesser 
 lights ; some few of the latter shining on the platform 
 by reflection alone. 
 
 As it may be possible that some of the readers of the 
 Republican have never seen Pomeroy, a brief description 
 of the man so long identified with this movement may not 
 be out of place. It must first be acknowledged that he 
 stood alone on the platform with this handful of pioneer 
 women by his side. We mean by this that no other Con- 
 gressmen were gathered there. Though Senator Pom- 
 eroy has not advanced to the snows of age, he has out- 
 lived the fiery turbulence of manhood. Nature did not 
 cast him in her finest mould, but she gave him breadth 
 of shoulder, and a brow broad and capacious enough for 
 Jupiter; a brown eye, which twinkles as steadily as a 
 fixed star; a good-sized American nose, and a mouth 
 which has ever been devoted to the cause of the gentler 
 sex, and which any woman of taste would approve. 
 Senator Pomeroy called the meeting to order, and then 
 remarked, "While one plants and another sows, it is God 
 who giveth the increase." 
 
 Prayer followed by the Rev. Dr. Gray, who committed 
 the sad mistake of alluding to the scripture verse which 
 says that woman was made of the rib of a man. As soon 
 as the prayer was finished, a Mrs. Davis, of Philadelphia, 
 undertook to take exception to the prayer, but Mrs. Lu- 
 cretia Mott said though the audience might differ in 
 the theological views, she questioned the good taste of 
 discussing the subject at this convention. This was 
 oil to the troubled waters, and peace followed forthwith. 
 A very mother in Israel seemed this venerable woman, 
 now advanced beyond her eightieth year. As she ap- 
 
254 I'HE OUVIA LKTT^RS 
 
 peared before the audience in her prim Quaker garb, her 
 voice, pure and distinct as the notes of a bell, seemed 
 more like the tones of a spirit issuing from some crumb- 
 ling ruin than that of a representative woman on the 
 world's stage to-day. Those who remember Thaddeus 
 Stevens in his last days will recall a striking resem- 
 blance, both mental and physical, between these two indi- 
 viduals of a past generation, both belonging to the same 
 State of the Union. Miss Anna Dickinson is very much 
 like Mrs. Mott, and it may be well to remember that only 
 the Quaker element, which centuries ago made it just as 
 proper for the women to speak in public as the men, 
 could produce two such marvels of oratory. 
 
 Following in the wake of Mrs. Lucretia Mott, up rose 
 the brilliant Airs. Cady Stanton, of the Revolution, one 
 of the most beautiful and socially gifted women of the 
 day; also a very firebrand in the camp of the enemy. 
 Wliat the poet says about roses in the snow finds a living 
 embodiment in Mrs. Stanton. Have you never seen the 
 heavens aglow with purple and gold before the sunset? 
 And who would exchange these mellow beams for the 
 pale, weak morning rays, or the sultry, stifling noon? 
 Now add a voice of rare melody, sweet, persuasive, and 
 enchanting as a flute, and you see a woman as potent in 
 her way as Queen Elizabeth; an intellectual princess "to 
 the manor born," and who is fated to fill a niche in the 
 histoi-y of our Republic. And now, reader, you see be- 
 fore you a woman stern, solid, aggressive. Her whole 
 personnel is suggestive of the power of nature, strength, 
 force. You can not help but feel that the good Dame 
 Nature for once made a blunder. She put a man's head 
 on a woman's shoulders; the massive brain and square 
 brow, the large gray eyes that are set at cross purposes 
 with each other, the clear cut, thinly chiseled lips, that, 
 when brought together, seem to have the firm grip of a 
 vise ; a woman to command ; a woman to suffer and die 
 for opinion's sake. Reader, you see Susan B. Anthony. 
 
the: oijvia li;tte;rs 255 
 
 You see the woman who would go to the edge of a fiery 
 caldron, or a Democratic convention, to accomplish a 
 purpose. If there is a pillar of strength among woman, 
 upon which the weak, the degraded, the down-trodden 
 can lean, it must be upon Miss Susan B. Anthony. If 
 every State in the Union were blessed with two such 
 women, the existing factions between the sexes would 
 suddenly expire. Miss Anthony is a fine public speaker, 
 choosing her v/ords daintily from the pure Anglo-Saxon, 
 and her voice is just the kind an orator would desire. 
 
 Another woman arises to address the audience. It is 
 Mrs. Josephine S. Griffing, so long identified with the 
 Freedmen's Bureau. A fine-faced, sweet-voiced, ele- 
 gant woman. You feel that she is thoroughly in earnest. 
 You seem to know that she is the last one who would 
 seek notoriety. You feel that you are listening to a 
 woman who has to fight the battle of life for herself and 
 little ones alone. In the depths of your heart you realize 
 that it is such as she who breathe the breath of life into 
 this unpopular cause; and her well-chosen words sink 
 into your soul like dew in the honeyed corolla of a flower. 
 If space would admit, other pictures might be added, but 
 these shall be reserved for another day. 
 
 OwviA. 
 
MRS. GRANT'S TUESDAY AFTERNOONS. 
 
 Jessie; Benton Fremont Among the NotabeES in 
 THE Beue Room. 
 
 Washington, January 51, i8yi. 
 
 The fashionable season at the capital is in the full 
 meridian of glory. Every working day of the week is 
 devoted by the beau monde to dissipation. Feminine 
 faces seamed with the scars of sleepless nights are the 
 rule, and plump, rosy cheeks the exception. All is glare, 
 glitter and pomp, and nothing home-like and substantial. 
 One social gathering is like another, except that the 
 women change their dresses; but the ideas afloat upon 
 all occasions are precisely the same. An exhibition of 
 the weather takes place every day, consequently one 
 topic of conversation can not be exhausted. Another 
 subject, as Bret Harte would say, "never peters out." 
 Women who go to receptions must be "dressed;" conse- 
 quently the taste, the quality, the cost of each other's 
 costumes afford endless food for comment. Whilst the 
 season lasts there is no time for reading, sensible conver- 
 sation, or reflection. The fashionable wife of a Senator 
 has not time to rest her corporeal frame before a fresh 
 demand is made upon her nervous and vital forces. In 
 other cities of the Union the mansions of the opulent 
 and hospitable are thrown open because the host and hos- 
 tess desire to see their guests. In Washington this order 
 of things is reversed. Entertainments are official instead 
 of social, and the magnificent card reception of a Cabinet 
 minister is as cold and formal as a President's levee. 
 Receptions of every kind seem to be cast in the same 
 cruel and relentless mould. Whilst it is not expected that 
 President Grant should stop the ceremonies of a levee 
 (256) 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 257 
 
 to introduce Jones to Brown, it would seem that a Sena- 
 tor's wife, at an afternoon reception in her own little, 
 quiet parlor at a boarding-house or hotel, would make 
 her two or three guests acquainted for the time being, 
 even though these women were foes ever after. But no 
 introductions take place. The hostess must be a wonder- 
 ful w^oman to keep three shuttles of conversation going 
 without occasionally breaking threads. On account of 
 these difficulties many of the "leaders" in the gay season 
 invite a few particular friends to help carry on the tasks 
 of reception day. Mrs. Grant set the example by inviting 
 a number of ladies to preside at her "Tuesday after- 
 noons." But in order to make everything perfect the 
 wife of the President orders the reserve force tO' come 
 down at the last end of the battle. This battalion con- 
 sists of General Grant and as many of the Cabinet offi- 
 cers as choose to follow, and if General Dent comes trick- 
 ling after in his yellow kids there is nothing left to be 
 done except for the sun and moon to stand still until the 
 performance is over. In order to fortify the ladies for 
 the afternoon's work Mrs. Grant provides a dainty lunch 
 beforehand, in the family dining-room. A spotless cover 
 of white linen is spread over the national mahogany. 
 Upon this pearly foundation rest rare and fragrant hot- 
 house exotics. Fruits rifled from the trees of the tropics, 
 luscious oysters from the smihng Chesapeake, sardines 
 from the limpid Mediterranean, and pastry concocted 
 by the "incomparable Melah" lend their charms to grace 
 the feast provided by our "first lady" for the maids of 
 honor when they go to the White House to grace recep- 
 tion day. Being only mortal, like the rest of us, it does 
 sometimes happen that Mrs. Grant and her accomplished 
 assistants linger a little too long over the nutritious choco- 
 late and Bahei; consequently, callers assemble in the 
 East Room and stamp their feet with impatience because 
 the performance does not commence. 
 17 
 
258 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 At last the hour has arrived, the doors of the "Blue 
 Room" are thrown open, and the play begins. Daylight 
 has been as carefully excluded as if it had thievish pro- 
 pensities. An immense chandelier hung in the centre of 
 the room throws a fitful glare over the enchanted scene. 
 Blue and gold everywhere. Blue satin damask masks the 
 walls; blue velvet carpet under the feet; blue and gold 
 upholstery scattered profusely around. Baskets of nat- 
 ural flowers make the air fragrant with faintest perfume. 
 Mrs. Grant stands near the entrance, with General Mich- 
 ler, master of ceremonies, at her left, and her maids of 
 honor at her right. General Michler's face lights up 
 with real joy at the delightful prospect before kim. Not 
 a woman of the vast incoming throng, be she hag or 
 beauty, but must come in contact with him before she 
 reaches the Mecca of her hopes. Mrs. Grant, one of the 
 most amiable and excellent of women, looks as if she 
 meant to make everybody welcome, and she puts so much 
 hearty good feeling into a hand-grasp that she would 
 certainly lose caste in the fashionable world if she was 
 not safely intrenched behind an impregnable fortress. 
 She is clad in a heavy, pearl-colored brocade, embroid- 
 ered with field flowers and modestly trimmed with point 
 lace. Mrs. Grant has never been accused of being a 
 beauty, and yet there may be seen in her person a great 
 many points which help to make the handsome woman. 
 She has a very fine figure, and an arm as beautiful as Mrs. 
 Slidell's (and the Greek Slave statue was modeled upon 
 the plan of this elegant Creole rebel). Mrs. Grant has 
 an exquisite complexion, lovely hair, and a sincere, un- 
 affected manner, which endears her to every personal 
 acquaintance. General Grant thinks her beautiful, and, 
 as he is the highest authority in the nation, this question 
 is settled. Now let the country hold its peace. 
 
 Next to the "first lady" stands the superb wife of the 
 Secretary of State. She is clad in palest of lavender, 
 richly ornamented with duchess lace. Mrs. Fish is a fine, 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 259 
 
 queenly looking woman, of middle age. Time has gently 
 touched her, for her figure is as erect, her complexion as 
 faultless, and her eyes as bright as in the days of her 
 girlhood. A Long Island accjuaintance of Mrs. Grant 
 is also assisting to receive. She is rather pretty, and is 
 becomingly dressed in pink silk, underneath white mus- 
 lin and lace. 
 
 The wife of Judge Dent is also lending a helping hand 
 in the ceremonies. She is a Southern woman by birth, 
 and the mistress of all those charms for which the daugh- 
 ters of sunny climes are noted. She is clad in lemon-col- 
 ored silk, and her person makes a delightful place for the 
 eye to rest upon after long and severe wanderings. 
 
 Last, but not least, the brilliant wife of General Horace 
 Porter makes up the group. She is a dazzling little wo- 
 man, with pearly teeth, all her own. She may be an 
 American, but she looks like a French woman. Her cos- 
 tume is made up of pink and blue, the two colors shaded 
 with an artist's brush. She is talking to some friend 
 about the "baby left at home," which proves that Horace 
 Porter is consoled in his difficult position by a very sweet 
 wife and a thoughtful mother. 
 
 The guests have begiui to assemble, not only in scores, 
 but hundreds. Conspicuous in the throng, towering 
 like a palm in an oasis, might have been seen the majestic 
 form of Sir John Rose, of Canadian fame. His fine old 
 English face seemed alive with festive animal spirits, 
 sound health, and the good results of a long temperate 
 life. He might have been thinking of the solution of the 
 fishery difficulties, but his eyes did not betray the least 
 fishy appearance as they rested upon the fair faces and 
 fine forms of our countrywomen. He remained only a 
 short time, but was spirited away by some member of 
 one of the foreign legations. About the time of the ap- 
 pearance of Sir John Rose the President and Cabinet, 
 with the exception of General Belknap, descended from 
 some imknown region and enlivened the brilliancy of the 
 
26o The OLIVIA IvDTTERS 
 
 afternoon. General Grant appeared in a plain working 
 suit, and his manner from the first betrayed business. 
 Whilst he seemed willing to take every fairy by the hand, 
 he was very careful at the same moment to look in an 
 opposite direction. It might be possible that this was a 
 mere political dodge to gain time to be prepared for 
 woman suffrage; at any rate, no delicate creature could 
 have left the Executive presence feeling that she had 
 been particularly favored, and the most perfect gossip 
 present pronounced his manner noncommittal, as usual. 
 In close proximity to the Chief Magistrate might have 
 been noticed the slender scion of a famous stock, in the 
 shape of the quaint form of Secretary Boutwell, of Mas- 
 sachusetts. There seemed to be nothing dangerous in the 
 appearance of the distinguished financier except the im- 
 mense size of his feet. However, to set the mind of the 
 country aright in regard to the foundation of the national 
 finances, it is here declared, upon highest authority, that 
 Secretary Boutwell's extremities are precisely like other 
 men's, but the huge boots have been purposely built to 
 frighten away female applicants for office, and bold im- 
 pertinent Congressmen. Secretary Boutwell has a fine 
 face, a gracious presence, and can be ornamental at times, 
 as well as useful. 
 
 Far away in the offing might have been seen a jolly 
 "iron-clad" who is well known in Washington society as 
 the gallant Secretary of the Navy. No telescope was 
 necessary to see him cruising about, with his main-sail 
 handsomely squared, and his jib-boom set in the right 
 direction. All at once he changes his course and bears 
 down ' upon a modest little craft that seems entirely 
 unaware of danger. Ugh ! it is all over ! No lives lost ! 
 They have bespoken each other on the wild waters of 
 conversation, and each hurries forward to a different 
 port. 
 
 Om of the most distinguished women who paid her 
 respects to Mrs. Grant, and honored the large assembly. 
 
TH^ OIvIVIA LEITT^RS 261 
 
 was Mrs. Jessie Benton Fremont, the better part of the 
 great "Pathfinder," of Pacific Raih-oad fame. General 
 Fremont may have found a great many wonders in his 
 terrific exploration, but the best thing he ever did find is 
 "Jessie," and if he is ever crowned with immortal bays, 
 it will be because in their youth they ran away. Although 
 Mrs. Fremont is below the average height of her country- 
 women, she has a royal presence and a queenly face. 
 Neither paint, powder, nor any other artifice of the age 
 conceals or enhances the mischief time has wrought with 
 her features, and her head is crowned with an abundance 
 of snowy hair, but her countenance is lighted up by a pair 
 of brilliant eyes, and the dimples that enchanted the 
 "Pathfinder" still remain. 
 
 How shall we manage to get space in The Press to 
 describe the wives of Congress? Every adjective and 
 adverb in the dictionary might be used and the work not 
 then be accomplished. One most noticeable fact in rela- 
 tion to the receptions of the winter is the wearing of last 
 year's costumes. Very few new dresses are seen, and 
 black silk was worn by nine-tenths of the ladies who went 
 to Mrs. Grant's reception. A very few trains were seen, 
 but walking-dresses were the rule and long dresses the 
 exception. A great many hats were worn, but the most 
 elegant toilettes were finished by bonnets. Mrs. Hunter, 
 wife of the Major-General, wore a black silk dress and a 
 white satin bonnet ; and Mrs. Cresswell, wife of the Post- 
 master General, wore the usual habiliments of the season. 
 It will be noticed that the taste of American women is be- 
 coming more chaste and refined. Visiting suits are som- 
 bre; rich high colors are reserved for the evening. But 
 more of this anon. Olivia. 
 
DYING SCENES OE THE FORTY-EIRST 
 CONGRESS. 
 
 ViNNiE Ream Secures an Additionai, Appropriation 
 FOR Her Statue oe Lincoen. 
 
 Washington, March 2, i8yi. 
 
 With the exception of appropriation bihs legislative 
 work appears to have come to an end. The mildew of 
 dissolution is approaching, and for the moment the whole 
 strength of the House seems to be in a seething state of 
 excitement preparatory to the organization of a new 
 Congress. When it became law^ful for a new Congress 
 to assemble within an hour after the death-knell of the 
 old, a blow of utter demoralization was aimed at the 
 short session of the national legislature. This law was 
 made to checkmate Andy Johnson ; and like many patent 
 medicines, it may be excellent for some particular dis- 
 ease, but its action upon all the other organs is mischiev- 
 ous and weakening, in its tendency at least. 
 
 The Forty-first Congress had 121 members who quietly 
 slip back into private life. It is their last few days at the 
 Capitol, and they decide upon having a good time, leav- 
 ing the drudgery to the new Congress. These members 
 will not agree to night sessions. It is impossible to as- 
 semble a quorum, and during the days the least possible 
 work is accomplished. In order to show the country how 
 a large mountain can bring forth a small mouse, yester- 
 day the rules were suspended in order to put into the ap- 
 propriation bill the amount necessaiy for the public build- 
 ings in different parts of the country. The yeas and 
 nays were called, but owing to those intellectual antics 
 which members know so w^ell how to perform, the root 
 of the matter could not be reached. The vote was taken 
 (262) 
 
TH^ ouviA li^tte;rs 263 
 
 eleven times, and after all this manoeuvring the whole 
 matter was laid upon the table. Over seven precious hours 
 of the time was wasted and the country has nothing- to 
 show for it except its depleted purse. During the last 
 short session of Congress a majority of the members feel 
 little or no responsibility, if they are to be judged by their 
 deportment and work. 
 
 The officers to be elected in the new Congress are Clerk, 
 Sergeant-at-Arms, Postmaster, and Doorkeeper. Penn- 
 sylvania is in possession of the Clerk's office, and there 
 seems to be little or no opposition to the present accom- 
 plished officer. New York holds fast to the Doorkeeper, 
 and at this point of the proceedings there seems little 
 cause for alarm. The great struggle, however, is going to 
 be between the contestants for Postmaster and Sergeant- 
 at-Arms. The present Postmaster has all the strength 
 of the House, because he has proved himself a worthy and 
 efficient officer, but Sergeant Sherwood ought to have the 
 place, because he would make one of the handsomest of- 
 ficers in the House, where beauty is at a discount ; besides 
 he takes good care of his widowed mother, and he has but 
 one shapely leg and no wife to comfort him in case he 
 is defeated. If women were on the floor of Congress, 
 Sergeant would be elected without a dissenting voice, and 
 a mild hint is feelingly insinuated that every man on the 
 floor shall vote exactly as if he expected at some future 
 time in his life to become the connecting link between 
 woman and the angels. 
 
 But whilst the old Forty-first Congress is prostrated 
 with a paralytic stroke a great cry is heard from the 
 hungry South. It is declared that the New England and 
 Western States are represented in the leading offices of 
 the House, but nowhere is the voice of the sugar-cane 
 heard. Louisiana and Tennessee have both lifted up their 
 eyes, and refused to be comforted unless room is found 
 for one or the other in the national council. At the same 
 time, between the groans of the dying monarch, merri- 
 
264 THD ouviA i.i;tters 
 
 ment and feasting are heard. The present New Hamp- 
 shire Sergeant-at-Arms is busily engaged in tickhng the 
 palates of helpless Congressmen. Across Capitol square, 
 in a house of modest pretension, a table is spread which 
 would make the President's "incomparable Melah" clasp 
 his hands with joy. It has been proven beyond a doubt 
 that the vote of Congressmen often lies in the stomach, 
 and with this end in view New England has been search- 
 ed for chaste white pullets to make chicken salad as 
 thorough in its action as a bottle of Spaulding's glue. 
 And yet, in the very midst of the feasts, a member with 
 a stomach as capacious as a cotton-gin has shown alarm- 
 ing symptoms. His limbs have begtm to tremble, and 
 his knees act like the arch in carnival time. His mouth 
 is seen to open without apparent cause, and a sound issues 
 therefrom : "I say, Ordway ! Any more chicken salad ? 
 I don't like to bet on the champagne. You can have my 
 vote (hie). Free country! Free carriages! Hip! hip! 
 hooray!" 
 
 The House is still in session. The sonorous voice of 
 the reading clerk opens the appropriation bill and reads : 
 "To Joseph S. Wilson, for the valuable scientific Museum 
 at the General Land Office, $10,000." 
 
 At this point of the proceedings Mr. Kelsey, of New 
 York, declares that Mr. Wilson is not entitled tO' one 
 cent of it. Mr. Kelsey affirms that Mr. Edmunds, the 
 predecessor of Mr. Wilson, sent a circular to surveyors, 
 registers, and receivers of land offices throughout the 
 country, t4ius officially authorizing them to collect the 
 specimens of which this mineral and geological cabinet 
 is composed. Mr. Kelsey likewise declared that Profes- 
 sor Hayden, formerly of the Interior Department, had 
 donated to the Land Office his collection, gathered dur- 
 ing the time he was connected with the Department. In 
 1868 Mr. Wilson sent a circular into the country, after 
 the manner of his predecessor, and all specimens weigh- 
 ing less than four pounds were allowed to be sent through 
 
THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 265 
 
 the mails free. These articles were arranged by a clerk 
 and labeled by the same, and put in paper cases, at an 
 expense of a little more than $9,000 to the Government. 
 After this plain statement of the case, Mr. Kelsey sub- 
 sided, yet the House voted $10,000 to Joseph S. Wilson 
 for superintending this work less than three years, in ad- 
 dition to his own salary. Mr. Sargent, of California, said 
 in extenuation of his vote that Mr. Wilson had been a 
 faithful public officer for forty years, and although he had 
 a perfect knowledge of the land system he didn't own a 
 single acre, and that he was now compelled to apply for 
 copying for members of his family or to rent rooms for 
 lodgings to support the same; and now, instead of pen- 
 sioning an old and faithful public servant, as is done in 
 every civilized country except our own, it is sought to rob 
 him of the acknowledgment of meritorious service. 
 
 Upon the same principle that the Government is re- 
 sponsible for the pecuniary condition of those it employs, 
 General Banks moved that Vinnie Ream should be paid 
 an additional five thousand dollars for her immortal 
 statue of Lincoln. In the most feeling manner he re- 
 ferred to the years of patient toil which the young artist 
 had bestowed upon the model. In language of a states- 
 man he depicted the woman, and the beauty and purity 
 of the marble of which the celebrated statue is composed. 
 All the strong points of the case were handled with a mas- 
 ter's dexterity, and General Banks suddenly collapsed 
 before the scorching corruscations of his own mind. 
 General Butler then arose and declared himself safe on 
 the woman question. He had no- objection to Vinnie 
 Ream's rosy lips and bright eyes, so^ long as they con- 
 tinued to be Congressional property, but he dare not, 
 even for her sake, pick the national pockets in the day- 
 time ; and he therefore gave way to Mr. Dawes, the most 
 economical man in Congress, who seemed to be exceed- 
 ingly annoyed that his gallantry should be held up as a 
 target for the shafts of less scrupulous Congressmen. Mr. 
 
266 the: ouvia i.e;tters 
 
 Dawes protested against this bold proposition of General 
 Banks; but a disinterested observer could perceive by 
 the drooping- of his eyelids, and the ready, flute-like tones 
 of his voice, that a woman was in some way mixed up 
 with the case, and that he was battling as only a man 
 can with the waters of demoralization. Another Con- 
 gressman was about to make a speech against giving 
 Vinnie the additional five thousand, but before he had 
 time to open his lips he was seized by one of the monsters 
 of the lobby and hurried to a spot where a view of Vin- 
 nie's modest studio greeted his vision. Filmy lace 
 shrouded the tall gaunt windows. The dear little doves 
 which the inimitable artist had brought from Rome were 
 cooing and kissing, and baskets of flowers were slowly 
 steeping in the beams of amber sunshine. The member 
 fell on his face and wept, at the same time General Banks 
 and the motion were carried. Olivia. 
 
PRAISE FOR DEPARTING LEGISLATORS. 
 
 Vai^ue) of Gi^orge: W- Jui^ian's Se;rvicfs to the; 
 Nation. 
 
 Washington, March /, iSyi. 
 
 The Forty-first Congress of the United States has 
 passed into history. It will simply be remembered on 
 account of its negative qualities. It has done little good 
 to its friends, and less harm to its enemies. It attempted 
 reconstruction, but this was too large a pill for so small 
 a throat, so the whole matter has been stowed away in 
 Ben Butler's committee room, where it is expected that it 
 will be kept in the very best state of preservation. No 
 law has been enacted to protect the Southern Unionist, 
 whilst the bloody Ku Klux and fierce highwayman hold 
 possession of every inch of the late Confederate soil. Is 
 not the word "liberty" a mockery when eveiy prominent 
 Republican in certain districts of the country has to go 
 armed to the teeth? when women, for expressing their 
 sentiments, are taken from their beds at midnight and 
 cruelly flogged by fiends with human forms and masked 
 faces? With a Republican administration and a Con- 
 gress made up of a majority of the same element, why 
 are not life and free expression of opinion protected 
 everywhere? Who is to blame for murder, rapine, and 
 violence? Who is to blame for the pall which is slowly 
 settling down upon the forces of the late grand army of 
 the Republic? Is it not madness to talk about universal 
 suffrage and universal amnesty when life and property 
 are no more safe than in the South American republics ? 
 Why should we attempt to annex more territory, when, 
 apparently, we have not the strength to keep the peace 
 within our own domain? If Congress denies the Presi- 
 
 (267) 
 
268 Tut OUVIA LKTTe:rS 
 
 dent power to send the military wherever the laws are 
 defied, let liim bring the same influence to bear upon it as 
 in the San Domingo business, and the matter will be set- 
 tled in less time than it takes to cook this national pie. 
 Where is the coming man or woman who will have the 
 power and strength of mind to blot out Mason aijd 
 Dixon's line, and who will make this nation feel that it 
 had no North, no South, no East, no West, but that it is 
 one conglomerate whole, like a huge glacier or a moun- 
 tain boulder? 
 
 The Forty-first Congress will be remembered because 
 some of the largest minds and best men in the country 
 with its departure will step back into the ranks of private 
 life. It is a national loss when such men as George W. 
 Julian can be found no longer on the floors of Congress. 
 As chairman of the Committee on Public Lands he has 
 saved millions of dollars for the Government. Firm as 
 adamant, he has stood before the waves of corruption, 
 whilst the humblest and weakest have always found in 
 him a firm friend. It is true, he is one of the warmest 
 advocates of woman suffrage, and for this reason, per- 
 haps more than any other, the womanhood of this coun- 
 try should give this important subject a most thorough 
 investigation, for when a great and good man like Mr. 
 Julian advises what is good for us let us listen and not 
 be afraid. Mr. Julian is not only immense in physical 
 size, but he also has a colossal mental organization. At 
 all times he is an ardent searcher after knowledge and 
 truth. Not a great many years ago Mr. Julian lost a 
 most beautiful and accomplished wife, and very soon 
 after a boy of rare promise. How the strong man writhed 
 beneath this double blow ! For months he seemed more 
 like a stone statue than a living man. Meeting him one 
 day and noticing that look of the grave on his face, the 
 writer ventured to say, "If there is any truth in spiritual- 
 ism, she may be very near you." "If there is any truth in 
 spiritualism I will know it," replied Mr. Julian. After 
 
THK OI.IVIA LETTERS 269 
 
 a separation of months we met again. "Any tidings from 
 the unknown bourne?" "None! None whatever. I 
 have patiently investigated. It is all cliaff! chaff! I 
 have not been able to gather a single kernel of wheat. 
 God will take care of us all in his own way. I think I 
 am learning the lesson of submission, and this is the 
 hardest task man is ever set to learn." 
 
 Mr. Julian was an Abolitionist in the days when noth- 
 ing could be more disgraceful ; when urchins, with boys 
 of a larger growth, pelted the unfortunate advocate of 
 such ideas with eggs no longer fresh laid. During the 
 long bitter years of the rebellion Mr. Julian worked with 
 untiring energy, not only in his seat on the floor of the 
 House, but wherever he was needed he proved himself to 
 be the soldier's friend. He has served twelve years in 
 Congress, and during all this time he has never been 
 identified with any legislative measure except such as 
 reflects credit on his judgment and the Republican party. 
 If he has not achieved immortal renown during his last 
 term as a member, it is because the Forty-first Congress 
 has been in a mildewed condition from the beginning to 
 the decline. Mr. Julian has just passed the noon of life, 
 but the flush of morning still shines in his countenance, 
 and on bright, sunny days he may be seen wending his 
 way toward the Capitol, his fine face aglow with honest, 
 kindly feeling, and his majestic form towering a whole 
 head above the majority of his countrymen. Let the 
 country he has sO' long and honorably served bid him a 
 momentary adieu, with the expectation that he will re- 
 spond at any future time when the services of a man are 
 required who needs a reputation like that of Csesar's 
 wife. The nation's loss is Indiana's gain, ancl if the 
 benighted State is to* be regenerated, the result will be 
 brought about through the unremitting toil of such men 
 as George W. Julian. 
 
 The Commonwealth of Ohio has recalled Judge 
 Welker and Judge Lawrence, two of the soundest Re- 
 
270 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 publicans and safest men in the country. As one of the 
 most prominent members of the Committee for the Dis- 
 trict of Cokimbia, Judge Welker has had no easy task 
 to perform. All matters of importance pertaining to the 
 District have been brought to his notice, and all com- 
 plaints for which it was supposed that Congressional 
 legislation could provide a remedy have been poured into 
 his ears unsparingly. If any abuses were found to exist 
 at the national lunatic asylum the presence of Judge 
 Welker was instantly sought. This man has been six 
 years in Congress, and during this time no man can show 
 a better record. He has never been caught in the snares 
 of the lobby, and he goes back to his constituents with 
 clean, spotless hands. It is rumored that Ohio intends 
 to make him a governor, and if the best material is needed 
 for the sacrifice nothing better can be found. Judge 
 Welker is a self-made man, and that may help to account 
 for his firm, steel-like qualities. It would take the sum 
 total of twenty-five ordinary Congressmen to make a man 
 equal in every moral aspect to Judge Welker ; and when 
 it can be said that he is made of colors that will not wash, 
 and that neither man, woman, nor child ever pinned their 
 faith to him and was disappointed, nothing further is 
 necessary descriptive of his character. 
 
 In figure this late Congressman is rather below the 
 medium size, with a finely formed head, crowned with 
 heavy luxuriant curls, in exchange for which a woman 
 would almost sell her birthright. Now add a pair of 
 deep, dark eyes, so transparent that you can often catch 
 a glimpse of the soul within, and you have the leading 
 points that indicate the man known as Judge Martin 
 Welker. 
 
 Judge Lawrence has been a brave man on the floor of 
 Congress, and no member has inspired the lobby with 
 greater terror. He has always been the sworn foe of 
 railroad schemes, ocean subsidies, corporations, and 
 monopolies. How vigilantly he has watched the late 
 
THE OLIVIA LKTTKRS 2/1 
 
 appropriation bills; and he never seemed to realize that 
 there was any difference between Uncle Sam's pocket and 
 his own. How thoroughly he has attended to the affairs 
 of his constituents. If he has sometimes been accused of 
 selfishness, Ohio has never had reason to complain, for if 
 he has sinned in this respect it has all been done for her 
 sake. Mr. Lincoln declared during the late rebellion that 
 Massachusetts, Ohio, and Iowa controlled the destiny of 
 this nation. If this is conceded, it is because of the 
 strength of the Congressional delegation of these re- 
 spective States. Ohio' has been trying the experiment 
 of "rotation in office," and for the next two years the old 
 Buckeye State will be out at sea on her trial trip. It is 
 true some of the old officers are left at their posts, and 
 if no storms arise the ship will probably return in safety. 
 
 Iowa, not content to let well enough alone, has recalled 
 two-thirds of her late delegation. No' longer will the eye 
 of the gallei-y be dazzled by him who has been termed the 
 handsomest man in Congress. Alas ! alas ! William B. 
 Allison is no more in the seat he lately occupied. Never 
 again will the large brown eyes be seen wandering un- 
 easily from floor to ceiling, seeking some soft, receptive 
 spot, whereon tO' languish and die. Mr. Allison's Con- 
 gressional reputation rests upon the fact that to all ap- 
 pearances he has been the bosom friend of Representative 
 Hooper, of Boston. It is not known positively whether 
 Mr. Allison will return to Iowa and resume the practice 
 of law, or whether he intends to be stuffed and sent to 
 Boston to occupy a conspicuous ornamental place in Mr. 
 Hooper's gorgeous library. As soon as a decision is 
 reached the people shall be apprised. 
 
 Mr. lyoughridge, of Iowa, also goes out. He will 
 chiefly be remembered as favoring the minority report on 
 the woman suffrage question in the Judiciary Committee. 
 Judge Loughridge agrees with Mrs. Woodhull on the 
 fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the Constitution, 
 and thinks women are already entitled to vote. 
 
272 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 Pennsylvania has made a great clearing in the ranks of 
 her Representatives. One-half of the late members of the 
 Forty-first Congress are re-elected. But this includes the 
 late Hon. John Covode. According to the record, eleven 
 of the old members are in their seats and thirteen new 
 men are to try their hands at the raw work of legislation. 
 The most prominent men who retire are Charles O'Neill, 
 of Philadelphia, and Daniel J. Morrell, of Johnstown, 
 both able men on the floor. Mr. O'Neill has been in Con- 
 gress eight years, winning fresh honors with every suc- 
 ceeding year, and just at the present time, when he has 
 attained the zenith of Congressional usefulness, he slips 
 back into the calm waters of private life. If Philadelphia 
 can stand the afifliction there is no one else to complain. 
 Hon. Charles O'Neill looks as if he had just laid aside 
 all care and trouble and was about to commence the world 
 again. 
 
 Chicago recalls the stately Mr. Judd, one of the most 
 courtly and elegant men in Congress. Few men are 
 stronger than he is in legislative matters; but a man of 
 polished manners is remarkable because the House of 
 Representatives is not noted for its laws of genteel pro- 
 priety. And then it is so strange that Chicago should be 
 distinguished for its grace or courtly qualities. 
 
 The Hon. Shelby M. Cullom goes also, but then it is 
 said that he will return next winter as Congressman for 
 the State at large. The greatest wit in Congress, Proctor 
 Knott, retires to the shades of Lebanon, Kentucky. Who 
 will forget his memorable speech on the railroad to Du- 
 luth and the paving of Pennsylvania avenue? We know 
 nothing about his qualities as a legislator, but blessings 
 be on the head of a man that can make us laugh. 
 
 Rogers, of Arkansas, actually yields up the legislative 
 ghost. Rogers, the man who wanted all the women of 
 the Treasury blown out exactly as the flame of a lamp is 
 served. "Poor Rogers," Susan B. Anthony calls him. If 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 273 
 
 the delectable Susan meant poor in flesh, she was right, 
 for Rogers resembles a bear immediately upon waking 
 up after taking its long delicious winter snooze. 
 
 This letter comes to an end because no more ex-Con- 
 gressmen to-day can step across the vestibule of our 
 mind. Olivia. 
 
 18 
 
THE BLACK MAN IN CONGRESS. 
 
 Sketches of a Number oe Soeons oe Aerican 
 Descent. 
 
 Washington, March ii, iSyi. 
 
 At the third session of the Fortieth Congress appeared 
 the first colored man on the floor of the United States 
 Congress. The name of this man was Wilhs Menard, 
 and he hailed from New Orleans, La. Mr. Menard 
 came to Washington as a contestant for a seat in the 
 House, but his rival gained the victory. This man was 
 allowed the floor in order to make his defence, and 
 awarded $2,500 with which to pay the damages. Mr. 
 Menard's maiden speech reflected great credit upon him- 
 self and the newspaper with which he was connected, but 
 it failed of the desired effect, and he soon after took his 
 departure for more sunny climes. Mr. Menard was a 
 handsome quadroon, and it is said that he derived a cer- 
 tain smooth, sinuous voice from his Creole ancestors. 
 
 The next candidates for Congressional fame were Jef- 
 ferson F. Long and Joseph H. Rainey. These were the 
 first colored men who obtained a foothold in the House. 
 These men came from their respective States armed with 
 the proper documents, and without further notice or 
 trouble slipped into their seats in the outside row, the 
 farthest from the Speaker. It is not known whether by 
 design or accident . it happened that their seats were 
 chosen so very near the door. At any rate they were in 
 the very best position that could be obtained to flee in 
 case the wily Logan should attempt capitol moving, or 
 the fiery eloquence of a Butler or Banks should communi- 
 cate flames to the nervous surroundings. How quaint 
 these two strange youthful faces appeared by the side of 
 (274) 
 
THS OLIVIA LETTERS 275 
 
 wrinkles, frost and snow. Black men? No! White men? 
 No! But tinted a shade the Eternal knows how to mix. 
 Jefferson F. Long, of Macon, was born in Crawford 
 County, Georgia. With great difficulty he obtained the 
 rudiments of an education. He was engaged in the busi- 
 ness of a merchant tailor when he was elected, and his 
 term of office closed with the Forty-first Congress. It 
 always takes the first two years to learn the trade of a 
 member, consequently Mr. Long could not accomplish 
 much during his apprenticeship, but he proved himself as 
 apt at the business as the average white man, and he 
 gained the respect and good-will of his fellow workmen. 
 He will be remembered as one of the first two colored men 
 elected to Congress ; and the Forty-first Congress will be 
 famous only because, for the first time in the country's 
 history, a race which forms an integral part of the nation 
 had a hearing through their own people. The Forty-first 
 Congress is scored in history by a colored mark which 
 will deepen and broaden as the Republic runs its course. 
 
 Joseph H. Rainey was born in Georgetown, S. C. His 
 parents were natives of the same city, but by their indus- 
 try obtained their freedom. He was never allowed to at- 
 tend school, but in some way he managed to gather the 
 rudiments of an education. This knowledge was vastly 
 augmented and improved by travel in the West Indies 
 and elsewhere. During the war he was obliged to work 
 on the rebel fortifications, but he managed to escape and 
 did not come back until the close of the war, and then he 
 returned to Georgetown. He was elected a delegate to 
 the State constitutional convention in 1868, and was a 
 member of the State Senate in 1870, which position he 
 resigned to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of 
 B. F. Whittemore, of cadet fame. 
 
 Mr. Rainey is one of the five colored members of the 
 Forty-second Congress. In features and complexion he 
 is far more like an Asiatic than an African. In size he 
 has attained sufficient height for exceeding grace, and 
 
2/6 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 then he has a voice hke a flute, and the smooth, soft velvet 
 ways of the Orientals. It is true, he has kind of an inno- 
 cent habit of putting his hands in the place where a 
 revolver or bowie knife is usually kept ; but then he says, 
 "We all have to go armed in the South, ready at a mo- 
 ment's warning to sell our lives if it is necessary. No 
 Republican of any prominence is safe." Perhaps no man 
 in the country has had so strange and eventful a history 
 as Mr. Rainey. Born a slave, though early free, reared 
 amidst the degradation of this despotism, debarred from 
 the light of learning, yet he takes his seat in Congress 
 before a line indicative of age has marked his counte- 
 nance, representing the town and district in which he was 
 born. He seems to have fallen into his seat as noiselessly 
 as a snowflake touches the earth. He sits by General 
 Butler. Contraband! Contraband! The problem is 
 solved. 
 
 Josiah T. Walls, the member from Florida, was born 
 in North Carolina, of free parents, and looks as if he 
 were about 28 years of age. He was educated in Phila- 
 delphia, and served in the Union Army, leaving school 
 to fight the battles of his country. After the war Florida 
 became his home, and he was first chosen to the house 
 and afterwards to the senate of the State. He resigned 
 his seat in the State senate in order to come to Congress. 
 It is said that Mr. Walls is of Indian extraction, but in 
 appearance he resembles a bright mulatto, of good fea- 
 tures and average height. In personal raiment he is not 
 eclipsed by any Congressman, and he may be seen in his 
 seat, clad in polished broadcloth, spotless linen, and 
 dainty blue necktie. A snowy handkerchief of pineapple 
 origin, peeping from his pocket, photographs the taste 
 of an exquisite gentleman. General Butler being absent 
 from the House when the seats were chosen, Mr. Walls, 
 fortunate in the choice of a good one, tendered it to the 
 warrior, by whom it was accepted. 
 
 Robert C. De Large, of the Charleston district, is here 
 
THE owviA i.e;tte;rs 277 
 
 in place of the Hon. C. C. Bowen, whose numerous wives 
 are becoming as famous as Brigham Young's. He pre- 
 sents an aspect of as much intellectual strength in his 
 personal appearance as nine-tenths of the members on the 
 floor. Mr. De Large was born free in South Carolina, 
 received the scanty rudiments of an education, but being 
 a man of great force of character, he knew how to make 
 the most of his advantages. During the war he worked 
 on the rebel fortifications. He has always taken an active 
 part in politics, and was appointed clerk in the Freed- 
 men's Bureau. He was also a member of the constitu- 
 tional convention, and subsequently a member of the 
 legislature, where he was chairman of the committee on 
 ways and means. Mr. De Large has acquired distinction 
 as a parliamentarian. In person this Congressman bears 
 very little resemblance to the African race. His mother 
 was a Haytien, and he inherits a rich olive skin. In 
 stature he is rather below the medium size, and his ex- 
 ceeding grace of manner might be imitated to the ad- 
 vantage of more experienced Congressmen. Mr. De 
 Large is 28 years old. 
 
 Benjamin S. Turner, of Alabama, was born in North 
 Carolina, in 1825, but removed to the State he represents 
 in 1830. He was born a slave and remained sO' until the 
 proclamation of Abraham Lincoln. Under the most try- 
 ing and difficult circumstances he learned to read. His 
 master's children taught him to repeat the letters of the 
 alphabet, but it was a long time afterwards before he 
 knew the relation between the name and the printed char- 
 acter. He says he was mostly educated by reading the 
 New York Herald, though occasionally, once in a very 
 long time, he managed to get hold of a New York Tri- 
 bune. Mr. Turner was first elected tax gatherer of Dal- 
 las County, where he was required to furnish a bond of 
 $45,000. This he was enabled to^ do, but he did not 
 enjoy the office, and so he resigned. He was then elected 
 a member of the city council of Selma, and carried his 
 
278 the; oIvIvia lktt^rs 
 
 district by over 5,000 majority. Soon after he was 
 elected to Congress. In person Mr. Turner is above the 
 average height, with all indications of immense muscular 
 power. His figure might answer for a handsome statue 
 of Hercules cast in bronze. If a man must have dark 
 blood in his veins, it is well to be stained in the bright 
 color of this Southern member. If the human eye is the 
 window of the soul, what a defiant spirit crouches behind 
 the fierce, sharp orbs of Mr. Turner. Then he has a way 
 of biting off his words and spitting them out, as if they 
 had a bitter instead of savory taste. Although a slave, it 
 is easy tO' see that he was never made to kiss the rod. 
 Coming to the stationery room of the House the first day 
 of the Forty-second Congress, he requested that certain 
 sundries be sent to his rooms, at the same time offering 
 to pay for them. He was told that members were allowed 
 a certain amount, which was charged to them; all over 
 this was paid for. Said he, "I am well aware of that. 
 If the Government allows me anything I will get it at the 
 right time, but I'll pay for what I have; I keep no open 
 accounts with any man." And the jaws closed with all 
 the force produced by two hundred years of bondage. 
 Mr. Turner is a strong man in his way, but whether his 
 qualities are such as will give him distinction in Congress 
 time alone must decide. 
 
 Robert B. Elliot, the colored man who represents the 
 proud capital of the late hot-bed of secession, differs in 
 many ways from the other tawny members. He is not 
 only a genuine African, without a drop of white blood to 
 lessen the darkness, but he is a carpetbagger of the Mas- 
 sachusetts persuasion. The first gun fired at Sumter 
 opened the way for this most astonishing spectacle of the 
 nineteenth century. Oh, the long, bitter, savage struggle 
 between Massachusetts and South Carolina! The Pal- 
 metto State flung down the glove when her guns opened 
 on Sumter. As fast as steam could travel Massachusetts 
 had her soldiers in Washington to pick it up. Cotton 
 and rice went under. Codfish and mackerel prevailed. 
 
THD ouLviA i,i;tte;rs 279 
 
 whilst one man in the inky covering- of Robert B. Ehiot 
 represents both Massachusetts and South CaroHna on the 
 floor of Congress. A shadowy halo of romance sur- 
 rounds this man, and it is very hard to sift the truth from 
 the hundred tales that are afloat concerning his origin 
 and history. It is said that he was educated in England 
 and that he is familiar with many languages, but none, so 
 far, as we can understand, have heard him converse in 
 anything but his supposed mother tongue. Mr. Elliot 
 has been a resident of South Carolina since the war. He 
 has a fine English education, and is a lawyer by pro- 
 fession. At one time he was editor of the South Carolina 
 Leader, which he conducted with ability and considerable 
 eclat. It is thought by a great many that he will lead the 
 colored men in Congress. This may be so, but it is well 
 to remember that the fiery blood of the South flows in 
 Mr. Turner's veins, and the probabilities are that the 
 feuds between Massachusetts and South Carolina will not 
 be allowed to die for the want of proper material to feed 
 the flame. Mr. Elliot was a member of the Republican 
 convention, also' a member of the legislature, where he 
 was chairman of the committee on railroads. At the 
 present time the subject of railroads is of vast importance 
 to the people of South Carolina. There is no possible 
 way of making a thing of beauty and a joy forever out of 
 Mr. Elliot. If he were a British commissioner or an 
 African prince it would be all the same. Nature has fixed 
 him up according to her best ideas of a man, and it is 
 evident that she did not consult him or any other mortal 
 in the matter. The New York Tribune says he is very 
 fine looking "when his face lights up." If this is so, there 
 is nothing to prevent him from procuring a patent illumi- 
 nator and becoming the handsomest man in Congress, 
 unless General Butler steals a march on him and appro- 
 pirates everything of the kind to be found for his own 
 use. Mr. Elliot is reputed to be a man of considerable 
 wealth and much refinement ; but you can no more judge 
 of his age than you could that of a porcelain egg. 
 
 OlylVIA. 
 
BY THE GRACE OF THE QUEEN. 
 
 Her Majesty's Representatives On the Joint High 
 Commission. 
 
 Washington, March i/, iSyi. 
 
 To the modest suburban building temporarily occupied 
 by the State Department the eye of the country is di- 
 rected. A cozy suite of rooms are set apart in this same 
 pile of brick and mortar, where a body of men called the 
 joint high commission meet in order to discuss the little 
 "unpleasantnesses" which have occurred from time to 
 time between two governments which have both pre- 
 tended to be united to each other by the most natural and 
 fraternal ties. It is not the object of this letter to dis- 
 close any of the secrets that are caressed and embraced 
 within those awful doors, vigilantly guarded by locks and 
 keys, but some of the ceremonies and forms observed, as 
 well as the dress and bearings of those in authority, may 
 not come amiss to the general reader. 
 
 As early as lo in the morning carriages are seen 
 rapidly approaching the State Department. After de- 
 positing the distinguished human freight the carriages 
 disappear. We have the joint high commission within 
 the building. It may be thought that these men all enter 
 the same room, consult and measure red tape together. 
 Far from any such nonsense. The British commissioners 
 go into a room by themselves; the American commis- 
 sioners betake themselves to another; and each country 
 talks tO' itself some two hours, more or less. Then the 
 commissioners of both countries adjourn to a room in the 
 same building, where a modest lunch of crackers and 
 cheese is spread. 
 
 Then the joint high commission throat is deluged with 
 (280) 
 
THK OLIVIA LETTERS 28 1 
 
 the choicest wines that have outHved the perils of an 
 ocean voyage. This performance safely over, the com- 
 missioners of both countries adjourn to the same room, 
 where Earl de Grey discourses for the British lion, and 
 Secretary Fish speaks in behalf of the American eagle, 
 while the remainder of the joint high commissioners keep 
 "whist" as hunters in search of the flying game. It will 
 readily be seen that the English commissioners have 
 simply their instructions to carry out. There is no free 
 discussion between the members of both sides. Each side 
 is heard through its mouthpiece, and it is safe to say that 
 no fault can be found with the awful dignity of the joint 
 high commission. 
 
 Somewhere between the hours of 4 and 5 in the after- 
 noon this distinguished assembly adjourns, and every 
 evening in the week a dinner party is waiting somewhere 
 for the Englishmen. The writer heard Sir Stafford 
 Northcote say that the "social duties of the commission 
 were becoming the hardest part of the work." Just as 
 the Hon. Reverdy Johnson was wined and dined in Eng- 
 land, the royal scions of nobility are treated here. One 
 evening they are invited to General Sherman's to see the 
 Supreme Judges ; another evening we have some other 
 great and mighty man to show. Washington is deter- 
 mined to astonish these men, if excellent dinners will do 
 it ; besides it sounds well to point out to a morning visitor 
 the very chair upon which some of the bluest blood of 
 England has graciously reclined. Just as Queen Eliza- 
 beth used to select the right man for the right position, 
 her Majesty's Government has made choice of the right 
 material for the right place. Like a wise woman, Vic- 
 toria did not trouble herself about beauty, but chose her 
 men as the mother advised her daughter when selecting 
 a husband — for qualities that would wear. In the first 
 place, she looked around for a great lawyer on inter- 
 national affairs, and selected her famous subject, Sir 
 Montague Bernard, the present professor of international 
 
282 THI: OI.IVIA Li;TT]eRS 
 
 law at Oxford. Sir Montague Bernard has written a 
 great many pamphlets on international law, besides a 
 lecture on diplomacy, and the history of British neutrality 
 during the late civil war. If by any sort of alchemy a 
 man could be evolved from that immaterial something 
 that goes to make English law, Mr. Bernard is the man. 
 There seems to be just enough body about him to confine 
 his international matter, with nothing left to love, hope, 
 or die with. With a firm set mouth and peculiar voice ! 
 How one longs to lift up the lids of his mind and see the 
 click and play of the awful machinery! 
 
 And now we come to the Earl de Gray, the spokesman 
 of the commission. An editorial in The Press has 
 already given the titles which the centuries had con- 
 structed for this bit of earthy matter when it should come 
 along. The Earl has inherited four titles, two from his 
 father and two from his uncle, with large estates attached 
 to each. The reader is requested to study Dr. Macken- 
 zie's article for all useful information, with the exception 
 that the Earl was not described as Knight of the Garter. 
 It may be owing to Dr. Mackenzie's extreme delicacy in 
 the matter, which is certainly most creditable to his re- 
 fined and sensitive sex; but when a member of the joint 
 high commission and a man who is said to belong to one 
 of the first families of England appears at the White 
 House, at a dinner given in his honor, with a garter tied 
 around his left leg in plain sight of the ladies present, 
 without any effort on his part to conceal the same, in 
 spite of Dr. Mackenzie's diffidence, this matter should be 
 carefully unwound. Earl de Gray wore to the President's 
 dinner breeches that came to his knees, and these were 
 met by black silk stockings that, whilst they concealed, 
 did not hide his finely shaped lower extremities that leave 
 off where his feet begin. The stocking on his right leg 
 kept its place apparently without exterior fastenings ; but 
 the left was confined by a striped garter in black and 
 white, held together by a chaste and modest buckle. It is 
 
THK OLIVIA LETTERS 283 
 
 true one of the lady griests was heard to inquire of an- 
 other if she supposed that his lordship had lost its mate, 
 and when she was told that the noble Earl had received 
 this from the hand of his gracious sovereign, because an 
 English woman had dropped hers in the dance, and that 
 he wore it in deference to this sublime act, tears filled 
 the eyes of the inquirer and she could only talk ol the 
 Earl's great tenderness the remainder of the evening. 
 The Earl de Grey married his cousin, who is a late lady 
 of the bed chamber to the Princess of Wales. His only 
 living child, Lord Goderich, is a young man, 19 years 
 of age, and he accompanies the commission to this coun- 
 try. There is nothing in the personal appearance of Earl 
 de Grey to indicate that the root of the family has pierced 
 the mould below the times of Henry the First. He is a 
 small man, with a head so large that he is inclined to look 
 top heavy, with features that would attract little or no 
 attention if they belonged to a Congressman. If he pos- 
 sesses ancestral pride, he must have left it in bonnie Eng- 
 land, for he is distinguished above his associates for re- 
 publican simplicity of manners. Socially speaking, no 
 words are equal tO' the situation, and according to the 
 description of our late countryman, Earl de Grey must 
 possess the elegant and dignified ways of Washington 
 Irving. The English nobleman was formerly a member 
 of Parliament, was afterwards appointed Under Secre- 
 tary of War, in June, 1859, and Secretary of State for 
 War, in 1863, and subsequently for India, and retired in 
 1866, where he has rested until he was resurrected to do 
 duty with the joint commission. 
 
 The Right Hon. Sir Stafford Northcote, Henry of 
 Hayne, County Devon, Privy Councillor, Knight of the 
 Bath, Doctor of Civil Law, Member of Parliament from 
 North Devon, Secretary of State for India, late president 
 of the board of trade, is the eighth baronet of that name, 
 and succeeded to his title the 17th of March, 1851. The 
 book says, "the great antiquity and high respectability 
 
284 THi; OIwIVIA I^ETTERS 
 
 of this family are clearly proved, by an ancient and 
 copious pedigree, preserved in the College of Arms, 
 accompanied by a great number of family deeds, fines, 
 wills, etc., to several of which are affixed their seals or 
 arms, which pedigree is continued down to the visitation 
 of 1620, in the reign of King James the First." It will 
 readily be seen that it is a great blessing to any humble 
 mortal to be born an English nobleman. Earth, sky, and 
 water interest themselves in his favor. Offices of emolu- 
 ment and power hang ripe on the tree, awaiting the time 
 when he shall be old enough to shake gently the branches. 
 Sir Stafford has titles enough to take one's breath away, 
 but this fact is gleaned from various sources of infomia- 
 tion. There is no danger for some time of the baronetcy 
 becoming extinct, as Sir Stafford has seven sons. Sir 
 Stafford represents the Tory element of England, and is 
 devotedly attached to the Crown. He is a fine type of the 
 pure Saxon, and with the exception of Sir Edward 
 Thornton the handsomest man of the number, if his size 
 could be increased ; but it is noticeable in this commission 
 that the older the family from which the man sprung the 
 smaller the size, which proves that even dust will wear 
 out. 
 
 Lord Tenterden, as near as can be ascertained, comes 
 from a new family, his father being the first nobleman of 
 the line. The name of Tenterden does not figure much 
 in books of knight errantry, consequently the reader's 
 attention is directed elsewhere in order to study this im- 
 portant subject. My lord secretary to Her Majesty's 
 high commission is rather a fine looking man, with large 
 eyes, and a beard which conceals the entire lower part of 
 his face. He may have a mouth somewhere concealed 
 in the jungle of his mustache, but there is no evidence, 
 so far as we have seen, of any such aperture. He is said 
 to have a thorough understanding of English yachts, and 
 it is thought in Washington that he is on excellent terms 
 with His Majesty the Prince of Wales. It is his duty to 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 285 
 
 record the doings of the high commission, but as he 
 brought along a man to do the work, his place may be 
 considered quite as ornamental as useful. But when he 
 comes to dinner parties the right man is found for the 
 right place. With what open arms his dear American 
 cousins have received him ! How they have crammed 
 him with shad and canvas-back ! Alas ! alas ! he must 
 feel like a fat turkey at Thanksgiving time. 
 
 Sir Edward Thornton is well known in this country as 
 the English minister resident, and no man connected with 
 the foreign legations is more respected and beloved by 
 our people. He came here an untitled man, having 
 served for many years in various diplomatic positions in 
 different parts of the world. At the time Prince Arthur 
 was in this country he came more immediately under the 
 eye of his sovereign, and she was so pleased with the 
 treatment of her son, and remembering at the same time 
 her great obligations to him as a subject, that she 
 knighted him, and now we have in the place of plain Mr. 
 Thornton, "Sir Edward;" and well he becomes the title, 
 not that he is any different from plain Mr. Thornton, for 
 Nature made him a nobleman in the beginning, but the 
 Queen, with her poor eyes, could not see it until a royal 
 sprig was a guest under his hospitable roof. After all, 
 the Queen only loaned him a title. It is buried when 
 Sir Edward becomes ashes. His boy will be plain Mr. 
 Thornton, and all the better for that. Minister Thorn- 
 ton, like the late Sir Frederick Bruce, has a most dis- 
 tinguished personal presence, owing to his majestic 
 height and graceful manners. Then he retains that 
 exquisite purity of complexion for which the English 
 belles are celebrated, and our American climate, so con- 
 ducive to parchment and wrinkles, labors upon his hand- 
 some face in vain. 
 
 Sir John A. MacDonald is another of Her Majesty's 
 commissioners Avhose title dies with the man. Sir John's 
 father was a merchant in Kingston, Canada, who came to 
 
286 THE OLIVIA i.e;tters 
 
 America when this son was only 6 years of age. When 
 only 15 years old the latter left school and began the 
 study of law. When 21 years old he was admitted to 
 the bar; soon after he turned his attention to politics, 
 and in 1844 was elected member for Kingston in the 
 second parliament of United Canada. When two years 
 and a half in Parliament he was appointed a member of 
 the cabinet. During the time of our civil war there was 
 agitation in regard to the dismemberment of Canada. 
 Sir John was one of the strongest advocates for the union 
 of the provinces. He was also a leading participant in 
 the secularization of the church property, which dissolved 
 the connection of church and state in Canada, and in the 
 adjustment of the troublesome seigniorial rights. In 
 one of his addresses he said : "The fraternal conflict now 
 unhappily raging in the United States shows us the su- 
 periority of our institutions, and of the principle on which 
 they are based. Long may that principle — the mon- 
 archical principle — prevail in this land. Let there be no 
 'looking to Washington,' as was threatened by a leading 
 member of the opposition last session; but let the cry 
 with the moderate party be : 'Canada united as one prov- 
 ince and under one sovereign.' " 
 
 Sir John has received his title for his devotion to the 
 interests of the Crown, as exemplified in the various deli- 
 cate duties assigned to him. In person he is above the 
 medium height, with a regular cast of features; and he 
 has that frank, ingenuous manner not usually conceded to 
 such polished men of the world. Sir John is the only 
 member of the English part of the commission who brings 
 his wife. He tarries in the shadow of the aristocratic 
 Arlington, but the remainder of the commission are quar- 
 tered at the superb Philip mansion on K street, opposite 
 Franklin Square, where, with a large retinue of servants, 
 dogs and horses, the fire of an English home is kept 
 burning. This house is one of the largest and finest 
 private residences in Washington. The extensive draw- 
 
THE OLIVIA LE^TTERS 287 
 
 ing room has a waxed floor, relieved in sundry places by 
 exquisitely finished velvet rugs. Pictures of English 
 landscapes look down from the lofty walls. "I didn't 
 know they had such comfortable houses in this country," 
 said one of the royal blood. "It must have been made 
 expressly for our use," chimed another. It is simply an 
 elegant American home, planned by an English-born 
 American citizen, who, out of deference to his late coun- 
 trymen, resolved that they should carry away from his 
 adopted country something sweet and savory in the shape 
 of pleasant recollections. Oeivia. 
 
A DISSERTATION ON DRESS. 
 
 Proper Procedure eor Members oe the Select 
 Circle oe Society. 
 
 Washington, March i8, 1871. 
 
 In a social way the doors of the White House have 
 closed for the season. The beginning of Lent has here- 
 tofore marked the abrupt decline of the star of Fashion, 
 but this year the days of folly have been lengthened, in 
 consequence of the necessity of extending hospitalities to 
 the British part of the joint high commission. Recent 
 receptions may be compared to autumnal flowers trying 
 to bloom after the coming of frost. The carpets at the 
 Executive Mansion begin to show the result of the wear 
 and tear of a winter's campaign, and a dingy pall seems 
 to wrap all the other surroundings. Mrs. Grant looks 
 weary and worn, and, though her manner is kind and 
 engaging as ever, it is plain to see that she will be glad 
 when this universal handshaking is over. One becomes 
 thoroughly exhausted in vain attempt to feel satisfied 
 with the foam and froth of Washington's fashionable 
 dissipations. The same envy, heart burnings and petty 
 jealousies exist here as in monarchical courts. There may 
 be a small quantity of genuine comfort in a modern din- 
 ner party at the capital, and yet there is room for grave 
 doubts. Suppose you are invited to a dinner at the 
 White House; you must remember that every rule and 
 regulation is prescribed. When you receive your invita- 
 tion you know exactly what chair you will occupy at the 
 table. Soon after your arrival you will receive a card 
 which will inform you which "lady" you are ordered to 
 take to dinner. This woman sits by your side. You are 
 obliged to be civil whether you are inclined to be or not. 
 (2S8) 
 
THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 289 
 
 You are expected to say solid, substantial things after the 
 soup. You are expected to avoid everything weak and 
 watery after the fish. Sly and delicate humor must be 
 sandwiched between every course. Suppose this woman, 
 though good enough in her way, is exactly the one you 
 would flee from if the wind was fair, and the coast clear? 
 There are women in Washington of rare conversational 
 powers ; queenly in manners, and kind of heart ; but they 
 are scarce, and the number can be counted without using 
 any number beyond the digits. 
 
 There is to be a fashionable crush or reception at the 
 Cabinet minister's home. In order to keep it within the 
 bounds of mathematics cards of invitation have been is- 
 sued. Is it possible that a Cabinet minister means to 
 pack his house so densely ? Every available inch of stand- 
 ing room is occupied. The stairs resemble seats in an 
 amphitheatre, with its tier of heads, one rising above 
 another. The lights in the showy chandeliers burn with 
 that dim blue flame sometimes noticed in mines down 
 deep in the earth. There is a faint, deathly odor of un- 
 dying perfumes. The music sounds as though it were 
 afar off in the heavy atmosphere. If the mansion were 
 a prison, and the inmates therein wretches of high and 
 low degree, could the imagination picture a more hor- 
 rible situation? But let it be remembered that this med- 
 ley is made up of silk, satin, lace and jewels, snowy shoul- 
 ders and distinguished men. Everybody is polite and 
 refined; wit sparkles, women laugh, and if one must be 
 pressed to atoms, no more charming death could be 
 devised. Did the Cabinet dame invite all these people 
 to her hospitable mansion ? Nay ! Never ! She scattered 
 abroad a suitable number of invitations. Some of the 
 people who received these cards took the liberty to ask 
 a friend, or perhaps more ; and thus it will readily be seen 
 that if many of the invited guests take such liberties the 
 company is doubled, and sometimes quadrupled by the 
 19 
 
290 The OLIVIA IvKTTERS 
 
 license usurped by what is called "fashionable society in 
 Washington." The writer has known of an instance 
 where a member of Congress and his wife received cards 
 for a Cabinet reception. They attended, accompanied by 
 nine guests by their own invitation. The time will come 
 when such entertainments must be done away with. 
 None but men of immense wealth can accept such posi- 
 tions unless they have the fearlessness to emulate the 
 simple life of George S. Boutwell. And yet how can an 
 honorable, high-minded man accept legions of civilities 
 and never have anything to offer in return? 
 
 The social fabric of Washington is reared upon the 
 foundation prepared for it by George and Martha Wash- 
 ington. It was good and excellent for those days, when 
 the wise and prudent Martha, and the wives of the Cab- 
 inet ministers, could return the visits of their friends in a 
 single day. More than three-quarters of a century have 
 gone, and society after that style is ready for the sickle. 
 Last winter the wives of the Cabinet ministers met in 
 solemn council and decided that visits would not be re- 
 turned for the reason that the sun and moon could not be 
 made to stand still, and the days were not long enough 
 for the hundreds of demands made upon them. The most 
 beautiful, gifted, and accomplished woman in Washing- 
 ton shortened her days in order to meet the insane, ex- 
 orbitant demands made upon her by the tyrant Fashion. 
 Mrs. Belknap once said to the writer : "It would not 
 matter so much if I omit visiting a Senator's wife, but it 
 would pain me exceedingly if any person thought they 
 were neglected on account of their obscurity. If I get 
 well, this matter must be explained, and I know the peo- 
 ple win understand it." 
 
 Heretofore the ladies who move in what is called 
 Washington society, with the exception of Mrs. Grant, 
 have been expected to return their calls. For the first 
 time in social history, the Cabinet dames, who are a law 
 unto themselves, have decided otherwise. In a little time 
 
The; oIvIvia letters _ 291 
 
 the wives of the Senators will enact the same law, for 
 they are already beginning to feel their chains, and some 
 of the boldest assert that life is too solemn and earnest 
 to be wasted in a giddy whirlpool of dissipation. 
 
 Among the accomplished women no longer seen upon 
 the topmost wave of society may be mentioned Mrs. Gen- 
 eral Williams, better known as Mrs. Stephen A. Doug- 
 las, and the elegant wife of Senator Sprague. Both have 
 known what it is to reign as "Oneen of Beauty and Fash- 
 ion," and both have retired before the noon of life to the 
 substantial comforts and enduring peace to be found only 
 in the smooth waters of domestic life. 
 
 The most perfect entertainments of the winter have 
 been given at the handsome mansion of Senator Chandler. 
 A card reception at a Senator's residence partakes more 
 of the nature of a private party, consequently painfully 
 crowded rooms are avoided. For this reason the finest 
 toilettes of the winter are brought out, because they can 
 be worn without danger of serious damage. The costliest 
 dresses of the winter have been sported by Mrs. John 
 Morrissey and Mrs. Fernando Wood. Mrs. Morrissey 
 wore a black thread-lace dress, over heavy white moire, 
 with solitaire diamonds only for ornament, at the Cor- 
 coran ball. Mrs. Morrissey has never been seen in gen- 
 eral society in Washington. A party given by the 
 Chinese embassy, and Mr. Corcoran's entertainment 
 planned to complete the Washington monument, as well 
 as to make the beau-monde merry and glad, are the only 
 social places known to the writer where the Hon. John 
 Morrissey and his pretty, unobtrusive wife have been 
 seen. 
 
 The rarest dress noticed this winter has been worn by 
 Mrs. Fernando Wood. Take up your finest collar, my 
 lady reader — "old point," by the way. Now imagine a 
 whole dress, with any quantity of ferns and palms run- 
 ning over it — waist, sleeves, skirt, all complete — with 
 pink silk underneath. Could anything more exquisite in 
 
292 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 the shape of a dress be conceived ? Stop a moment. Let 
 us see ! It certainly bears inspection. Let us move away 
 and examine it as one would a picture. We are writing 
 for a newspaper, and the truth must be told. It looks at 
 this distance as if Mrs. Wood had rolled herself up re- 
 gardless of expense in one of her own parlor window- 
 curtains. 
 
 It is true that silk is worth its weight in silver the 
 world over. We might as well talk of cheap silver as 
 cheap silk. When we buy a heavy dress for a small sum 
 of money we are paying for dye-stuff, and the dye-stuff 
 we buy very soon destroys the silk. But costly as the 
 article is with which we love to decorate ourselves, it is 
 within the reach of every industrious single woman in 
 the country. It is worn as every-day apparel by the fash- 
 ionable women of Washington. When a dress becomes 
 too well known, or has lost its freshness, it is taken for 
 every-day wear. This is a great mistake for more than 
 one reason. By making silk so common it detracts from 
 its elegance and beauty. The only difference between a 
 woman in full dress and when she is not — in the first 
 instance she wears a clean garment, and in the latter, 
 one that has see;i the vicissitudes of life. Oh!, blessed 
 are the charms of the laundry. Better all cotton than all 
 silk. 
 
 Because silk is so common, fashion has decided that the 
 superior excellence or elegance of a woman's wardrobe 
 must consist in her rare and costly laces. But against 
 this extravagant innovation good taste has set her face. 
 A moderate amount of lace adds additional charms to a 
 handsome dress, but when we come to make the entire 
 garment of the material the effect is lost. Queen Au- 
 gusta, of Germany, who ranks next to Eugenie in matters 
 pertaining to the toilet, prefers tulle dresses to wear over 
 her silks and satins. Sometimes these are ornamented 
 with field grasses, at least this was the case in her 
 
THD owviA i.i;ttkrs 293 
 
 younger years. In latter days her tulle garments are 
 trimmed with pearls. The most exquisite taste delights 
 in simplicity. The more barbarous a nation the more it 
 revels in gorgeous and costly ornament ; but when every 
 American woman lays her earrings aside forever the 
 tranquillity and peace of the Republic is assured. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
MEETING OF OCCIDENT AND ORIENT. 
 
 Reception oe the Imperial Embassy of Japan by 
 President Grant. 
 
 Washington, March 4, 1872. 
 
 Another interesting ceremony has taken place which 
 marks an epoch in the civihzation of the world. To-day 
 the Occident and the Orient has an official greeting. The 
 fluttering petticoats of the East have bowed before the 
 scant, ungraceful pantaloons of the West, and history 
 records the performance. The event was stately and sol- 
 emn, and nothing occurred to mar or disturb the feelings 
 of those present, except the cold and disdainful way in 
 which the press was treated. These scions of republican 
 royalty were kept outside, whilst such crumbs of informa- 
 tion fell to our lot as the powers that be chose to bestow. 
 
 Before the magic hour of 12, for the royal time of day 
 was chosen, ten of the Japanese highest in power, accom- 
 panied by Mr. Mori, the Japanese minister, descended 
 from their carriages and in single file marched slowly 
 into the Executive Mansion. Previously everything had 
 been prepared for their reception. The broad halls and 
 the great vestibule had been reduced to excruciating neat- 
 ness. The air was laden with the odor of tropical ex- 
 otics. Above the central part of the great ottoman, in 
 the Blue Room, arose a pyramid of flowers composed of 
 Japanese lilies, birds of paradise, and the long, dreamy,, 
 pendant leaves of the Eastern fern. Daylight, which was 
 not considered quite good enough for such an occasion, 
 had been carefully excluded, like the press, but, like this 
 mighty engine, it managed to struggle in, or at least 
 enough of it for all practical purposes. 
 
 Whilst all these things were in preparation Secretary 
 (294) 
 
the: OLIVIA le;tte;rs 295 
 
 Fish came rushing in and seized an unfortunate servant, 
 who had accidentally put the right flower-pot in the 
 wrong place. This was quickly adjusted and the Secretary 
 left the place. Then Mrs. Secretary Fish, swathed in 
 pearl-colored silk, trimmed with the costliest lace, sailed 
 through the rooms. A lackey followed her with fear and 
 trembling. As near as could be ascertained in the dis- 
 tance, the hair on his head stood upon end. All at once 
 dulcet sounds were heard, "Take it away." The servant 
 stood terror-bound until the lady said : "Too much mig- 
 nonette. We cannot be too careful. Perfume is a good 
 thing in the right place. The danger is, everything is 
 becoming too common." The flower-basket was re- 
 moved, and the rooms were pronounced all ready for the 
 ceremony. 
 
 First of all Secretary Robeson sailed in, and following 
 in his wake were the heads of the Navy Department, in 
 their brilliant regimentals. As these were not the men 
 who distinguished themselves in the late war, the people 
 have nO' care to hear about them. But their shining- 
 shoulder-straps and other finery helped to- make the occa- 
 sion brilliant, the same as a shoal of dolphins at sea on 
 a hot summer's day. Secretary Robeson looked as hand- 
 some and happy as could be expected. 
 
 Then came Minister Boutwell, in white choker and 
 pale pearl-colored kids, closely followed by that interest- 
 ing old greenback known as General Spinner. Then 
 Spinner was brought up by the heads of the Treasury De- 
 partment, and they stretched out until it seemed as if it 
 was intended they should represent the "crack of doom." 
 
 Then came the handsome Saxon Secretary of War, 
 with his officers, followed by Cresswell and the Post 
 Office, and Attorney-General Williams and his "heads." 
 The heads of the Attorney-General's office are men who 
 have blossomed, fruited and now ought to be gathered 
 and put in the cellar for future use. Delano, of the In- 
 
296 ^ the; OLIVIA LI^TTKRS 
 
 terior, was there with his force, the most dignified mag- 
 nate present. 
 
 Spilled around promiscuously were Judge Holt, Cam- 
 eron, Casserly, with nose at an angle of forty-five de- 
 grees ; Banks, with a new shade to his hair, called "Paris 
 in Ashes;" Professor Henry, with any amount of elec- 
 tricity in his pockets; Speaker Blaine and Colfax — dear 
 Colfax! who came out and said he felt sorry for the 
 press; he knew how it was himself before greatness was 
 thrust upon him. 
 
 And last, but not least, the Japanese. The President 
 had fixed himself in the right place in the East Room. To 
 his left were the great men of his Empire. To his right 
 were the ten Eastern representatives. The first five stood 
 a little forward of the other five, because they preceded 
 them in rank. The first five were dressed somewhat dif- 
 ferent from the remainder. They wore garments which 
 are never allowed tO' be upon their persons except in the 
 presence of a ruler of a great nation, and when engaged 
 upon the highest diplomatic duty. This dress consisted 
 of a blue silk skirt, embroidered with white, which 
 reached almost to the floor, just allowing the queer, san- 
 daled feet to become visible. This was surmounted by a 
 black silken tunic fastened at the waist, which did not 
 allow the arms to be of much use. The head was cov- 
 ered by a courtier's hat of device indescribable, with a 
 long metallic ribbon-like streamer falling down the back. 
 A stranger costume can hardly be conceived. Those of 
 lesser rank wore the same skirt and tunic, but the head- 
 gear seemed to be made of patent leather, banded with 
 soft white material, an excellent invention for a masquer- 
 ade. The great ambassador, in a sing-song way, read 
 from his parchment, whilst General Grant and all the 
 others listened. Then our President read something to 
 the Japanese, Mr. Mori standing and looking quietly on. 
 Then President Grant introduced his Cabinet. There 
 
THE OUVIA I^DTTERS 297 
 
 was no handshaking. The Americans snapped their 
 heads in the usual jerky way, but the Japanese gave 
 them the graceful salaam oi the East. An (Driental only 
 knows how to bow. 
 
 After everything official was concluded, then the Japa- 
 nese allowed their hands to be touched by the Western 
 barbarians. The Cabinet at this point offered their arms 
 to the fluttering silks, and each Minister took a Japanese 
 into the presence of Mrs. Grant, where the press had no 
 desire to go. We claim there are certain inalienable 
 rights. For the preservation of these we will endure all 
 that heroism requires, and for comfort and support we 
 look to the people. Ouvia. 
 
THE PUBLIC GREET THE JAPANESE. 
 
 Undkr Adverse Circumstances Eastern Royaety 
 Is Welcomed. 
 
 Washington, March 6, 1872. 
 
 It has already been truthfully stated that several thou- 
 sand dollars of the people's money have been set aside 
 with which to entertain our Oriental giiests. Last night's 
 experiment proved to be a superb success. The Masonic 
 Temple's insignificant proportions were dwindled to Lil- 
 liputian size in the vain effort to make it resemble some 
 gorgeous Eastern landscape. In the vain pursuit of this 
 Quixotic dream General Myers purchased pink and white 
 tarletan by the rod and furlong ; carpenters nailed it to the 
 ceiling, to the roof overhead, and to every other available 
 spot worth mentioning. Where there was no place for 
 tarletan, the gallant general plastered the stars and stripes. 
 A couple of fountains were placed in the upper part of 
 the room, and it was said Japan in miniature was repre- 
 sented on its watery surface, but no persons present would 
 have found it out unless they had been told previously 
 that this was the original program. Hanging baskets 
 were attached to the ceilings by long strings, a threaten- 
 ing menace to the brains below, whilst birds in cages were 
 suspended in such a way as to cause serious alarm as to 
 personal safety. Then cards of invitation were issued, 
 calling the faithful together between the hours of 9 and 1 1 
 o'clock. At 9 o'clock the writer stood within the en- 
 chanted hall of the Masonic Temple. The sight was sor- 
 rowful if it was not imposing. The imperial chandeliers 
 had not been lighted. Carpenters were hard at work 
 nailing tarletan to finish out the eastern sky. Workmen 
 were hurrying with tables and flower pots and other et 
 (298) 
 
THE OLIVIA li;tte;rs 299 
 
 cetera of the landscape. Humbler hands were scrubbing 
 the floor, whilst one or more men were finishing up the 
 corners with an unpoetical mop. In the centre of all this 
 grandeur stood the Secretary of State, supported by Gen- 
 eral Banks ; only a short distance from them, to the left, 
 were the wives of these distinguished officials. As the 
 landscape was to be heated after the Esquimaux style, that 
 is, by hanging lights and the warmth of human bodies, 
 the damp floors had to be dried by opening the windows 
 of the magnificent temple. Through these yawning holes 
 came the Arctic blasts. Mrs. Fish wrapped her royal 
 ermine mantle around her ; Mrs. Banks drew the folds of 
 her opera cloak close. It had previously been agreed 
 that those ladies who had elected themselves "to receive" 
 should get to the temple precisely at half past 8 to put the 
 last half dainty touches to the brilliant surroundings. It 
 was a few moments after 9, and only Mrs. Fish and Mrs. 
 Banks and a newspaper intruder, who was bound to tell 
 the truth, unless she chose the majesty of silence! 
 
 A new actress in the drama — all ripples, laughter, and 
 girlish abandon — Mrs. Colfax — came bouncing into the 
 "eastern scene." She had thrown aside her wrappings in 
 the dressing-room, and appeared clad in rich white silk 
 court-train over a black silk petticoat, and a white pom- 
 pon in her hair. Her neck and arms were bare, and 
 in through the open windows came the biting winds. The 
 lithe, elastic frame shuddered like a jaunty yacht caught in 
 the jaws of a terrific nor'wester, but succor was close at 
 hand in shape of covering, and the pearly shoulders disap- 
 peared from view. Next came Mrs. Governor Cooke, 
 magnificently arrayed in filmy lace and light green. If 
 the fountains in the corner had been larger and she had 
 iDcen more sylph-like the play of Undine might have been 
 performed. 
 
 At last the tarletan was tacked, the last pot of flowers 
 planted, the floor mopped, the last bird-cage hung, the 
 gas-jets lighted, and the reception ladies had disposed 
 
300 THE OLIVIA i.i;tti:rs 
 
 themselves on the sofas. Let it be remembered there were 
 no other seats in the room. The door swung open on its 
 noiseless hinges, and in walked the precious Japanese 
 men, who had got themselves up in "Melican fashion" to 
 please us rude barbarians of the West. How poor, weak, 
 and shammy everything must have seemed to their 
 almond-shaped eyes ! Flower-pots and pink tarletan, a bit 
 of bright carpet, a cold, damp floor, a wintry atmosphere 
 faced them. As they walked through the narrow path 
 which opened in the throng and led to the upper end of 
 the hall, they saw seated before them women no longer 
 young and some of them far advanced into that period 
 which is called the "sere and yellow leaf of age," with 
 shoulders exposed below the point of modesty (if there is 
 any such place in that delicate region), arms bare above 
 the elbow ! What a lesson it must have conveyed to our 
 visitors ! And yet these women tried to look beautiful ! 
 
 The foreign ministers, with their wives and daughters, 
 had drawn themselves into the usual diplomatic knot. 
 There was the tall and queenly Lady Thornton, elegant 
 in pink silk and Chambrey gauze; and Sir Edward Kingly 
 as a knight of old; and pretty Madame Roberts, the wife 
 oi the Spanish minister, in quaint costume, regardless of 
 expense; magnificent Mademoiselle Freyre, the daughter 
 of the Peruvian minister, who was the most gorgeously 
 and costly appareled of any woman in the temple. A mod- 
 erate fortune of diamonds nestled in her hair, whilst bust, 
 arms and ears sparkled like the cave wherein was caught 
 unfortunate Sinbad the Sailor. 
 
 About the banquet? It fell below the "Oriental land- 
 scape" attempt. It was spread under the directions of A. 
 G. Jiraudan. We never heard of this man before, and 
 yet he will be remembered for his stale boned turkey and 
 hard crasts. In place of ice cream we were treated to 
 doubtful frozen custard. The salad might have been made 
 of lamp oil, judging by its flavor. The coffee was such 
 as contractors furnished the army during the late war, 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 3OI 
 
 and water was denied the last resting place of a goblet. 
 We drank it from the humble plebeian glass in the shape 
 of a mug without a handle. 
 
 Fancy Sir Edward Thornton carrying this cup tO' his 
 aristocratic lips at an entertainment given to royalty! 
 Will not motherly Philadelphia or her sister city New 
 York open the doors of hospitality and retrieve Washing- 
 ton from her niggardly disgrace ? Not that the people of 
 the capital are in fault, but a grave charge lies somewere. 
 Let exposure do its work. Olivia. 
 
SAMUEL F. B. MORSE. 
 Memoriai. Servicks HkivD At The Capitoe. 
 
 Washington, April i/, i8y2. 
 
 Because we have no Westminster Abbey, or other royal 
 sleeping place when genius passes away, we have memo- 
 rial services held at the capital of the nation, under the 
 shadow of the dome and the Goddess of Liberty. No 
 man since the Saviour was born has ever had such obse- 
 quies follow him to the grave as the plain citizen of a 
 Republic who has just passed away. The ceiling of the 
 House of Representatives had been pierced, and numer- 
 ous wires were seen suspended from the wall, and these 
 ended below the Speaker's desk, where an electric instru- 
 ment was placed that transferred to those present that 
 throb of sympathy which alone makes the world al<in. 
 The voices of seventy cities of the Union were heard 
 speaking in the Hall of Representatives, for Professor 
 Morse had given to each a tongue of flame. Click, click, 
 click ; from the bed of mighty waters came the sob of the 
 Old World. London sent her condolence, dated many 
 hours subsequent to our time. April the sixteenth was 
 dead and gone in England, but on the wings of the light- 
 ning came the intelligence of an unborn day. From 
 Europe, Egypt, China, flashed sympathy with this nation 
 because a simple American citizen had gone to his eternal 
 home. In the self-same spot where all this tribute was 
 paid to his memory he had once stood — poor, obscure, 
 and alone, working out the solemn problem which should 
 revolutionize the world. 
 
 On the floor of the House of Representatives might 
 have been seen political strength, the judicial ermine, poet, 
 painter, scholar, and humble citizen, and from the gal- 
 (302) 
 
The: OLIVIA LETTERS 303 
 
 leries looked down the womanly element of the Republic. 
 First of all came President Grant, with his square, im- 
 movable face. At his side walked Secretary Fish, whose 
 comeliness will ever furnish a theme for song and story. 
 Then came Secretary Belknap, with a presence sufficiently 
 warm and attractive to keep the whole Cabinet from spoil- 
 ing- for the want of caloric ; then clear-cut Secretary Bout- 
 well. Behind the Cabinet might have been seen the pon- 
 derous Supreme Judges, and their presence proved that 
 the Creator worked regardless of material when he con- 
 structed these excellent men. On the Speaker's stand 
 stood the men whose speeches were to honor the great 
 man whose memory was to be embalmed. Speaker Blaine 
 sat in his accustomed seat, with Vice-President Colfax at 
 his right hand. 
 
 Speaker Blaine touched his desk with his gavel, and 
 silence fell upon those congregated there. Then softly 
 upon the ear sounded the silver voice of Professor Morse's 
 aged pastor in solemn prayer, a simple petition, such as 
 men utter when their feet have almost reached the other 
 shore. After the Marine Band had been heard, Sunset 
 Cox made some remarks, and these were followed by a 
 lengthy biography from Senator Patterson, which was 
 altogether too long to be read when so much that was 
 equally interesting was to follow. 
 
 Fernando Wood gave the most interesting account of 
 the struggle and despair, but final triumph, of Professor 
 Morse in his attempts to make the Government aid him in 
 his undertaking. Mr. Wood is the only man in Congress 
 who was a member of that body at the time the inventor 
 v/as pleading his cause. Professor Morse first laid his 
 plans before his own Government, and they were rejected. 
 He then went abroad, was absent two years, going, as did 
 Columbus, from court to court, obscure, unheard, un- 
 noticed. All undaunted, he came home, to try for the last 
 time to bring his wonderful discovery before the world. 
 It was this period of his life that the Hon. Fernando 
 
304 The OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 Wood brought so vividly before the audience. With the 
 mind's eye the vast congregation could see a threadbare, 
 dejected man traversing the streets of Washington, mod- 
 estly attempting to electrify Congress with a flash of his 
 own genius. At last, when he was slowly settling into the 
 depths of despair, he had the supreme happiness of learn- 
 ing that in the very last hours of a session a modest 
 amount had been appropriated to carry out his apparently 
 insane undertaking. 
 
 Facing the speakers of the evening hung a portrait of 
 the departed. It was surrounded by a white groundwork, 
 inlaid with an inscription in green letters: "What God 
 hath wrought." It was the picture of a man in the winter 
 of life, with hair and beard of snow ; a face not classically 
 made, but with fine, manly features, that must have 
 glowed with indestructible beauty when lit up by the en- 
 thusiastic genius within. 
 
 Samuel F. B. Morse has gone the way of all the earth. 
 He lived to know that his name had been spoken by 
 the intellectual world from pole to pole. No more honor 
 could be bestowed upon his ashes ; and his memory is em- 
 balmed in the soul of his country. 
 
 One of the speakers of the evening said that Professor 
 Morse was born the same year that Benjamin Franklin 
 died, and the lives of the two men seemed like joining a 
 broken thread. And this reminds the writer of a man 
 who might have been seen in that audience who to-day 
 is trying on the same field to get Congress to help him to 
 demonstrate to^ the people that wires and batteries and At- 
 lantic cables are only so much waste matter; that from 
 given points anywhere on the world's surface that same 
 lightning which Franklin brought to earth with his kite 
 can be harnessed to do his bidding. He has got his patent, 
 his invention, and his faith. As with Morse, Congress 
 is afraid to "establish a precedent," and so another in- 
 ventor goes begging his way, perhaps to immortal fame. 
 
 Olivia. 
 
ON THE PROMENADE. 
 
 A Saturday Holiday With Its Strollers And 
 Equipages. 
 
 Washington, April 22, 1872. 
 
 Spring, though laggard, has at last smiled upon Wash- 
 ington. Once more the bosom of Mother Earth has yield- 
 ed up the frost and the baby vegetation wears a smiling 
 face. No longer the cold, bitter winds smite the way- 
 farer, for the king of the season has tempered their edge. 
 Saturday afternoon at the capital is a holiday. Congress 
 usually adjourns from Friday until Monday. Not always 
 the Senate, but the House, which is a much harder- 
 worked body, necessarily must have a short respite for 
 breathing time, although it is claimed by the members 
 that the last day of the week is the hardest of them all. 
 A Senator who holds his position for six years can afford 
 to take more or less ease ; but a member who has only two 
 years to serve, if he has any ambition or talent, is about 
 the hardest-worked man in the nation. He has the super- 
 human effort to perform of making himself felt in Con- 
 gress ; at the same time he must manage to keep the peace 
 at home. The majority of them know there are men in 
 their districts as gifted as themselves, who are working 
 out the problem of rotation in office. So when Saturday 
 afternoon comes they try to forget their troubles whilst 
 riding up and down Pennsylvania avenue, with the smoke 
 of cigars issuing from their lips; but only the women 
 suffragists envy this deceitful happiness. 
 
 Smoothly the carriage moves over the faultless pave- 
 ment. Some of the members are wealthy enough to own 
 their own "turnouts," but these seem to have simply been 
 purchased for their comfort, for there is scarcely any- 
 20 (305) 
 
306 the: OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 thing about them suggestive of display. The carriage of 
 Mrs. Secretary Fish is of the plainest and most comforta- 
 ble description. It might have belonged to some Knicker- 
 bocker relative of a past generation, so prim and respect- 
 able it seems. Even the wheels have an aristocratic roll, 
 entirely unlike the little plebeian satin-lined concerns of 
 the parz'cnues which have been called into existence in the 
 same way that Cinderella's faiiy god-mother changed the 
 nut-shells and mice. 
 
 When the Avenue was first lined with Nicholson pave- 
 ment the carriages of the "first families" were seen rolling 
 over it. In those days the "thoroughbreds" belonging to 
 the President were seen stretching their graceful limbs 
 in contrast to the fast-trotting bays owned by Sir Edward 
 Thornton. The carriages of the foreign ministers were 
 then displayed in all their glory. The most magnificent 
 were usually occupied by the South American ministers. 
 The representative of Peru could be seen in the daintiest 
 affair, lined with white satin. The body of the carriage is 
 rounded and the top opened in the centre, and when 
 thrown back it seemed to disclose a huge bird's nest, and 
 the white satin in the distance bore a striking resemblance 
 to eider down. Altogether it looked like a portable nest 
 filled with the rarest birds of a tropical clime, whilst 
 coachman and footman in the most gorgeous livery com- 
 pleted one of the handsomest pictures of a. Saturday after- 
 noon. 
 
 Another elegant establishment might have been noticed 
 — a luxurious carriage, with its light-bay prancing thor- 
 oughbreds attached. On the creamy cushions, with their 
 costly white lap-robe, was seated a solitary woman in 
 the earliest stages of the winter of life. She usually wore 
 a white carriage costume — nothing but white from the 
 snowy ostrich tip to the Paris kids that encased her slen- 
 der fingers. Who is it? A wealthy New York widow, 
 too wise to be ensnared by fortune hunters, and not a re- 
 markably shining target for arrows of the other kind. 
 
THI5 OLIVIA Ll^TTERS 3^7 
 
 111 those days not so very far remote the carriage of 
 Senator Chandler might have attracted attention, espe- 
 cially if the superbly dressed madame and her accom- 
 plished daughter were securely inclosed within. But, 
 alas ! alas ! the creme de la crcme no longer patronize the 
 Nicholson pavement. This is given up to the blonde- 
 haired beauties, fast youths, and tipsy Congressmen. The 
 sunny side of the Avenue has become the fashionable 
 promenade. What a changing human kaleidoscope ! 
 
 Here comes Secretary Robeson with his substantial 
 bride. One feels like lowering the mainsail of conversa- 
 tion in time to salute the jolly consort and tender as they 
 go sailing down the river of human life. 
 
 This is the Hon. Eugene Hale, of Maine, with his 
 graceful new wife. Would the ladies know how the rich- 
 est heiress in Washington is attired? In plain black cash- 
 mere and a simple straw hat. 
 
 And this is the Hon. Benjamin F. Butler, one of our 
 most famous citizens, but so changed for the better that 
 his nearest friends scarce recognize him. The time has 
 been when General Butler was dubbed "belligerent," but 
 this must have been when he was in the active fermenta- 
 tion of life. To-day the dregs have settled to the bot- 
 tom. The froth and scum were all whisked off in that 
 last Massachusetts campaign. Nothing but the rich, gen- 
 erous body remains. Even the famous Don Piatt can 
 find no peg to hang a fault on; besides, the General is 
 growing handsome, for the beauty of the spirit lights up 
 the countenance, and this is the truest type of perfection. 
 
 A slender and exceedingly graceful man hurries by — a 
 gentleman whom the wicked types made us call in our 
 last letter "Sunset Cox." We never applied any such ap- 
 pellation to this gentleman, and for this reason we call at- 
 tention to this correction. We have no personal acquaint- 
 ance with the Hon. S. S. Cox, but men, like greenbacks, 
 pass in Washington for just about what they are worth. 
 There is nothing about this Congressman to remind one 
 
308 The OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 of sunset, unless it is the brilliant coloring of his mind. 
 This is the term which envy and malice have fastened 
 upon him ; and this uncourteous term cannot be made to 
 foreshadow his decline. Although he has not reached the 
 noontide of life, he is one of the readiest debaters, one of 
 the most eloquent and pleasing speakers, a fascinating 
 writer, and in every sense of the word an accomplished 
 man. If this is "sunset," may we have a little more of it 
 in Congress, for we believe in men instead of parties, and 
 when women vote we shall not stop to ask "Is he a Re- 
 publican?" "Is he a Democrat?" but we shall propound 
 the awful question, "Who is the man ?" 
 
 Yonder comes Mrs. Cresswell, clinging to the arm of 
 the Postmaster-General — a pretty, petite woman, but not 
 quite strong enough to stamp her impression on the age. 
 And yet women who' have only social qualities upon 
 which they can rely are remembered long after their 
 thrones are crumbled into dust. 
 
 To-day Mrs. Crittenden, of Kentucky, has her shrine in 
 Washington. Her manners are quoted like the speeches 
 of Clay or Webster. "Tell me," inquired the writer of an 
 elderly lady who was blessed with an excellent memory, 
 "what made Mrs. Crittenden so famous ?" 
 
 "I am sure I cannot tell, unless it was because she 
 treated the poorest slaves as though they were ladies and 
 gentlemen." Olivia. 
 
CHARLES SUMNER. 
 
 An Interview in the Workshop oe the Veteran 
 Statesman. 
 
 Washington, April 15, 1873. 
 
 This article is not written with the attempt to portray- 
 that which makes Charles Sumner the central figure of 
 the American Senate. No woman possesses the gift to 
 explore his mind. Yet there may be those who read The 
 Press who feel an interest in the material part of his na- 
 ture, and who would like to know something about his 
 every-day life — how he looks, how he appears, and the 
 impression he makes upon the womanhood of the day. 
 The so-called gentle sex are convened in secret now, and 
 men are not supposed to hear what we say. We will ex- 
 amine Charles Sumner in the same way that we would a 
 picture, whilst his fine house and exquisite surroundings 
 may be called the frame. Stand a little way off, because 
 light is needed, and remember he is seen to the best ad- 
 vantage in what he terms his "work-room." 
 
 An easy chair high enough to support the head is 
 drawn before the open grate, and its capacious depths re- 
 flect the majestic figure of Mirabeau, but the face was de- 
 signed by his Maker expressly for Charles Sumner. It is 
 one of the best living pictures that foreshadows the ex- 
 ceeding grace of autumn. The sense of harmony in its 
 highest embodiment is fulfilled ; but the vision is neutral- 
 tinted with all the scarlet glory left out. Even the long 
 dressing-gown with its heavy tassels is soft, bluish-gray. 
 
 In scanning the features you realize that the artist has 
 been trying to follow the classical order of art. You see 
 it in the royal head crowned by its abundant gray hair, in 
 the oval face, and the clear eyes which, if you watch 
 
 (309) 
 
3IO THD oiwiviA i,i;tti:rs 
 
 closely, you can catch a glimpse of the soul within. Ob- 
 serve the Greek nose, and finely moulded lips, which are 
 never used except to make the world wiser and better. 
 Now add the manners of an English lord and an improve- 
 ment on the polish of the Chesterfieldian age, and we have 
 the picture of the simple American gentleman. 
 
 The difference between spending a morning with 
 Charles Sumner or learning about him through the news- 
 papers is like quenching our thirst at a fountain at Sara- 
 toga or procuring some of the elixir at a drug store. It 
 may be that your apothecary is honest, and that you are 
 imbibing genuine Congress water, and then again perhaps 
 you are the victim of misplaced information. With his 
 permission, let us make a visit to that model "work- 
 room," because Charles Sumner will take us into the com- 
 pany of the famous people of the world. He will tell us 
 about meeting George Eliot at a dinner party, or about 
 his being on the same ship with George Sand. Then we 
 can say to him with enthusiasm : "Tell us about this won- 
 derful George Eliot. How old is she? Whom does she 
 look like, and don't you think her the greatest intellect 
 represented by the womanhood of the present day?" 
 
 "I think her a great woman, perhaps the greatest, but 
 time must decide all things connected with fame. I have 
 a picture amongst my engravings very much like her, so 
 much so that it would answer very well for her portrait." 
 
 The picture is found. It represents I^orenzo de Medici, 
 and is ugly to the last degree. 
 
 "Not like that. No! It cannot be possible that her 
 face is as wide as it is long; that these are her eyes, that 
 her nose, that her mouth — why, this is the face you see 
 looking out of the moon !" 
 
 "It may be a plain face," says Mr. Sumner, "but then 
 it is so strong and noticeable, a face once seen that will 
 never be forgotten." 
 
 "But her hair is cut short like a man's." 
 
 "That is a matter of taste. You see at a glance that she 
 
tut oiviviA i,e:tte;rs 311 
 
 lacks vanity, which is another sign of a great woman. I 
 also met Mr. Lewes, her husband, at the same time. He is 
 noted for his German studies, but he is not so eminent as 
 his wife." 
 
 "About her age, Mr. Sumner?" 
 
 "That is a very hard point to settle, but without flattery 
 I should think her beyond 50." 
 
 "Beyond 50, and still writing the best love stories that 
 the world enjoys?" 
 
 "Why not? Genius never grows old." 
 
 "But about George Sand?" 
 
 "I met this famous woman many years agO' on a 
 steamer. We were going from Marseilles to Genoa. 
 Among the passengers this woman in particular attracted 
 my attention, because she held by the hand a very beauti- 
 ful child. I have never observed such hair on a child's 
 head. It was the real gold in color, and fell tO' his 
 knees, not in curls, but in waves. The lady wore the 
 Spanish costume. I now recall her Spanish mantilla. She 
 was short, we might call her thick-set, not handsome, yet 
 holding her child by the hand. I had a curiosity to find 
 out her name. She was accompanied by a tall, slender 
 gentleman. They kept aloof from the other passengers, 
 and seemed to find society enough in each other. Upon 
 inquiry I found her to be the celebrated George Sand. At 
 that time she was a topic of conversation everywhere. 
 She made a very distinct impression on my mind. She 
 was comparatively a young woman. On board the same 
 ship I was interested in two other passengers. This time 
 it was quite an aged couple. The old gentleman carried 
 his gold-headed cane and bustled around as if it was his 
 mission to entertain everybody. One would almost think 
 that he thought himself in his own house and the people 
 around him his guests. His aged wife was at his side, 
 helping in the good work. I noticed a respect shown 
 them which age alone cannot always command. I soon 
 learned the man to be one of Charles the Tenth's Minis- 
 
312 THE OUVIA I^KTTERS 
 
 ters, I am not quite certain which, but I think his minister 
 of finance. I shall always remember the extreme courtesy 
 and politeness of these old people and their endeavors to 
 make everybody happy around them." 
 
 "Did they talk to George Sand ?" 
 
 "No ! for the lady and her cavalier kept to themselves, 
 and did not seem to need any exertions in their favor." 
 
 In the conversation about the private lives of writers, 
 a query came up of this kind : "Will a woman of good 
 judgment marry a man fifteen years younger than her- 
 self?" 
 
 "I shall have to refer you to Mr. Disraeli. I know that 
 to have been a very happy marriage. I met Mr. Disraeli 
 and his wife at Munich, when they were on their wedding 
 tour. At the principal hotel we met at the breakfast table. 
 Mr. Disraeli sat by the side of his newly made wife. He 
 might have been, or at least looked, about 30 years old. 
 His intensely black hair smoothed to perfection. At that 
 time he had become famous as an author. Everything 
 seemed noticeably new about him. Mrs. Disraeli appeared 
 like a kind-hearted, middle-aged English woman, and Dis- 
 raeli seemed the one to carry the idea that he had drawn 
 the prize. Time has shown how devoted they were to 
 each other. In the last few months we hear of his walk- 
 ing by her side and supporting her tenderly. She must 
 have been nearly, if not quite, 80. In my opinion Disraeli 
 is one of the most remarkable men of this age when we 
 remember the obstacles he had to overcome to reach the 
 position he occupies in England. The prejudice which 
 exists there against his Jewish faith alone is enough to 
 chill the most ambitious." 
 
 A book was drawn from a side table which had been 
 printed in 1460. It was in the German language, and, 
 with one exception, it is as perfect as a book published 
 yesterday. Its binding would shame our best modern 
 work. 
 
 "This," said the man in gray, "reminds me of a con- 
 
THE OIvIVIA I.KTTKRS 313 
 
 versation I once had with Macaulay, as well as an inci- 
 dent of ni}^ school-boy days. The master once said to the 
 scholars, 'Can any of you tell me in which year printing 
 was invented?' No answer. 'Remember, children, it 
 was the year which contains the figure 4 three times.' 
 The small brains were greatly puzzled. At last one little 
 fellow answers '1444.' When I grew older I tried to 
 ascertain the proof of this ; but I have never been able to 
 find which year printing was invented. It was somewhere 
 about 1450, and, from all I can learn, I am inclined at 
 times to think the Dutch instead o-f the Germans made this 
 discovery. I remember a long talk I had with Macaulay 
 on this subject. I was on the side of the Dutch ; he was 
 for the Germans. At last he proposed that we should 
 adjourn to the British Museum and search the authorities, 
 and have this weighty matter decided. I did not go, but 
 I have always regretted it. We all remember Macaulay's 
 Essay on Milton. I think it ranks with the best of his 
 writings ; yet he told me that he regretted nothing so 
 much as its publication ; and this proves the incompetency 
 of authors to judge their own works." 
 
 We spoke about the changing seasons of human life, 
 and the writer asked the statesman a question which lies 
 very near to every woman's soul. 
 
 "Is beauty confined tO' one period of our existence? In- 
 fancy and childhood are only promises; the summer is 
 something more; but give me the golden reality of Octo- 
 ber or the bracing chill of a December landscape if the 
 intellectual powers are not on the wane." 
 
 "I have known beauty to go with the years, but this I 
 fear is the exception, not the rule. One of the handsomest 
 women I ever knew was the mother of Lord Brougham. 
 At the time I met her she must have been over 80 years 
 of age. I was then quite a boy, and abroad for the first 
 time, and met with the kindness to be invited to the castle 
 of this nobleman. The manners and figure of Mrs. 
 Brougham betrayed none of the decrepitude of age. I 
 
314 '''hi: ouvia i.i:tters 
 
 never shall forget her extreme kindness and efforts to 
 entertain a young American. I remember that amongst 
 other things she brought the bag which her son wore at 
 the time he was Lord High Chancellor. This bag is worn 
 around the neck of this exalted officer of the British Gov- 
 ernment. It is an elaborate affair, made of silk, gold 
 lace, and embroidery. When the Lord Chancellor goes 
 into the official presence of his sovereign this bag rests 
 upon his breast, and it contains the petitions which the 
 loyal subjects desire to be laid before the throne. Every 
 new Chancellor must have a new bag, and these are al- 
 ways retained as the precious heirlooms of the famil)^ 
 The great seal of England is always kept in the bottom of 
 this bag. Lord Brougham's mother related an incident 
 connected with this small affair of silken embroidery : 
 
 " 'When my son Henry was in the presence of the King 
 this bag was crammed full of petitions, and he became 
 very tired taking them out. At last he said, T hope this 
 bag will soon be emptied.' 
 
 " ' "Empty it of everything except the great seal of 
 England," said his majesty.' " 
 
 But the picture which illustrates the man is not com- 
 pleted, and newspaper letters must come to an end. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
WOMAN'S INFLUENCE FOR GOOD. 
 Shaping Ldgisi^ation for the District oe Coi^umbia. 
 
 Washington, April 2p, iSys- 
 
 Before the present form of government was inaug- 
 urated, Washington, in every respect, resembled a gam- 
 bling or watering spa. A session of Congress might be 
 termed "the season." It was called a city through court- 
 esy, because in reality it was only a straggling, awkward 
 village. The brute creation traversed its streets, whilst 
 forlorn pedestrians picked their way over disjointed side- 
 walks. The greater proportion of its people were made 
 up of "birds of passage." The citizen proper, if caught, 
 was found to belong to one or the other of the two ex- 
 tremes of the social scak. He might be of the line of 
 Lord Baltimore, with the blue blood of a foreign aristoc- 
 racy coursing through his attenuated frame; but the 
 chances are that he was some poor artisan or shopkeeper, 
 who picked up a precarious living existing on the double- 
 distilled crumbs which fell from Uncle Sam's table. 
 
 Washington had no such electric life as Philadelphia 
 enjoys, imparted to her by her commerce and manufac- 
 tures. When Congress expired, the city, like a lazy bear, 
 snuggled down to its long, snoozey sleep, and when wak- 
 ing-time came, like poor Bruin, it found nothing left but 
 its claws. In its famished condition it took a great many 
 strangers and Congressmen to fill the aching void. But 
 gone are the lawmakers and Credit Mobiliers ! Vanished 
 the bare shoulders and Paris frippery ! But Washington, 
 newly baptized and regenerated, takes her place in the 
 long line of sister cities whose foundations are securely 
 laid by the strong hands of her permanent citizens. 
 
 Yesterday our new legislature met for the third time. 
 
 (31S) 
 
3l6 TH^ OWVIA I.KTTKRS 
 
 The hall consecrated to the delegates and members of 
 the council was filled with well-dressed, fine-looking men, 
 adorned with shining beavers and immaculate boots. 
 They occupied all available space on the floor; they 
 poured over long flights of stairs, and spread out in a 
 broad expanse of human life on the pavement below. 
 "These," said a bystander, "are taxpayers of the Dis- 
 trict," and the response came quick, "This is the real 
 Washington, wide-awake!" 
 
 In an upper room of the same building at the same hour 
 the council meet. This nice little body is called together 
 by the governor, a president is then elected who presides 
 during the session, and altogether considerable honor is 
 evoked from a small outlay, and in the meantime the 
 siestas and summer comforts of the principal heads of the 
 government need not be disturbed. 
 
 Below, in the house of delegates, the excitement deep- 
 ens. The opposing candidates seem to have equal 
 strength. The fight is all within the limits of one party. 
 The three Democrats look around as innocently as if they 
 were not inwardly praying for the fate of the Kilkenny 
 cats to overtake their opponents. Two women are seen, 
 each with a delegate fastened securely by the buttonhole. 
 They are both genuine ladies — one being the wife of a 
 leading United States Senator, the other known in Wash- 
 ington and elsewhere for her disinterested labors in 
 behalf of the poor and unfortunate of her own sex. 
 What does it all mean? One of the gentle lobbyists is 
 interrogated : 
 
 "We have two men up as candidates for speaker ; one 
 is a good husband and father. He is with us in all our 
 works of reform. He believes in" doing as much for 
 women as for men. The other is bad — just as bad as he 
 can be. He loves women because they are women." 
 
 "Isn't that every man's fault?" 
 
 "Oh, yes ! but just look at him. He believes in keeping 
 
The OLIVIA LETTERS 317 
 
 US women down, denying us the rights which the Creator 
 designed for us." 
 
 "If we are to judge men by their looks I cannot see 
 where the other candidate has the advantage. They both 
 look as if they didn't exactly realize the difference be- 
 tween women and peaches." 
 
 The woman continued : "I know one to be a good man, 
 and I am going to work for him. Excuse me, here comes 
 one of the doubtful delegates. I must speak to him." 
 
 The delegate is arrested in his onward flight, and 
 proves to be one of the ablest men in the house, as well as 
 an accomplished gentleman. 
 
 "I learn, Mr. H , that you are going to desert us?" 
 
 "Desert the ladies ? — never 1" 
 
 "I mean that you are going for Shepherd ?" 
 
 "That is another thing. I have thought the matter 
 over seriously, and whilst I don't approve of all the deeds 
 done by the board of public works, upon the whole I must 
 give them my hearty support." 
 
 "But you know my candidate is a good man." 
 
 The tall, handsome biped looked down on the little 
 woman, and his eyes twinkled whilst he said : "We are 
 all good men." 
 
 At this moment the other candidate came up — the poor, 
 bad man who had no woman like Mungo Park to bring 
 him milk and grind him corn. 
 
 "You know, Mr. Shepherd, that I have opposed you 
 from the start. I have been doing all I could; I don't 
 deny it." 
 
 The great, sharp, w^hite teeth close over the red under 
 lip, as if a laugh must be strangled regardless of conse- 
 quences. 
 
 "I know it; but I cannot understand your opposition. 
 I love the ladies ; I always have." 
 
 "That may be ; but you opposed our movement. When 
 you were editor of the Republican you made fun of me." 
 
3l8 THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 "But you must know an editor cannot oversee every- 
 thing that goes into his paper." 
 
 "But the tone of the paper I complain of." 
 
 "I do not oppose the movement of reform, but I earn- 
 estly object to the manner in which you intend to bring it 
 about! but I must go. I hope you will think better of 
 me," and the jolly figiu'e and winning face disappears. 
 
 The delegate who spoke so- earnestly in favor of the 
 board of public works pauses to be introduced to the Sen- 
 ator's wife. As he is about to depart the writer asked his 
 opinion in regard to woman coming tO' such a place to in- 
 fluence "legislation." 
 
 "I rather like it." 
 
 "Do not let your gallantry get the better of truth. For 
 my part I oppose it, for this reason, we accomplish 
 nothing. Every Samson on this floor ought to have had 
 his ambrosial locks sheared before he came here. Would 
 the old Scriptural giant have held still in public whilst 
 that sly puss, Delilah, was engaged in her artistic work ? 
 
 "I cannot think of anything that would tempt me to be 
 found here to influence legislation. I came with my pen 
 to make a picture for The Press, just as I shall gO' to the 
 Virginia hills, with my pencil and portfolio, when the 
 weather becomes fine." 
 
 "This is a serious subject; but I am inclined to ask the 
 women to go with us wherever we are obliged to go. I 
 have had a good deal to do with politics since the new 
 government was inaugurated, and we have had some 
 pretty stormy times. We have had our meetings broken 
 up with howls and hootings, and it seemed as if anarchy 
 had come. One night we called a meeting in one of the 
 worst wards of the city, where we had all along been able 
 to accomplish little or nothing. I knew something out of 
 the ordinary way must be done. So a short time before 
 the call was made I gave out that upon such an evening 
 there would be a meeting at a certain church in the neigh- 
 borhood ; that a portion of the gallery would be set aside 
 
the: OLIVIA IvKTTKRS 319 
 
 for the ladies. The colored men were especially invited 
 to bring their wives and daughters. I then called upon 
 my political friends and told them how matters stood, and 
 urged them to tell their wives what we were trying tO' do. 
 The ladies, God bless them ! put on their Sunday bonnets 
 and good dresses and came out; the colored women did 
 the same, and the meeting in that ward was the event o£ 
 the season. Everything passed off pleasantly, and we 
 went home better men." 
 
 "According to your story, not quite all of you are good 
 men." 
 
 "Yes ; in the presence of some women we are all good 
 men ; the night I have been talking about proves it." 
 
 All this took place before the gavel sounded. When 
 the last blow fell, Edwin L. Stanton arose in his seat and 
 called the assembly together. From various directions 
 came twenty-two men differing in race, color, condition, 
 and servitude. The tall, haughty Caucasian, with his thin 
 nostril and flowing beard, was followed by the inky Afri- 
 can so lately held in bondage; but the procession was fin- 
 ished by the chain which the Almighty has forged to bind 
 the white parent to the black one in the shape of a man in 
 bronze. In the solemn stillness a semi-circle was formed, 
 and twenty-two right hands pointed upward whilst Jus- 
 tice Carter administered the oath to support the Consti- 
 tution. Whilst the Judge was reading, the circle began to 
 melt, and when he came to the part which relates tO' the 
 taking of bribes in exchange for votes, every white man 
 and black man had disappeared. But that most solemn 
 obligation was to be subscribed to by a solitary mortal 
 who stood like a fixed star in his place. Down on your 
 knees to the man who stands by the right! God help us ! 
 It was the man in bronze. Olivia. 
 
THE KING REUNIONS. 
 Attractive Gatherings oe the Nation's Celebrities. 
 
 Washington, February ii, 18/4. 
 
 On a vein leading off the great artery of Seventh street 
 may be seen a modest mansion of four stories, yet better 
 known and more highly appreciated in this curious city 
 than far more pretentious piles of brick and mortar. For 
 more than a quarter of a century the occupant of that 
 point of the compass has clung to this spot and proved to 
 the country that the character and qualities of an Ameri- 
 can citizen, independent of his opinions, decide his stand- 
 ing in the community. Belonging to the old Democratic 
 regime, yet always opposed to slavery, like President 
 Grant, he conceived the idea that it was best "to^ unload to 
 save the party." When a member of Mr. Buchanan's 
 Cabinet, he wrote a letter to Secretary Toucey, which 
 should be printed to-day, to show the people that the 
 country is safe in the hands of men of high character, 
 irrespective of race, color, creed or politics. 
 
 Let us modestly ask what draws the intellectual cream 
 to the modest house 707 H street? The press, artists, 
 scholars, travelers, the President, members of the Cabi- 
 net, and the portable brains of both branches of Congress ; 
 the real heads of the Departments; the cultivated and 
 most highly appreciated of our Washington citizens, go 
 there as the "faithful" enter a Mahommedan mosque. 
 The eye is not dazzled with satin and ebony. The feast or 
 collation is invisible. Would you know the secret, reader ? 
 The master and his daughter are the magnets, and this 
 is the explanation. A certain human quality is possessed 
 by the Hon. Horatio King unlike the usual gems which 
 comprise our national crown jewels. He is the only in- 
 (320) 
 
The: oIvIVia LETTERS 321 
 
 stance of the kind since our Government was founded 
 where a man began with the lowest clerkship, salary 
 $1,000 per year, and was promoted step by step, without 
 political influence, simply by the force of integrity of char- 
 acter, until he stood on the last round, a full-fledged Cab- 
 inet minister. It was his mind that moulded, in a great 
 measure, our foreign postal relations as they existed a 
 few years ago. In manner he reminds one of the late 
 William H. Seward, possessing in a remarkable degree 
 the same simplicity, dignity, and grace. Now add the 
 courtliness of the English nobleman without the conde- 
 scension, and the role is filled. This delightful compound 
 makes the highest title a citizen can win. It is called the 
 true American gentleman. 
 
 And the daughter, Mrs. Annie King, for though a 
 widow she retains the family name. Who^ remembers 
 Miss Harriet Lane when she presided at the White House, 
 her regal manners, her queenly beauty, her high tone of 
 character ? The sun by day or the moon by night would 
 as soon be a subject for the scandalmonger as the accom- 
 plished niece of the President. Have we any such women 
 left in Washington ? It is true they are rare, but they are 
 here, just as diamonds of the first water are found in re- 
 mote parts of the earth. The portrait of Mrs. King bears 
 a striking resemblance to those of Miss Harriet Lane 
 taken when she was "the leading lady of the land." Mrs. 
 King is the favorite "American lacly" with the foreign 
 legations. Her residence abroad made her familiar with 
 the French language, which she speaks as fluently as Eng- 
 lish. Some great writer has said "that all we have to 
 show for the civilization of five thousand years is the dif- 
 ference between a wigwam and a lady's parlor." Let us 
 beg to differ with the man who wrote that. At least, be- 
 fore the writer gave such a final decision about civiliza- 
 tion, he should have come to Washington and attended 
 a President's levee, a Cabinet crush, and then beached 
 himself high and dry at 707 H street. 
 
322 the: OLIVIA le:tte:rs 
 
 In the early part of the nineteenth century, the French 
 painter, Gerard, who was a resident of Paris, opened his 
 salon and held what he termed "reunions." To these 
 gatherings came all that was refined, elegant, and distin- 
 guished at this gayest of capitals. Gerard's salon con- 
 sisted of a floor of four rooms, with an ante-room. At 12 
 o'clock he gave his guests a cup of tea and the same ever- 
 lasting cakes, says Madame Ancelot, the whole year 
 round. Monsieur Gerard had no help from his wife so 
 far as the entertainment was concerned, for she took her 
 seat at a whist table and kept it until the last guest was 
 gone. But Gerard's "reunions" became known all over 
 Europe, for the man had the talent to draw all that was 
 celebrated in literature, science, and art to his humble 
 headquarters. "From Madame de Stael down to Mile. 
 Mars, from Talleyrand and Pozzo di Borgo down to M. 
 Thiers, there were no celebrities, male or female, that 
 during thirty years (from 1805 to 1835) did not flock to 
 Gerard's house, and all, no matter how different might 
 be their characters or position, agreed in the same opin- 
 ion as to their host." 
 
 Monsieur Gerard termed his modest entertainments 
 "reunions," and this must be the original from whence the 
 Hon. Horatio King took the name. Transplanted, it 
 flourishes at our own crude capital. 
 
 At the last Saturday evening "reunion" Grace Green- 
 wood in her inimitable way, gave us dramatic readings in 
 costume. Her personations exceeded anything the writer 
 has seen either on the stage or in private life. Charlotte 
 Cushman, Fanny Kemble, Scott Siddons, last but not 
 least, our own Grace Greenwood, make all the stars of the 
 first magnitude that we have now in this particular heaven 
 of genius. Attorney-General Williams says that "he 
 looks upon Grace Greenwood as the best writer and the 
 most gifted woman in the country." This decision is 
 legal, and may be considered final. Years ago the great 
 and good Horace Mann said that she was not only the 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 323 
 
 most gifted, but that she was "the most beautiful woman 
 he had ever seen;" and his passion for her in youthful 
 days was as pure as though she had been a disembodied 
 spirit. It is so rare that beauty and genius are wedded to 
 one soul. In the opinion of the writer, Grace Greenwood 
 is a handsomer woman at 50 than in the "long ago." It is 
 the difference between the budding green of April and 
 the garnered glory of September. If her portrait was 
 taken as she stands before us to-day and hung in the 
 Corcoran gallery, the spectator would say, "This must 
 be a Roman matron who lived before the pall of the 
 Middle Ages darkened the earth." How does she look? 
 A brunette of the purest type, with clear-cut features, sor- 
 rowful, inquiring eyes, that shine as though a quench- 
 less flame burned somewhere in the solitude of her own 
 soul. There are some pictures which are burned into 
 the human mind. We shall never forget her persona- 
 tion of "Over the Hills to the Poor House," one of Carle- 
 ton's poems. The poverty-stricken outfit, the worn car- 
 pet-bag, the iron-bowed spectacles, the gray hair. When 
 the propriety of "readings" was canvassed at Plymouth 
 Church, Henry Ward Beecher said, "Object to it! I 
 never object to one of the best sermons that can be 
 preached." From the highest to the humblest of that 
 goodly company scarce a dry eye was to be seen. Then 
 she told us what Miss Tattle, from Buttonville, saw at 
 a "Rejective Session of the Senate." This was followed 
 by that which proves man to have been the only "created 
 laughing animal." 
 
 Among those who enjoyed the delightful evening were 
 Mrs. Senator Stewart, the daughter of ex-Senator Foote, 
 as all the world knows who reads the newspapers. Mrs. 
 Stewart has recently returned from abroad and brought 
 back with her the polish of Continental Europe. Perhaps 
 she has returned with only that which she took away, for 
 she has the same frank, winning address that used to 
 distinguish Madame Slidell, and which is seen in the high- 
 est state of perfection in Madame Le Vert, who was 
 also present. 
 
324 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 What is that quahty which makes the Northern and 
 Southern women so unhke? It cannot be tasted. It can- 
 not be described. It is the same kind of difference which 
 exists between a white, mealy Northern potato and a 
 Southern yam ; a Baldwin apple and a banana in the 
 Northern woods and Southern jungle — ^but only a man's 
 descriptive powers can do this subject justice. 
 
 Mrs. Attorney-General Williams was there, most 
 talked about, most superb woman, in some respects, in 
 Washington. One of your Cleopatras. Such a creation 
 requires a separate paper, just as some gems must have a 
 solitaire setting. And there was Mary S. Nealy, so well- 
 known in letters and art at the capital. There was Mrs. 
 Ames, the amiable and accomplished daughter of the Sec- 
 retary of the Interior, as well as the widow of the late 
 Admiral Dahlgren, who by the way, is fast earning a 
 place in literature by her perseverance and talent. Pos- 
 sessing an ample fortune, a leader in the fashionable 
 world whenever she chooses to reign, yet, like Lady Jane 
 Grey, she chooses the solitude of the scholar, and delights 
 in the labor of her pen. But newspaper letters must come 
 to an end, because there is no space to write what might 
 be said about the gentlemen who were there. Attorney- 
 General Williams and Senator Stewart alone are as much 
 as one newspaper can carry, if all their good deeds are 
 related. So this will end with a little paper which Mr. 
 King read between the "acts." He said it had been 
 "picked up in the hall," in all probability where he 
 dropped it. 
 
 "The Graces. 
 
 "By grace divine we come together here, 
 To pass the time in pleasure and good cheer; 
 To study all the graces that adorn 
 The maiden fair or widow 'all forlorn,' 
 The grace of speech, of music, and of song, 
 The grace of conversation, short or long. 
 But name the graces, these and all the rest, 
 Grace Greenwood is the grace we love the best." 
 
 Olivia. 
 
CARL SCHURZ. 
 
 A Fie;ld Day in the Senate and Stelear Attrac- 
 tions. 
 
 Washington, February 26, 1874. 
 
 Yesterday was termed what is called a "field day" in 
 the Senate. The opposing forces which go^ to make up 
 the intellectual aggregate of this highest legislative body 
 met in combat, and the whole nation is wide awake as to 
 the result. Two men, both claiming to be Republican 
 Senators, both as ambitious as the Evil One when he led 
 Christ to the mountain-top, engaged in an intellectual 
 hand-to-hand fight, but let it be recorded that Senator 
 Morton alone lost his amiable temper. But who ever saw 
 a chained tiger that did not lose his temper? Physically 
 speaking, no twO' men could appear more dissimilar. 
 When Carl Schurz is seen sitting in his seat he does not 
 impress the spectator with the idea of a tall man. But 
 when he rises you wonder when his head will stop going 
 up towards the clouds. After he has "towered" to a 
 certain altitude, and all the links and kinks and hinges 
 seem straightened, he gives his shoulders another twist 
 upward, as much as to say, "Shades of the mighty Schil- 
 ler! if one only could touch the top of space!" Then 
 there is a shake of the long, brown, curling locks as a lion 
 tosses his mane, for all the royal animals of creation use 
 similar signs and symbols. The mouth opens. It is not 
 a growl. The ear is greeted with the sweetest and soft- 
 est strains of the human voice. Who has ever read Oli- 
 ver Wendell Holmes' description of those velvet and flute- 
 like tones that ravish the soul like the heavenly melodies 
 of Beethoven? Carl Schurz has a voice like the wind 
 sighing through the sugar cane, and his classical English 
 
 (325) 
 
326 th^ OI.IVIA i.e;tti:rs 
 
 floats in a sea of rhythmical measure. In manner this 
 distinguished German orator would not attract notice for 
 either awkwardness or grace. The personality of the 
 man is lost, because the mind is fully engaged in follow- 
 ing his subtle thread of argument, which is fairly em- 
 broidered with pearls of thought. "I love America ! I be- 
 lieve in her people! I have faith in her great future! 
 But America must be honest. She must be true to ever- 
 lasting principle. Parties, fashions, men, pass away, but 
 incorruptible integrity, whether applied tO' nations or in- 
 dividuals, remains the same in all ages, from the begin- 
 ning to the end of time." 
 
 These words, as near as the writer can remember, were 
 meant to bear upon the inflation of the currency. He 
 wishes to have our greenbacks fixed upon a foundation 
 so that our money will have a permanent value. In 
 other words, he says a dollar of the national currency 
 is worth eighty-eight cents to-day; six months hence it 
 may be worth seventy cents value in gold or silver. He 
 believes that a nation like this ought to fix our money 
 in such a shape that the people cannot be at the mercy of 
 the sharpers of Wall street and Boston. Why should the 
 great American Republic have a fluctuating currency? 
 Is it because our greenbacks are only promises to pay, 
 and that the Republic may become a defaulter in the end, 
 therefore the nation's notes are in a certain way just like 
 the private citizen's? This mighty problem of finance 
 requires a kind of statesmanship which has not been 
 brought into the arena of politics during this session of 
 Congress. Carl Schurz says if we make more currency 
 that which we already have will be depreciated. 
 
 Whilst Carl Schurz was addressing the vast audience, 
 Senator Morton had turned in his seat so that he sat fac- 
 ing the orator. Not a word that fell from the speaker's 
 lips were lost to this highly gifted product of the great 
 State of Indiana, most noticeable and in one sense the 
 most interesting member of the United States Senate. We 
 
the; ouvia letters 327 
 
 have all read the story in the "Arabian Nights," where 
 the men of a certain city had become sO' powerful and so 
 very naughty that the genii had to do something that 
 would not destroy the men for all usefulness yet would 
 prevent any outbursts of wickedness or folly. So he 
 touched them all with the enchanter's wand at some point 
 below the shoulder blades. Instantly the men lost the 
 power of locomotion. Whilst the upper part of their per- 
 sons were alive, the lower became black marble. But 
 what Senator Morton has lost in one extreme, he has 
 gained in another, for to-day he is the strongest man 
 who attempts to lead in his faction of the Senate. 
 There is something about his head which bears a striking 
 resemblance to the portraits of Webster, and he is thought 
 to be one of the most forcible speakers in the Senate. His 
 arguments are hurled at his opponent as cannon balls fly 
 to kill the enemy. But if he has a hard, rugged, sharp 
 side tOi his intellect, there is another as fascinating as that 
 said to be possessed by Aaron Burr or Mirabeau. Men 
 may not agree with this opinion, because they never can 
 see that point of his character which is revealed to women 
 alone. Men see only the surface of men. It is left to 
 women to go down into the depths and bring up the 
 pearls and coral. 
 
 About the audience that listened to^ Senators Schurz 
 and Morton. There was a large delegation from the 
 House, composed of those whO' have apparently taken the 
 deepest hold of the slippery question of finance. Benja- 
 min Butler was there, flushed, worried, and apparently 
 somewhat worn in his encounter with the committee of 
 Boston, Massachusetts. 
 
 He had just had a conference with them in regard to 
 the collectorship of Boston in his committee room, and 
 told them "hands ofif," and yet he was not happy. They, 
 too, had come over from the House to listen; sharp, 
 keen Puritans, determined as so many bloodhounds. But 
 the nation realizes that when Massachusetts is torn by her 
 
328 The; owvia i.kttkrs 
 
 own intestine broils the rest of the world is safe, the Cen- 
 tennial will flourish, and no possible harm can follow. 
 
 Few men have attracted the notice of the Senate and 
 secured that close attention as did Carl Schurz in his ef- 
 fort of yesterday. Even Senator Sumner laid aside his 
 pen and pushed back his large pile of papers, apparently 
 giving himself up to the fascination of the hour. Senator 
 Mitchell, of Oregon, sat leaning back upon a sofa in a 
 distant corner. He had resigned his Senatorial seat for 
 the time tO' benefit a prominent member of Congress. As 
 he appeared, with the gorgeous walls of the Senate for a 
 background, no finer picture could be found for an artist's 
 copy. Tall, elegant, and graceful, with a singular purity 
 of complexion, his head crowned by a glory of chestnut 
 hair, such as the ancient painters used to delight tO' trans- 
 fer to their canvas, large deep blue eyes, such as Raphael 
 gave his Madonnas. "Fell into trouble with women," 
 said the newspapers. Will water fall when the clouds 
 are moist ? Will labor seek the neighborhood of capital ? 
 Alas ! Will a duck swim ? Senator Mitchell is not to 
 blame because he is the handsomest specimen in the Sen- 
 ate. He did not make himself. Suppose he made mis- 
 takes or committed mischief before the sense of right and 
 justice was crystallized in his mind? Who knows any- 
 thing about the temptations placed before Adonis ? What 
 did Adam do when Eve gave him the apple and told him 
 it would do him good ? It is true the Oregon legislature 
 have never discussed the subject of apples, but they sent 
 Senator Mitchell back indorsed by the highest authority 
 of the State, and he has only to take hold of legislation 
 with heart and soul, and live the same pure and consistent 
 life that he has in the last few years, and the country 
 will honor him as one of her most distinguished sons. 
 
 Who is that leaning back in all that negligent abandon 
 so becoming the occupant of that particular chair? It 
 is the silver Senator of Nevada — the successor of Jim 
 Nye. "Why, the man that wants my place," says Jeems, 
 
TH^ OLIVIA i,ktte;rs 329 
 
 "has a silver mine; do you think I can beat that?" Well, 
 tliere he is, the monarch of the silver mine, watching with 
 closest attention the eloquent speaker. Everything about 
 him looks as if it had a standard value. If he should 
 happen to trip and fall a metallic ring would be heard, 
 just as if a new coin was thrown upon the pavement. A 
 fine-looking man, rather below the medium height, but 
 the most perfect specimen of high and costly living to be 
 seen in the Senate. One can imagine him looking at the 
 world and saying, "I am bound to get all the comfort. 
 My house shall be a palace, my bath shall be champagne !" 
 As yet he has done nothing to make himself felt as an in- 
 tegral part of this august body, but is prized at the capi- 
 tal because he is pleasing in manner, he is a United States 
 Senator, and last but not least, he is a dashing widower 
 with a silver mine attached. Ouvia. 
 
ON CAPITOL HILL. 
 
 A Visit to the Navy Yard — The Carroli. and 
 BuTivKR Residences. 
 
 Washington, September 24, 1814. 
 
 The exclusive aristocracy of Washington is found in 
 that part of the city known as Capitol Hill. Upon the 
 emerald heights crowned with gardens and flowers, the 
 proud old families of ancient lineage occupy their ances- 
 tral acres almost under the dome of our beloved Capitol. 
 Whilst standing on the brow of "the Hill," if the eye is 
 directed southward, the baronial home of the Carrolls 
 scourges the vision with its monastic severity. A wall 
 as round as the arm of beauty encircles the extensive 
 grounds, and the haughty old castle within is a perpetual 
 aggression to the paint, parvenu, and pretence that 
 spread itself at the "West End." The spirit of holiness 
 seems to envelop this elegant home. At certain hours oi 
 the twenty-four the dainty occupants emerge to go upon 
 their rounds of daily charity. Like so many nuns, yet a 
 part of the world, they bear the same relation to modern 
 society at the capital as the old French regime to the 
 Bonaparte reign. Earlier blossoms of the family tree 
 have worn the proudest coronets of England ; and these 
 lovely silver-haired sisters are characterized by the same 
 courtly refinement and queenly grace. To the north, but 
 within a stone's throw of the Capitol, may be seen the pile 
 once known as the city home of General Washington. 
 Within the remembrance of the child of a dozen summers 
 it remained as the great statesman left it, except it had 
 succumbed to the gnawing tooth of Time. The high 
 plateau upon which it was built had in a great measure 
 crumbled. The windows were mostly broken and the 
 (330) 
 
Tut OLIVIA i.etti:rs 331 
 
 chimneys were beginning to fall. But the hand of mod- 
 ern Progress seized it and a pretentious building, made 
 up of the old walls, now marks the site; too large for a 
 boarding-house and too small for a hotel, destitute of 
 kitchens and servants' quarters, useless as a mansion, but 
 splendid as a tomb. But nothing in the great laboratory 
 of Nature is lost, for the ghostly brick and mortar serves 
 to mark the hallowed spot sacred to the memoiy of the 
 Father of his Country, and no Mount Vernon corpora- 
 tion can pen cows within the precious enclosure and ped- 
 dle pale fluid at so much per gallon or so much per glass. 
 
 On Capitol Hill may be found Christ Church, where 
 Washington and other early Presidents worshipped. The 
 bricks of which it is constructed were baked on English 
 soil and tossed over the stormy Atlantic. The antique 
 building has none of the fancy airs of the modern cathe- 
 dral, but it is built square and unpretending, an outward 
 emblem of the spirit of those who gave it birth. It was 
 made as a defence against the elements whilst the inmates 
 were holding communion with the Most High. In the 
 large, square pews sat Washington and Lafayette, whilst 
 the gallant Hamilton held the slip-door that the "first 
 lady of the land" might enter there. 
 
 Scarcely three blocks from the church is situated the 
 navy yard, in many respects the most attractive point in 
 Washington, because it is the great headquarters of the 
 maritime power of the Republic. Inside the grounds the 
 visitor is treated with a sight of wonderful naval tro- 
 phies. Here are the guns captured off Tripoli when 
 boarded by the brave Decatur, and here not long ago 
 might have been seen some of the same kind of iron pots 
 with the lid on that went down on Cape Hatteras with 
 twenty poor fellows aboard. Holmes, Whittier, Long- 
 fellow, ahoy! Who will give us the story of the Mon- 
 itor f the triumph in the James River? the tragedy off 
 the stormy cape? 
 
 At the navy yard the great war vessels come in on pur- 
 
332 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 pose to go into dry dock and have all their corporeal 
 troubles removed. The most majestic object in nature is 
 the awful face of the mountain. The most sublime pic- 
 ture in art is a great war vessel lifted from the water and 
 placed on the land. Look at the enormous hull, with its 
 ribs of oak, sheathed with copper; the lofty masts almost 
 piercing the clouds; and yet these little pigmies, scarce 
 six feet high, put her points together. Certainly one is 
 not to blame for asking if the Lord is as small in propor- 
 tion to his created works. What artist will give us a pic- 
 ture of the great war vessel that was driven four miles in- 
 land by a tidal wave, at the Island of St. Thomas ? Think 
 of a ship buried on the land, just as though it were a 
 mortal, and had a soul to be saved ! "Cut the ropes, and 
 every man for himself!" rang out the shrill command 
 of the captain above the roar of the elements. "In an 
 instant," says an eye witness, "the solid wall of water 
 was upon us. Oh, moment of supreme and mortal hor- 
 ror ; we felt we were going into the jaws of hell !" 
 
 The last ship which left the navy yard, most beloved by 
 the writer, was the ill-fated Polaris, of Arctic fame. It 
 seems but yesterday since the decks were trod by those 
 who will see her no more. "Taste that pemmican," says 
 Captain Hall ; "don't it melt in your mouth like a peach ? 
 There is nothing better after you cross the circle unless 
 it is a tallow candle. That is the place where the Esqui- 
 maux will sleep, small quarters, but everything is packed, 
 even to the ice, as you go towards the pole. This is my 
 snuggery room for two. That is for the doctor or a 
 companion in case I don't like to be left by myself. I 
 want you to see the nose of the ship. Seven feet of solid 
 wood, finished with iron, to munch the ice. See the ex- 
 tras that have been sent us. That parlor organ is just 
 the thing to cheer the men in winter quarters." "Have 
 you no fear. Captain?" "I am going to find the open 
 Polar Sea, and Captain Buddington will take care of the 
 ship." As he said this a grave shadow flitted over his 
 
THE OLIVIA I.ETTERS 333 
 
 face. There was a vacant look in his deep blue eyes, as if 
 the soul had stepped back from the windows of vision. At 
 this moment all that was mortal of the ill-fated explorer 
 was photographed on the memory forever. 
 
 The navy yard covers about 37 acres, and, besides the 
 workshops, contains the officers' quarters. The news- 
 papers announce that the fashionable festivities of the 
 season are to be inaugurated the first of next month by 
 a series of Monday morning hops at the navy yard. Can 
 anything be more bright and attractive? Imagine the 
 smooth-shaven sward dotted with historic relics of 
 mighty achievements, and ornamented with the same can- 
 non balls that Henry Ward Beecher seduced into his boy- 
 ish hat, the darling "middies" in bright buttons and 
 smart blue coats, with all their delightful ocean pranks. 
 Is it a wonder the girls' hearts are gone before they are 
 cjuite sure they have any? Besides, a sailor makes love 
 in a different way from an ordinary landlubber. Time 
 is short on shore, and the moments must not be spent in 
 dallying. It is a kiss and a blow, and the blow means 
 matrimony; and God help the woman who has a sailor 
 husband or lover. A person was once heard to say, "My 
 parents were married twenty-seven years, and my father 
 was a commodore in the Navy; twenty-two of those 
 years my mother spent alone on the land, for in those 
 days no woman was allowed on a United States war 
 vessel. When I was a little child, I remember a tall, 
 bearded, rough-looking man, who used to come once in 
 a great while to our house, and mother would call, 'Chil- 
 dren, come and see your father!' The only time I was 
 glad to look at him was when he brought us a parrot." 
 
 Leaving the navy yard, you stroll to other parts of 
 Capitol Hill, and soon become aware why the noble Capi- 
 tol was planted on the heights, and why the adjacent 
 grounds towards the east were chosen as the homes of 
 the early aristocracy. Here Nature has lavished her most 
 precious gifts. Our magnificent Capitol is the public 
 
334 I'HS OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 building which dwarfs all others by comparison. Its 
 superb front faces the homes on the hill. Its rear, from 
 polite necessity, must be forever turned towards that 
 western end, where speculation runs riot, and fortunes 
 have been made in a single night. 
 
 One never tires writing about the Capitol. It is pro- 
 nounced the finest architectural creation in the world, 
 and the most costly, with the exception of a palace in Lis- 
 bon. It represents the accumulated grandeur of human 
 taste, as it has been handed down in stone through the 
 centuries. From the Egyptian Pyramids it borrows its 
 overpowering massiveness, chastened and etherealized by 
 the tone of the Greeks. After the Roman Temple of Ju- 
 piter Stator it takes its pillared porticoes, Corinthian 
 in order, but here the resemblance to ancient architecture 
 ends. The antique temples were open courts, and the 
 porticoes were the useful part of the building. Before the 
 letters of the alphabet were invented philosophers stood 
 on the portico of the temple and taught the people. We 
 have covered our open court with a roof, and put our in- 
 structors and lawmakers inside. What have they done? 
 They have abolished the franking privilege, and wrested 
 from the Government their back pay, but they will not 
 send the public books to the people, therefore our modern 
 Jupiter Stator is a fraud. One-half a million volumes 
 have to-day accumulated at the Capitol. The vaults of 
 this stupendous building are packed tier upon tier until 
 space can nowhere be found. Already the broad aisles 
 are choked, and the great highway is becoming impass- 
 able. Books! books! like the madman's fiends, are 
 above, around, and everywhere. Twenty bags full were 
 sent to Congressman Dawes last week, and they are no 
 more missed than so many leaves from the forest. In a 
 brief time the Capitol will be stuffed with its own gar- 
 bage, like a huge turkey in Christmas time, and the eco- 
 nomical Congressmen will be driven to the porticoes out- 
 
the: OLIVIA LI^TTKRS 335 
 
 side. Then will return the pristine glory of ancient 
 Rome. 
 
 We have no Anaxagoras or Petrins, but we have Gen- 
 eral B. F. Butler, a greater Roman than them all. As a 
 last leap up the ladder of fame, this distinguished Con- 
 gressman has decided to become an aristocrat and an old 
 settler, and to this purpose he has bought a delightful 
 site on Capitol Hill, and is building a residence worthy 
 of the constructor. This costly creation may be called a 
 stone triplet, as three houses will be born at the same 
 time. The first faces the east, but its northern side sa- 
 lutes the Capitol. It is said this is intended for a grand 
 "club house," but the gambling will be exclusively con- 
 fined to politics. All this is in anticipation of the grand 
 hurdle race which will probably come off in 1876. The 
 second house remains a mystery. The last has already 
 been rented tO' the Coast Survey for a library. Hence- 
 forth Capitol Hill claims General B. F. Butler. He is 
 our Congressional cloud by day and our political fire at 
 night. There is a great deal of legislative chaff, and only 
 a few grains of wheat. Capitol Hill has drawn her soli- 
 tary ration and is satisfied. Olivia. 
 
GEORGETOWN ARISTOCRACY. 
 
 The BeIvIvS, Madame Bodisco, Mrs. Southworth, 
 AND Governor Cooke. 
 
 Washington, October 20, 1875. 
 
 Recently some stones have been unearthed in George- 
 town of great vahie to the student of antiquated taste. 
 These slabs bear a date so remote that most of the letters 
 have been eaten away by the teeth of Time, but sufficient 
 remains to identify the Bell family, who occupied George- 
 town Heights in the early part of the last century. Far 
 back in the shadowy past the clear ringing tongue of this 
 English Bell might have been heard as it poured its mel- 
 ody in the ear of an Indian princess, who soon after be- 
 came his wife. The first nest of the young pair was a 
 tent; afterward a quaint English cottage snuggled on 
 the woody heights. Below them moved the silvery wa- 
 ters of the solemn Potomac. To the east stretched their 
 vast possessions, which embraced all the land within the 
 scope of vision which lay between the cottage and the 
 rising sun. Here Madame Bell, attended by her pale- 
 face consort, led the fashions without rivals and with 
 none to dispute her sway. Over the stormy Atlantic came 
 the winged schooners, bringing rich brocades for this 
 dusky queen. Her costumes were half enlightened, half 
 barbaric, like many of the styles of to-day. The descend- 
 ants of these ancient Georgetown aristocrats have been 
 slowly undergoing the bleaching process, and the past 
 hundred years had almost obliterated the last trace of 
 Indian lineage, and yet within the memoi-y of the present 
 generation "white trash" have been noticed in this vi- 
 cinity bearing the name of Bell, and carrying in their 
 lithe forms and eagle eyes the last superb touch of the 
 (336) 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 337 
 
 grace of Indian origin. But, true to the savage instinct, 
 these were the first men to seize the deadly musket in the 
 Southern cause, and the late battlefields of the South are 
 made richer by the bones of the last of the first aristoc- 
 racy of Georgetown. 
 
 After the Bells came the Peters, a haughty Virginia 
 family, whose slave call was answered by hundreds of 
 inky men. Georgetown Heights in those early days was 
 called the Tudor estate, in memory of the royal line of 
 England. Tudor Place stretched itself between the 
 Heights and the Washington Navy Yard, but in the 
 course of time this vast estate was broken up. This was 
 prior to the Revolution. The Peters family were related 
 to the Washingtons and Lees. Washington Peter* is the 
 most prominent descendant of this aristocratic family, 
 but the last fragment of the estate has passed away from 
 him, and he lives at Ellicott's Mills, on a farm, a man 
 almost eighty years of age, the last to retain the haughty 
 bearing of the proud old family, the last of his race 
 whose hand has rested on the yoke of a slave. 
 
 The shifting panorama shows us Protestant Thirkel, 
 who, through the influence of Archbishop Carroll, of 
 Baltimore, gave the extensive grounds now occupied by 
 the Georgetown College and Convent to the Roman 
 Catholic Church some time during the latter part of the 
 last century. Little is known of the social standing of 
 the Thirkels, but they were a family of wealth, and their 
 tombstones are institutions of learning. 
 
 Coming down tO' the last fifty years, we find the aris- 
 tocracy of Georgetown strongly flavored with merchants 
 and tradespeople. The Linthicum mansion, which is 
 said to be one of the finest, was built and owned by a 
 hardware merchant, but he, too, has passed away like 
 all the old residents who gave tone to the elegant society 
 which ruled during the administration of Polk and Bu- 
 chanan. During the Presidential reign of these two men 
 
 22 
 
338 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 the social queen of the capital lived in Georgetown, the 
 city of her birth and education. She was the daughter 
 of an obscure but highly respected merchant, and was 
 married at the early age of sixteen to the Russian Minis- 
 ter Bodisco, whose diplomatic position at once lifted his 
 lovely wife to the highest round of the social ladder, 
 whilst his vast wealth was used to give this wifely jewel 
 the most costly setting. From over the sea came the 
 flashing gems that had adorned the savage throats of a 
 hundred generations of Bodisco Russians — diamonds 
 only eclipsed by those of world-wide fame. In those 
 somewhat primitive days the working people used 
 to line the roadway to see Madame Bodisco pass from her 
 mansion to the White House on occasion of reception or 
 levee. If the weather permitted, she was visible to all in 
 her open carriage — far more beautiful than the famous 
 Eugenie, and with the same inimitable tact and grace. 
 Creamy white satin and costly old lace was the favorite 
 costume, and when adorned with jewels worth more than 
 a million, mounted policemen followed in her train. The 
 poor people said, "Old Bodisco is afraid some one will 
 steal his wife," but he was simply protecting her, Russian 
 fashion. But this American girl was something more 
 than a figure to be adorned with stones. With that su- 
 perb tact which only a Josephine knew how to practice, 
 she united the contending social elements. She thawed 
 the frozen ocean of diplomatic ceremony and bade the 
 foreign fortress open its doors to her countrywomen as 
 well as herself. It is true she had standing at her right 
 hand the incomparable Harriet Lane, of the White 
 House, who held the last royal scepter of this extinct 
 line. History rarely records the fact that distinguished 
 leaders are beautiful, but popular acclamation gave to 
 both these women the fairest crown. Alike in style of 
 type, both opaline blondes, perfect in form and feature, 
 with Titian-tinted flesh and golden hair, such as the old 
 masters gave their beloved Madonnas, they held their 
 
the: ouvia li^tters 339 
 
 emblems of power with a firmer grasp than did Marie 
 Antoinette, a woman of the same mould. In the days 
 which marked the magnificence of the Bodisco and Lane 
 regime, beauty and grace were not punished as under 
 the Grant dynasty. George H. Williams, of Oregon, 
 wonld have been Chief Justice of the Republic to-day 
 had his wife been one of the "ugly sisters." "They pared 
 their heels and they pared their toes," but the Prince did 
 not dare defy the "Sisters." Underneath the political 
 drift lies the stony social strata which decides the charac- 
 ter of the products above. 
 
 With the coming of civil war a society mildew fell 
 upon Georgetown. Neighbors and old friends looked 
 upon each other with mutual distrust. As a general rule 
 most of the fighting element rolled southward. In a few 
 instances a house might be found divided against itself. 
 Once a Georgetown mother appeared before Abraham 
 Lincoln to beg for the life of her son, who had been 
 caught as a guerrilla with arms in his hands. "My eldest 
 son," said the mother, "is a trusty officer in the Union 
 army; my youngest, my darling, was one of Mosby's 
 guerrillas." "Miserable mother!" said the great Presi- 
 dent. "God help you, for I cannot. I know who you are ! 
 This is the third time your boy has been caught ; mercy 
 is beyond me !" and the man with streaming eyes sup- 
 ported the faltering steps of the wretched woman beyond 
 the threshold. At this period social life was dead, appar- 
 ently beyond resurrection. 
 
 Mrs. Southworth, the noted novelist, and a prominent 
 resident of Georgetown, nailed the stars and stripes over 
 the front gate, saying, "Whoever comes to my door will 
 have to pass under that." With patriotic zeal she gave 
 her only daughter, Lotta, to be the wife of a gallant 
 Union captain, and her only son, who was studying and 
 not strong enough to gO' into the field, was attached as 
 medicine boy to one of the hospitals. But these depri- 
 vations were not enough sacrifice. Either in camp or 
 
340 the; OLIVIA letters 
 
 hospital she caught the smallpox. "I cannot prevent the 
 soldiers from taking the smallpox," said the great novel- 
 ist, "but I can suffer with them ; there is some consolation 
 in that." 
 
 Alas, the social wave has receded, apparently never to 
 return. Weddings, even, were under the ban ; but with 
 peace came a violent reaction which threw the sediments 
 of society to the surface, and Henry D. Cooke, first gov- 
 ernor of the District, came prominently into view. It 
 was never intended that he should be anything but a 
 figure-head for governor. When he was relieved from 
 the cares of state it was but natural that he should turn 
 to a field of action where there would be little or no com- 
 petition. A leader of the ton! Why not? Old issues 
 were dead ; besides, if he traveled in this path Shepherd 
 and Babcock would let him alone. Only a few moons 
 previous to his being crowned governor his station in life 
 was as humble as that of Sancho Panza — a modest clerk 
 at the capital, with no higher aim than to make his salary 
 cover the family needs. But at this particular epoch in 
 our critical history Salmon P. Chase, then Secretary of 
 the Treasury, thought he spied an open way to the White 
 House. "Money," said the statesman, "much money will 
 pave the track." So he gave the enchanted keys of 
 the people's pocket to his distant kinsman, Jay Cooke, 
 and together they were to cook the political pie. It would 
 take the pen of Victor Hugo to describe the huge financial 
 bubble which hung so long suspended by a single hair. 
 It made the little clerk first governor of the District, 
 united with the fact that he was "Shepherd's man." "He 
 won't give us trouble," said Alexander, and Grant broke 
 a solemn pledge which he made to the people of the Dis- 
 trict to give him a crown. Politically Governor Cooke 
 had no more weight than an Alaska Indian, but socially 
 the resident governor gave Georgetown a new lease of 
 life. But the few dying snails of the old aristocracy drew 
 coldly within their shells like the monarchists under the 
 
THH ouviA l]^tte;rs 341 
 
 Bonaparte reign. "Who is this parvenu and his upstart 
 wife? Who are the Cookes?" said the proiid old spirit. 
 The question was soon answered. In one of the grand- 
 est of the proud old mansions might have been found the 
 new governor, surrounded by all that was costly and lux- 
 urious in nature or art. The atmosphere of the large 
 drawing-rooms was heavily laden with the fragrance of 
 choice exotics, and foreign birds sang in the cages which 
 hung in the emerald bloom. The richest Axminster cov- 
 ered the floors; silk, satin and embroidery ornamented 
 rosewood and ebony; pictures and statuary were all as 
 profuse as they were costly or extravagant. If refined 
 taste did not prevail the defect was covered by Oriental 
 splendor. Two thousand dollars per month was put into 
 the hands of the steward to^ furnish this small private 
 family with ordinary marketing, and this did not include 
 the wines and staple groceries. Every day the courses 
 were laid as if for a dinner party, with preparations for 
 any number of the ordinary unexpected guests. Fleet 
 horses stood in the stable, with coachman and footrqan 
 awaiting call. A son oi the illustrious house was mar- 
 ried and a railroad car is chartered to bring the distant 
 guests, and this, added to the expense of the wedding 
 breakfast, costs the aristocratic governor the sum of $10,- 
 000, a large fortune for any young man of 2 1 . An official 
 reception is given in mid-winter, and $1,500 is paid for 
 the single item of roses alone. Is not this truthful history 
 as wonderful as any tale found between the covers of the 
 Arabian Nights ? From the narrow walls of a cheap tene- 
 ment and sixteen hundred a year tO' all the gilded trap- 
 pings of royalty! Yet only one-eighth oi the profits of 
 Jay Cooke's concern was received by the governor as his 
 share of the public plunder. The old, old story — the few 
 robbing the many. The "court" traveling with its paint 
 pots and the working men left to starve. Henry D. Cooke 
 can no longer be called the "social leader." His title has 
 been taken away, and he has given up the mansion, but 
 
342 THi: OLIVIA Li:TT:eRS 
 
 he has saved enough from the wrecked concern to estab- 
 hsh his son and namesake in the banking business. The 
 son of the President is a member of the firm, whilst Mr. 
 Sartoris has just stepped over to England to raise the 
 wherewith to join this "national" enterprise. Mrs. 
 Cooke is also independent for life. The passerby of Fif- 
 teenth street, opposite the Treasury, can almost any day 
 see a portly, jolly man lounging like a genteel loafer. 
 That is Henry D. Cooke, late clerk, governor, banker, 
 and leader of the fashion of Georgetown. Olivia. 
 
SENATORS EDMUNDS AND CARPENTER. 
 
 Some; Insight into Life Se:natoriai, — Safeguards 
 OF THAT August Body. 
 
 Washington, April y, i8y6. 
 
 To-day the Hon. Abram S. Hewitt, accompanied by 
 other New York citizens, will appear before the House 
 Foreign Affairs Committee to urge the adoption of the 
 bill to incorporate the United States International Com- 
 mission, and provide for the same being held in the city 
 of New York in 1883. The bill had already been intro- 
 duced in the Senate by Senator Kernan, and championed 
 by Senator Wallace, of Pennsylvania, who always looks 
 after legislation which will benefit the Pennsylvania 
 Central Railroad. Senator Carpenter argued that it was 
 in violation of the Constitution for Congress to^ aid a cor- 
 poration in any such way ; that it was a precedent which 
 would entail any amount of trouble in the future. Other 
 great cities would come up with their projects, asking 
 Congress to assume responsibility and bestow financial 
 aid. Senator Wallace argued that it had already been 
 done for the city of Philadelphia; which was answered 
 by Senator Carpenter in his own inimitable way. Leav- 
 ing his seat, a step brought him into the broad aisle, 
 where he stood directly in front of the Vice-President, 
 and raising his voice to^ a key which penetrated all sur- 
 rounding space within the Senate walls, he replied, 
 "Stealing has precedent after precedent; but shall we 
 argue for this reason it is right to steal?" After a brief 
 but ringing appeal in behalf of the assaulted Constitution, 
 this superb and polished orator left the floor. In many 
 ways Senator Carpenter is one of the most able men in 
 Congress, with the mark of genius more pronounced, or 
 
 (343) 
 
344 'I'HE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 rather, more noticeable in his case, than in any other man 
 in the Senate. One of the surest evidences of genius ( for 
 g-enius is God-given whilst talent can be acquired) is the 
 carrying through the years to the last all the qualities of 
 each period of existence — the blind enthusiasm, the win- 
 ning folly of the child united to the grand powers of ma- 
 turity. In genius the character never crystallizes. It is 
 changeable, yet strangely invariable, and in many more 
 ways resembles the indestructible elements. Senator 
 Carpenter has a way of tying his collar, crushing down 
 his hat, and bounding into the Senate with the same kind 
 of abandon which resembles the action of a boy, while 
 his laugh has all the music of youthful glee. His life has 
 been a prolonged enjoyment of the admiration of women, 
 because in him all ages, from romping girl to icy age, 
 find something to adore. A handsome man when in per- 
 fect health is Senator Carpenter, but at present he is a 
 good deal of a shadow as compared to his former self. 
 Upon the principle that a high-pressure engine sooner 
 wears itself out, so these men made on the Carpenter plan 
 rarely live to old age. It is the fret and wear of the in- 
 visible organization that finally wrecks the physical, and 
 there is no earthly picture so' painful as these men who 
 have reached the snow line, when the sun of life, accord- 
 ing to the years, should be in full meridian of glory. 
 Turning tO' the Congressional Directory, it is recorded 
 that Senator Carpenter has reached the age of 56, not so 
 young after all. Is it the boyish mask that has deceived ; 
 or have Blaine and Edmunds been afflicted with the weak- 
 ness which is always pardonable in woman, and recorded 
 the wrong figures? Can it be possible that he is a half a 
 dozen years in advance of Blaine, and nearly the same in 
 regard to Senator Edmunds? 
 
 But here are two Senators whose lives are passed on 
 the same high-pressure plan, for such is the penalty which 
 exalted ambition must pay. Not a solitary measure passes 
 the Senate that is not licked into shape by the insinuating 
 
the: OLIVIA i.i:tti:rs 345 
 
 tongue and all-prevailing mind of vigilant Senator Ed- 
 munds. Others may toil like the marble-cutters on a 
 statue, but when the breath of life is to be blown into the 
 nostrils, the great artist must be on hand to pinch a soul 
 into the inexorable stone. The casual observer would 
 not pronounce Senator Edmunds handsome according 
 to the Greek or modern standard, but he has the exact 
 appearance which one, in imagination, would picture a 
 Roman Senator before the empire was in its decline. We 
 can realize in this Senator the highest ingredient of New 
 England civilization. His solemn visage seems a reflec- 
 tion of that sombre landscape, the savage grandeur of the 
 sea, the majestic mountains tipped with snow. His sleep- 
 less efforts to keep the Senate records clean embody the 
 Puritan's idea of justice, that rarest product of the seed 
 planted by the Mayfloivcr. It is that awful' something 
 which nerves the hand of the fisherman on that stormy 
 coast united to the most intellectual culture condensed 
 into a single blade, and it is keen enough tO' cut a ship's 
 cable or a single hair. When Belva Lockwood, the wo- 
 man lawyer, was trying to reach the bar of the Supreme 
 Court through the Senate, her fear centered on Senator 
 Edmunds. She said, "I know I shall 'pass' if I can win 
 his support." So she sent a messenger to plead her cause. 
 "My vote," said Senator Edmunds, "will not be re- 
 corded against Mrs. Lockwood because she is a woman. 
 I think her a very poor lawyer! If I had my own way, 
 only those thoroughly trained in the law should be ad- 
 mitted to practice in the Supreme Court." 
 
 Senator Edmunds has a social record at the capital 
 without a flaw, which proves that men can live pure, clean 
 lives like women ; or else do the next best thing — con- 
 duct themselves in such a pious manner that they are 
 never found out. But in taking the moral estimate of a 
 man his avoirdupois weight should be carefully taken, 
 and he should be judged in a great measure by the way 
 it is divided. These bloodless New Englanders and fiery 
 
346 The ouvia letters 
 
 Southerners in Washington should be tried by judges 
 capable of tempering justice with mercy upon the prin- 
 ciple that tears are in the eyes of the court when he sen- 
 tences a starving man for stealing a loaf of bread. Sen- 
 ator Edmunds treats women in the most refined and court- 
 eous way, just enough frigid to be dignified; but if he 
 chooses to descend to a limited quantity of small talk, 
 everything he says is valuable enough to be printed in the 
 newspapers. This man has been made selfish and other- 
 wise spoiled by the "buzzing of the Presidential bee." If 
 he should ever reach the White House, of which there is 
 not the slightest danger, no one would be half so aston- 
 ished as himself. He has reached the highest point of 
 his ambition — to be the leader of his party in the Senate, 
 to fill to the fullest measure the idea of an American 
 Senator ; and whilst like the late Charles Sumner, he can 
 grasp the great legislative matters of state, unlike him he 
 can take up the little things. Not a sparrow could fall 
 on the Senate floor without his notice. 
 
 But the saddest sight is apparent when a brilliant 
 member is torn up by the roots in the House, and is im- 
 mediately transported to the Senate. It is like removing 
 a plant from the heat and moisture of a conservatory to 
 an atmosphere found almost anywhere in the temperate 
 zone. Senators Dawes, Lamar and Blaine are striking 
 examples of this kind of transubstantiation. Who* can 
 ever forget the brilliant career of Senator Dawes when 
 lie occupied the proud position of "leader of the House" ? 
 In this branch of Congress, argument, wit and repartee 
 have a specific value, and enable the possessor to mount 
 the ladder of fame ; but in the Senate oratory is at a dis- 
 count, whilst wit or argument may be compared to a 
 clown at a funeral. Speeches are looked upon as talk 
 to distant constituents, to^ which the Senators must listen 
 in order to make them "official." The Senate chamber 
 during a "speech" is a subject worthy of study. An air 
 of resignation is born into this cold, selfish world, des- 
 
the: ouvia letters. 347 
 
 tined to last until the torture is over. Usually most of 
 the Senators make their escape temporarily. Burnside 
 and Anthony generally retire to^ the committee room of 
 "Revolutionary Claims," a snug nest right under the 
 eaves, where the sparrows build their homes. This 
 dainty spot is presided over by Major Ben : Perley Poore, 
 clerk of the committee, and one of the daintiest morsels 
 to be found at the Capitol done up in manly form. There 
 is a cupboard in the Revolutionary room, which is the 
 exact opposite to "old Mother Hubbard's." Lest the 
 reader forget, the poetry is quoted in full : 
 
 "Old Mother Hubbard, she went to the cupboard, 
 To get her poor dog a bone ; 
 And when she got there, the cupboard was bare, 
 And so the poor dog got none." 
 
 In this far-away, almost forgotten nook, where the 
 musty archives of the old Revolutionary war lie mould- 
 ering, this solemn sepulcher is made alive by the spicy 
 odors of fast-evaporating fluids, or the delicate aroma of 
 pineapple cheese. Sometimes, during the lunch hours, 
 crabs and oysters go there without any volition of their 
 own. About the same time the courtly old Thurman be- 
 comes so revolutionary that he wends his way to the rad- 
 ical snuggery under the roof. He will probably be joined 
 on the way by Don Cameron, the young Scottish chief, 
 but this combination may be a union like the late Elec- 
 toral Commission, to produce a lasting peace. But it is 
 astonishing to find how sweet and delicious these old Sen- 
 ators become when they are almost ripe enough to fall 
 from the legislative tree. To go to the committee room 
 of Revolutionary Claims is one''^ay to kill the time dur- 
 ing a "speech." Sometimes the Senators adjourn to the 
 cloak rooms, throw themselves on the luxurious sofas, 
 and steep their crippled senses in well-colored meer- 
 schaums or a choice cigar. Others, more nervous, repair 
 to the marble baths, the like of which have never been 
 seen since Rome had her fall. So far as the writer can 
 ascertain, a Senatorial bath has never been witnessed by 
 
348 THK OUVIA I^KTTERS 
 
 the reportorial eye. It is the only subhme spectacle which 
 has eluded the correspondents. The old Roman Senators 
 employed the most skilful artists to portray them asso- 
 ciated with the baths, and this will probably follow in due 
 time in the great Western empire. If a Senator remains 
 in the chamber during a speech, he is deeply absorbed in 
 reading or writing. 
 
 How can a man make himself felt in the Senate? His 
 voice only reaches his constituents or those who have a 
 personal interest in the measure or man. His fine ora- 
 torical efforts fall as those of Demosthenes on the turbu- 
 lent sea. He must stand, like Senator Edmunds, for years 
 at the mouth of the pit, and watch that nothing goes in 
 dangerous to the liberties of a free people. He must 
 watch the aggressive encroachments of an infamous 
 lobby. The great railroad and other gigantic corpora- 
 tions have their paid agents here tO' buy up all the small- 
 fry Congressmen, as well as tO' notify the monopolists 
 all over the country of any adverse legislation in advance. 
 A paid Indian lobby is always here to keep the Indian 
 affairs from being turned over to the War Department. 
 The War Department never employs a lobby. An army 
 officer has never been known to ask for the Indian busi- 
 ness, except in the general protest that the soldiers should 
 not be sent out to be scalped and mutilated for the crimes 
 committed by the Indian agents. When a Senator is 
 found to be faithful to the trust confided to his keeping, 
 we should guard him as the apple of our eye. We should 
 protect his good name from the assaults of the malicious, 
 for when a Senator is found immovable the lobby at- 
 tempts his destruction. It will be remembered that it was 
 the lobby thugs that tried to strangle Senator Blaine on 
 the eve of the last Presidential nomination. The storm 
 is gathering again, but how can a man defend himself 
 against his invisible foes? It is not because Blaine is 
 hated so much ; it is because other men are preferred so 
 much the more. Olivia. 
 
HOME LIFE OF MRS. GRANT. 
 Characteristics of the Lady of the White House. 
 
 Washington, December ij, iS/p. 
 
 Wading through a mass of newspaper correspondence 
 concerning Hfe at the White House during the adminis- 
 tration of General Grant, it is invariably found that lan- 
 guage most vivid and eloquent is used alike by friend and 
 foe. The admirers find everything tO' order for highest 
 praise, whilst the enemy finds nothing too dark and 
 threatening with which to paint the pen pictures. By 
 figures taken from authentic sources, it is shown that the 
 expenses incurred for supporting the White House, irre- 
 spective of the President's salary, was increased $27,550 
 per year on the average under General Grant in excess 
 of the amount consumed under Abraham Lincoln. This 
 vast yearly sum was not used for decorative purposes, 
 unless the military staff with its brass buttons may be 
 considered that way. General Badeau was the historian 
 wdiose duty it was to save the sands of history, act as 
 chief custodian of the Presidential literary preserves, and 
 at the same time keep all poachers away. Military rule 
 was as rigidly enforced as in the tented field. ' It not only 
 surrounded the President, but wrapped the whole house- 
 hold in its starry fold. 
 
 It seems but yesterday since the writer stormed this 
 peculiar citadel to gain an audience with "the first lady 
 of the land." After passing the skirmish line of messen- 
 gers and doorkeepers, the first real lion encountered was 
 General Dent. This gentleman has often been described 
 as made of "fuss and feathers," a "military martinet," 
 but the writer found only a genial, pleasant gentleman. 
 Most of his military life had been spent on the frontier, 
 
 (349) 
 
350 The OLIVIA i.e:tte;rs 
 
 and what seemed "fuss" was only the embarrassment 
 which came from being transplanted from almost obscu- 
 rity to one of the most trying subordinate positions at the 
 White House. He was not only high chamberlain, head 
 usher, but also brother-in-law^ to the President, and this 
 last position made him the target for more witty newspa- 
 per paragraphs than any other member of the Presiden- 
 tial household. 
 
 "Want to see Mrs. Grant, do you? What for, just to 
 pay your respects?" 
 
 "Not altogether for that, though the respects will be 
 included." 
 
 "Newspaper woman ! eh ?" 
 
 "Sometimes." 
 
 "I don't think Mrs. Grant wants to be written up in 
 the newspapers. She ain't that kind of a woman," 
 
 "I beg your pardon. General ! I shall take no advan- 
 tages of Mrs. Grant's courtesy or kindness, but the people 
 will wish to know something of the 'lady of the White 
 House,' and how can I make up one of the 'pictures' un- 
 less I am permitted to dip my pen at the fountain head ?" 
 
 "Can't you see her at her receptions ? I think she sees 
 ladies Saturday afternoons." 
 
 "I never describe dress. I want to tell the people some- 
 thing about the woman inside the clothes." 
 
 "I shall have to turn you over to General Badeau !" 
 
 At this moment a bell was touched and a lackey, minus 
 the military buttons, appeared. 
 
 "Show this lady to General Badeau's room." 
 
 Over the tufted carpet, through vestibule and broad 
 hall, until the right door was reached. A smart knock, 
 which was answered by "Come in!" 
 
 The man with the military buttons looked up from the 
 mass of papers at which he appeared to be at work, and 
 the serv'ant at my side simply said : 
 
 "I am requested by Getieral Dent to show this lady to 
 your room." The servant immediately disappeared 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 35 1 
 
 through the open door. General Badeau glanced at the 
 writer from head to foot, his eyes instantly reverted to 
 the papers, and his mouth, which had never opened, 
 seemed fastened like those of the sphinx. The situation 
 to the writer became extremely painful, not knowing 
 whether to retreat or advance; but in an instant it was 
 decided to stand firm without flinching a muscle, and 
 await the enemy's fire. At this moment General Badeau's 
 assistant kindly inquired if the lady would ''have a seat?" 
 The seat was occupied and the foreign sphinx kept at 
 work on his papers. In the meantime the photo-graph of 
 this foreigner was burned into the writer's brain. Short 
 and thick set, with the animal neck of a gladiator squat- 
 ted upon his square shoulders, every visible point about 
 the man indicating his peasant origin, the grim, gray 
 complexion, the small, dead, steel-blue eye and neutral 
 color of hair, a nose which had just escaped a hook, and 
 a mouth which nature denied lips, but left it an ugly slit 
 in the face, like a wound which could not be made to- heal. 
 
 The embarrassment became almost unendurable, the 
 silence horrible, but the writer sat with folded hands "de- 
 termined to fight it out on that line if it took all sum- 
 mer." As a cannon swings on the gun-carriage, the 
 bore of this military arrangement was brought to bear 
 upon the countenance of the writer. 
 
 "Did you wish to speak to' me?" 
 
 "No, sir; I came to the White House to see Mrs. 
 Grant. General Dent has consigned me to your care. 
 What are you going to do with me?" 
 
 "You wish to see Mrs. Grant? That is not so easy a 
 matter. Would you allow me to know the nature of 
 your business ? We do not allow Mrs. Grant to be sub- 
 jected to annoyance." 
 
 "I have not the slightest intention to annoy Mrs. 
 Grant. I have no favors to ask, or axes to grind. I 
 should never have ventured over the threshold of the 
 White House had I understood military law. I was ac- 
 
352 The owvia letters 
 
 customed to meet Andy Johnson as though he were still 
 an unpretending citizen of the Republic; and Mrs. Pat- 
 terson allows the intimacy of a personal friend." 
 
 "What shall I call your name?" 
 
 A card was handed the General and he read aloud 
 "Mrs. Emily Briggs." 
 
 "Allow me to say a word," said General Badeau's as- 
 sistant. "If I am not mistaken, I think this is 'Olivia,' 
 correspondent of the Philadelphia Press and other prom- 
 inent newspapers." 
 
 The writer bowed in simple recognition. The Gen- 
 eral raised his eyebrows with another supercilious glance 
 at the writer's person, and without the slightest notice 
 of the interruption simply answered, "In that case I shall 
 have to turn you over to General Porter." 
 
 Some more footfalls over the tufted floors and the 
 office of General Porter was reached, but the change was 
 like that of the living skeleton into the fat woman and 
 mud into polished marble; of charcoal intO' diamonds. 
 
 General Porter was standing in the council chamber 
 which leads to the room where the immortal eye sees the 
 invisible throne. It is the executive headquarters ; where 
 may be found during business hours the American citizen 
 who sways the sceptre over all that is superbly impor- 
 tant on the Western Continent. General Porter stood, 
 the central figure of a group of young officers, all hand- 
 some enough for a tableau scene in a church charitable 
 performance, with a grace of manner which seemed 
 meant purposely to obliterate the remembrance of the 
 ferocity of former experience. General Porter inquired 
 how could he serve the lady "who had honored him with 
 a call?" The business made known, "Certainly," said 
 General Porter, "I feel at liberty to say that Mrs. Grant 
 will be pleased to see you. Possibly she may not be en- 
 gaged at present." A messenger was despatched and 
 soon returned with an answer, "I must show you the 
 
The OLIVIA LETTERS 353 
 
 way myself," said General Porter, "and if you have not 
 met Mrs. Grant I must introduce you myself." 
 
 And this "open sesame" was never changed during the 
 eight years that General Grant occupied the White House. 
 Owing to some difficulty with her eyes, Mrs. Grant was 
 obliged to have a private secretary attend to her letters 
 and assist her in any work which would be impaired by 
 defective vision, and having married into the army a 
 soldier secretary was preferred tO' one of her own sex, 
 who might in the beginning prove to be a perfectly sea- 
 worthy vessel, but after all, without any warning, spring 
 a leak. 
 
 During these days a gentleman in New York made up 
 his mind that he would publish a book with the high- 
 sounding title, "The Ladies of the White House from 
 Washington to Grant." The writer was sent a communi- 
 cation, asking for a paper on these subjects to contain 
 personal reminiscences, etc. Under this stimulant the 
 author of the forthcoming papers called upon General 
 Dent to make inquiry about the early life of his sister. 
 On his recollections the incidents were put together, but 
 before they were mailed Mrs. Grant's presence was 
 sought, the manuscript spread out for reading and cor- 
 rection. Mrs. Grant listened with a most amused ex- 
 pression on her face. At the conclusion she remarked, 
 "Did brother Fred tell you all that?" 
 
 "He did, Mrs. Grant?" 
 
 "Then brother Fred does not know me! Let me tell 
 you about Fred. You know I am a Southern woman, 
 was born and brought up on a plantation. Our brothers 
 were much older than we three sisters, and as soon as 
 they were old enough father sent them away to school. 
 We had a governess at home. Our mother directed our 
 education, took a deep interest in everything we learned, 
 just as I believe every mother should who has daughters. 
 When the boys used to come home at vacations we used 
 23 
 
354 The ouvia letters 
 
 to hide our dolls and playthings, for the boys would 
 break them up. Brother Fred finished his education at a 
 military school, and was sent away to the frontier on 
 duty, and has had such a hard life that I prevailed on Mr. 
 Grant to let him come and be near father and the rest 
 of us for a little time. Father will not be with us but a 
 few days longer. Now, don't send that manuscript away, 
 because it is not my true life. This brother knew nothing 
 about me the years when he was away." 
 
 The book was never published, possibly because some 
 of the papers never reached New York. 
 
 After Eugenie was deposed from the throne of fashion 
 as well as that of the empire of France, The Press re- 
 quested that the writer should ascertain where the ladies 
 of the capital would look for future models. The subject 
 was one of interest, because Madame Demorest was try- 
 ing to set up the golden calf in the great emporium of 
 New York. 
 
 "I think," said Mrs. Grant, "that the American ladies 
 are capable of inventing their own fashions. How this 
 is to be brought about I don't exactly know, but I am 
 quite sure I shall never set the fashions. Mr. Grant is a 
 poor man. Ask the ladies of the Cabinet. Mrs. Fish 
 has remarkable good sense." 
 
 Another time the writer had heard Mrs. Grant lament 
 her inability to use the eight sewing machines which had 
 been sent from different sources to the White House; 
 what to do with all the patchwork quilts wrought by 
 humble hands. 
 
 "I do not feel it is right to give them away, but where 
 can they be stored? Only last week Mr. Grant had a 
 leather picture sent all the way from Oregon. Senator 
 Williams presented it in person. There is no place for it 
 on the walls. I am sure I never saw a leather picture 
 before. To keep it from being harmed I have had to put 
 it under the bed." 
 
 A very warm friendship existed between Mrs. Grant 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 355 
 
 and Mrs. Wilson, the wife of the Senator of that name 
 from Massachusetts. Mrs. Wilson was one of the 
 noblest and most angelic of characters. A soldier who 
 had been one of the staff officers of General Banks had ex- 
 cited her deepest sympathy. He had been dangerously 
 wounded in five different battles and his case was on rec- 
 ord in the surgeon-general's office as a marvel that under 
 the circumstances the man could exist. Mrs. Wilson took 
 his case in hand for advancement in some direction and 
 reported the case to Mrs. Grant. 
 
 "There is nothing I would not do- to help the soldier," 
 said the President's wife, "if it lay within my power, if 
 my word or my efforts would effect it, but I made a reso- 
 lution that no circumstance should arise which would 
 induce me to ask Mr. Grant for an office. Isn't Mr. Wil- 
 son one of the pillars of the Senate? Mr. Grant is wor- 
 ried all day. There must be one place where he can 
 have quiet." 
 
 This last incident the writer relates as written down 
 from the lips of the late Mrs. Wilson. Mrs. Wilson said 
 at the time: "Mrs. Grant is right, and I mean to let 
 Henry alone after this." 
 
 When the only daughter (Miss Nellie) attended school 
 like other young girls of a dozen years of age, the after- 
 noon came and her lesson was unlearned. The carriage 
 came to the door for the incipient young lady, but the 
 teacher dismissed it with the request that it should return 
 at the end of a half hour. The half hour came and 
 glided away with the lesson still unlearned. The carriage 
 came again and was dismissed. At the end of the second 
 half hour the lesson was committed, and Miss Nellie was 
 permitted to go. The next day at the usual hour the 
 young lady arrived, accompanied by her mother. The 
 teacher began to fear she had lost her most cherished 
 pupil, but Mrs. Grant came to thank her for performing 
 her duty. 
 
 "Teach her," said Mrs. Grant, "that she is only plain, 
 
356 The: ouvia letters 
 
 simple Nellie Grant, subject to the same rules which 
 govern all the scholars. This course will have my sincere 
 approbation." 
 
 Through the wife of Rev. J. P. Newman, the pastor of 
 the church which the General and Mrs. Grant loved so 
 well, the writer learned of the unostentatious charity, 
 the benevolent deeds which this pure-minded woman has 
 kept from the world. Mrs. Newman said: "This ma- 
 terial should be used after Mrs. Grant has gone, when 
 loving friends can speak of these truths without wound- 
 ing h^r delicacy." But how can a paper be made up for 
 publication of Mrs. Grant's life in the White House and 
 leave out the key to one of the most perfect and lovely 
 of womanly characters. From the historic days of 
 Martha Washington no woman called tO' this highest so- 
 cial position has wielded the sceptre with more dignity, 
 good sense and grace. Amidst the clashings of the female 
 cabinet, which in every sense of the word has as much 
 significance as its counterpart, as the result is often the 
 loss of an official head, Mrs. Grant was as serene as Vic- 
 toria on her throne — not sustained by birth and tradition- 
 ary precedent, but upheld by the noble qualities which 
 makes the American woman in her highest perfection the 
 peer and often the superior of every reigning queen on 
 the earth's surface. Oeivia. 
 
THE GREAT REAPER 
 Gathers a Number oe the Beaux and BeleES. 
 
 Washington, December 31, 18/6. 
 
 Within the space of three brief years society at the 
 capital has entirely changed in tone and character. The 
 great drawing-rooms that were thrown open to receive 
 guests from all parts of the civilized world are now closed 
 forever, whilst a new set of people are pressing forward 
 to blaze in the social sky as stars of the first magnitude. 
 Glancing at the banquet halls, deserted, one sees with 
 astonishment the path cut by the reaper Death. It re- 
 quires no stretch of the imagination to call to mind the 
 grand old home of the "West End" so long occupied by 
 Admiral and Mrs. Powell (the latter lately deceased), 
 where all that was most cultivated and refined in what is 
 known as "Washington society" gathered to do honor 
 to this late American queen. Mrs. Powell was the peer 
 of Dolly Madison, the bosom friend of Mrs. Polk and 
 Mrs. Tyler, and her remarkable vivacity and piquant wit 
 lost none of its charm in advancing years. This made 
 her old age just as attractive to youth as tO' people in the 
 full bloom of life. So it may be truthfully said that this 
 society belle never saw her scepter waning. It is true 
 that only the ladies connected with the Army and Navy 
 have the opportunity to officially perpetuate their reign. 
 Our Republican court is so constructed that no matter 
 how much a woman's success may prove to be, like her 
 husband, she must "step down and out," sacrificed on the 
 guillotine of "rotation in office." 
 
 The closing of the Steele mansion, which became for 
 a great many years the "headquarters" of elegant hospi- 
 
 (357) 
 
358 the; olivia letters 
 
 tality, was caused by the death of both Mr. and Mrs. 
 Frankhn Steele within ten days of each other. 
 
 Mrs. Wise, the daug-hter of Edward Everett, made her 
 home most attractive to the ehte of the capital, for, in 
 addition to inheriting to a large degree much of the tal- 
 ent enjoyed by her gifted father, a long residence abroad 
 had given her the advantage of every social acquirement. 
 But she, too, has joined the "innumerable throng." 
 
 Capt. Carlisle Patterson, late head of the Coast Survey, 
 was a gentleman whose hospitality was boundless, so 
 much so that his fortune at his death was found to have 
 melted away. But whilst he lived what a grand good 
 time he had. 
 
 The Myer mansion, for so many years occupied by the 
 English legation, but purchased by the late head of the 
 Signal Bureau, was closed by the last summons of its 
 master. During his life this fairy dwelling, with its works 
 of art, was thrown open and enjoyed by those who feel 
 they "ne'er shall look upon its like again." No doubt 
 finer houses will be built, and the Bonanza kings will im- 
 port the ancient ruins of Greece and Rome, but every 
 year our receptions are growing colder, and our "draw- 
 ing rooms" resemble those held in the monarchical pal- 
 aces of the Old World. 
 
 Coming back to the closed habitations, the homes of 
 Justices Himt and Swayne pass before the mind's eye — 
 the first closed by affliction, the latter by death. And 
 long will linger in the minds of our old residents the 
 unostentatious hospitality of the late George W- Riggs, 
 banker, and whose "business house" was felt to be the 
 safest in Washington, though avaricious. Mr. Riggs 
 was known to be clean-handed, and he inspired the pub- 
 lic to believe that his bank was as solid as the foundation 
 of the earth. 
 
 And who will forget the kingly hospitality of our late 
 Mayor Wallach, so superbly assisted by his accomplished 
 wife? The death of the ex-mayor, followed so soon by 
 
THi: OLIVIA i.e;tte:rs 359 
 
 the death of Mrs. Wallach's father, closes this mansion 
 indefinitely. 
 
 Coming to the houses occupied by what is termed in 
 Washington "official society," deserted within the time 
 specified, memory recalls the costly dwelling occupied and 
 owned by the late Senator Chandler. "Old Zach," as he 
 was familiarly called, had no taste' for society proper, but 
 he had great respect for his wife's feelings, and when she 
 gave the order that he should stand in the proper place 
 with his huge hands encased in white kid gloves and 
 welcome the coming guest it was done with the same vim 
 and audacity with which he would conduct a campaign. 
 One grasp oi his solid palm would put the visitor at ease, 
 if the ardor could be made to last through the cooling 
 process of passing the gauntlet of the handsome hostess. 
 Mrs. Chandler conducted society matters on the Victoria 
 plan, everything perfect, superb and grand, but the ther- 
 mometers always indicated the freezing point, unless 
 "dear old Zach" was around to warm matters up and 
 infuse a little life and spirit. 
 
 Senator Carpenter, with all his faults — the mould was 
 broken when he went away — on the floor of the Senate 
 could be a statesman, but in society he had all the rollick- 
 ing abandon of a school boy. Who can forget the charm- 
 ing Carpenter home, the little spinning-wheel in the par- 
 lor, at which sat the sole daughter of the house, with the 
 flax slipping through her slender fingers? Ah, pretty 
 tableaux ! Gone, never to return ! 
 
 Nailed to the stony turret of the celebrated Shepherd 
 mansion floats the yellow flag of the Orient. Within its 
 rocky battlements may be found that which represents in 
 the highest sense Imperial China. The solid walls around 
 this legation must remind the occupants of the famous 
 one of their native country. It is very painful to those 
 who have basked in the prodigality of the Shepherd hos- 
 pitality to find them gone, and the magnificence usurped 
 by Eastern pagans — one hundred thousand dollars' worth 
 
360 The) OLIVIA i,e;tters 
 
 of furniture, carpets and "silken hangings." It would 
 take the space of a column to describe this modern dwell- 
 ing from cellar to turret, and leave out the terrapin, white 
 grasses and champagne. "Boss Shepherd," rather Alex- 
 ander the Second, just now is in eclipse. We can afford 
 to wait until "Batipolas" has been well stirred up, then 
 the Shepherd will return to his flock, who, it is said, were 
 once well sheared. But in the meantime our wool will 
 grow, and if we must have a king give us one of the 
 Shepherd kind. 
 
 From one of the most elegant and superbly furnished 
 Washington homes the "Bryans" departed, to form new 
 associations in far-off Colorado. At the Bryan fireside 
 used to gather the most distinguished people known in 
 science, literature and art. The only daughter of the 
 house is one of Healy's most promising pupils, and it is 
 safe to say that Miss Bryan is the finest portrait painter 
 of either sex of her own age in this country. This com- 
 pliment is not paid her by the writer, who is unable to 
 judge upon so important a point, but it is the decision of 
 men who have studied art, both at home and abroad. The 
 only son, a very young man, is already a successful law- 
 yer, and serving his adopted State in her legislature. 
 These instances are given to show that children reared at 
 the capital amidst the surroundings of the most luxur- 
 ious wealth need not necessarily be spoiled. 
 
 The closing of the "Kilbourne mansion" and the de- 
 parture of the wife and two beautiful daughters to foreign 
 lands, which happened in the interim, like the flitting of 
 the Bryans, created a loss which has by no means been 
 repaired. "The Kilbournes" have returned, but not to 
 the classic home which grew stone by stone under the 
 supervising eye of its late artistic mistress. Beneath its 
 hospitable roof, evening after evening, were gathered the 
 elite of the foreign legations, with members of the Army 
 and Navy and others most distinguished in the world of 
 literature and art. A landscape painter of no mean abil- 
 
THE OUVIA I^E^TTERS 36 1 
 
 ity, and a writer such as would secure her a position on 
 any of our leading newspapers, Mrs. Kilbourne made her 
 elegant home the most attractive to journalists beyond 
 any other at the national capital. 
 
 Whilst death has been so busy with our own people, 
 the diplomatic circle has not been spared. Count Lita, 
 the "society man" of the French legation, has passed 
 away, and his place remains vacant. Count Lita owed 
 his position to the relations which his sister-in-law sus- 
 tains to the present King of Italy, the husband of the 
 beautiful Queen Margharita. Instead of keeping quiet 
 upon such a delicate point, it was a matter of great pride 
 with the late count. It seems the sister-in-law looks after 
 what might otherwise be an obscure and impoverished 
 family. Whenever the newspaper correspondents have 
 touched upon the theme "foreign legations," we are repri- 
 manded by the officials of the State Department and given 
 to understand that these people are not a part of our body 
 politic, but is that a reason why they should be permitted 
 to be social slivers in our flesh? The late Russian minis- 
 ter, who got into debt at Newport, and then yelled for the 
 Russian flag to protect him from his milk woman and the 
 butter man, came to Washington and Mrs. Russian Min- 
 ister asked why she was so neglected socially by Ameri- 
 can women. She was told that American ladies would 
 not call upon the "lady of the White House" if it was 
 public belief that she was living with the President with- 
 out the marriage ceremony being performed. Mrs. Min- 
 ister straightened up, saying, "I am illegitimate, my hus- 
 band is illegitimate, our children are illegitimate. Now, 
 what are you Americans going to do about it ? Is it any 
 of your business?" She was informed that American 
 women would not accept the situation socially if the Czar 
 should issue a ukase, so she gathered up her "illegiti- 
 mates" and has disappeared, whilst the imperial domin- 
 ion of the Czar at Washington is unbroken by woman's 
 voice, except the little pipers of the small attaches. 
 
362 'tut ouviA i,e:tters 
 
 The late home of the Freyres, the Peruvian minister, 
 was noted for its superb hospitahty. The family was 
 composed of Senor and Senorita Freyre and the four 
 daughters; but it took eight cooks to provide for their 
 wonderful table. Whilst six would be hard at work in 
 the kitchen the other two would be scouring the markets 
 of the capital to secure terrapin, reed-birds, canvasback 
 and all other dainties for which this famous locality is 
 noted. As a natural consequence, they grew so enormous 
 in size that only two could occupy a carriage at a time, 
 so it took three carriages, or a funeral procession, to land 
 the family in church, and they were all such devoted 
 Catholics that no religious rites were omitted. The very 
 baby of the family weighed over three hundred pounds. 
 But it happened, as it always will, that too many reed- 
 birds brought this family to grief. Sickness seized the 
 father and eldest daughter and both died within a very 
 short time of each other. Whilst the father lay on his 
 death-bed, he sent for an American lawyer who had once 
 been a Cabinet minister of General Grant, to help him 
 make his will. After devising ample fortunes to his wife 
 and the four daughters, he began : "Five thousand Span- 
 ish dollars to my son Don Manuel ;" five thousand to an- 
 other, giving the name; five thousand to another, until 
 eleven sons and daughters had been remembered. He 
 then brought this astounding will to a close by saying, 
 "These are not the children by my wife, but my children, 
 by my God." One of our citizens would probably have 
 died under the same circumstances and bravely kept his 
 lips closed to the last. So let us honor the sincerity and 
 courage of the man. His widow has lost her vast for- 
 tune by the late turmoil in Peru and is now living very 
 quietly in Florence, Italy. 
 
 Our last diplomatic scandal relates to Victoria's new 
 protege, the English "envoy extraordinary and minister 
 plenipotentiary," the Hon. Lionel Sackville West. If he 
 were not Victoria's "Knight of the Garter," it would not 
 
THi: OLIVIA LETTERS 363 
 
 be so sad. Now it appears that when Lionel went to 
 Spain as a yonng attache he became desperately enamored 
 with a ballet-dancer. "He loved not wisely, but too well." 
 The proud Sackville-Wests would have none of it. They 
 declare to this day that Lionel is a bachelor Simon pure, 
 and so he is inscribed on the awful book of the peerage. 
 It is not understood whether the ballet-dancer has put on 
 angel plumage, but it is known that she left a brood of 
 little chick Sackville-Wests, which the Honorable Lionel 
 is willing to gather under his wings as a hen doth her 
 chickens. His eldest daughter is with him — his acknowl- 
 edged child — and here lies all the trouble. If he would 
 only ignore her, or wait, as the Peruvian minister did, 
 till he hears the toot of the last trump, Victoria and 
 "Washington society" would wink at his little "esca- 
 pades." But the British minister shows that he has a will 
 of his own and a mind of his own, with the Prince of 
 Wales to stand between him and his virtuous sovereign. 
 The capital is becoming alive with men who manage to 
 elude the snares of matrimony, whilst the foreign lega- 
 tions — words fail not because the source is exhausted, 
 but newspaper articles must come to an end. 
 
 Olivia. 
 
CLOSING SCENES IN THE HOUSE. 
 
 Pi;n Pictures of Bi^ackburn, Gare^iei^d, Randai^i, and 
 Lesser Lights. 
 
 Washington, March 4, iSy^. 
 
 Prematurely crushed before half its most important 
 work was performed, the Forty-fifth Congress of the Re- 
 public has ceased to live. Its dying hours were marked 
 with scenes of almost riotous confusion, reminding one 
 of the exciting days of "secession times." It is only when 
 each great party has almost an equal number of com- 
 batants in Congress that a hand-to-hand battle takes place. 
 To-day the men whose official career ends for the present 
 in the House were the plumed leaders in the strife. In the 
 advance were Foster, of Ohio; Hale, of Maine, and Dur- 
 ham, of Kentucky. To carry out the idea of death, flow- 
 ers were strewn on the desks of departing members, and 
 on the Speaker's table uprose a pyramid of floral display. 
 Not an inch of standing room was visible. Even the 
 diplomatic gallery contained an unusual number of dis- 
 tinguished foreigners, whilst that part designated as the 
 "members' gallery" was crowded to overflowing by the 
 acknowledged leaders of the social world of which poli- 
 tics make a part. 
 
 On a front seat in a central position sat Mrs. Hayes, 
 conspicuous among the silks, satins, and jewels by the 
 extreme simplicity of her attire, and lack of pretense of all 
 that pertains to the aristocratic and exclusive. The black 
 and shining bands of hair were drawn close and prim over 
 the temples ; the large gray eyes that warm or freeze ac- 
 cording to the will of the possessor; the shapely nose 
 above the cold, thin lips, finished with a chin indicating 
 strong points of character. 
 (364) 
 
THJS OI.IVIA IvI:TTERS 365 
 
 Neither natural roses nor lilies bloomed in the mem- 
 bers' gallery. Pale, sallow, worn-out women came who 
 proved to the lookers-on what a season of fashionable 
 folly will do if permitted to have matters all its own way. 
 But if real charms were lacking, the loss was fortunately 
 replaced by wise manipulations of the artist. The "paint 
 pots" so vividly pictured by the immortal Vicar of Wake- 
 field had been brought into requisition, and Olivia and 
 Sophie were as well prepared as ever for future triumph 
 and conquest. The diplomatic gallery was graced by the 
 Brazilian, Dutch and Belgian ministers, and by the pretty, 
 modest daughters of Secretary' Evarts, attended by some 
 of the handsome officials of the Department of State. 
 Asia was represented, half and half, in the person of 
 Yung Wing, of China, and his American wife. What a 
 strange pair? He is a genuine son of the land of Con- 
 fucius, with his dark-yellow skin drawn smooth like 
 parchment over his dome of thought ; inky hair and eyes, 
 and with all those strange hieroglyphic signs of mystery 
 stamped on his sphinx-like face. Madame Yung Wing 
 seemed to enjoy her novel position, as she leaned back en- 
 veloped in all that finely which her marital captivity en- 
 ables her to wear. This mingling of the races, to the 
 honor of American women let it be recorded, happens 
 only in the extremes of our social system — among the 
 very highest or lowest — the diamonds or the dirt. 
 
 The gallery to the right of the Speaker is a study for 
 the artist. Every part of this broad land is represented. 
 The Boston girl is there, with a voice that reminds you of 
 the higher notes of Ole Bull's supernatural violin. The 
 most beautiful women of the continent spring from the 
 land of the setting sun, descendants of the belles of the 
 "blue grass region," grown and ripened under the cool 
 sun and peculiar atmosphere of Colorado and California. 
 There they sit, mothers and daughters, as luscious to^ the 
 eye as a basket of their own inimitable pears and trans- 
 parent grapes. The women of the Sunny South were 
 
366 th^ ouvia i.e;tters 
 
 there. Slender, willowy creations, that remind you 
 of Damascus blades. As full of passion as a fagot of 
 wood with sticks, each one carries an invisible goad to 
 prod the statesman if he even thinks of "compromise." 
 Stronger than ever are the women entrenched in the rul- 
 ings of the House. Opposite the Speaker might have 
 been seen Africa — reflected from the seats in all tints, 
 from ebony to "Alderney cream." Ever since the gallery 
 doors were thrown open to this race the space is occupied. 
 The cushioned seats have been removed, but day after 
 day of the session sees the same row, as though the House- 
 were a great school in which the spectators are pupils. 
 Few colored women are to be seen, and the crowd seemed 
 made up of those who have no employment, but who go 
 to Congress to bask in the artifical heat and enjoy the 
 tropical magnificence to be felt on every side. 
 
 The gavel falls on the Speaker's table like the black- 
 smith's blows on the forge. A muttering silence follows. 
 General Butler has left the Republican side and rolls over 
 to the Democratic. He glances down on the diminutive 
 figure of Aleck Stevens in his rolling chair, pauses a mo- 
 ment as though he were going to^ speak, apparently 
 changes his mind, passes on, then sinks into a chair with 
 a staunch Democrat on either side. 
 
 The semi-silence is broken, and the Honorable Charles 
 Foster, of Ohio, is on his feet. His face is very white, 
 but his black eyes burn like the wolf's in the cave when it 
 was pursued by General Israel Putnam. No man in the 
 House commands more respect than the one who has the 
 floor. "Hear! hear!" In a moment the House was 
 made to understand that Charley, as usual, had a political 
 panacea to apply to the blistered situation ; but his plan 
 is hurled back by Atkins, of Tennessee, and then the 
 struggle to fasten the responsibility of an extra session 
 begins. 
 
 Rapidly the hour hand describes the passage which 
 marks the circle lying between 11 o'clock and 12. "Only 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 367 
 
 a moment," begs Atkins, "to put myself right before the 
 country !" Hale, of Maine, intercedes for a moment in 
 which he "may set the Republican party all right, and fix 
 the responsibility for all the calamities which may follow 
 future Democratic legislation." Anxious eyes glance at 
 the clock. Only twenty-five minutes left. A voice is 
 heard pleading that the crowd of ladies, composed largely 
 of those who include members in the "family," be per- 
 mitted to occupy the floor. Speaker Randall asks if there 
 is any objection. None being raised, in an instant the 
 doors become sluiceways through which pour a flood of 
 feminine humanity. This element spills itself in every 
 direction ; sinks into crevices made vacant by retreating- 
 forms of members. In vain Speaker Randall asserts "the 
 ladies are not to occupy the chairs within the circle." 
 The timid ones slink back, but a few charming ones stick, 
 and strange to say the members seem to^ like it. Conger, 
 of Michigan, beckoned his pretty daughter Florence to a 
 seat beside him. In an instant the vinegar and aggressive 
 spleen disappeared from his countenance, proving that 
 the ugly face he wears in Congress is only a mask. One 
 aged sinner, at least one old enough to know better, slip- 
 ped his arm around the back of a chair, and though no 
 apparent damage was done it was enough to prove the 
 crookedness of the legislative mind. The flirtations on 
 the floor occupied very little time, and divided the space 
 consumed in receiving messages from the Senate. All at 
 once a tall man rises in the gallery, and says audibly to 
 the people around : "A half dozen men on each side do 
 the business; all the rest are drummers!" After this 
 mercantile speech, the stranger subsides. In the midst 
 of the excitement a burly form is seen entering a door- 
 way, and a face lights up the surroundings as a beacon 
 flame flings its beams far out on a turbulent sea. Haul 
 down the canvas; let go the pumps; it is ex-Secretary 
 Robeson, at last safely beached. Republican sympathy 
 
368 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 clings to him because he has no money, and thought it his 
 duty to repair our war vessels so long as the port holes 
 showed no signs of decay. 
 
 Leaning carelessly back, but in an attitude of inimitable 
 grace stands Joe Blackburn of Kentucky, the "blue grass" 
 boy who will be entered in the coming session for the 
 Speaker's race. Possessed of remarkable points of physi- 
 cal beauty, few men in Congress in this respect can be 
 called his peers. Tall and slender, made up entirely of 
 bone, nerve and muscle, he seems the embodiment of life's 
 fiercest forces. The energy of his mind is in keeping with 
 the casket, and his chances for the Speakership at the 
 present time seem best of all. 
 
 General Garfield disturbs the stifling air by offering a 
 resolution of thanks to Speaker Randall, who receives it 
 with that becoming modesty he knows so well how to as- 
 sume. In a voice tremulous with emotion, in a few well 
 chosen words. Honorable Sam. Randall announces his 
 labor and his arduous duties done ; and for the last time 
 the gavel descended, the curtain fell, whilst the Forty- 
 fifth Congress entered that silent bourn from whence no 
 traveler returns. Olivia. 
 
A MATRIMONIAL REGISTER. 
 List o^ EivIGibles o^ the Senate and Cabinet. 
 Washington, December 24, i8/p. 
 
 "They don't propose ! They won't propose ! 
 For fear perhaps I'd say yes ! 
 Just let 'em try it, for heaven knows 
 I'm tired of single blessedness!" 
 
 At the moment of writing the waters of social Hfe are 
 becalmed in Washington. Very little is doing in matri- 
 monial business and mothers with marriageable daugh- 
 ters are advised to hold on to the stock in hand (unless 
 there is danger of spoiling) , as an advance is expected as 
 soon as a batch of single Congressmen arrive, and this 
 interesting event will probably happen soon after the 
 holidays. General Ben Butler is already here, and though 
 he has shed his late Congressional skin and is no longer 
 interesting on this account, he still has the chance to be 
 governor of Massachusetts; but aside from this honor, 
 any respectable matrimonial agency would give him a 
 clean bill of sale the moment the right kind of a purchaser 
 can be found. It is said the gallant General has a "blind 
 eye," but even with this fact in a woman's favor it will 
 be necessary to approach him as carefully as though he 
 were gunpowder or an "infernal machine," and be well 
 prepared for the explosion which would be sure to follow. 
 But it must be remembered that all the valuable things 
 of the earth are obtained at great personal sacrifice and 
 often with loss of life. Just as the biggest pearls are 
 fished from the deepest waters, the greatest men are 
 brought to the right point with a corresponding loss of 
 female vitality. 
 
 Senator Sharon ! "Lo ! the conquering hero comes" 
 24 (369) 
 
370 THE OUVIA IvETTERS 
 
 on the breath of the wind, at the same time hitched be- 
 hind a fiery locomotive. He is already done up in broad- 
 cloth and fine linen, and is probably at this hour sleeping 
 in his own "special car" as he rushes over the steel road- 
 way with which dear old Oakes Ames spanned the con- 
 tinent. What a picture of Oriental magnificence, with 
 his almond-eyed, dark-haired daughter at his side! What 
 a flutter among the dames of the grand West End! In 
 his presence a small bore of the Army and Navy, a 
 "swell" of an upper clerk, or even an obscure Congress- 
 man pales as the stars are wiped out by the effulgence 
 of a full-blown sun ! "But he ain't handsome!" Shut up, 
 you ill-bred child ! Handsome is that handsome does ! 
 Didn't Senator Sharon spend $40,000 on the Grant re- 
 ception, and owns a house so large that people get lost in 
 it ? It takes as long to explore it as it does the Mammoth 
 Cave! "What does he come here for, mamma?" 
 "Why, to show his heathen Chinee, and see if his glass 
 shoe will fit any Cinderella at the capital." "They pared 
 their heels and they pared their toes," but the special car 
 goes back to the Pacific slope empty and tenantless, in 
 one sense, as it came. The ripple subsides, to rise at each 
 approach of the "special car," and so the play goes on. 
 
 Senator Booth, of California, is another matrimonial 
 venture worth looking after, but he has already been 
 toughened by several winter campaigns in Washington, 
 until it is declared by those that ought to know that a 
 sigh drawn fresh and pure from the deepest and most 
 capacious female bosom and applied to the right place will 
 Ixave no' more effect than a Holman liver pad adminis- 
 tered for lockjaw, whilst a glance from the most brilliant 
 eye falls like a sunbeam on an alligator's back. Managing 
 mammas have given up whist parties on his account, be- 
 cause he is far more "whist" than the count. But the 
 Senator is in a tolerable state of preservation, consider- 
 ing the number of sieges he has endured, and bids fair to 
 return to the sand lots of California no worse for the 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 37 1 
 
 tender wear and tear to which he has been so cruelly sub- 
 jected. 
 
 If there are any tears to shed, prepare to shed them 
 now! Step softly! blind your eyes! This is Senator 
 Ferry, of Michigan, he who has convulsed the heart of 
 woman, lo! these many years. Mothers have plotted, 
 widows intrigued, girls have cried for him, all tO' no pur- 
 pose. It has taken subtle cunning to elude the snares 
 spread for his gentle, trusting being, but Senator Ferry 
 has been equal to the trial and has come out of the fiery 
 flames handsome and jubilant as ever. Whilst the years 
 come and go and at the same time snatch the hairs from 
 his brother Senators' heads, leaving crowsfeet all along 
 the track. Senator Ferry defies the "Old Man of the 
 Sickle," and is just as capable of cracking a young girl's 
 heart to-day as when in the morning of his manly 
 strength, before the stars sang together. As soon as Con- 
 gress assembles a committee will be appointed to investi- 
 gate the source of his mighty power, as it is not intended 
 that one red-bearded Senator shall get more than his 
 share. xA.s Senator Ferry usually buys up all newspapers 
 which print advertisements of him, this is intended as a 
 cheap way to get rid of a solid edition of The Times, but 
 the article will only call for the usual liberal rate which 
 it pays to its most valued correspondents. 
 
 The next names registered on the books of the matri- 
 monial register come under the head of "twins," and such 
 a pair of twins have never been seen since Gemini and 
 Pollux took their places in the heavens in order to chase 
 the "big bear" around the polar star. Possibly Senators 
 Burnside and Anthony have been condensed into twins, 
 because Rhode Island is too small a State to hold them 
 singly and apart. At one time Senator Burnside came 
 very near scaring off all the girls by wearing a gray night- 
 cap in the daytime, but he immediately rallied and gave a 
 lunch party and explained to the "wee darlin's" there 
 wasn't the slightest danger in it. The girls remonstrated, 
 
I'JT. THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 but without avail, until Senator Anthony declared that 
 he wouldn't be twin to- a night-cap, even though it was 
 the color of the side-whiskers, unless the gender could 
 be changed. There is always an incipient battle going 
 on between the two, similar in object and manner as 
 those in which the late Siamese twins indulged, but this 
 is done simply to amuse each other and at the same time 
 keep the thoughts of the female sirens out of their united 
 minds; besides it takes Senator Anthony all his spare 
 time to keep Senator Burnside out of mischief. Since 
 the Senatorial night-cap has been laid aside all sorts of 
 mental eggs have been hatching in his brain, and some 
 time ago one of these eggs turned into an immense black 
 horse and two-wheeled vehicle, adorned by a real tiger 
 skin. This chariot was driven by a Jehu black as the 
 wings of night, and had not Senator Burnside sat by 
 the sable driver the people of the capital would have be- 
 lieved that the whole contrivance was a phantom, such 
 as Washington Irving used to paint with his magic pen. 
 "I told him," said Charlie Foster, "that he must not drive 
 so fast. That his black beast was a dray horse and not 
 a 'roadster.' " But the immense black animal, the two 
 black wheels, the sable driver, with the tiger skin flying, 
 thundered up and down the Avenue, a target for the 
 witty Stilson Hutchins, whose paragraphs on the subject 
 were looked for in the Post with keener relish than the 
 most aromatic coffee. Thin-skinned Anthony could stand 
 it no longer and the black horse disappeared from Con- 
 gressional history. It has never been ascertained whether 
 it was a real horse or one of those uncanny creations 
 "conjured " by means of the "black art," but as every- 
 thing about it was black and all in the highest style of art, 
 it is safe to pronounce it black art until a better word can 
 be invented. Just as long as Senator Burnside is in the" 
 Senate Senator Anthony will have his hands full. In the 
 meantime matrimonial schemes will be laid over as un- 
 finished business, and this is peculiarly trying, for the 
 
the; owvia lhtters 373 
 
 loss to some fair woman in not being allowed to cling to 
 Senator Anthony is more painful than pen can describe. 
 As altogether too much space of this valuable paper 
 has been given to the irreclaimable old single-tops of the 
 Senate, it is high time the gay and festive "House" 
 should be reached; but, alas! if this is done, the "catch- 
 ables" of the Cabinet will be overlooked, and what will 
 Mrs. Hayes say? The writer knows very little about 
 General Devens, but it has been ascertained that he was 
 not imported from England, but belongs to^ an entirely 
 different breed, whilst President Hayes claims all the 
 honor of original discovery. At any rate, it is well known 
 that he was picked up on the codfish shores of Massa- 
 chusetts in a remarkable state of preservation. General 
 Devens is blue-blooded to the last degree, and it is claimed 
 that a large portion of the fluid that runs in his veins was 
 imported in the Mayflower, and this accounts for the 
 small quantity of it. Whilst there is enough for all Cabi- 
 net purposes and to occasionally amuse Mrs. Hayes, 
 the illuminating power seems to require some such tinker 
 as the hero of Menlo Park to bring it to the required 
 point of perfection. Like Edison's electric light, though 
 it "shines," there is very little heat, and a girl complains 
 that in his presence she always has a cold nose, but it is 
 declared that he shall not go out of the Cabinet on this ac- 
 count, and the probabilities are that he has come to stay. 
 Listen to the mocking-bird! Trills, quavers, semi- 
 cjuavers, demi-semi-quavers, a flute, a flageolet, a dulci- 
 mer ! It is only the voice of Carl Schurz, but it is a whole 
 opera concealed in his throat. Creation has contrived a 
 few voices whose intonation in speech is the highest and 
 most triumphant music. Such sounds come out of the 
 mouth of a shell. It is heard in the patter of a fairy cas- 
 cade. It is the hissing ring of the rain as it kisses the 
 bosom of the dimpled deep. Nature's pure, sweet, un- 
 adulterated chimes — not spoiled by "foreign master" or 
 any other training. Born in a castle, the son of a game- 
 
374 the: OLIVIA i,i:tti;rs 
 
 keeper; half aristocrat, half peasant; haughty as a king; 
 humble as the lowliest who seek his favor ; least under- 
 stood because his intellect includes both large and small 
 gifts culled from the whole vast domain which governs 
 the law of humanity — daughters admire him, mothers 
 fear him, fathers hate him. Why? Because he is not 
 only a man, but somewhat more! During office hours he 
 attends to business precisely like other Cabinet officers, 
 with even more accuracy and attention, but, his work 
 done, the uncanny orgie begins. He has the power to 
 draw the most weird and unearthly music out of his 
 piano. The yells of the cats before they were made into 
 "strings'' are revived with added ferocity. All the 
 sounds of nature are imitated. He is never weary and 
 never lies down, but he has been seen to uncoil, throw 
 his head back, open his lips and show his white, glistening 
 fangs. Then somebody is sure to get hurt. When 
 Mother Nature begins tO' pull the string to let down the 
 curtain of night, a dark, slender horse, bearing upon its 
 back a tall, sinuous form, may be seen flying in a north- 
 easterly direction. Nothing more solemn and ghoul-like 
 can be imagined. To the awful northeast lies "Edge- 
 wood," most sentimental of earthly pilgrimages. Ceme- 
 teries here and there blot the highway. The lonely road 
 stretches on, unlit by flash except a "Jack o' lantern," 
 which leads the way for the dark horse of the smoking 
 flank. Once Senator Conkling w^as taking an airing in 
 this direction for his poor health's sake and met the 
 "horseman." It was more than his nerves could bear. 
 Edgewood is now deserted, the cemeteries are all quiet, 
 and the "vision" is left to its own mad career. Any wo- 
 man who meditates "designs" on Carl Schurz should 
 first cultivate a love for sulphur and practice with an 
 electric battery every day. 
 
 The House may safely be called an ocean of matri- 
 monial possibilities. When mothers say "there are as 
 good fish in the sea as ever were caught," they have di- 
 
the: ouvia i.e;tte;rs 375 
 
 rect reference to the House, the lurking-place of so much 
 that is sweet, shy and forbidding. Here, at almost any 
 hour of the Congressional day, may be seen "sporting" 
 a whole shoal of bachelor Greenbackers ; but their backs 
 are no more green than their fellow members, unless the 
 verdant tint may be noticed with which all Congressmen 
 are more or less afflicted. Here bachelor Le Fevre spouts 
 like a great sperm whale ; and one speculates on the quan- 
 tity of oil he would "turn out," and feels sad to think 
 he was not discovered before the coal oil regions, for in 
 that case he would have proved of vast service to the 
 world. At present he is ostensibly engaged in storming 
 the departments to find places for his constituents, but 
 the real truth shows that he is only exhibiting his hand- 
 some person to the Treasury girls as a target, and each 
 one is allowed a given number of shots at the mark. As 
 the space allotted by The Times to its most valued cor- 
 respondents has been filled to the brim and just a little 
 slopped over, it is announced that the next article will take 
 up dear, precious Charley O'Neill. It will treat of the 
 sentimental damage wrought at the capital by this "broth 
 of a boy," for if all his "doin's" could be made visible to 
 mortal eye, the old Keystone State would blot out the 
 memory of its late Centennial glory and at the same time 
 give General Grant a rest. Owvia. 
 
BACHELORS AND WIDOWERS. 
 Congressmen SpKER, Ceymer, Ackeey and O'Neiei.. 
 Washington, January 15, 1880. 
 
 "Birdie, oh, come and live with me; 
 You shall be happy — you shall be free." 
 
 Contrary to all precedents of the past, the coming of 
 Congress has had little or no effect on the matrimonial 
 market, although it is confidently believed that Charley 
 O'Neill is holding a vast amount of "stock." Notwith- 
 standing the danger and difficulties of carrying this 
 weight, he has decided to enact the role of the immortal 
 Don Quixote, and has already planted the banner of his 
 famous predecessor on the soil of the capital of the New 
 World. But lest Philadelphia take umbrage at this un- 
 natural exploit, as it looks like spurning the city of his 
 beloved soul, he wishes it understood that had he fixed 
 Philadelphia as a starting-point he would have been con- 
 fined by the meshes of the Camerons, whereas Washing- 
 ton, being the centre of civilization, offers facilities that 
 cannot be breached until the farthest limit of the whole 
 country is reached. As matters now stand, there isn't 
 a maid or widow at the capital whose heart is not pit-a- 
 pat, and even married women are providing against 
 a morning of storm which might close in perpetual sun- 
 shine. Already the first celebrated battle has been fought, 
 and contrary to the usage of ancient chivalry. But as this 
 is a different age, and bottom side the globe as to Spain, 
 it must not be expected that ancient rules will be fol- 
 lowed. When Charley O'Neill attacked the windmills the 
 other day in the Plouse it was found that he had hit Sam 
 Randall in disguise. When he learned that he had got 
 (376) 
 
THE ouviA i.e;tters 377 
 
 the wrong pig by the ear, he soon scattered his forces 
 and comforted himself by thinking, if he had not de- 
 stroyed a windmill of which Philadelphia would be well 
 glad to be rid, the skirmish at least had been fought in the 
 "Cave of the Winds," and if not up tO' the standard of 
 "knight errantry," had sufficient of the Quixotic flavor 
 to answer every modern purpose. For the present he 
 has decided to save the expense of a "Squire," unless 
 Congress will make an appropriation. Besides, Sancho 
 Panza would be in the way if he were the true metal 
 of the Spanish sort. But to remove this difficulty a pri- 
 vate secretary has been found who will open his tender 
 missives; escort distressed damsels tO' the theatre; gorge 
 himself at "society lunches," and sigh like a "lying 
 trooper" when the proper parties are around. Charley 
 O'Neill wants Philadelphia to know that most of his 
 mischief is performed by proxy, and when he returns he 
 will be none the worse for wear. On account of the slip- 
 pery pavements he will not be provided with a "Rosi- 
 nante," but not to disappoint his constituents he has de- 
 termined to get upon his "high horse" on the floor of 
 Congress whenever a pestiferous Democrat shows his 
 hand. A magnificent belle of the "West End" has of- 
 fered him a plume for his hat, but he disdains such marks 
 of frivolity and declares that he will appear only in the 
 simple armor of an American citizen. This consists of 
 a clean white shirt, a neat broad-cloth coat — which 
 under nO' circumstances can be "swallow-tail" — Wana- 
 maker pantaloons and patent-leathers. The hat — a soft 
 felt hat — capable of almost any expression. When he 
 enters the Capitol in this harmless disguise the sensation 
 would be indescribable if the attention was not divided 
 by the roar of Kelley, he who has played the role of lion 
 ever since his celebrated interview with Bismarck, which 
 settled the bi-metallic squabble in both hemispheres. 
 
 The editor of The Times is notified that a column could 
 be furnished concerning Charley O'Neill, the Quaker 
 
37^ the: ouvia i.e;tters 
 
 City's favorite son, and the article would be as crisp and 
 tender as young radishes in spring, but will it pay to build 
 up a reputation that will last as long in the future as Don 
 Quixote has in the past? Whilst The Times is solving 
 the important problem, the dainty and delicate Acklen 
 shall be served up. Congressman Acklen, of Louisiana, 
 is one of the youngest and handsomest "bachelors" in 
 the House, and whilst attending strictly to his Congres- 
 sional duties he has been fortunate enough to get mixed 
 up in more "scrapes" in which women have a part than 
 any half dozen members put together. Last winter he 
 figured at Welcker's in what might be termed a "cele- 
 brated case," or would be if the bottom facts could be 
 found. His partner in the melee was a beautiful golden- 
 haired widow from New York. Telegrams flew all over 
 the country; there was a suspension of the rules of the 
 House. The principal witness, an army officer, who ap- 
 peared to have conscientious scruples, fearing an "in- 
 vestigation," escaped to Canada. The widow published 
 a card in the papers, announcing that Congressman Ack- 
 len had "offered" to marry her, but she refused to be 
 comforted in that way. This performance healed the 
 young widow's reputation. Mrs. Welcker published a 
 card also, saying nothing of the kind ever occurred at her 
 house. This saved the honor of the hotel. At the same 
 time a kind of Chinese din was kept up, which proved 
 that the army officer left suddenly to avoid "a debt of 
 honor," whilst the widow ran away to California and set 
 the whole Russian fleet on fire, which happened to be 
 temporarily stopping in the San Francisco harbor. In the 
 meantime Congressman Acklen occupied his seat in the 
 House, "the observed of all observers,y looking as inno- 
 cent as a Thomas cat whose whiskers are scarcely bereft 
 of the cream. He had all the sympathy of his brother 
 members, because they felt certain he would learn their 
 caution in time ; but, sad to relate, he had hardly set foot 
 in his beloved New Orleans before he tripped and fell 
 
TH^ OWVIA Iv^TTDRS 379 
 
 into another "scandal." It would consume too much of 
 the valuable space of The Times to record this part of 
 his history, but it can all be found in any of the files of 
 last year's Louisiana papers. But he is here again, as 
 clean and bright as ever, and to^ prove his restoration he 
 has left the unhealthy moral atmosphere of the "West 
 End" and rented a mansion on the pure heights of Capi- 
 tol Hill, where every spot is hallowed by the virtuous 
 Father of his Country. To' be away from temptations 
 of all kinds he has taken an aged widow for housekeeper, 
 with her two beautiful grown daughters, just tO' keep the 
 sex in mind. In this way he puts down scandal, and he 
 is never seen going to his own house except at the proper 
 hours of the day. Just as the banana and the orange, by 
 their lusciousness, show their tropical origin. Congress- 
 man Acklen proves by his appearance that he is the "Son 
 of the Sunny South." Hardly beyond the middle size, 
 beautifully moulded, with raven hair and scarlet lips, he 
 impresses the beholder with his curious intensity and con- 
 centration, just as the diamond flashes out its liquid fire; 
 but he is a real "lady-killer" in the longest, broadest, 
 deepest sense of the word, and he is only 30 years old, 
 and refuses to be sobered by the holy bands of wedlock ; 
 but the edge of his wickedness is being borne away by the 
 attrition of national notoriety and the fast-increasing 
 fastidiousness of his own taste, and yet his reputation 
 rather endears him than otherwise to fashionable "so- 
 ciety." 
 
 Pennsylvania has more bachelors in the House than its 
 proper cjuota as compared to other States ; but this may 
 be the harmless way which the "Old Keystone" takes 
 to get rid of her extra rubbish. Hiester Clymer is here, 
 apparently cold, hard, and indestructible as Allegheny 
 granite, and he strikes those with whom he is brought in 
 contact by the same feeling awakened at the touch of 
 rugged sublimity. The grandeur of the mountain ! The 
 solemnity of the sea! Who would dare to laugh and 
 jest in his presence? The writer has been informed by 
 
380 THi: OWVIA LETTERS 
 
 some of his brother members that he has a remarkably 
 sweet and winning manner to the few privileged to oc- 
 cupy the chambers of his soul ; and we should remember 
 the rough, brown husk of the nut is no indication of the 
 kernel. High-toned and kingly in manner on the floor, 
 always the right word in the right place. For nearly if 
 not quite a dozen years, for we write from memory only, 
 his stalwart form has been a landmark in the Pennsyl- 
 vania delegation, or a sort of Democratic wharf against 
 which the spray and foam of the Republican ocean has 
 madly dashed in vain. In reputation, so far as women 
 are concerned, his character is the reverse of Congress- 
 man Acklen; but suppose he had been contrived on a 
 sugar plantation, done up in a Creole skin, forged, as it 
 were, under the very eyelids of the tropics ? What then ? 
 Shouldn't Pennsylvania get down on her stony old knees 
 and thank heaven that her Congressmen are not made 
 like Southern men? 
 
 As if to correct the acidity of the delegation. Congress- 
 man Herr Smith is added on, just as the last lump of 
 sugar is put in to perfect the coffee cup. Whilst having 
 all the virtues, he is believed to have none of the vices, 
 and his moral character at the capital is always quoted 
 No. I ; risks few and readily taken. Society knows little 
 or nothing about him, but the quantity, small as it is, may 
 be set down to his decided advantage. He has the reputa- 
 tion of being rich, but there is little show or ostentation. 
 He is always in his seat, always at work, apparently with 
 nothing but his constituents' interests at heart. It would 
 be better for our sex if it were otherwise, but nO' delicate- 
 minded woman would think of disturbing the serenity of 
 his soul, and he keeps so far away from the other kind 
 that an accident never can happen. No one doubts but at 
 some period of his life the ocean of sentiment in his 
 bosom has been traversed by gailf streams of romance, 
 and he, too, like Whittier, can sing : "The saddest of all, 
 it might have been." Blessed be the spiritual hand that 
 touches the human heart-strings only to awaken the di- 
 
THli OLIVIA LETTERS 38 1 
 
 vinest melody, and thrice blessed is he who knows how to 
 avoid those pits in the soul whose black depths reflect bit- 
 terness, satire, and irony. Side by side in every great 
 mind the Creator has ranged the awful caldrons of good 
 and evil. Congressman Smith knows how to thread the 
 mazy way with pleasure to himself and honor to all con- 
 cerned. 
 
 As it has been the intention to give the South the same 
 fair showing, apples and oranges, hardy roses, and mag- 
 nolias, Georgia comes in with a Congressman who, 
 though never a "bachelor," is a festive widower of five 
 months' duration. "Emory Speer, Athens. Georgia," 
 is engraved on his cards, and considering what should be 
 termed his "recent grief" it would seem very wrong to 
 embalm him in the papers. But he gives public parties at 
 his hotel, leads off in the "german," flirts with the girls, 
 and is not that sufficient reason to believe that he is not 
 the kind who enjoys the luxury of grief without some 
 sort of mitigation? Possibly he may have taken this 
 dashing way to cover his sorrow, but the young ladies be- 
 lieve that he is in dead earnest, and if it were not for his 
 five children and lack of permanent fortune he would 
 be considered already one of the "catches" of the season. 
 He was a Confederate soldier when only 16 years of age, 
 served all through the late war, studied law with Ben 
 Hill and became his successor when he was promoted to 
 the Senate. Singularly handsome in person and winning 
 in manner, volatile and boyish to the last degree, he is 
 not to be judged by the hard, stern law to which 
 we cold-blooded Nor'westers bow the knee. At any rate, 
 he is sincerity itself, and probably he may be a big child 
 in disguise. Who knows when the threshold of man- 
 hood or womanhood has been passed? There is a char- 
 acter in Hawthorne's "Marble Faun" always supposed to 
 be romance. But here in Congress is the case that fits 
 it. Who dare sit in judgment on a fellow-mortal? He 
 that is wisest is the most humble, and those who are dear- 
 est will give us a rest. Olivia. 
 
THE BOTANIC GARDEN. 
 
 Some Side Geances at the Expenditures eor That 
 Institution. 
 
 Washington^ January i8, 1880. 
 
 Although a fraction only of the single men in Congress 
 have cut a figiu'e in these papers, a little deviation takes 
 place this week to show the people what it costs to keep 
 Congressmen armed with bouquets, for these are the 
 weapons in modern use which bring down the game 
 which is best worth bagging. But it must not be thought 
 by the reader that the vast greenhouses at the capital, 
 kept in being at government expense, are appropriated 
 entirely by the bachelor Congressmen. On the contrary, 
 married Senators and members leave their orders through 
 a page. This has been proved time after time by a Con- 
 gressman's wife receiving a bouquet with a card at- 
 tached bearing another woman's name; but as her hus~ 
 band's, in fact no male signature of any kind appears she 
 immediately seeks her mirror in proof of another con- 
 quest. True, she realizes that her youthful hey-day is 
 over ; that mutton has taken the place of lamb-chop ( Ben : 
 Perley Poore is the authority for declaring that "all men 
 prefer it"), but she knows that some mutton always stays 
 tender, and when this kind can be found even Ben : Perley 
 Poore or Senator Conkling will not disdain it. But com- 
 ing back to the national greenhouses, which are as dis- 
 tinct from the Agricultural Department as the different 
 Cabinet portfolios; in other words, the Botanic Garden 
 sustains the same relation to Congress as the conserva- 
 tory of any mansion to its solitary owner. The Republic 
 furnishes another garden and immense conservatory for 
 the exclusive use of the White House; and when it is seen 
 (382) 
 
THE OLIVIA I^ETTKRS 3^3 
 
 how hundreds of thousands of dollars of the public funds 
 o-o for the luxury of flowers alone, it will not be won- 
 dered that the growth of "imperialism" is going ahead 
 with breakneck speed, for it is very sweet and lovely 
 when all jobs and bills can be squared by an appropria- 
 tion." ^ ,, 
 
 A spectator standing on the western terrace of the 
 Capitol sees an innocent tract of land enclosed by a most 
 costly fence. Broad avenues and romantic walks dis- 
 turb the monotony of the closely-shaven velvet sward; 
 while trees rare as oriental sandal wood have been 
 brought from every portion of the earth's surface to 
 adorn this domain of republican royalty. Almost hidden 
 by the fence and far removed from the vulgar eyes of the 
 common herd outside, the magnificent Bartholdi fountain 
 spurts its fair life away. Instead of putting this exquisite 
 fountain at the intersection of Pennsylvania avenue and 
 Seventh street, or even at the foot of the Capitol, now 
 turned into a graveyard by the mouldy genius of Ad- 
 miral Porter, it has been smuggled into the low grounds 
 of the Botanic Gardens for the exclusive use of romantic 
 Congressmen who, when wandering slowly with women 
 who incline to be fast, turn their modest faces toward the 
 genius of Bartholdi in the hope that the soothing play of 
 the immortal fountain will at once arrest any demonstra- 
 tion not of the straight-laced kind. To the rear the green- 
 houses assert themselves with a grandeur of architectural 
 beauty which the Government funds alone can bestow 
 To o-et a foretaste of Paradise, or to recall the glory of 
 the Garden of Eden, it is only necessary to wander 
 through the mazes of lovers' paths with which the Con- 
 gressional greenhouses are profusely intersected. From 
 the foot of the most northern crag kissed by the fiery 
 aurora borealis to the molten girdle that clasps Africa s 
 burning waist the vegetable glory of the earth has 
 been wrested to minister to Congressional comfort. In 
 the pursuit the trackless sea has been plowed alike by war 
 
384 th^ ouvia i^etters 
 
 vessels and merchantmen. The most interesting spot 
 connected with the greenhouses is the "propagating gar- 
 den," where all sorts of curious experiments are tried. 
 Not content to let each flower produce after its own kind, 
 all sorts of horticultural black art is invoked to produce 
 mongrel types, which come from a curious propagating 
 performance, which even a Congressman cannot under- 
 stand. Sometimes the gardener succeeds in doubling the 
 leaves oi a single flower, tO' the loss of all sweetness and 
 perfume, just as we have seen the thing happen when the 
 flowers were human instead of vegetable. Striped roses 
 and lilies are obtained in place of the good, old-fashioned 
 solid colors. To produce these freaks, or to make old 
 Mother Nature change her every-day program, appro- 
 priations are made that would astonish the people, con- 
 sidering the surroundings of most of the Congressmen 
 before they are born into official life. 
 
 In 1836, or nearly half a century ago, the beaux in 
 Congress concluded it would be a good thing to have 
 bouquets fashioned for their buttonholes at the public ex- 
 pense» Flowers in those primitive days were obtained 
 with much trouble and expense, so the initiatory steps to 
 free flowers was taken by an appropriation of $5,000 to 
 be used in this way: "For conveying the surplus water 
 of the Capitol to the Botanic Garden, making a basin, and 
 purchasing a fountain from Hiram Powers." Before 
 the year was ended it was found that $5,000 would not 
 relieve the Capitol of its surplus water, £vnd an additional 
 appropriation was made the same year of $3,614.04. 
 From 1836 to May, 1850, nothing was taken from the 
 public funds for flowers. In place of nosegays to tin- 
 tillate the Congressional nostrils these rough old fore- 
 fathers used snuff, but this was also' provided at Govern- 
 ment expense and the modest snuff-boxes on either side 
 of the Vice-President's chair, and those to be found in 
 the House, will remain for all time as simple reminders 
 of the habits of our modest ancestors in comparison to 
 
THE OUVIA I.ETTERS 385 
 
 the ravages of the Congressional greenhouses as they 
 stand in the pillory of public opinion to-day. With the 
 departure of dear old Thurman the last of the old-time 
 snuff-takers disappears. The last v\^ave of his ancient ban- 
 dana heralds the Senatorial coming of one of the most 
 aggressive movers on the stronghold of all the appropria- 
 tions. In 1850, $5,000 was taken from the public funds 
 and in 185 1, $750 only. A rest came here until 1855, 
 when $1,500 was taken to build a house in which to store 
 the plants brought from Japan, and during the same year 
 $12,000 was taken at one time and $3,000 at another to 
 fix up the grounds of the Botanic Garden and put them 
 in proper order. In 1856 the grounds still wanted to- be 
 fixed to the amount of $5,650 at one time and $1 1,000 at 
 another of the same year, and the "grounds" hardly a 
 scant half-dozen acres in extent ; in fact, only twO' squares 
 long, but not two whole squares deep. Following up 
 the official figures it is found that $6,000 more was ex- 
 pended on the Botanic Garden, taken from another ap- 
 propriation, making for the year 1856, $22,650. This it 
 was claimed was paid for "draining the grounds in the 
 vicinity of the national greenhouses." In 1857 — $2,600 at 
 one time, $5,000 at another, but all the same year, and 
 from another appropriation $3,360, making in all $10,- 
 960 for the year 1857. In 1858, $2,600 at one time, 
 $3,360 at another, making the round sum of $5,960. 
 The years 1859 ^^^ i860 only required a thousand each 
 for the bouquets, and during the war, to the credit of 
 Congress let it be recorded, not a dollar was sunk in the 
 Botanic swamp so far as can be ascertained in the Con- 
 gressional records. But in 1866 the rage for flowers 
 broke out afresh, and it required $2,500 to stop the 
 wound, which continued when the vast sum of $25,057.90 
 was required to build the bouquets to the right propor- 
 tion — a sum which exceeded the President's yearly salary 
 the same year. In 1867 it took $35,000; in 1868, $41.- 
 25 
 
386 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 784.05, etc., etc. The figures alone stretch out until the 
 crack of doom. Let it be understood that such men as 
 that pure statesman Garfield held the strings of the public 
 purse and helped on these appropriations. General Gar- 
 field is promoted to the Senate ; Thurman, the statesman, 
 remanded to private life. 
 
 In 1874 the last of the large appropriations was made, 
 and this represented $16,925. About this time the Re- 
 publican party began to wealven, and with it the inno- 
 cent taste of lovely flowers. It must not be understood 
 these vast sums represented the flowers at so much apiece ; 
 but it always happened that the Botanic Garden was cry- 
 ing for tools, more greenhouses, fertilizers, brick walls, 
 iron fences, glazing and painting. Its pathways were in 
 a constant state of eruption ; its gates always hanging on 
 broken hinges. Seneca stone was constantly giving out 
 and always in peremptory demand. The substantial 
 fences were always going out of fashion and needed to 
 be replaced as often as a woman's headgear. The call for 
 "tubs, pots, packing materials, labels, seeds, envelopes, 
 grading, repairing, sewers, horse hire and manure," as- 
 cended to heaven like the cry of the young ravens for 
 food. Could Garfield, chairman of the Committee on 
 Appropriations, withstand these demands on the public 
 funds ? During these historic days of fat appropriations 
 the Woodhull sisterhood attempted to establish a "colony" 
 at the Capitol. Brisbane, of pneumatic fame, succeeded 
 in getting a $15,000 appropriation to sustain life whilst 
 he should dig a ditch from the Capitol to the Government 
 printing ofiice. The colony was being planted, the ditch 
 was being dug all at the same time, and extra flowers 
 were needed for the Christian statesmen in Congress to 
 reclaim the "colony," or at least make it so fragrant that 
 the citizens of the District could endure the new innova- 
 tion sustained by Congressional influence and protected 
 by the sacrifices of the Christian statesmen. Flowers in 
 the missionary cause were needed, and Parson Garfield, 
 
THE OLIVIA I.e:TTERS 387 
 
 chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, stood at 
 the mouth of the pubhc purse and dealt out the shining 
 thousands as Aladdin showered the sequins brought him 
 by the genii invoked by his wonderful lamp. To the 
 credit of a Democratic Congress let it be recorded that no 
 vast sums have been "appropriated" to keep the bouquet 
 business in full bloom. If the Confederate brigadiers 
 wear the "society" bouquet, they pay for them as they do 
 their cigars. It is declared by those who ought to know 
 that the Botanic Garden is on the road to swift decay; 
 that it has little or no support, except from the water 
 which flows from the Congressional baths, and consider- 
 ing the source, it is astonishing what excellent results 
 have been achieved. Sam Randall declares that so long 
 as the greenhouses can be made to flourish in this way he 
 will not "object" to the cleanliness if it will prevent an 
 "appropriation ;" besides the bouquets derived from such 
 a source are almost sentimentally equal to the flower 
 which the maiden sent her lover that had been "watered 
 with her tears." 
 
 For many years the luxurious accessories of the toilet 
 have been on the free list in the Senate. Thousands of 
 dollars are invested yearly in soap, tooth brushes, infant 
 powder, perfumery, brandy and whiskey, combs, Turk- 
 ish toweling, lemons, and tea. And this is one of the 
 safest investments of the public funds. What right has 
 the nation to elect Senators if they cannot afford to keep 
 them clean? Isn't cleanliness next to godliness ; and isn't 
 this purity of the body about as close to the Creator as the 
 average Senator attempts to reach? Free flowers have 
 been the only free luxuries in Avhich the less aristocratic 
 branch had the same right, and is it a wonder that it re- 
 quired more than $41,000 in a single year to make the 
 sweets go around ? Ouvia. 
 
WHITE HOUSE RECEPTIONS COMPARED. 
 
 Customs Prevailing Under the Lincoen, Grant, 
 Hayes and Johnson Regimes. 
 
 Washington, February 6, 1880. 
 
 A residence at the national capital which spans the 
 social rule from the days of queenly Harriet Lane to the 
 present "first lady" at the White House affords an op- 
 portunity to note the different changes and peculiar in- 
 novations inaugurated by those whom fate or accident 
 has called to wield the most powerful social scepter to be 
 found upon the face of the globe. The public need not be 
 told that the wife of our President has more real political 
 power than Queen Victoria. True, she does not ride "in 
 state," drawn by eight cream-colored horses to open Par- 
 liament in person, but she waits carefully in an ante-room, 
 and when Cabinet sessions are over seizes upon the head 
 of any of the Departments, and then and there, like a 
 Catharine or Elizabeth, makes known her command. Mrs. 
 Abraham Lincoln inaugurated this excellent plan of doing 
 business, because the exigencies of the war wholly occu- 
 pied the mind and time of the President, and it became 
 necessary for the "first lady" to look after the minor af- 
 fairs of the country at this particular date. To prove 
 exactly what the writer means, the case of the first Com- 
 missioner of Agriculture is called up. Several crafty men 
 put their heads together and decided to call into being a 
 "Bureau of Agriculture." Its different departments were 
 to be "run," each one by its particular head, independent 
 of the other. It was to be a cluster of little kingdoms 
 with a nominal head that should be empty of ideas, pos- 
 sessing only one requisite, that of managing Mrs. Lin- 
 coln and the appropriation of the public funds. These 
 (388) 
 
the: OLIVIA LETTERS 3^9 
 
 shrewd men made the good old Quaker Newton beHeve 
 that he was among the greatest men of the universe,^ and 
 while he was busy talking "spiritualism" to our "first 
 lady," escorting her with his old time chivalry and grace 
 to the humble homes of the "mediums," the head men of 
 his department were scattering the worthless seeds broad- 
 cast over the country and making up those absurd reports 
 which have brought ridicule on one of the most impor- 
 tant branches of the public service down to the present 
 time. 
 
 One of the most impressive and gorgeous receptions 
 which the writer ever attended was given by the Presi- 
 dent and Mrs. Lincoln toward the last of this important 
 term. The White House looked old, worn, and dingy, for 
 this preceded the golden splendor of the Grant regime, 
 but the brilliancy and magnificence was made up by the 
 scarlet uniforms of the Marine Band with the gilt but- 
 tons and shoulderstraps of the brave defenders of the 
 Union, who clustered about the capital in those historic 
 days. The same struggling tide of humanity inundated 
 the doors of the Executive Mansion, but at every turn a 
 soldier was stationed to keep the crowd within the limit 
 of Mrs. Lincoln's law. Bayonets glittered over the dain- 
 tily dressed heads and bare shoulders of the beautifully 
 dressed ladies who declared that "mob law" was now 
 inaugurated and "they should never visit the White 
 House again, until a change." But if the guests felt in- 
 sulted at the presence of the bayonets what was their as- 
 tonishment upon going into the "presence" to find a gen- 
 uine crown on Mrs. Lincoln's head. It was made of gilt, 
 but looked precisely like those which are found on the 
 heads of those distinguished women about whom we read 
 in Agnes Strickland's "Lives of the Queens of England." 
 The stones or gems were wanting, but the tinsel and gilt 
 were all there. There was only time allowed to note that 
 dear old Abraham looked down at the little "bobbing" 
 woman at his side as he might at a frolicsome kitten, then 
 
390 The; olivia letters 
 
 a cold steel bayonet pressed the writer's shoulder, while 
 the military gruff voice added : "Pass on ! pass on !" 
 Afterwards is was ascertained that the "crown" was a 
 harmless head-dress invented by a Philadelphia milliner, 
 and that Mr. Lincoln ridiculed it so severely that its debut 
 and withdrawal all took place the same night. It was 
 Mrs. Lincoln who arranged that a division of society 
 should be made after the guests have entered the White 
 House. She had a door set apart for the Judges of the 
 Supreme Court, Senators, Army and Navy, and foreign 
 ministers. Members of Congress were herded with the 
 common people, and actually forced through the same 
 door. When Mrs. Julia Grant succeeded to the sceptre 
 she realized that any distinction of this kind would make 
 any administration unpopular; so she decided that all 
 persons who entered the front door of the mansion were 
 entitled to the same social privilege, and all doors should 
 be alike to the guests. But to get over the difficulty and 
 please royalty as well as democracy, Mrs. Grant discov- 
 ered a side door, a sort of sneak entrance, where those 
 who wished to avoid the crowd could pass in, take up 
 their positions in the rear of the "throne," and glare upon 
 the struggling crowd of humanity as it passed by in single 
 file. 
 
 With astonishment the writer learned by personal ex- 
 perience that Mrs. Hayes has revived Mrs. Lincoln's law 
 as to the aristocracy of the doors. Last Saturday for the 
 first time at a public reception the writer entered the 
 White House. Seeing an immense crowd struggling to 
 go through one door, and kept back by the police, while 
 at another in close proximity only now and then a few 
 were permitted to pass, upon inquiry it was learned that 
 a door was set apart for the privileged few. As the hour 
 was about to expire and it was found that if we waited 
 our "turn" with the crowd there would be no view of 
 republican royalty that day, at least, it was learned that 
 a fat man in another part of the mansion had the power 
 
THi; OLIVIA LKTTKRS 391 
 
 to let even a common person slip through the aristocratic 
 door, and by means of that bribery which the "minions 
 of the press" know so well how to bestow, access was 
 gained the "presence" and a picture was hung on the 
 walls of memory, to last us as long as the soul floats 
 down the great river of eternity. In the same room the 
 writer had gazed at a wonderful kaleidoscope. Instead 
 of bits of colored glass, it was men and women shifting 
 about in the hands of Time, beginning with the rare 
 beauty and unstudied grace of Harriet Lane as she stood 
 by the side of President Buchanan, followed by Mrs. Lin- 
 coln and her tinsel crown, succeeded by the daughters of 
 Andy Johnson, who said, "We are plain people from the 
 mountains of Tennessee; too much, we fear, is expected 
 of us," Then Julia Dent Grant, who possesses the won- 
 derful power of conciliating all the distracting elements 
 which help unite social and political society. 
 
 It is a historic fact that the White House is modeled 
 after the palace of the Duke of Leister. This accounts 
 for the lofty walls so decorated and beautiful in frescoes 
 that they resemble in intention, if not in genius, the noble 
 creations wrought by Raphael and Michael Angelo. As 
 the eye descends from the ceiling it rests upon the inlaid 
 floor, but this is covered with carpeting sO' thick that the 
 tramp of a regiment would be noiseless as phantom wings. 
 Ebony furniture with richest satin upholstering, candela- 
 bra which reach from floor to mantel, holding waxen 
 candles all ready to light, pictures on the walls, huge bask- 
 ets of flowers, with decorated pots of greenery scattered 
 everywhere. In a row, like school girls in a class, stood 
 the wives and daughters of the Cabinet officials, with Mrs. 
 President Hayes at the head. That it was strictly "offi- 
 cial" was proved by the order observed in their positions. 
 Just as the departments are ranked the women stood. 
 State, then Treasury, War, Post Office, Interior and At- 
 torney-General. Mrs. Hayes may safely be called a 
 "handsome woman," and there will none be found brave 
 enough to dispute the palm. A brunette of the purest 
 
392 The OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 type, with large, brilliant eyes that convey the idea of sur- 
 face but not depth — like a transparent window that opens 
 into space — a rather low, Greek forehead, over which is 
 banded that shining mass of satin hair. If the glossy 
 coronet could be improved by wave or bangs ; but the 
 dark, rich brunette complexion forbids this modern fash- 
 ion, and Mrs. Hayes is an artist in one or more ways. 
 Clad in rich, ruby satin and silk combination, the corsage 
 square and low, as Pompadour invented to call attention 
 to her charms, no' fault can be found with Mrs. Hayes, 
 for her dress is as costly and showy as any worn by the 
 celebrated beauties who flourished in the Cabinet during 
 the Grant reign. Mrs. Hayes has invented a way to 
 shake hands which ought to be known tO' the official 
 world, as it saves this useful member from crushing an- 
 nihilation. Never give your fingers to the crowd, and, 
 instead of allowing your own hand tO' be seized, grasp 
 the unruly enemy by the hand as far as the unfortunate 
 thumb will permit you to go, one vigorous squeeze, and 
 the torment is over. All this is done on the same principle 
 of a collision at sea. It is the vessel that is hit that sus- 
 tains all the harm. 
 
 A plain, dignified, matronly woman stood next to Mrs. 
 Hayes. A lace cap — Quaker-like in its simplicity — rested 
 on her snowy hair, a self-trimmed black silk dress (for 
 Mrs. Evarts has not wholly discarded mourning for a be- 
 loved son) made one of the simplest toilettes to be found 
 in the crowded throng. A whole head and shoulders 
 above Mrs. Evarts stood Mrs. Secretary Sherman — one 
 of those creations which can be compared to the lilies of 
 the field in purity of style and stately grace — occupying 
 the middle ground between blonde and brunette, her 
 tawny hair, with its natural wave gathered in the low, 
 Greek coil, without comb or ornament of any kind. A 
 simple black dress, relieved at the throat with illusion 
 ruchings, she seemed the personified embodiment of one 
 of Tennyson's poems : 
 
 "Tall and divinely fair.'' 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 393 
 
 Not a beautiful woman, but one created with so much 
 harmony that the whole mortal statue would have to be 
 pulled apart to remedy the defect. Mrs. Sherman would 
 make a most admirable "first lady" — the very best of all 
 the candidates now in the field — for in all the years of 
 her husband's official life at the capital her unostentatious 
 charity, her kindly deeds tO' the worthy and deserving-, 
 have enshrined her as a patron saint in many a widow's 
 heart. 
 
 Imagine an English duchess who has inherited the rare 
 beauty which descends with hereditary rank. Why are 
 the English nobility the finest specimens of personal 
 beauty ? It is because its members leave nothing undone 
 to perfect the physical proportions of the race. Of Eng- 
 lish origin, Mrs. Ramsey brings to the Cabinet any 
 amount of that material which this administration lacked 
 most. It has already been whispered by those who ought 
 to know that Governor Ramsey was not called to the war 
 office because of his bloody record, but it was made neces- 
 sary by the deficiency in the social Cabinet, for while a 
 large number of these society leaders were equal to hand- 
 shaking, they were not quite strong enough to- prevent 
 masculine yawns between the courses at official dinners. 
 The coming of Mrs. Ramsey into^ the field, even at this 
 late day, if it does not win the battle, will at least prevent 
 a complete rout. Mrs. Ramsey's long residence at the 
 capital, her superior intelligence and winning ways, is 
 doing much to retard the criticism which ended with the 
 retirement of her predecessor, for it is openly declared 
 that Secretary McCrary was hocus-pocused intO' a "jedge" 
 because "Mrs. Hayes could stand it no longer." 
 
 Next to Mrs. Ramsey stood Mrs. Postmaster-General 
 Key, who, in the language of the Emperor Napoleon, 
 would be pronounced the greatest woman, as he told 
 Madame de Stael "it is she who has the largest number of 
 children." And yet Mrs. Key is robbed of her laurels, 
 for while she has only ten olive branches, Mrs. Evarts has 
 
394 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 eleven, or did have when the Hon. William M. Evarts 
 became Secretary of State, Mrs. Key is large and sub- 
 stantial-looking, without any particular genius in the style 
 of dress, as her trying gown of red waist and yellow 
 sleeves sufficiently proved. It is only youth and beauty 
 that can wear theatrical costumes with becoming effect, 
 but when a middle-aged woman can be found to take the 
 risk her courage should be applauded and her v/ounds 
 artistically dressed. 
 
 Just beyond Mrs. Key stood Miss Agatha Schurz, the 
 eldest daughter of the Secretary of the Interior, rather 
 more than pleasing in form and feature, but entirely des- 
 titute of that indescribable something which makes her 
 father one of the historical characters of his time. The 
 youthful girl who stood by the side of Miss Schurz might 
 have been the niece of Attorney-General Devens, but as 
 there is no proof on this point the subject is omitted. 
 
 It was Mrs. Grant who first invited other ladies to re- 
 ceive with her, and in those primitive days it was often 
 the wives of the army officers. Mrs. General Babcock 
 was almost always at her side. Mrs. Grant was very 
 "near-sighted," and Mrs. Babcock had the faculty of re- 
 lieving any embarrassment which might come from this 
 misfortune. Ladies whose husbands had never been in 
 public life, except in the different professions, were seen 
 by the side of Mrs. Grant or artistically grouped a little 
 way off. The receptions of Mrs. Grant reminded the be- 
 holder of the picture of "Eugenie and her maids in wait- 
 ing." True, Mrs. Grant did not possess the beauty of the 
 charming Spaniard, but her "suite" would compare fa- 
 vorably in dignity, beauty, and grace with the same num- 
 ber of women found near any throne in Europe. Mrs. 
 Grant grouped her assistants as exquisite flowers of dif- 
 ferent color and perfume are gathered in a bouquet, mak- 
 ing a tableau worth spreading on canvas. Mrs. Hayes 
 stretches a straight line, that reminds one of a Bible class 
 in a Methodist meeting, or would if it were not for the 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 395 
 
 Pompadour corsage and canary-colored sleeves, and yet 
 all this is permissible in the strictly fashionable churches 
 of the day. 
 
 Is "society" improving at the capital? Alas, no! There 
 are no social centres where gifted men and accomplished 
 women meet to exchange original ideas. A few literary 
 societies flourish, where a few friends gather to listen to 
 some worn-out "theme" and bitterly complain of being 
 "bored" afterwards. The brilliant men like Webster, 
 Clay and Calhoun, Ben Wade and Thad Stevens have no 
 genuine successors. Why? Because politics takes the 
 place of statesmanship, and our public men have to work 
 so hard to keep their heads above the muddy pool there is 
 no time to gather and disseminate the rich fruit of 
 thought, consequently there is a short crop and the inev- 
 itable famine. Olivia. 
 
VICE-PRESIDENT ARTHUR. 
 
 How He W1E1.DS THE Gavel oe the Presiding Offi- 
 cer OF THE Senate. 
 
 Washington, April i, i88J. 
 
 It is a day of indescribable excitement in the Senate, 
 vividly recalling the stormy times of secession, Andy 
 Johnson's impeachment, or the famous Electoral Commis- 
 sion. Standing-room on the floor or in the galleries can 
 nowhere be found. Even the vast lobbies are crowded 
 with a struggling mass of humanity, such as rarely gath- 
 ers in the national temple which glorifies Capitol Hill. A 
 face new and strange to the Washington public surveys 
 the throng from the Vice-President's chair and taps with 
 uncertain hand the official gavel. The private secretary 
 of the late Vice-President stands at his left to prompt him 
 as to the names of the Senators he is to recognize, for as 
 yet he has not had time to become familiar with their 
 features or names. At his right. may be seen one of the 
 trusty clerks of the Senate to make sure that no official 
 commission or omission shall follow. It is apparent to 
 all that only experience is necessary to make Vice-Presi- 
 dent Arthur a model presiding officer. Except a little 
 perplexity, there is the ease and grace of a man instead 
 of the noiseless machinery which constitutes a well-pre- 
 served fossil. What the yellow, juicy, rosy-cheeked 
 peach, with the fur rubbed off, jolting to market, is to the 
 vegetable world, Vice-President Arthur sustains the same 
 relation to the fruit of humanity. There is something 
 about his presence suggestive of strawberries and cream, 
 and yet this fact seems to be completely ignored by the 
 Senate, for the turbulence goes on just the same. He sits 
 in an attitude of grace worthy the painter's brush or the 
 396) 
 
THi: OLIVIA LETTERS 397 
 
 pen of the poet. Fully six feet in height, broad-shoul- 
 dered, but rounded and smoothed into curved lines which 
 not only rival but excel those of Cupid. A cold, haughty 
 face is often seen, but warm, proud features are rarely 
 found; but here we have the exception. A high fore- 
 head towers above the brown velvety eyes ; a nose a little 
 too short for classic perfection ; but a firm, manly mouth, 
 with plenty of decision stamped on it, with a width of jaw 
 that means business in any work it undertakes. Never 
 since the days of Breckinridge has so handsome a man 
 wielded the Vice-President's gavel, and whilst this fact 
 may have no significance in a political sense, in a social 
 way there is no estimating the heights to which it may 
 aspire or depths where it may be cast down. It is a great 
 comfort to be able to rest the vision on a diamond that has 
 few, if any, flaws, and these not perceptible except to the 
 finest judges of the gems. 
 
 In a direct line, exactly opposite the Vice-President, 
 may be seen Senator Conkling, more winning in personal 
 appearance than of yore. The gorgeous tints or high 
 colors of early manhood have been toned down, softened, 
 and spiritualized. Tranquillity is pictured on the bosom 
 of the river, but we all know the channel is rtmning at the 
 same rate per minute and no time will be lost in its motion 
 toward the sea. Stronger than most men, stronger than 
 women, it is the inexorable law that the larger absorbs 
 the smaller quantity. The kids that would not be eaten 
 must keep out of the way. He glances now and then at 
 Mahone, who sits only three chairs away, as a spoiled 
 child might at "puss in boots," whilst this little man, ap- 
 parently all hair and claws, helps carry out the perfect 
 illusion. Let us look at this "balance of power," as the 
 other Confederate brigadiers politely call him. At the 
 first glance it seems altogetlier probable that the hair has 
 been snatched off seven-tenths of the Senate to crown this 
 one small man. His beard in length and density might be 
 mistaken for that of the Wandering Jew. He has ob- 
 
398 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 tained the clothes of a much larger man, and they consti- 
 tute a series of wrinkles from shoulders to heels. He does 
 not inspire the beholder that he is a fraction of humanity, 
 but that he is an uncanny contrivance, which, if not 
 opened with the greatest caution, will work irreparable 
 damage to those nearest concerned. There is neither joy 
 nor comfort on the face of the Republicans as they survey 
 this new addition to their ranks, while there is calm sub- 
 mission, if not positive elation, on the Democratic side at 
 the situation. 
 
 Don Cameron appears weary, as if tired with it all. A 
 man must have a peculiar organization to thrive in the 
 Senatorial atmosphere. It is a gladiator's ring, where 
 intellectual combat is the order of the day. Woe to him 
 that is not endowed with weapons of the keenest and most 
 polished kind. Though a Senator can pipe his slogan on 
 a thousand hills at home and carries a bonanza mine in 
 each pocket, it will not add a feather to his Senatorial 
 strength. Men endowed with business talent, even of the 
 highest order, can find neither congenial nor agreeable 
 work in the Senate. Only a natural orator or debater like 
 Blaine or a great lawyer like Edmunds find their native 
 element in the stormy waters of the Senate; and even 
 Blaine was far more at home in the other wing of the 
 Capitol, where his talents at all times shone as a star of 
 the first magnitude. It is no sign of the lack of ability 
 because a Senator does not rank high, but rather a lack of 
 the peculiar and exceedingly rare qualities which make 
 Senatorial success secure. 
 
 Of the new Senators Pennsylvania must be awarded 
 the prize in point of beauty, for Senator Mitchell bears 
 away the palm without a dissenting voice. In the grounds 
 of one of the nabobs at Saratoga there may be seen the 
 statue of a Roman gladiator, such as lived in the times of 
 Nero. It is "stalwart" to the last degree. Imagine the 
 old statue Americanized — that is, toned down in its 
 roughest corners, smoothed away — a little less muscle, a 
 
THE OLIVIA le:tters 399 
 
 little more nerve, daintier, with a dash of Greek sym- 
 metry, and you see the handsome Mitchell of Pennsylva- 
 nia. His hair is abundant, his eyes a twinkling hazel that 
 rise and set with the arrival and departure of the dry 
 goods in the gallery, but with a modesty that is simply 
 indescribable. 
 
 Conger, dear old Conger, is here, cooled down to the 
 polite frigidity which constantly pervades the Senate. 
 He wears a white choker of such elevated height that it 
 grinds away at his ears in the same way that a horrid 
 glacier wears away the face of the mountain. A new suit 
 of the finest broadcloth, of satin sheen, conceals limbs of 
 the Adonis kind, though this last statement is more a mat- 
 ter of faith than actual proof. That "horn" which the 
 wicked Stilson Hutchins was so fond of attacking with 
 cruel squibs in the Washington Post appears to have gone 
 where the woodbine creepeth, for it is heard of no more. 
 It is rumored in private circles at the Capitol that Senator 
 Conger is one of the most romantic and sentimental of 
 men, and Governor Foster declares that it is the only 
 case on Congressional record where a man is known to 
 be madly infatuated with his own wife. When Mrs. Con- 
 ger would enter the gallery of the House it was imme- 
 diately known that Mr. Conger would soon attract all 
 eyes by his graceful motions and mellow "horn." Some 
 wretch of a Congressman would call out : "Now, boys, 
 we are in for it," and there have been seen no such scenes 
 of suffering chivalry since Don Quixote attacked the 
 windmills in behalf of his beloved Dulcinea. But far be 
 it from the head and heart of the writer to mock at this 
 pure and exalted flame. Rather let us stand in the pres- 
 ence of this man with uncovered head who' brings to our 
 aching vision a new Garden of Eden, when Adam was 
 good because there was but one Eve, and the serpent did 
 the mischief. 
 
 In the gallery assigned the families of the Republican 
 Senators sits Katharine Chase Sprague — cold, stately, and 
 
400 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 statuesque as a lily, or a bit of marble in human form. 
 The heavily fringed waxen lids fall over the sorrowful 
 eyes — those large, dark almond orbs, such as glorify the 
 Orient. There are faces all around, but she seems as 
 much alone as Cleopatra in her barge floating down the 
 dusky Nile. A blue turban with a single bird's wing for 
 an ornament sits jauntily on her auburn hair ; not out of 
 place, because youth, beauty, and sweetness still linger in 
 form and face. There is not the slightest attempt at dis- 
 play in her simple toilet — a dark dress, severe in its sim- 
 plicity, a scarf of scarlet silk folded gracefully around 
 her throat. She has given no thought to her personal ap- 
 pearance, but has come evidently to observe the intellec- 
 tual combat which has drawn together so large a per- 
 centage of the citizens of Washington. The writer re- 
 calls the impeachment trial of Andy Johnson when "so- 
 ciety" appeared in the Senate galleries and when Kath- 
 arine Chase Sprague was the acknowledged queen. Her 
 toilet is recalled for the readers of The Press, and to-day 
 it may be found recorded in the old files of this paper, for 
 the writer was one of the "staff correspondents" at the 
 time, whose duty it was to make "pen pictures" of the 
 day. A Parisian suit of royal purple velvet, perfect in all 
 its appointments. The detail escapes our memory, but the 
 bonnet never will. It was made in Paris to accompany 
 the suit, and when placed on her head it conveyed the idea 
 of a single Marguerite. Imagine a purple violet large 
 enough to be placed on the head, the leaves bent in bon- 
 net shape. At the time the writer felt that her eyes rested 
 upon the most graceful, distinguished, and queenly wo- 
 man that she had ever seen in the Capitol or elsewhere on 
 the face of the globe. The writer has no personal ac- 
 quaintance with Mrs. Sprague, but described her then, as 
 she does to-day, as she would a picture or a poem. When 
 it was published in the newspapers that she was engaged 
 during the Senate session sending notes to a Senator on 
 the floor the writer sat in the gallery, but saw no notes 
 
TH^ OLIVIA LETTERS 4OI 
 
 given to a page or delivered on the floor. Year after year 
 the writer has noticed this accompHshed v^^oman sitting in 
 the gallery from time to time, apparently deeply interested 
 in the debates, without the slightest levity or the smallest 
 departure from the most rigid decorum. In later years 
 she is rarely seen without one or more of her children. 
 History is full of martyred women who have been used 
 to crush obnoxious men. When Katharine Chase 
 Sprague was the daughter of the Chief Justice and the 
 wife of a United States Senator she appeared in the social 
 heavens with the calmness and precision oi a fixed star. 
 Sunshine friends have deserted her, but the star does 
 not waver in its course. It is the same haughty Kath- 
 arine, despoiled of her throne, as true a woman to-day 
 as when surrounded by her fawning flatterers. It is the 
 flatterers of the Tuilleries that have changed, and not the 
 Empress Eugenie. 
 
 Outside the Senatorial circle of chairs may be noticed 
 "a sea of upturned faces." A dash of bronze reflects the 
 last representation of African blood on the floor of the 
 United States Senate. In the Darwinian political aggres- 
 sion the weaker must give way to the survival of the fit- 
 test, and the feebler race will be heard no more. Among 
 the dusky faces in the "men's gallery" may be seen Pinch- 
 back of Louisiana, excluded from the floor where Patter- 
 son of South Carolina stands. Pinchback tried to obtain 
 a position with other distinguished men on the floor, but 
 was remanded to the gallery among the scores of black 
 men that compose the dark cloud that is always to be seen 
 sou'west just above the Senators' heads. It angered him 
 beyond conception. Fierce passion flamed on his burn- 
 ing cheek and darted in lightning glances from his keen 
 black eyes. Could he have invoked the power to- turn 
 himself into a huge stiletto he would have buried himself 
 to the hilt in the Senate breast. Oh ! the blessed relief 
 of responsibility! His Creator made him, endowed him 
 26 
 
402 the: ouvia letters 
 
 with the elements of fearful wrath, subjected him to 
 scorn, because his white soul is wrapped up in a yellow 
 covering! Peace, be still, sorely tried and beloved 
 brother, in whose veins mingle the blood of the haughty 
 Anglo-Saxon with that of another race. The body per- 
 ishes, but the soul circles on forever and forever. 
 
 Oeivia. 
 
KATE CHASE SPRAGUE. 
 
 A Dinner With the Queen oe American Aris- 
 tocracy, 
 
 Washington, April 15, 1880. 
 
 During the penitence of Lent, and all the succeeding 
 time which Congress honors the capital with its presence, 
 society of the fashionable form assumes a bleached or 
 faded appearance. In a great measure this is brought 
 about by the absence of the swallow-tail and white-neck- 
 tie element. The assemblings are largely feminine, of 
 necessity, from the fact that Congress, about to depart, is 
 wholly engrossed with its "unfinished business." So the 
 courtly dinner of state and the official reception is super- 
 seded by the aristocratic lunch and "high teas." At these 
 purely exclusive gatherings may occasionally be found 
 musty old relics of the Army and Navy on the retired 
 list, whose records and shoulderstraps are fast perishing 
 with official mildew and dry rot ; or perhaps a supreme 
 or district judge, for enough of this masculine seasoning 
 should be found at least to flavor the social pot. But it 
 frequently happens these lunches are attended by women 
 alone, the hostess intending to bring together only those 
 who are supposed to be agreeable to each other, at least 
 so far as it is possible to bring these repellent atoms into 
 a compact mass, and oh ! how delightful ! Our ancestors 
 used to call the same kind of meetings "schools for scan- 
 dal," for no two or more women ever did come together 
 beyond the hearing of masculine ears without by the 
 merest accident a secret would be told ; and in Washing- 
 ton, where every spot is sacred to the death of some poor 
 secret, it is unnecessary to follow this delicate subject to 
 an ignominious end. 
 
 (403) 
 
404 THK OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 All the readers of the Journal are invited in fancy to a 
 high-toned lunch at Mrs. Kate Chase Sprague's, at her 
 beautiful home in the West End. Mrs. Sprague has said 
 to the correspondents that she has no objection to news- 
 paper comment if it treats her justly and in the spirit of 
 courtesy ; so her lunch is described for not only the above 
 reason, but because no woman in Washington excels her 
 as lady "to the manner born," or can surpass her in those 
 graces which make her the reigning queen in her own 
 home. If fortune has deserted her in a great measure, 
 all the unique, costly, and superb trappings are here. A 
 few terrapin, a few bottles of champagne are all that is 
 necessary to bring the old millionaire days back, unless it 
 be the presence of the young war governor of Rhode 
 Island (God bless him). We shall never forget the day 
 that he came tO' the capital, dusty and travel-worn, with 
 his thousand men which he had equipped and brought to 
 President Lincoln in person. The capital was cut off 
 from the North by both railroad and telegraph, and the 
 rebel hosts were gathering in Alexandria, as we thought, 
 to burn and sack the city. Governor Sprague did not go 
 to a hotel, but camped in the market-place with his men. 
 The first time the writer saw Governor Sprague he was 
 drinking water from a tincup and eating baker's bread 
 and cold meat with his regiment ; and, when we realized 
 that this royal prince of finance was willing to sleep on 
 the ground and drink from the tincup to preserve the 
 Union, an adoration was born which neither time nor 
 misfortune can chill. 
 
 But, coming out from the sanctuary of sacred memo- 
 ries to the lunch, for, after all, it is with to-day we must 
 deal, for the past is just as remote as the future. It is 12 
 o'clock, high noon. An elegant table may be seen in the 
 center of one of the most perfect dining-rooms at the na- 
 tional capital. There is much in the surroundings to re- 
 call to the cultured mind thoughts of the royal as well as 
 republican days of sunny France. Some ancient Gobelin 
 
the; OLIVIA I.ETTERS 4^5 
 
 tapestry, handed down from the palace when it was occu- 
 pied by Queen Marie Antoinette, is suspended from the 
 walls, wlTose threads may yet hold her imprisoned sighs. 
 Beautiful screens, works of highest art, extend or shorten 
 the space according to the caprice of the fair mistress. 
 Exquisite paintings adorn the wall ; elaborate service of 
 silver and gold ornament the sideboard ; a Parisian clock 
 measures the time in musical chimes ; Persian rugs conceal 
 the polished, inlaid floor. Without exception it is the 
 daintiest spot to partake of an innocent bowl of crackers 
 and milk to be found in all Washington. Upon the table 
 is first laid a thick heavy cloth, made expressly for the 
 purpose to deaden all sound in case a knife or spoon meet 
 an accident ; though a dozen forks should fall they would 
 not be heard except for their own dashing. The 
 sound-cloth is now covered by Irish damask, soft and 
 sheeny as satin; and around it clusters eight perfect 
 chairs. These seats are chosen for ease quite as much as 
 beauty, because the sitting will last all the way from three 
 to eight hours. Flowers alone occupy the center of the 
 table, and these are so artistically arranged that each 
 guest is visible to every other. On the table before each 
 chair may be seen two knives of different sizes, and a 
 pair of forks, dessert and teaspoons, sherry and cham- 
 pagne glasses, and a thimble-sized gold salt cellar. An 
 elaborate castor, on the sideboard, furnishes pepper, cel- 
 ery-flour and all other condiments; but these are served 
 in good time, at the exact moment wanted, by the white- 
 gloved, machine-like Ethiopian, who understands a 
 glance from the Princess's eye and does not have to be 
 regulated by means of the English language. 
 
 The misti-ess leads the way and takes her stand at the 
 head of the table, with her ebony assistant at her right. 
 The guest who is to sit in the most honored place is called 
 and seated by the waiter, the next place is filled in the 
 same way, and this is continued until the circle is com- 
 pleted. This consumes but a few moments of time, the 
 
406 _ THE OWVIA LETTERS 
 
 right people are brought side by side, and in such a way 
 as to prove the remarkable tact of the fair hostess, and 
 all confusion has been avoided. After all, this lunch 
 turns out to be a dinner in disguise, for the first course 
 consists of French bouillon, which is only a very rich and 
 nutritious beef tea. The Hoosier housewife who is bold 
 and aggressive enough to attempt a Kate Chase Sprague 
 lunch must look out that no fat swims on the top of the 
 bouillon, for the fat had much better be in the fire, as its 
 presence indicates plebeianism. Nothing can be found 
 too handsome and costly in which to serve this beef tea. 
 If there are no golden IdowIs in the house, the next best 
 are such as are found in the Sprague mansion. These 
 wonderful gems have been brought on the backs of mules 
 over the Ural mountains from the heart of Persia. It is 
 declared by some that these bowls are made of the dust of 
 broken garnets, gathered by the emerald hunters when 
 they are in quest of gems in the great Himalaya range. 
 They are manufactured expressly for the palace of the 
 Shah; but during the greenback regency a few found 
 their way to the table of an exalted official, and in this 
 way have become heirlooms in a distinguished family. 
 These Persian bowls have never been insulted by coming 
 in contact with beans, or even Potomac oysters. Only 
 clover-fed beeves, of the amiable short-horn variety, 
 slaughtered on the Jewish plan, and treated by a skillful 
 French cook, are permitted to be introduced to these jew- 
 eled caskets. During the sipping of this delectable stew, 
 which must be as noiseless as a cat licks cream, the Shah 
 of Persia, his advent as a literary character, his strong 
 points of wickedness as a man are discussed, as well as the 
 mineral and vegetable possibilities of the venerable but 
 distant kingdom. Even old Haroun Al Raschid and his 
 disguises come in. No chance for the conversation to 
 languish whilst the Persian bowls are on the table. The 
 bouillon is kindly assisted by different kinds of dainty 
 crackers, "Havenner's cream" being the favorite, with 
 
THE OUVIA LETTERS 407 
 
 French bread. But one must be very careful, whilst toy- 
 ing with the spoon, not to sip too much beef tea, else the 
 space which might be filled with more eatable matter is 
 all taken up. 
 
 The Persian bowls are gone ! Ah ! who' would believe 
 it? one-half hour — or as long as it takes a Buckeye or 
 Hoosier to eat an average dinner. So- the next course is 
 hurried on. This consists of oyster patties, served on 
 plates, each one different, each a hand-painted portrait by 
 a skillful French artist, and manufactured at the Sevres 
 porcelain works, near Paris. All are costly enough to 
 hang as pictures and works of art on the wall. A com- 
 monplace Washington society woman is eating her pattie 
 from the honored head of dear old Lafayette. Another 
 scans the face of Napoleon I, and finds a striking resem- 
 blance to Congressman Blinks, from the Michigan dis- 
 trict, if he would only clear out the brush of his whiskers 
 and mow down the tall grass of his moustache. Sherry, 
 clear as limpid amber and colored like a meerschaum pipe, 
 has kept company all the time with the Persian bowl as 
 well as the medalhon plates. These plates were purchased 
 from one of the sales of royal pottery brought about by 
 the decay of a branch of one of the reigning families of 
 the old world. 
 
 The next course of sweet breads is brought in on plates 
 designed by the hostess as a present to the late Chief Jus- 
 tice of the United States — a love offering from a most 
 devoted daughter to an illustrious sire. It was made 
 without regard to cost, at the celebrated pottery near 
 Paris, at the same time and place a set was being made for 
 the Prince of Wales. No two plates are alike, but each 
 one is embellished with a gorgeous bouquet. The violet 
 and early gentian, the sweet but humble wild flowers 
 trodden under foot in the hoyden days of girlhood, away 
 off in the old Ohio home, have been caught and stamped 
 in this imperishable form from the idolater to the idol. 
 What pictures of the old home-life are called up like fast- 
 
408 THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 dissolving phantoms, but as genuine creations in the in- 
 visible world as the exquisite works of art before the mor- 
 tal vision. The white, waxen eye-lid of the fair hostess 
 doops until the long silken fringe sweeps the cheek. The 
 spirit of hush ! be quiet, falls upon the guest, which the 
 hostess alone knows how to remove. The gulf is visible, 
 like a hideous skull at a feast, between the days of the 
 young millionaire wife, designing gifts for the Chief Jus- 
 tice, and the cold bereavements and change of xickle for- 
 tune of to-day. 
 
 Begone, dull care, with the sweet-bread course! Thy 
 sweetness is bitter and unsavory ! The first of the season ! 
 Virginia mountain lamb with green peas from Florida. 
 The mountain lamb is served on another "work of art," 
 all different, no two plates alike, and this one is pictured 
 with a single flower. It is a royal pink just culled from 
 the parent stem and thrown carelessly down. One feels 
 like picking it up just for one snifif at the perfume before 
 it is smothered in Southern peas. Now comes cham- 
 pagne, clear and beaded, resembling the fluid in all proba- 
 bility in which Cleopatra dissolved the pearls. A course 
 now follows which is a cross between a custard and char- 
 lotte russe — an infinitesimal ocean of cream between 
 banks of snowy paste. After this more meat, vegetables, 
 salads on different bits of porcelain with a history, until 
 the ices and fruits are reached. These are served on dain- 
 tiest of majolica ware or odd bits of crockery, fished from 
 all the uncanny quarters of the globe. 
 
 Only think of being pinned to one spot from three to 
 eight hours, forced to be civil and polite at least, if not 
 working for the title of "agreeable diner-out." Oh, for 
 the blessed privilege, if one must be so tortured, to get as 
 uproariously drunk as did the great Daniel Webster, with 
 the privilege of rolling under the table like him to snore 
 it off. All the nations of the earth who have spent hours 
 eating and guzzling at table have come to that point where 
 decline begins. England's roast beef and ale, and sen- 
 
the; OLIVIA LETTERS 4O9 
 
 siial time at the table has cuhninated in Ireland's horrors 
 and Beaconsfield's fall. The President's salary was 
 doubled on account of these dyspeptic state dinners. 
 Congress should at once make a law placing the social ex- 
 pectations of official life on precisely the same basis as 
 that of the private citizen. This is a Republic. We em- 
 ploy our officials to do certain work for which we pay 
 them. They should be made to understand they are ser- 
 vants, and not masters. 
 
 A large lobby is engaged to get Congress tO' build a 
 new White House, because the present one is not large 
 enough "to entertain." Could we build a house large 
 enough for this jgta|pse, for why should the few be in- 
 vited and the ^^^Hjkss of voters left out in the cold? 
 Each State is a^^^Pbuild houses and furnish them for 
 their Senators in order that these gentlemen may "enter- 
 tain." Who will pay for the oyster patties, the porce- 
 lain and champagne when the great new White House 
 dots Meridian Hill, and the States enter into competition 
 for the grandeur of the Senatorial castle? The human 
 body should be cared for because it is the finest created 
 physical object to be seen by the light oi the blessed sun, 
 besides being a receptacle of the different sizes of soul as 
 they come imported ; but, as a nation, we should not per- 
 mit in the care of this mortal mould that kind of legisla- 
 tion which begins in spider webs and ends in chains. 
 
 When Lucy Hayes moved into the White House she 
 tried hard to reform the precedents, but Secretary Evarts 
 was too much for her. He painted the Russian bear 
 howling because the minister from that barbarous frozen 
 land might, without wine, get a cake of ice in his stomach, 
 and then what would the Czar say? Prince Alexis came 
 to Washington to attend the inauguration, walked up and 
 down Pennsylvania avenue with twO' bull pups at his 
 side, because Secretary Evarts, or any other human being 
 (except royalty), were thought not good enough to be 
 there. Dogs were preferred to Secretary Evarts ; but it 
 
4IO THE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 may be possible that Alexis could put the proper estimate 
 on the State Department, and at the same time do justice 
 to the bull pups. The American people should not feel 
 aggrieved, or pull a single feather from the tail of the 
 national eagle because the government at Washington 
 has been fearfully "snubbed." When the Prince of 
 Wales was in this country he planted a tree at Mount 
 Vernon, and was as sorrowful as Mark Twain at the 
 tomb of Adam ; but Alexis came over and gave us a taste 
 of the genuine Romanoff flavor. But this could be borne, 
 because we could have called out the Army and Navy 
 and charged on the bull pups, but instead of managing in 
 this way, Secretary Evarts took pos sessi on of the kitchen 
 of the White House, forced Lnc\- Hafks to stultify her 
 convictions, and instead of maki ng th^j Executive Man- 
 sion the reflection of the purity aiWBI^dom of a Chris- 
 tian, sensible, high-toned woman, he brought the wornout 
 bestiality of monarchical Europe as represented by its 
 agents here, and made our administration conform to 
 it. Is it a wonder the bull pups take precedence? Na- 
 tions, like individuals, must respect themselves. When 
 another good woman like Lucy Webb Hayes, united to 
 a great one, such as Queen Elizabeth or Empress Cathe- 
 rine, finds herself wife of the President of the United 
 States, our impotent and costly plenipotentiary foreign 
 missions will be abolished. Established as long ago as 
 feudalism was in its cradle, when it was necessary to have 
 spies in every court of Europe to bolster up each despotic 
 dynasty, what sympathy, or how can a Republic consist- 
 ently approve such positions? 
 
 Let us have a sprinkling of honest commercial consuls 
 v;herever they are needed on the earth's surface; pay 
 them a generous living salary, and the instant they are 
 found coquetting with "fees," cut off their official heads. 
 The Augean stables cleaned by Hercules needed purifica- 
 tion no more than our white-gloved, daintily-perfumed 
 State Department. When it is remembered that the hand- 
 
THE OLIVIA i.e;tte;rs 411 
 
 ful of men sent out from their respective governments 
 to attend to business, who are dignified with the sounding 
 title "foreign legations," are only polite to our officials, 
 but "snub" all the sovereign people, are the ones who, 
 while they sneer at us, set all our fashions, dictate our 
 manners, steal our rich American girls, and, through 
 Secretary Evarts, order champagne at the White House. 
 This would be unbearable except for the bull pups that 
 were imported to supersede Secretary Evarts. This 
 proves that every cloud hath a silver lining ; for the pups 
 were as white as the glistening ice of the Neva. 
 
 The Journal comes now regular; I am very much 
 pleased with it. It is what I call a live paper. Hon. Ed- 
 ward McPherson, late of the Philadelphia Press, was at 
 my house the other evening, and he said it was the best 
 paper published in the West. I was very glad to hear 
 him say so, because he has excellent judgment, and it is 
 a great honor to be connected with an able newspaper. 
 
 OuviA. 
 
LACK OF A LEADER. 
 
 Society Without a Ruung Spirit to Take the 
 Initiative. 
 
 Washington, February i8, 1881. 
 
 It takes the most exquisite kind of courage to paint 
 truthful views of hfe as it is pictured on the social boards 
 at Washington. If the well-known society writers would 
 furnish the newspapers with faithful kaleidoscopes of the 
 "day's doings" they would be banished or, like Othello, 
 they would "find their occupation gone." It is the small 
 sins of "high life" which weaken the constitution of so- 
 ciety ; lack of moral courage, love of finery, gilt and glit- 
 ter, envy and jealousy, and the enjoyment of slander. 
 When the most beautiful and accomplished leader at the 
 capital became the shining mark at which the quivering 
 arrows of condemnation were hurled, have any of the wo- 
 men who used to bask in the sunshine of her queenly hos- 
 pitality said one word in her defense? One would sup- 
 pose that after years of smiling and caressing this mon- 
 ster of society, after lavishing tens of thousands of dollars 
 upon it, one brave, strong utterance, one loving word 
 might come back in return. Where are the women who 
 have smirked and basked in the shadows of the dead and 
 dying administrations? What niche will their minds fill 
 in history? We have railroad kings and bonanza em- 
 perors and money grabbers in place of statesmen, by the 
 score; but where are the drawing rooms such as Lady 
 Blessington's, or the famous salon of Madame de Stael, 
 which has an existence to-day far more substantial than 
 the daily receptions at the capital. Instead of cultivating 
 their minds the "society women" at Washington are ex- 
 pending the last show of vitality in the adorning of their 
 (412) 
 
the: ouvia i.e:ttkrs 413 
 
 bodies. Flitting from one "palatial mansion" to another, 
 from "sunny morn to dewy eve," these human butterflies 
 make no more impression on the world at large than the 
 moths which they so much resemble. Whilst as a general 
 rule the society women have politicians for husbands, it 
 does not always follow that all the politicians have "so- 
 ciety" wives. Such accomplished women as Mrs. George 
 F. Edmunds, of Vermont, or Mrs. Thomas F. Bayard, of 
 Delaware, will always be found, and, like the men at the 
 pumps, will keep the old worm-eaten hulk of Washington 
 society from going tO' the bottom. 
 
 Since the retirement of the superb Katharine Chase 
 Sprague "society," in a blundering way, manages to- get 
 along without an acknowledged "head." If the beautiful 
 and accomplished woman is found, the immense wealth 
 is lacking, for no woman can be a successful "leader" un- 
 less she has beauty, brains, and money. To a great ex- 
 tent beauty can be spared, because its loss can be made 
 up by the artistic skill wdiich the brain power will utilize. 
 Just as a general must have the sinews of war to carry 
 on a vigorous campaign, a society leader must be thor- 
 oughly equipped, for if the means to accomplish a certain 
 result are somewhat different the end amounts to just 
 about the same. The coming of the bonanza wives is 
 watched with the most intense anxiety. The question 
 is asked : "Has she the qualities to command or will in- 
 efficiency and cowardice consign her to the ranks?" A 
 member of Congress was regretting his inability to be 
 present at the Art Club reception. He said he "had reason 
 to believe that in such an assembly he could find a relief 
 or change from the political treadmill where he was 
 forced to be at his post every day." When his attention 
 was called to the stately card receptions of almost every 
 night, he replied : "I hate them ; there is nothing there 
 but clothes." These were the words from no brain-dis- 
 torted, dyspeptic Bostonian, but a Western man, in the 
 full sap of existence, who would naturally be supposed 
 
414 I'HE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 to cling to the woman who could show the handsomest 
 amount of shoulder tO' the square inch. Both General 
 Garfield and Senator Blaine have declared that relief 
 comes to the tired, over-worked brain by changing the 
 train of thought, and not by dabbling in inanity. This 
 proves that the doll's occupation is gone. The woman of 
 the nineteenth century must shake from her dormant 
 brain the dust of ages and develop her power in precisely 
 the same ratio as man makes the most of his. Almighty 
 God has made the orbit of the sexes parallel, but they can 
 never intersect. 
 
 All that which comes under the head of "formal cere- 
 mony" at the capital, such as state dinners at the White 
 House, are faithful copies of foreign courts, or rather 
 the tattered fragments of the manners of old baronial 
 time under William the Conqueror, when the feudal 
 chiefs were served first and their retainers were permitted 
 to scramble on the floor for the bones. It is true the 
 bones are not thrown under the White House table, for 
 the world grows neater in its old age ; but should a Presi- 
 dent entertain Victoria at dinner "etiquette" or the spirit 
 of the old barbarians declares the President must be 
 helped first. Instead of the American gentleman at his 
 own table, where the example of private life should be the 
 model for the public manners of a Republic, we have 
 just enough of the old leaven of monarchy working that 
 any child can smell the odor after a short stay in Wash- 
 ington. Nothing more terrible socially can be conceived 
 than one of these cold, formal state dinners at the White 
 House. It is not a company made up of breathing, living 
 men and women, but is the masculine bones of the awful 
 Department of State, with the feminine anatomy clutched 
 for a brief hour from the highest judicial ermine. It is 
 the ponderous Treasury Department, with its legs crossed 
 under the Presidential mahogany. In preceding adminis- 
 trations the victims were allowed to drown their sorrows 
 in wine, and by the time the fifth or sixth course came 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 415 
 
 'round the War and Navy Departments were prepared for 
 the most desperate action on sea or shore. Only from 
 twelve to nineteen inches table room is allowed a guest, 
 and the steward of the White House, instead of the tailor, 
 decides on the breadth of the anatomy. To the great 
 credit of the State of New York it has been found that 
 Secretary Evarts could be wedged in between a couple 
 of Supreme Judges without diminishing the size of the 
 table in the least, but he refuses to be a third party to 
 this kind of an alliance, because there is no precedence of 
 the kind to be found in the archives of the State Depart- 
 ment. 
 
 The size of the White House table is perfectly prodig- 
 ious, and when covered with the china dishes ordered by 
 Mrs. Hayes the effect is paralyzing to sensitive nerves. 
 No chance is given the poetic imagination to revel in 
 ambrosial sips and taste the heavenly manna. H your 
 soul is soaring to empyrean heights, you are dragged 
 earthward by seeing pictured on the plates the ugly refuse 
 of the dainties with which you are supposed to be tick- 
 ling your palate. When one swallows an oyster, who 
 wants to be reminded of the huge, ugly shell, a faint 
 suggestion of a coffin? Who desires to see a shining, 
 scaly fish, with its pink gills already to pulsate, and be 
 made to remember that the fish died that you might roll 
 one little sweet morsel under your tongue? Who can 
 bear to be reminded when tasting a sweet, fresh new-laid 
 egg, that looks as if it might have fallen from the sky, 
 that an ungainly old hen scratching for worms was the 
 origin of that egg? The pictures taken from the ruins 
 of Pompeii and Herculaneum may be more sensual, but 
 in no sense can they be called more earthly or barbaric. 
 All things beautiful should be spiritually suggestive. If 
 the new White House china was the property of private 
 life incalculable mischief might be the result, but the 
 crafty Cabinet ministers and aged Supreme Judges have 
 
4l6 TH^ OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 outlived delicate and lasting impressions, and after the 
 first slight shock no serious trouble will be apt to follow; 
 but it would be well to let Lucretia Garfield know that if 
 the "pitchers go to the well once too often" or a grand 
 collision of plates and platters should take place, such a 
 calamity would be accepted by the nation like the late 
 war — a sore trial at the time but in the long run a bless- 
 ing in disguise. 
 
 If it takes so many scratches of the pen to get over the 
 celebrated china "designed by the highest artistic talent 
 at home," how shall we manage to get the reader through 
 the three hours that it takes to manage the great state 
 gastronomic feast ? It is best told in the language of one 
 of the guests : 
 
 "I was led out by Secretary Evarts. I don't think he 
 would have selected me if he could have been allowed 
 his choice. You have to go in the order of the Cabinet. 
 Three hours so close to the great New York criminal 
 lawyer ! I thought I should faint ! I cast my eyes down 
 the table at my husband ; he was below me on the other 
 side of the table and he looked 'blue.' I was just thinking 
 what he could find to say to the strange women on each 
 side of him, for he never talks to me, when I would be 
 interrupted by one of Evarts' questions that would make 
 me feel that I was on the witness stand. I can talk fast 
 sometimes, but I felt if I spoke except to answer him it 
 would be sure to be wrong, and I would disgrace the Cabi- 
 net. I managed to get through some way and afterwards 
 found out that I was liable to be taken into state dinners 
 by Secretary Evarts as long as we were in the Cabinet. 
 I tried to prevail on my husband to resign, to which he 
 agreed as soon as some other good place could be found 
 for him." 
 
 The Cabinet dinners are modeled on the same plan as 
 the state dinners, and the misery endured is in proportion 
 to its size and duration. The torture consequent upon 
 the formal dinners made a hero and a place in history 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 417 
 
 for dear old Sam Ward. Of course, his dinners were 
 as much above those of the White House as Sam ex- 
 ceeded the steward in brilhancy of conception of dainty 
 cuisine. Sam's cuHnary reputation rests on 'a ham boiled 
 with three red clover heads, and when put into the oven 
 to "brown" it was treated to a baptism of champagne. 
 The three heads of red clover have been proved to be a 
 fraud. Nothing was ever served on Sam's table that was 
 half as delicious as himself. He is familiar with nine 
 different languages, three of which he spoke with all the 
 fluency of his mother tongue. He has been seen to put 
 his arm around a foreign minister with all the grace and 
 affection with which a lover embraces his sweetheart. Is 
 it strange that this man became an idol to the public men 
 whose constitutions were impaired by the dyspeptic din- 
 ners of "high society ?" Extremes meet, and overfeeding 
 is far more disastrous in its remote results than a mild 
 course of starvation. Sam Ward managed that his guests 
 should never be satiated. The oyster patties, like a little 
 woman, would be so perfect, though small, that the next 
 course would be anxiously awaited. "Two dessert 
 spoonfuls of soup with a thimbleful of choicest sherry, 
 that is my foundation for a dinner," says the immortal 
 Sam. Only people of ability were permitted to gather 
 around his board, and it was the brilliant conversation 
 more than the viands that made it appear "a feast fit for 
 the gods." If a dinner was to be given to the Spanish 
 minister the proper number of agreeable people who speak 
 Spanish could always be found for a small party. Could 
 anything be more grateful to a stranger in a strange land 
 than to hear his home language spoken by his host with 
 the ease and fluency of a native ; to have the conversation 
 adroitly turned to the subjects which lie nearest to the 
 Spanish heart ; to drink the blood of the grape brought 
 all the way from Castile or Arragon? Is it a wonder 
 with Sam's arm around his diplomatic waist that he 
 27 
 
41 8 THE OIvIVIA LETTERS 
 
 would feel as did Mungo Park in Africa when he heard 
 the negro woman singing at the foot of the tree that 
 sheltered him : 
 
 "No wife to catch him fish and grind him corn"? 
 
 When one of the foreigners died it is said that he left 
 Sam Ward a fortune. If his cuisine was not always per- 
 fect the host himself made up the imperfection. He had 
 the power to throw his guests out of their shells and by 
 this means adding any amount of heat to the social atmos- 
 phere. The last time Sam Ward was seen he was 
 marching across the Capitol Rotunda, his short, full arm 
 around another man's waist, looking as much like a fat 
 Philadelphia capon as Charlie O'Neill. His round, chub- 
 by, boyish face and duck legs bore not the slightest re- 
 semblance to the lobby. He is the brother of Julia Ward 
 Howe, the author of the battle hymn of the Republic. 
 The same kind of spiritual essence that enters this poem 
 made the dinners famous, but let no' man attempt the 
 same high art. The solitary vase has been broken, but the 
 odor is left and clings to it still. Owvia. 
 
BEN HILL AND ROSCOE CONKLING. 
 
 Mannerisms of These Famous Senators and a Num- 
 ber oE Their Coeeeagues. 
 
 Washington, May 14, 1881. 
 
 Over the great public squares is spread a royal carpet 
 of greenest verdure. Miles and miles of trees occupying 
 the city "parking" are flaunting their tender leaves in the 
 dazzling sunshine ; the fruit trees are a mass of powdery 
 blossom, whilst violets and lilacs fill the market space 
 with delicious perfume. The cold North blast has ceased 
 to blow, and from the sunny South comes the dallying 
 wind, laden with the breath of magnolia and orange 
 blossom; but a cloud which has no silver lining envel- 
 opes the National Capitol — lo! as an iron shroud. No 
 precedent in history arises to permit us to judge the future 
 iDy the past. Within the memory of the writer armed 
 legions with glittering bayonets slept upon the cushioned 
 seats of the Senate chamber, whilst the gallant Colonel 
 Ellsworth, of Zouave fame, spread his soldier's blanket 
 on the floor. A war as bitter and unrelenting is being 
 fought, but the cold sharp steel is invisible. It is 
 the same old fight which shook the Middle Ages from 
 center to circumference when the sovereign of millions 
 threw down the gauntlet to his feudal chiefs. Senator 
 Conkling could not have sustained his opposition to the 
 President for a single day if the battle of New York did 
 not include every State in the Union. It was the charge 
 of little Rhody on the "big N." It was to decide 
 whether the twO' stalwart Senators, like Anthony and 
 Burnside, weighing more than one hundred and eighty 
 pounds each, were not able to look after the political 
 welfare of a State so small that it almost requires a micro- 
 
 (419) 
 
420 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 scope to find it on the map. Conkling was the great gen- 
 eral, stationed in the rear, planning the campaign. Men 
 of the Dawes calibre conduct active operations in the 
 field. To amuse the public firing is kept up between the 
 Democrats and Republicans, but the real war, which 
 means death to one or the other of the combatants, is be- 
 tween the Senate and the White House. 
 
 To get a thorough understanding of the machine poli- 
 tician he must be judged entirely by his acts, as a per- 
 sonal acquaintance warps the judgment and destroys 
 what might be a first-class opinion, because the feelings 
 are called into play. Beginning with the pages, who skip 
 and flit like butterflies on the Senate floor, all unite in 
 the worship of Senator Conkling. He never has to clap 
 his hands to bring a page, for the moment he begins work 
 that would require the service two or three of these lynx- 
 eyed dots are at his elbow, all anxious for the honor to 
 serve him. The writer asked a bright little page why the 
 boys were so willing to do his bidding. He replied : "He 
 never said a cross word to a page in his life. He says : 
 'My little man, will you do this kindness for me?' Then 
 we all run!" Just what the sunshine is to the physical 
 world this something which goes from every man and 
 woman in a greater or less degree is what acts upon hu- 
 manity. It is not love, because it is devoid of passion. 
 It is a force that cannot be estimated or measured and it 
 is given to only a very few in any age. The great Na- 
 poleon possessed it in the largest degree of any man in 
 modern times. 
 
 A tall Texan comes from the "Lone Star" State and 
 is seen in all the prominent places in Washington. Once 
 observed, he cannot be forgotten, for he is of giant pro- 
 portions. Colossal is the word, for every limb and feature 
 has been adjusted to the proper scale, as if designed by 
 Randolph Rogers or Vinnie Ream-Hoxie. Handsome 
 is a word not strong enough for justice, but is used be- 
 cause Richard Grant White or the Chicago Tribune has 
 
THE OIvIVIA IvETTERS 421 
 
 invented nothing better. The tall Texan was prowling 
 about the Capitol, and whether by accident or design, the 
 writer knows not, the Texan and Senator came together 
 in the dark shadows of the lobby which leads to the Mar- 
 ble Room. An intense, anxious expression lighted up the 
 features of the Texan as he neared the New York Sena- 
 tor. As they came in close contact Senator Conkling 
 raised his aiTn, placed his hand around the man's waist 
 and lifted it to the lofty shoulder, and whilst he drew 
 the colossal figure towards him looked up into his face 
 and said, "You would not ask me to do that." No 
 quiver of disappointment was visible. The two poli- 
 ticians had met. Size had nothing to do with it. Matter 
 went down before mind and the Darwinian theory was 
 vindicated. 
 
 Notable among the men who were prominent in the 
 House are those who migrated to the Senate wing and 
 find themselves frozen stiff in their seats and motionless 
 as so many dead flies. If by accident their blood- 
 less lips are unsealed one day they only live to regret it 
 the next. Conger, whose "horn" is in danger of being 
 forgotten, sits glued tO' one spot and helps make an ad- 
 mirable picture for the galleries. Daintiest of snowy 
 linen covers a breast which is known tO' conceal the most 
 ecstatic emotions, whilst the costliest broadcloth serves 
 the purpose of drapery. All that he requires is the addi- 
 tion of spices to make him a mummy that would far 
 eclipse those of Egyptian magic. 
 
 Don Cameron sits in his seat, and if he were a woman 
 he would be called "interesting." In other words, he may 
 be summed up as pale, sad, and extremely nervous. The 
 iron crown which he inherited from his tough old High- 
 land father is too heavy for tender temples and weaker 
 brain. The people of Pennsylvania can afford to bide 
 their time, for when the Winnebago Chief is gathered 
 to his fathers Cameronism is wiped off the face of the 
 State as clean as though it were a wheatfield in the 
 
422 THE OI.IVIA IvETTERS 
 
 path of the tornado; but if the old Keystone is not repre- 
 sented by brains in the National Senate she has beauty, 
 and the poet sings, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." 
 It is not necessary for Senator Mitchell tO' make himself 
 felt — he should be seen, and then no fault can be found. 
 
 The Senate is like an immense cave and unless a man 
 has an intellect like a calcium light there is no chance for 
 him; the tallow dips sputter for a moment, make them- 
 selves ridiculous, then go out in the icy gloom. Except 
 for the warriors, both Union and Confederate, the live 
 element would be entirely wanting. The "Tall Sycamore 
 of the Wabash" will never let himself be forgotten, and 
 he reminds one of an oasis in the Senate desert — land of 
 the delicious date and towering palm. 
 
 Most winning, dearest to the heart of woman, are the 
 Senate knights of the "lost cause." There is a deference 
 and courtly grace which they bestow on the so-called 
 weaker sex which the cold Northman may counterfeit, 
 but never succeed as an original. Whilst the men of 
 colder latitude approach woman as though she were made 
 out of the same kind of stuff as themselves, the South- 
 erner makes her feel that she stands on a higher mark in 
 the ascending scale and that if she is not quite "winged" 
 she is almost an angel. Even Hon. Ben Hill can so deftly 
 manage a woman that she cannot tell whether she is being 
 pummeled or caressed, as our one solitary interview with 
 this illustrious statesman will prove. In an article which 
 was published some months ago in The Times, when a 
 pen picture was being painted of the lobby, a paragraph 
 v/as inserted which said, "The queen paused in her tri- 
 umphal march to speak with Senator Hill." In vain the 
 writer pleaded that a Senator was not to blame because 
 the "queen" had seized him. He declared that he had 
 been "maligned" for the reason that he avoided all wo- 
 men the day he made speeches, therefore it could not be 
 true. Again the writer pleaded that he was no more to 
 blame for his seizure by the queen of the lobby than a 
 
the; ouvia i.i:tte;rs 423 
 
 big sunflower when a bumblebee pitches into its heart. 
 His head could not be reached by argument nor his heart 
 by petition. He said the article had been copied in a 
 Georgia paper and used against him in the campaign; 
 at the same time he artlessly confessed his love for his 
 wife and his loathing for the "queen of the lobby." If 
 that Georgia editor has a soul will he publish our heart- 
 felt desire to cleanse any spot which we have uninten- 
 tionally cast on the Senator's record? These Southern 
 men are singularly clean-handed where so many fall. 
 They put the pure woman on a pedestal and worship her, 
 and if there are any bad ones they are carried off to their 
 lairs and devoured and nobody hears of them any more. 
 
 Ouvia. 
 
PRESIDENT GARFIELD'S CABINET DAY. 
 
 Members oe the Official Family — A Soldier's 
 Disappointment. 
 
 Washington, August 22, 188 1. 
 
 A long residence in Washington proves the sad fact 
 that "court life" at the capital of a Republic is precisely 
 the same as in a monarchy, except in the change of its 
 duration. As the time to accomplish results is so very 
 brief the odious process becomes more patent and less 
 care is taken to hide all the art and skill practiced by the 
 parasites who surround the Executive and who change 
 his nature in a very brief time unless, like "Old Hickory" 
 or Abraham Lincoln, he cannot be veneered by his sur- 
 roundings because the identity is too strong. When a 
 citizen enters the White House as the political head of the 
 nation he never hears another familiar word. From the 
 august Secretary of State to the scullion in the kitchen, 
 it is "Mr. President." Not only the inclination down- 
 ward of the head with the bending muscles of the knees, 
 but even the voices of the old friends become humble in 
 tone and deferential in spirit. Cringing servants in the 
 shape of Congressmen — in fact, all other mortals who 
 have favors to crave — creep and crawl before the face of 
 majesty. By and by the strong and designing of either 
 sex elbow all the rest away, and form a cordon around 
 the Executive, coloring all in the shape of everything 
 which reaches his ears and eyes until he is no longer him- 
 self and is as blind as a bat hung to the walls of the Mam- 
 moth Cave. 
 
 In proof of the above assertion the writer will give the 
 readers of The Times sl description of the last day at the 
 White House before the attempt was made upon Presi- 
 (424) 
 
rut OUVIA LETTERS 425 
 
 dent Garfield's life. It was Friday, the last "Cabinet day" 
 in the annals of this administration. It was the first day 
 of July, hot and sultry beyond description. The breeze 
 which swept through the open doors of the mansion came 
 like the breath from an open oven. The spray from the 
 fountain turned into vapor in its ascending flight and 
 reminded the beholder of boiling geysers in a volcanic 
 plain. Inside the White House a crowd had congregated 
 to improve the opportunity of the last chance before the 
 President should depart on his summer tour. Both 
 branches of Congress, Army and Navy, governors of 
 States and Territories, with the odds and ends of hu- 
 manity all unknown to fame, were collected in an inde- 
 scribable, whirling kaleidoscope. At times the stairs 
 leading to the "throne room" would be turned into a cat- 
 aract, but instead of animalcules in the water it was hu- 
 manity in the air. The stairs once free from the descend- 
 ing mass would be instantly filled with the same kind of 
 material in an upward flight, to remain until hope was 
 dead, and the first result would be enacted again. It was 
 understood that the President would see the people be- 
 tween the hours of 10 and 12, although it was "Cabinet 
 day." But, alas, the "people" meant the Cabinet officers, 
 for not content with seeing their chief at the 12 o'clock 
 council, it appeared that each had a little private business 
 of his own. At 10 o'clock, or rather five minutes after, 
 the coupe of the Treasury Department deposited Secre- 
 tary Windom, apparently fresh from the hands of his 
 laundress, faultlessly attired in thinnest of summer cov- 
 ering, on the Executive porch. The fragrance of a per- 
 fumed bath still clung to^ his handsome person and noth- 
 ing could be compared tO' it but heaven's own dew cling- 
 ing to a morning-glory. With mischief dancing in his 
 hazel eyes and a wave of his fragrant hand to the little 
 woman whose duty it is to press his official name between 
 leaves of lavender, he disappeared. Then came Lincoln 
 — "Bob" the people call him, not tall like his late father, 
 
426 THK OIvIVIA LE^TTERS 
 
 but stalwart of limb and broad of shoulder, a strong", 
 handsome face, which lights up with the same expression 
 which we all remember who had the honor of standing 
 in the presence of Abraham Lincoln. A moment and he 
 is gone. And now comes Postmaster-General James, 
 looking neither to- the right nor the left, with his eyes 
 bent, as usual, in one direction. Built on the narrow- 
 gauge plan, long, slim, shallow and slender, ophidian and 
 dazzling, one listens for the death-dealing rattle. Cold 
 chills begin to creep along the great nerve centers. He 
 glides up the stairs. Thank heaven, he has gone. A 
 moment later and a prominent governor says : "Garfield 
 never knows what that man is bringing about." Stand 
 aside ! He's little, but how he can sting ! It is MacVeigh 
 — a Scottish chief. The tartan plaid, bare legs and pi- 
 broch are invisible. Round, dense and compact as a bul- 
 let, with the characteristics of Scotland which mark him 
 as surely as the furze that each season adorns the heather. 
 American-born generations may stand between him and 
 his ancestors, but he is no more changed than an English 
 walnut would be transplanted to the Western continent. 
 
 Square, heavy-rigged, sitting low in the water, bear- 
 ing down under full sail, determined to reach the port in 
 time — this is Secretary Kirkwood. His clothes are thin 
 and fleecy, but more sheepy-looking than cloud-like. He 
 perspires ! One is reminded of great drops of rain pat- 
 tering on a shingled roof, only the noise must exist in the 
 imagination. Homely and plain as a crooked apple tree, 
 and yet the very shade where it would be delightful to 
 linger. Only a rough shell, containing the sweetest of 
 kernels. After 1 1 ! The clock hands point to the hour of 
 12. A moving tableau enters the broad corridor from a 
 side door. Secretary Blaine is the central figure. On 
 his right walks Sir Edward Thornton, in full court dress, 
 dazzling in decorations and gold lace. He has come to 
 take formal leave of the President, as he has been called 
 home by his Queen. On the left of the Secretary walks 
 
THS oijviA i.e;tters 427 
 
 his eldest daughter, proudly — Miss Ahce Blaine. She 
 is clad in pure white, unrelieved by color. A broad- 
 brimmed chip hat on the back of her head frames her 
 oval brunette face, and with her youth and grace she is 
 a striking addition to the picture. Secretary Blaine looks 
 troubled and worried. The shadows have grown darker 
 under his eyes, while the other portions of his face are 
 far more pallid than of yore. His step is less elastic, but 
 the heat must be considered. The doors close and the 
 curtain falls. 
 
 It should have been mentioned before that the officials 
 who guard the front doors of the White House have the 
 power to assign people to different rooms in the order 
 which may seem to them best. Those whom they con- 
 sider of most consequence are permitted to go up the 
 stairs, whilst the "rabbles," sO' called from want of hon- 
 orary prefixes to their names, must remain below. This 
 is applicable to Cabinet day. When the fortunate arrive 
 up stairs the winnowing process goes on again. The 
 highest privilege is to be permitted to enter the room or 
 headquarters of Mr. J. Stanley Brown, a youth of 22 
 summers, whose velvet cheeks, destitute of hirsute orna- 
 ment or manly decoration, is sufficient evidence of his 
 guileless innocence and his willingness to obey the will 
 of others. Mr. Rose, who had been the President's pri- 
 vate secretary for years when he was a Congressman, was 
 found to have opinions of his own, and it did not suit 
 those who' have matters in hand to have that kind of ma- 
 terial to manage. 
 
 Whilst Dr. Bliss has shown the country that he does 
 not believe in having too many doctors around, Swaim 
 and Rockwell are the men who keep guard at the cham- 
 ber door of the President and will not permit a friendly 
 face to pass. As proof the following fact is given to the 
 readers of The Times: When Mrs. Garfield visited New 
 York, before her late illness, she invited her warm per- 
 sonal friend, Miss Ransom, to accompany her. The two 
 
425 the: OWVIA I.ETTERS 
 
 intended to visit the art galleries together. Mrs. Gar- 
 field wished to have Miss Ransom's opinion on a picture 
 of Alexander Hamilton that had lately been resurrected 
 and come to light, after lying for many years among the 
 rubbish. Mrs. Rockwell also went along. When the 
 names of the august female Presidential party were made 
 up to be given tO' the press Colonel Rockwell instructed 
 the correspondent to leave out Miss Ransom's name, say- 
 ing that "no names must be mentioned but Mrs. Garfield 
 and Mrs. Rockwell." All the old trusted friends of the 
 Garfields are thrust aside, whilst Swaim and Rockwell 
 guard the doors. The isolation and cruelty towards the 
 President is not the work of the doctors, for they are only 
 intent on killing ofif each other, and if the country could 
 be relieved of this surplus material the nation would have 
 cause to rejoice. 
 
 But coming back to the White House, among those 
 permitted to wait up stairs was the gallant Colonel Buell. 
 who had come to Washington after an eighteen months' 
 campaign in the field after the murdering Victoria and 
 his savage band. He waited until the Cabinet meeting 
 was over, and it was well on to 4 o'clock. "Better on an 
 Indian trail in the wilderness than the trail of a President, 
 if this is the experience," he said. Did President Gar- 
 field know that this brave, gallant soldier awaited au- 
 dience at his door? The writer believes not. Did the sol- 
 dier depart with his face crisped with disappoint- 
 ment? He did. Who saw the President? One woman 
 of all the women who hung around like the lost souls 
 around the gates of Paradise. This was Mrs. General 
 Morgan L. Smith, the woman who began a suit in the 
 New York courts for $25,000 damages for refusing to 
 pay her for giving a decision of the Supreme Court in 
 advance of its being known through the regular news 
 channel. Mrs. Morgan Smith informed the writer that 
 her interview with the President was perfectly satisfac- 
 tory. The joy stamped on her beautiful face was suffi- 
 
TH^ OLIVIA LETTERS 429 
 
 cient proof. The soldier walked sad and dejected away, 
 but from the window of the Executive Mansion a wo- 
 man's eyes filled with tears followed his retreating foot- 
 steps ; and from the holiest depths of her heart ascended 
 the prayer that God would shield and protect him, and 
 give his brave soul and strong arm the strength to pro- 
 tect the lone settlers from the murderous savages that in- 
 fest our remote frontier. Olivia, 
 
A NEW YEAR RECEPTION. 
 
 The Diplomats and the Public Pay Their Respects 
 TO President Arthur. 
 
 Washington, January 2, 1882. 
 
 According to immemorial usage, the broad doors of 
 the Executive mansion opened their portals to receive 
 the gorgeous pageant that inaugurates the President's 
 first official reception of the New Year. Thoroughly 
 renovated and partially refurnished, the old historic build- 
 ing appears like an antiquated belle rejuvenated by the 
 modern accessories of the toilet. Oriental designs, artis- 
 tically arranged, give the surroundings a magnificence 
 never attained since a former White House mistress died. 
 The Red Parlor, where the foreign legations assem- 
 bled previous to their presentation to the President, 
 has been recently furnished in modern style and with 
 exquisite taste. From the lofty windows fall cascades 
 of ruby velvet and real lace. The furniture is uphol- 
 stered in ruby plush, and the prevailing tints of the Per- 
 sian rugs, which cover a large proportion of the floor, 
 have been chosen to harmonize with the ruby surround- 
 ings. Potted plants, but not in profusion, were used to 
 ornament the tall mantels and pedestals purposely placed 
 for their reception. 
 
 Another marked feature was the absence of the police 
 until the immense unofficial crowd began to pour through 
 the corridor. Then the necessity of keeping the living 
 river within its proper bounds became apparent to the 
 crowd itself, and good nature and kind words for the 
 President were heard on every side. 
 
 A New Year's reception at the White House forms a 
 picture on the mind never to be forgotten. Precisely 
 (430) 
 
The OI.IVIA LICTTERS 43 1 
 
 at the hour appointed the foreign legations began to as- 
 semble and in a brief time the Red Room was filled to 
 overflowing with representatives of the different civil- 
 ized nations of the globe. The gorgeous costumes worn 
 by these people can only be compared to the plumage 
 of birds which infest the tropical forests. The appear- 
 ance of the English diplomat is among the most subdued. 
 The French minister, M. Maxime Outrey, appeared in 
 the usual court dress which the French Republic has 
 adopted. In the dim light its hue could not be detected 
 except that it was very dark, with semi-military appear- 
 ance. The pants were ornamented with a broad gilt band 
 up the side, with a limited quantity of gilt embroidery. 
 His chapeau, which he carried, looked like that worn by 
 Napoleon I. Monsieur Outrey seemed particularly en- 
 gaged in playing oak to the vine, for on his arm clung 
 winsome Madame Outrey, clad in a long-trained black 
 velvet dress. When the old minister was balancing his 
 dignity before the red fez of Turkey, the madame, in the 
 sweet language of her native land, had asked after all the 
 seraglios on the banks of the Bosphorus. But the most 
 charming face and figure which shone in the diplomatic 
 throng belonged to Miss Sackville-West, the daughter of 
 the new English minister. In the absence of her father 
 she appeared with one of the attaches of the legation. 
 Imagine a slight, girlish figure, yet perfect in development 
 as a rose in full bloom, with a face cast in the most aristo- 
 cratic mould, low brow, full, large, almond-shaped eyes, 
 classic nose, the saucy, short upper lip and wonderfully 
 chiseled chin, all animated by the highest grace of expres- 
 sion. If the haughty Victoria has ever looked upon this 
 dainty subject she will not bear too^ heavily on the lineage 
 of the Sackville-Wests. Miss West was clad in a heavy 
 dark green satin walking dress, with a simple Fanchon 
 bonnet to match, and amidst all the pomp and splendor 
 her presence brought the same sweet emotions which 
 come tO' mind with an English daisy. 
 
432 THE OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 In picturesque effect imperial China glowed in the Red 
 Room like a fireplace in the dark. An imposing figure, 
 clad in a blue satin petticoat, surmounted by a cap, from 
 which trailed gracefully that which might have been 
 clipped from Pegasus. It is said this Chinese minister 
 is of the highest rank ever sent out of his own country, 
 his person more fully representing the permanency, the 
 fixity of purpose, of his imperial master than any of his 
 predecessors. Closely following the mandarin comes 
 South America — land of political turmoil and earth- 
 quakes. All these ministers appear to be the descendants 
 of Cortez. A genuine Spanish grandee is represented 
 by Senor Don Simon Camancho, from Venezuela. He is 
 unaccompanied, as Mrs. Camancho still tarries in New 
 York. 
 
 It is very hard to leave the Red Room with its 
 striking figures for pen portraits, but the "throne room" 
 must be reached. You pass the threshold which leads 
 from red to blue. The first impression is republican 
 simplicity. An official of the State Department stands 
 at the left of President Arthur and presents the pass- 
 ing throng. The dean of the diplomatic corps is the 
 first to enter, followed very closely by all that is of- 
 ficial from other lands. Towering above his associates 
 stands President Arthur, in personal appearance and at- 
 titude every inch a ruler, with all the stately courtesy of 
 James Buchanan, the native dignity and wannth of man- 
 ner of Abraham Lincoln, and a grace which is all his 
 own. He was clad in a simple black full-dress suit. 
 
 At the right of the President stood his new Secretary 
 of State, slender, attenuated, but spirituelle and refined. 
 Near by is Secretary Folger. Imagine a man of perfect 
 proportion and exactly the right size, with a face so clas- 
 sic that it might be carved, with iron-gray hair, and this 
 is Attorney-General Brewster. 
 
 A long line of ladies had been invited by President Ar- 
 thur to help him receive. The innovation of numbers 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 433 
 
 was inaugurated by Mrs. Julia Grant, when she presided 
 at the White House. It is not known whether Mrs. Grant 
 meant to emulate Eugenie surrounded by her court, yet 
 the effect is somewhat the same. The leading lady who 
 modestly stood at the head is Mrs. Frelinghuysen, dress- 
 ed in black silk, without the slightest pretense of doing 
 anything but her duty. How tired and worn every fea- 
 ture of her face seemed, turned into an interrogation 
 point, which asked, what does it all amount to any way? 
 Then came the wife of the Attorney-General. Mrs. 
 Brewster wore a royal robe of ruby velvet. Another 
 lovely face was that of the wife of the young Secretary 
 of War. Mrs. Lincoln wore Spanish lace over old gold 
 satin. Although the youngest of the cabinet circle, Mrs. 
 Lincoln's whole childhood was associated with official 
 society at the capital. Room only for one more of the 
 stars that compose President Arthur's galaxy of assist- 
 ants — Mrs. Senator Logan, most queenly in appearance 
 of all. Slightly taller than the others, with a face lighted 
 with flashing black eyes and snowy hair rolled back in 
 Martha Washington style, with rosy cheeks and pearly 
 teeth, a veritable picture of "roses in the snow." The 
 saddest picture is Mrs. Blaine in the background, bereft 
 of her official crown, disappointment peeping out of her 
 face covertly, as the picket guard watches for the foe. 
 
 The Supreme Court marches by, but some of its mem- 
 bers are absent. Afterwards file by the veterans of the 
 Grand Army of the Republic, wearing a badge which in- 
 dicates devotion to a cause. Now a cold, sad wave comes 
 down the long corridors following the gay throng which 
 has just passed. It is the Oldest Inhabitants Association 
 — encased in the frozen armor of age. There is a brush. 
 A sigh that seems to breathe from everything around. 
 It is gone. The beautiful ladies who stood by President 
 Arthur are gone, because all that is "official" has drifted 
 by. There is a muffled sound — the crowd, the strangers, 
 28 
 
434 ^HE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 the citizens of the District are coming. Policemen begin 
 to appear, they are strewn around as though a siege were 
 about to begin, but President Arthur shows not the least 
 sign of weariness ; he shakes every offered hand. 
 "Where are the ladies who were to receive with the Presi- 
 dent?" is anxiously asked. "Gone to their own recep- 
 tions," is answered from somewhere. A bit of a woman 
 appears leading a little child. It is such a tiny speck, but 
 its sweet face peeps out from its fleecy hood as an angel's 
 might from under the mist. There are no grand dames 
 around — only the people. President Arthur takes the lit- 
 tle one in his hands, then he lifts it high, and gives the 
 humble little tot a kiss. It was so exquisitely done that 
 it seemed the work of inspiration. With this incident the 
 ceremonies came to a close, whilst the Marine Band was 
 playing its choicest airs, composed by its talented leader 
 to inaugurate the new year, Oeivia. 
 
AT THE TRIAL OF GUITEAU. 
 Ane;cdoti;s oi< thi: Judge, Jury, and Audience. 
 
 Washington, January 5, 1882. 
 
 A strange tale comes floating down the surface of the 
 centuries. Its strange points assimilate with those asso- 
 ciated with the unique criminal trial oi to-day. During 
 the period that the Roman inquisition was at the zenith of 
 its power, a Catholic priest invented an instrument of 
 torture. It was in the shape of an iron room, long and 
 narrow, and with seven small windows looking toward 
 the rising sun. By means of noiseless machinery the 
 space contracted so that the wretched prisoner would see 
 by the first light of dawn that a window had disappeared. 
 The torture of the infernal machine could be lengthened 
 or shortened according tO' the mercy of the executioner. 
 But on the last day, or rather night, the iron bedstead 
 would assume the form of a box, and as the sun appeared 
 in the east the muffled tones of a bell would fall on the 
 ear of the doomed, whilst the lid would fall, and after the 
 clang there would be heard the fastening of screws if in- 
 sensibility had not previously intervened. To prevent the 
 existence of this instrument being known, the Doge of 
 Venice seized its unfortunate inventor and put him into 
 the machine, that everything connected with it should be 
 destroyed, even to the inventor. Just as the Catholic 
 priest created an instrument of torture and destruction, 
 Guiteau has woven a web from which there is no escape. 
 
 The mercy or weakness which Judge Cox is accused 
 of exercising toward the prisoner is the same sort of kind- 
 ness which the executioner had for the Catholic priest. 
 The windows of the iron cage are a little longer in dis- 
 appearing. A thoughtful spectator watching the counte- 
 
 (435) 
 
436 The OLIVIA LETTERS 
 
 nance of Judge Cox will see that he carries all the weight 
 of responsibility which goes with the judicial ermine. 
 Cool, calm, inflexible, he seems to realize that his course 
 in this celebrated case will be put on record to stand as 
 long as the archives of the Republic. No opportunity 
 has been given for the defense to obtain a new trial ; no 
 chance for ill-timed sympathy to accuse him of want of 
 clemency or withholding that which is decreed the hum- 
 blest citizen on trial for his life. In this most trying posi- 
 tion in which a man could be placed. Judge Cox has filled 
 all the requirements of the case in a manner which un- 
 biased, unprejudiced posterity will applaud. 
 
 Coming to the jury, taken altogether, a clearer-headed 
 set of men could not be found. If the writer was on trial 
 for her life and allowed the privilege to select a jury, a 
 large proportion of those now serving would be chosen 
 for this painful and thankless duty. One of the jurymen 
 has had honors paid him accorded only to the most dis- 
 tinguished men of the world. He has been met at the 
 threshold of the Winter Palace of the Czar of Russia, 
 the great Nicholas, standing with a silver salver in one 
 hand, upon which was placed com bread, and a golden 
 chair in the other, the seat of which was hollowed out to 
 hold salt. He has sat at the same table with the Emperor, 
 amidst all the splendor and pomp of the Russian court. 
 This gentleman (Mr. Heinline) was engineer of the mon- 
 itor that carried Assistant Secretary Fox, of the Navy, 
 when he went to take President Lincoln's dispatches to 
 the crowned heads of Europe during our late war. In 
 charge of this wonderful war craft, he received as much 
 attention and in one sense more than Mr. Fox, for the 
 Czar, like his ancestor, Peter the Great, had unbounded 
 respect for the science of mechanics. During the lifetime 
 of the monitors only the highest talent was employed to 
 manage their machinery. Cool and brave must be the 
 men who went to sea in these iron pots, and who would 
 not choose such a juryman ? And yet fate or accident has 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 437 
 
 determined this man should be one to bring his strength 
 of mind to decide in the matter of the assassin's respon- 
 sibility. It would make this article too long to make 
 sketches of the different jurymen, but all enjoy the re- 
 spect of those who know them best, so- far as the writer 
 has been able to ascertain. Few men, whether their 
 crimes have been heavy or light, have been so fortunate 
 as the assassin. No mortal hand was extended to help 
 Guiteau in the selection of a jury. To the credit of all 
 the citizens of the District, not a man was chosen that did 
 not bewail his fate and hope that something would pre- 
 vent his selection. It was claimed at the time that no jury 
 could be impanneled because all had expressed opinions 
 as to the guilt of the prisoner ; but whether the assassin 
 was insane or otherwise placed the trial in a different 
 light, and only the repulsion remained in the minds of the 
 people of the capital. 
 
 It is cruel slander on the women of the District when 
 it is claimed it is "the same old set" of theater-goers that 
 have gone to the Guiteau trial every day. A very few 
 faces, less than a dozen, have been daily attendants, but 
 these are the suspected adventuresses who- come to Wash- 
 ington in advance of Congressmen to get the winter nests 
 well warmed. They stop at the leading hotels, where 
 they behave with that becoming modesty that secures 
 them from molestation. When the real work of the Con- 
 gressional season begins they flit to the different "bou- 
 doirs" in some of the most respectable quarters of the 
 city where carriages going and coming attract not the 
 slightest notice. The women wear "seal skin" and have 
 all the attractive airs of "official life." Excitement they 
 must have, and the Guiteau trial is an excellent prelim- 
 inary to the winter festivities. 
 
 It is this class of female adventuresses who dog the 
 footsteps of the virtuous Congressmen as well as the 
 other kind. They even have the "cheek" to attend private 
 receptions uninvited, and claim to be on intimate terms 
 
438 The OUVIA I.ETTERS 
 
 with those who compose our most refined circles of "of- 
 ficial society." When these women are excepted it will be 
 found that the surging crowd that fills the court room is 
 composed of strangers visiting the national capital. Our 
 ladies had a desire to look once upon a man who could 
 murder a President, but the desire was gratified with one 
 visit. A glance at the newspapers will prove that this 
 pardonable curiosity pervaded all ranks of the people. 
 Even clergymen have been seen in the small space allotted 
 to spectators of this criminal trial. 
 
 All the "star" actors or actresses who have appeared 
 on the stage in Washington since the trial began came to 
 the court room — the Florences, Mary Anderson, Lotta, 
 and a troupe of lesser lights which have escaped the 
 writer's memory. All seemed seeking to try to solve the 
 problem, whether the assassin is insane, and, with scarce 
 an exception, all believe, as did Frederick the Great of 
 Prussia, that cranks "are responsible." When Frederick 
 ruled his subjects assassination became a familiar crime, 
 while insanity became the bridge which carried the crim- 
 inals to safety ; but the far-seeing, irrepressible Emperor 
 thought it would be a good plan to crush out this kind of 
 dangerous material by the extreme penalty of the law, 
 and the result was that fanaticism did not bloom out any 
 more in this kind of way. Whilst "experts," or those 
 who have had experience in the management of insane 
 people, can give their belief, that has little tO' do with 
 the actual and proper settlement of the question as to the 
 responsibility of the "crank." An honest man or woman 
 who has been insane, yet restored to health, should be 
 the ones to decide this most important point. Shakes- 
 peare settled the subject w4ien he asked "Who can min- 
 ister to a mind diseased?" Now, this most superior of 
 human beings did not dare to answer his own inquiry. 
 If the "experts" could take hold of a broken mind as the 
 surgeons do of a shattered limb, possibly they might cure 
 it; but if a human soul by some inscrutable means, like 
 
TH^ oiyiviA i.e:tt^rs 439 
 
 a ship at sea, finds its bottom covered with barnacles, or a 
 terrible rent in the hold, torn by a hidden rock, only the 
 Builder can plunge into the vast ocean of mystery and 
 mend the sinking wreck. 
 
 Taking the testimony of the "experts," Dr. Gray 
 seemed wisest and best informed, and he was very care- 
 ful not to commit himself. He conscientiously let the 
 jury know how very little we know about insanity, but 
 he did bear out the fact that a mind a little off color, or 
 what is vulgarly called a "crank," for the want of a better 
 term, is not relieved of responsibility and should be pun- 
 ished for crime committed the same as other criminals. 
 
 Notwithstanding the prisoner has been allowed better 
 food and has had the stimulant of excitement imparted 
 by his trial, there is a change gradually stealing over his 
 features, which, rightly interpreted, means despair. His 
 naturally pale face has assumed a kind of ashen hue which 
 makes a sombre background for the lightning play of the 
 fierce passions with which he is continually interrupting 
 the court. There are no particular points to mark this 
 man. He is like the great masses of the human family 
 who resemble each other almost as much as do the leaves 
 of the forest. 
 
 There is something very touching in the appearance of 
 Mr. Scoville, brother-in-law and counsel for the assassin. 
 He seems to have advanced ten years in age since the trial 
 began. He has grown very much thinner, and a painful, 
 eager, anxious expression is stamped on his otherwise 
 kindly face. And the sister, who^ comes so regularly and 
 shares the odium and disgrace of the brother ! It is said 
 her husband was very much averse to having anything 
 to do with the trial, but when so many lawyers refused 
 he yielded to the earnest entreaties of his wife. But in- 
 stead of becoming an object of loathing to the ladies of 
 Washington, like her brother, the assassin, her womanly 
 devotion is appreciated. It is true she has not been 
 crowned with laurel or welcomed to hospitable boards, 
 
440 the: OLIVIA I.ETTERS 
 
 but woman's heart at Washington beats in sympathy with 
 this sister, for no place can be so vile that it is not puri- 
 fied and uplifted by the presence of the same spirit that 
 qualified Mary to become the mother of Jesus. 
 
 John W. Guiteau, the brother, has also won the respect 
 of the community. He is trying to make the public un- 
 f/erstand that only an idiot or mad man would be guilty 
 of the crime which a brother has committed. He feels 
 the disgrace so deep and burning that all facts connected 
 with the assassin's life should come to light. Unlike his 
 sister, he has pity, but no affection, and if he can be made 
 to believe his brother is responsible, he, like Mr. Scoville, 
 under the same circumstances, will be among the first to 
 approve the carrying out of the extreme penalty of the 
 law. OuviA. 
 
ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 Captain De Long's Departure; — The Poi^aris and 
 Her Commander. 
 
 Washington, January 7, 1882. 
 
 Since the cablegrams of James Gordon Bennett to the 
 authorities at Washington, no further news has been re- 
 ceived of the ill-fated survivors of the Jeannette, who' are 
 now supposed to be traversing the frozen waste of North- 
 ern Siberia in dog sledges to reach once more a welcome 
 home. Sad as the fate of all those who have undertaken 
 to penetrate the secrets which Nature keeps eternally 
 locked in her Arctic jaws, the moment a new expedition 
 for the same purpose is mentioned, the spirit of adven- 
 ture stirs within the naval breast, and more officers and 
 men are found to offer their services than would man a 
 fleet. 
 
 When Commander De Long, of the Jeannette, drew the 
 awful prize in the lottery of Arctic exploration, his am- 
 bition rose tO' fever heat. So much so that in a measure 
 it dried away the tears of his almost heart-broken wife, 
 who felt the fate of Lady Franklin wrapping her mind 
 as a dead body swathed in a winding-sheet. Just before 
 Commander De Long left the capital, husband and wife 
 decided to go to the White House and receive the Execu- 
 tive prayers and blessings ere the doomed vessel should 
 unfurl her sails. Arriving at the proper morning hour, 
 they waited and waited until patience was gone, when a 
 messenger returned bringing the sad intelligence that 
 "The President could not be seen, but Mrs. Hayes would 
 soon be at leisure." Another period of precious time 
 passed, when the rustling of silk was heard in a distant 
 corridor, and at last a huge bouquet "hove" in sight, with 
 
 (441) 
 
442 THE OUVIA I^ETTERS 
 
 a remarkably smiling lady behind it. Without giving 
 Captain De Long an opportunity to get a word in edge- 
 wise, Mrs. Hayes seemed determined to let the visitors 
 know that she had mastered the situation and knew all 
 about it ; but imagine the consternation of the brave naval 
 commander to find that he had been mistaken for a char- 
 latan who had invented what he believed to be a method 
 of freezing out yellow fever on board of ships irrespective 
 of the vessel's latitude. 
 
 "Yes," said Mrs. Hayes, her soul palpitating with 
 devotion to her fifty million loving subjects, "if you have 
 only succeeded in ridding the world of yellow fever." 
 
 "Breakers ahead !" thought the embryo explorer, whilst 
 the little wife was struck dumb to think her captain, 
 whose name was to be enrolled with Franklin, Kane, Hall 
 and others, and which will last in the world's archives so 
 long as civilization remains on top, should be the victim 
 of a mistake. It is not known whether Commander De 
 Long piloted Mrs. Hayes from the tropical regions of the 
 yellow fever to the Arctic barriers of the North Pole, but 
 it is certain that both husband and wife left the Executive 
 mansion wiser if not happier than before. 
 
 A good sharp taste of Arctic adventure can be obtained 
 by gazing upon a picture of the Polaris, of the late Hall 
 expedition as she lay locked in her frozen bed in the cruel 
 polar sea. The artist has caught the icy atmosphere, with 
 all its bleak, horrible surroundings. If the Polaris remains 
 undisturbed by beast or savage, the centuries will roll by, 
 leaving the vessel intact, like the mastodon, now extinct, 
 but preserved by the glaciers of Siberia. A fiery enthu- 
 siasm took possession of the late Capt. C. F. Hall, and he 
 came to the capital to plead his cause before Congress, 
 as did Columbus before Ferdinand and Isabella. This 
 same kind of flame is what lights up the path of progress, 
 and keeps civilization from going down to the tomb. It 
 made Isabella sell her jewels, and it forced our Congress 
 to give Captain Hall an ear, and the consequence was the 
 
THE owviA le:tte;rs 443 
 
 purchase by the Government of an ice vessel of the Dela- 
 ware, Periwinkle by name. She was brought to Washing-- 
 ton, where Secretary Robeson caused her very ribs to be 
 taken out and others of the greatest strength put in the 
 place. To finish all, he added to the long rakish sailing 
 body an iron nose. In nautical language seven feet of 
 "dead wood," or solid timber, protected the forward part 
 of the ship and this was strengthened by a plating of iron. 
 Her sides were from twenty inches to two feet in thick- 
 ness, whilst she had just twice the number of iron bolts 
 in her carcass that are used for ordinary vessels for whal- 
 ing purposes. Nearly every dollar of the appropriation 
 was used in the purchase and strengthening of the ships, 
 leaving nothing for ornament; but everything in the 
 shape of comfort and luxury was contributed by the 
 wealthy citizens of Boston, even to musical instruments, 
 which were to^ pierce the solitudes with cultured airs. 
 The Polaris was rigged as a foretop-sail schooner, and 
 was able to sail and steer without aid from her engine. 
 The engine could burn either coal or oil, but it was not 
 expected to be of much use in extreme northern latitudes, 
 as the danger was imminent of breaking the paddle- 
 wheels on the ice ; and the propeller was arranged in such 
 a way that it could be lifted on deck through a shaft or 
 "propeller- well." But if the propeller was broken a new 
 one was provided. The cargo was made up of duplicate 
 articles to insure its progress and safety. Most wonder- 
 ful life-boats were provided. One in particular attracted 
 attention because it was made for sledge journeys. It 
 was constructed of hickory and ash, and folded up like 
 an umbrella, thus occupying one-eighth of the space as 
 when opened for use. It takes only two or three minutes 
 to spread this boat on the water. Its weight was two 
 hundred and fifty pounds. A life-preserving buoy was 
 placed on the outside of the stern of the Polaris, and in 
 case a man fell overboard it could instantly be lowered 
 by touching a spring somewhere near the pilot-house. 
 
444 I'HE OUVIA LETTERS 
 
 By touching another spring an electric light was elevated 
 two feet above the buoy, and this would light up the water 
 for yards around. 
 
 The vessel was loaded with pemmican, dessicated vege- 
 tables, canned meats and fruits. The pemmican was the 
 life of the expedition. The latter is an ugly brownish 
 compound to the eye, disgusting to the taste in civilized 
 regions; but an old whaler says: "It is an entirely dif- 
 ferent article in the Arctic regions. When exposed to the 
 intense cold it becomes pale straw color, and melts in the 
 mouth like a peach, only ten thousand times more deli- 
 cious." It is said to be worth a journey to the North 
 Pole to be able to eat pemmican accompanied by raw wal- 
 rus liver. 
 
 All this frozen knowledge is vividly retained in the 
 writer's mind, because it was her experience to sit at the 
 same table with Captain Hall at the National Hotel dur- 
 ing the time the vessel was being fitted out for her last 
 voyage. This enthusiast had already spent five years of 
 his life with the Esquimaux and looked upon it as the 
 happiest period of his existence. There seemed to be a 
 delightful thrill in his mind when he would relate his es- 
 capes from freezing. "One night," said the Captain, "I 
 had gone to pay a visit to an Esquimaux lodge. I had 
 gone to bed and was enjoying the most sublime dreams. 
 It seemed as if the whole sky in every quarter was blaz- 
 ing with auroral lights, when all at once I felt myself 
 trampled on, rudely shaken and beaten with small fists. 
 For a time I could not collect my mind or understand 
 what it all meant, but as soon as consciousness asserted 
 itself I learned that my kind friends had discovered that 
 I was freezing to death. The lodge was colder than the 
 one I had been accustomed to, and I had foolishly de- 
 cided to sleep alone, but I had been watched as a mother 
 looks after her child." 
 
 "How did you get through the night, Captain ?" 
 "After that experience I was willing to share the beds 
 
THE OLIVIA LETTERS 445 
 
 with the Esquimaux, their favorite dogs included. The 
 proprieties of civiHzed Hfe are entirely wiped out in the 
 Arctic regions. It is merely the animal fighting for ex- 
 istence." 
 
 ''But what good will come from this vast expenditure 
 of precious blood and treasure?" 
 
 "The stars and stripes must float from the icy pinnacle 
 of the North Pole. Congress has given me the means, 
 and with God's help I'll nail our banner there." 
 
 Now that we have so many brave men battling for their 
 lives on their return from the ill-fated Jeannette, the 
 writer thought the readers of The Times might wish to 
 see recalled a picture of the Polaris, with her intrepid 
 commander, whose bones have been left to crumble in 
 the awful "ice field," for soil there is none tO' be reached 
 with pick and shovel — only a snow grave. 
 
 The Polaris left her moorings at the Washington navy 
 yard with nothing omitted which would detract from her 
 success. Captain Budington, the old whaler upon whom 
 devolved the safety of the vessel, left nothing undone. It 
 was this indomitable seaman who floated the fragment 
 of Captain Hall's crew home on a cake of ice. The ex- 
 perience of this little band reads like one of Hans Ander- 
 sen's fairy tales. The cruise of the Jeannette makes a 
 good advertisement for the New York Herald, but what 
 has the Government or nation gained by its outlay in the 
 Bennett scheme? Hereafter the fools must not be per- 
 mitted to fall into the Herald's trap if the Government is 
 expected to pay the greater part of the bills. Judging the 
 future by the past, an incipient Arctic explorer should be 
 treated as a lunatic and be placed where the contagion 
 can be treated with the freezing process such as Mrs. 
 Hayes understood so well. Olivia.