BJ N4> mm ;'»>:.Vi7:.' Class BvTlMJ Book ,N4 _ Digitized by tine Internet Archive in 2011 witii funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/etiquetteofsocieOOnimm ETIQUETTE OF Society at the National Capital. Mary Pollok Nimmo. washinoton, d. c. Gibson Bbos., Printers and Bookbimdebs. 1892. / ETIQUETTE <.^ \7^fO OF Society at the National Capital, Mary Pollok Nimmo. OCT 1© washington, d. c. Gibson Buos., Printers and Bookuindkks. 1892. V yh ^'> Entered according to act of Congress, in the j'ear 1892, by Mary Pollok Nimmo, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. The President's House. It is generally conceded tliat Washington, tlie capital of the greatest nation upon the earth, is the most charming residence city of the world. Hither the tribes of the Avealthy, the gifted in art and literature, the statesmen and patriots, and the polite go up from all the known centres of culture and civilization on the globe for annual communion and comparison of ideas. The city is one of the most beautiful of all the notable contemporary seats of gov- ernment, with its broad avenues and blooming parks and parterres, shaded by grand oaks and elms ; its mag- nificent jDublic structures and private palaces, and its sweet Southern airs and balm}' breezes blowing from the Virginia bills and the Maryland mountains. Its society enjoys the deliciously caressing hospitality of its Southern element, the luxury and bounty of the men of colossal fortune and great enterprise, the polished manners of foreigners of repute, the brilliant conversation of statesmen, wits, artists, and authors, and the presence of beautiful and cultured belles and matrons and handsome men. All of this and much more go to make Washington not only the Paradise of the Potomac, but also to give us a society free from local - prejudices and marked by the cosmopolitan features of a great and veritable capital. The chief enchantment of the National Capital is in her j^eople and their friendly and easy commingling together. The Southern people, who were the first residents of the District, set the fashion of a simple but generous hospitality which is now adoj)ted by all comers ami is growing from year to 3'ear into customs of more and more elaborate and luxurious entertaining. The peculiarities of the social code at Washington, arising from its principal personages being mainly in official life, with its:^ manifold disputed questions of precedence, are most per- jalexing to new arrivals in our midst, whether they come in an official capacity or to private life. In the absence of an authoritative code covering all points, we shall give in this review the prevailing forms in society at the Capital, those in practice at the present day in the exchange of civilities and ceremonials. The logical destiny of form in society here is that its grand events include one great social circle in which move the official and local resident j)eople. The genius of it is primarily opposed to the abomination of the desolation of a scheme of society circulating in distinct and remote rings. Broken into a number of small cliques and coteries we should present a forlorn aspect. Every man is entitled to entertain his own friends in his own way and in his own time^ and if he do it at all let it be not upon a cir- cumscribed scale, but ujDon the broad and beautiful plan upon which our city and our Constitution have been raised. The distinctive feature of Washington society would be eliminated were its votaries to do other than to revolve about its one head-centre — the Lady of the "White House. The world of fashion and of state with one mind accord to the President and his wife the position of the first gentleman and lady of the land, and they are at all times and places, which they honor with their presence, given precedence. At a reception where they are guests none other should partake of refreshments until the President and his wife have been served. The President and his wife go to dine only at the homes of the Cabinet ministers, and they receive all visits without being exjjected to return any.. Other members of the President's family receive and pay visits to their friends after the fashion that obtains in polite society. The President and Mrs. Harrison visit their friends outside of then- official family, as the members of the •Cabinet aiitl their families are called, and they have been quests at several marriag-es that were celebrated among their friends, and also at dinners, and Mrs. Harrison has been the guest of honor at several luncheons given by ladies of her acquaintance. President Harrison walks about the streets of the city with perfect freedom, and all gentlemen salute him by un- covering when they meet His Excellency. During the sea- son Mrs. Harrison receives visits from ladies desirous of making her accjuaiutance by special appointments arranged through correspondence and notes of introduction from mutual friends, but these are rare occasions and seldom necessary, as the families of all officials and other friends of the Presidential family have many opportunities of see- ing and conversing with the lady of the White House at the many social functions over which she presides during the winter, and may present those desirous of the honor, with- out special announcement. With a simple presentation aU ladies will satisfy themselves when they realize the multi- tude and variety of the demands made upon the time and strength of the wife of the President, and so will not seek to add weight to the burden of duties carried by the lady of the White House. It is a custom here, and a very pretty one, too, for mothers with debutante daughters to present them at the Executive Mansion quietly before introducing them formally to their friends. The official season is formally opened on New Year's Day by the President with a morning levee at the White House, in which he is assisted in receiving by the ladies of his household and of the Cabinet. The invitations and the programmes for this function are duly issued. This very imjiortant event begins, according to card, at 11 o'clock A. M. or thereabout. The state apartments are thrown open and decked with cut tiowers and potted plants for the 6 occasion, and the Marine Band, in uniform, is stationed in tlie vestibule and executes a programme of music that closes with the reception. The rooms are usually'' filled with in- vited guests when the President and the receiving party come down-stairs in pairs. The ladies who have been in- vited to stand behind the receiving line in the blue drawing room, where a barricade of sofas separated them from the Presidential party, are all in place before His Excellency enters and takes up his post at the door between the blue and red parlors. The ladies in line with the President and his wife are the ladies of the Cabinet, who stand in the. order of the official precedence of their husbands. The members of the Diplomatic Corps and the ladies of their families have- assembled in the red parlor adjoining the blue room, and,, as soon as the Cabinet ministers, who have escorted their wives down stairs, have greeted their chief and the ladies in line with the gay compliments of the season, the Secrie- tary of State stejDS into the next room and begins to pre- sent to the President the foreign ministers, their ladies and. secretaries and attaches of the different legations in the city, the foreigners taking precedence in their respective classes according to date of official notification ; precedence- is accorded, rank being equal, to priority of residence amongst us. The dean of the corps enters upon his func- tions in virtue of the length of his stay near our Govern- ment. The ladies in line who greet the callers after the Presi- dent has shaken hands with them, wear handsome toilets made with court trains, half sleeves, and Pompadour, or pointed bodices. The low, sleeveless body is not worn for this occasion, because, as many have averred in extenuation for not so attiring themselves, the gentlemen about them are not in evening dress, wearing as a rule Prince Albert coats and black trousers. The ladies wear their very pret- tiest gowns, however, and there is a growing sentiment in favor of full dress being worn at the President's levee, as too much honor cannot be paid our Chief Magistrate. The ladies behind the Presidential line, who entertain the callers who are iii\dted by the President to pass to the back of the reception room, wear pretty demi-toilets, and are without hats or outer wraps. The gentlemen of the Diplomatic Corps wear the embroidered court uniforms with their jew- elled orders, those who are so highly distinguished in affairs as to have had honors conferred upon them, or those who are officers in the armies of their respective sovereigns wear the glittering uniform the military rank permits them to assume. This special dress worn by the members of the Diplomatic Cordis upon state occasions gives them a cer- tain air of distinction that is grateful to men and to women the world over. It is not a surprising thing nor one to be at all wondered at that our own ministers and agents in the foreign service of the United States, simple American sov- ereigns though they be, have expressed an urgent desire that they might be instructed to assume a dress for state occasions abroad that had a bit more of individuality in its efl'ect than the inartistic swallow-tail coat of our unadorned evening costume for men. The handsome men we send to represent our Government at foreign courts have no oppor- tunity to make international reputations with their fine faces and figures by the aid of a smart uniform that might be advised by the State Department and designed by a special committee from the new National Art Association. It is not too early in her career for our beloved country to have the proper sartorial assistance in making an attractive appear- ance at foreign court functions. Returning to the Presi- dent's levee at the White House, the ladies accompanying the members of the Diplomatic Corps are in handsome car- riage toilets, rich furs, and dressy bonnets. A foreign min- ister recently accredited to our Government often takes this event for the presentation of his wife to the Presidential household. The foreigners are always invited to remain in the blue room. After presenting the Diplomatic CorjDS the Secretary of State and the members of his family present take leave of the President and retire to their residence, where the diplomats join them at a 12-o'clock breakfast. The Marshal of the District relieves the Secretary of State at this point and makes the remaining introductions to the President. The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of the Su- preme Court of the United States, and the judges of other courts in the District, are received, followed by the Senators and Kepresentatives in Congress, the District Commission- ers and others, and then come the officers, all in full uni- form, of the Army and Navy. At 12 o'clock the Vice-Presi- dent and his wife leave the reception-room and drive home in order to receive all the state officials from 12 to 2 o'clock. They serve a collation in the dining-room. The officers of the District National Gruard, in uniform, precede the officers of the Government departments, followed by the Associated Veterans of the Wars of 1812 and 1846, the Oldest Inhabi- tants, and the Grand Army men and the Old Guard, who step in before the sovereign people invade the mansion. It is quite 2 o'clock usually before the President's levee closes. Mr. Cleveland was able to shake on an average fifty hands a minute. The ladies of the Cabinet and of other officials' houses and those of private households hold New Year receptions throughout the afternoon. Abundant refreshments, hot and cold, solids and fluids, are served. One of the most hospitable homes of the Capital of late years was that thrown open to his friends on the first day of the year by the late Admiral Porter, of blessed and beloved memory. 9 The officials, army aud navy officers, Congressmeu, and resi- dents spend the afternoon in driving about the city paying their respects to those thej^ wish to honor. It is to many the one day of the year uj^on which they pay calls of cere- mony. The old Knickerbocker custom of New Year's Day calling may be allowed to fall into utter disuse in other cities, but the Capital City Avill evermore hold it in respect- ful observance. The ladies do not make the calls, but all are dispensing a generous hospitality at their own homes, or are engaged in assisting friends in receiving aud enter- taining guests. The Southern fashion for the New Year Day recejition is to have all rooms darkened and l)rilliantly lighted, and the ladies to appear in full dress. After the festivities of New Year's Day have passed the Presidential official family takes up a regular course of en- tertainments that continue to the close of the season, no preventing death or disaster intervening. The Cabinet ladies meet the wife of the President and the Vice-Presi- dent in conference at the White House and the programme for the state functions is prej^ared and given out so that other hosts and hostesses may avoid the dates of White House events if they choose. At the Capital the first and second months of the year, and often a portion of the third month, are times of great activity in official social circles, and it is small wonder that many ladies are obliged to retu-e from the field aud its duties on account of impaired health. The White House programme for the season includes three state dinners, three evening card receptions, and one evening public reception, and several Saturday afternoon recep- tions from 3 to 5 o'clock, besides the private dinners, luncheons, and receptions given to the President's personal fi'iends. In addition to these occasions it is customary for the Vice-President and his wife, the eight Cabinet minis- ters and their wives, each family, to give a Cabinet dinner 10 each season to the President and his lady, followed by a re- ception, to which a large company of prominent people are invited to meet the guests of honor. The dinner is here, as elsewhere, the most ceremonious of social events. The order of seating the guests at a state dinner has been reduced by Mr. O. L. Pruden, assistant private secretary to the President, to almost an exact science. It has taken many years of severe mental labor to accom- plish anything like a satisfactory rule that shall meet inex- orably all contingencies. The system has been submitted for criticism to some of the finest jurists and formalists of the country. The late Secretary Frelinghuysen, of Presi- dent Arthur's Cabinet, has left the impress of his indubitably correct and polished sense of the proprieties and of heaven's first law upon it. An invitation to dine at the Executive Mansion may not be declined unless the invited guest should die in the meantime or some member of his family depart this life. In that event the reason should be stated in the letter of declination, or in that of later regrets should mortality occur after acceptance. Any invitation of a social nature extended by the President must be regarded not alone as a courtesy, but as a command and not to be lightly set aside. The first state dinner of the year is the Cabinet dinner, at which the President and his wife, the Vice-President and his wife, and the heads of the eight great departments of the Government and their wives dine together. Some of these may be absent for cause, but all the members of the Cabinet receive invitations for a Cabinet dinner. Other guests besides the members of the Cabinet may be present at a Cabinet dinner, as the company often exceeds thirty or forty persons, but however they may be distinguished they have no. official precedence until the Cabinet members and their wives are placed. When a Cabinet dinner is eaten in 11 the Executive Mansion it is one of the three regular state dinners. At "Windsor, Queen Victoria will select for her escort to dinner the prince of some petty principality whose acres are ridiculously few, giving him precedence over a drawing-room full of magnates of intellect, of millions, and of military honors, evidencing by this royal act her staunch belief in the divinity that doth hedge a king, be he ever so poor in orders. And always where Macgregor sits is head of the table. Hereditary constitutional rights make smooth many embarrassing situations in matters of court j)rece- dence. According to Mr. Hoar's Presidential succession bill, which put the Sj^eaker of the House at the end of an improbable presumption of mortalities, the Cabinet now ranks, with President and Vice-President, as follows : The Secretaries of State, Treasur}^ and War, the Attorney- General, the Postmaster-General, and the Secretaries of the Navy, the Interior, and of Agriculture. The principal difficulty in the way of arranging the guests at a Cabinet dinner in a perfectly mechanical and wholly iuerrant man- ner at which not even the most exacting person might cavil, is because there are two sides to the rectangular figure of the table. ... It is 8 o'clock at the White House on the night of a Cabinet dinner, which is served. The Presi- dent takes out the wife of the Vice-President and places her on his right. The Secretary of State follows with the wife of the Secretary of the Treasury upon his arm, the Secretary of the Treasury with the wife of the Secretary of State, and so on in the order named of their official precedence until the close, when the Vice-President and the wife of the President, seeing that all the guests are in line, close the ranks. This supposes that the roll has been un- broken — that all the ministers and their wives are present, and the company move down the coi'ridor under the brilliant lights, between the hedges of fragrance and bloom, keeping 12 step to a martial march rendered by the Marine Band. The places rank from the middle of both sides of the table, from the right and left of the President, and from the right and left of the lady of the White House. It is clear that there must be a lady of high degree on each side of the President, and a high official on each side of his wife, who sits in front of him. In this case the President would have the wife of the Vice-President upon his right and the wife of the Secretary of State upon his left. The wife of the President, sitting oj)posite, would have the Vice President on her right and the Secretary of State upon her left hand. This crossing of the table in seating the Secretary of State brings the premier one place nearer the middle of the table than he could be by continuing the order of prece- dence to the right or left of the table. The instance here given supposes a rare case — that all of the Presidential offi- cial family are present, husbands and wives. President Arthur, who was a widower, installed his sister, Mrs. Mc- Elroy, who, as lady of the White House, took precedence of the ladies of the Cabinet upon all occasions. Mrs. McElroy had the most efficient advisers in her high position of state in Secretary Frelinghuysen and the members of his highly accomplished family, who are renowned for their polished manners and courtly hospitality. President Cleveland gave the position of first lady in the land to his sister, Miss Rose Elizabeth Cleveland, who did the honors of the White House most acceptably until the President's marriage gave to the Executive Mansion a most pojjular combination, a bride and a beaut}"^, for its mistress, all the charm of which was fully appreciated by the whole country, who gave her its unmeasured love and devotion. The U:nmarried daugh- ters of Secretary Bayard assumed the official honors due their deceased mother, not always with the approval of the 1 matrons, whom tliey ranked. 'Mrs. Wilmeiding, as daugh- ter of the Secretary of the Navy, took her mother's place at official fetes and spectacles after the terrible Tracy tragedy of 18i)0, without offeuse to any one, more particularly as she is a married lady. Should a minister 2)resent himself at a Cabinet dinner without a lady of his household accompany- ing him, he has assigned to him the wife of the official who ranks next to him ; it may be above or below him, but the other officials keep descending in rank until the Secretary of Agriculture is reached, and he sees the Secretary of the Interior escort his wife to table and he follows with the lady present who ranks first after the Cabinet. It is diffi- cult for ladies to appreciate the stern realism that the offi- cial dinners are given in honor of their husbands or of the high offices they occupy ; for personall}^ they have no offi- cial rank, and the most preposterous thing spoken or printed is when a woman has the title of her husband's political or military position made a prefix of her name. There are no feminine foi'ms of Senator, Eepresentative, or of General in our language. The second state dinner of the season is given by the President to the foreign ministers and the members of the Diplomatic Corps, who take rank according to the number of years of service given here, the minister of longest resi- dence being styled the dean of the corps. The dean and his wife are given precedence over all the others at table, the Secretary of State and his wife, who are always invited for this function, ranking the rest of the corps. There are always many more men than women in the Dij^lomatic cir- cle, as comparatively few of the ministers have wives and families, and comparatively few of those who are married have their families with them, and there are more than thirty friendly nations represented at the Capital. So it is not possible to have a lady for each minister at table, although 14 it is the largest of the state dinners and the most brilliant in appearance, because all the diplomats wear their court uniforms and ribands and orders, and the effect of the whole is gay in the extreme. The third and last state dinner in the regular season pro- gramme is given in honor of " the Court " ; that is, the Su- preme Court of the United States. The guests are the justices of the court and the ladies of their households, and members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, and probably other distinguished personages. The Chief Justice and his wife rank the Associate Justices, who sit at table in the order of their length of service upon the Su- preme bench. The foregoing dinner lists of guests have been evolved after deep discussions of the subject by learned men. It is not a small matter. We should have a code of official etiquette, fixed and unalterable, wherein the laws should be given for the conduct of all state functions. And those who sneer at the mere idea of an American court with set forms and ceremonies show little patriotism and less pride of country and love of the flag. For if we have not order we shall have all disorder, endless wrangiings, and heartburnings. In the conduct of the state dinners no warring combatants for disputed precedence are brought to issue. Washington is essentially a dinner-giving city, and when Congress or a specially-apj)ointed committee or some recognized authority will settle all the disputed points of precedence once and forever by formulating a specific regulation of rank among officials, the event will be a mat- ter of sincere congratulation among hosts and hostesses. A wit in the State Department tells a good story that illus- trates the utter irreconcilability of the incompatible, or of the unsettled order of precedence amongst dignitaries : "A friend of mine," said he, " wanted to give a swell dinner and he handed me the dinner list, asking me to arrange the 15 guests for bim at tal)le. I ^luiiced over the list, I read it carefully througli. He bad asked the Vice-President, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Dean of the Dip- lomatic Corps, the General of the Army, the Admiral of the Navy, the Speaker of the House, several Cabinet ministers, and JJ. S. Senators. My would-be host stood waiting- for instructions, the perspiration started upon my brow and I stammered forth in direst confusion, taking one more sur- vey of that roll of august names, ' I see nothing for you to do but to be taken suddenly ill, and to postpone the dinner !' " The three card receptions given by the President at the White House during the season are the most brilliant spectacles of the winter. They are held in the evening from 9 to 11 o'clock, and cards of invitation are issued for them from the Executive Mansion. The first reception is given in honor of the members of the Diplomatic Corps, and all the officials, civil and military, the leading society folks and other celebrated personages are invited to meet them. The ofl&cers of the Ai"my and Navy wear their uniforms, and every honor is shown the foreigners. The band plays au's from the Old World operas and the flags of all nations are displayed. There are a thousand flashing lights over the scene presented. Strains of seductive music till the spaces, flowers bloom from mantels and doors and perfume all the air, sparkling jewels, silks, and laces add a glory to the dazzling beauty of women, and gallant men, the world's renowned, stand forth in the splendor of great attainments. The second reception of the series is given in honor of the members of Congress and the judiciary, and everybody is invited to meet them. The}' are the guests of honor in the blue drawing-room. On the third occasion the officers of the Army and Navy are especially honored in the event, and the band plays all the grand military airs that have done service upon a thousand gory fields of strife. The fourth 16 reception is for the general public and no cards are sent. The White House is as brightly Hghted and flower-bedecked as it is for the other receptions, and the band plays a pro- gramme of popular airs. The President and his wife and the ladies of the Cabinet stand in their accustomed places, as at all the levees, in their richest toilets. A gay company is also invited to stand behind the Presidential party in the blue drawing-room, and the uniformed officials make the presentations as upon the other evenings. The difference between this levee and the three others lies in the company that passes through the drawing-rooms during the two hours of its duration. The public comes on foot for the most jDart and they stand in a long queue between the outer door and the gate that sometimes extends across the grounds and along the sidewalk for several squares. They arrive in the presence of the President, who shakes hands with them in family parties, the father carrying and leading the younger children ; in pairs and companies of young people ; and men and women ; and oftentimes the two hours does not suffice to pass them all in. The lady of the White House holds afternoon recej^tions from 3 to 5 o'clock, upon stated Saturdays during the season, and all who choose to do so may attend. It is the day at home of the President's wife and she receives in the blue drawing-room, assisted by a few ladies who are invited. The personal and official friends of the ladies in line are asked to remain in the reception-room and they form a gay company at the back of the receiving line. Outside the house the families of high officials and fashionable people drive up in their carriages and are admitted without delay. The unknown individuals form a line and are admitted in the order of their coming. Once inside the stately portals the visitor is passed through the ante rooms by the men in waiting. At the door of the blue room he gives his 17 name to the Marshal of the District, who presents him to the distinguished hostess. After greeting the first lady of the land and making his bow to the ladies in line, he is at liberty to stroll about the drawing-rooms, visit the con- servatory, and listen to the music of the Marine Band. A punctilious person will leave his visiting card before de- parture. To avoid the crush at the outer doors of the "White House at a Saturday afternoon levee one should postpone his going until after 4 o'clock. At 5 o'clock the receiving party and the friends they have invited pass from the drawing-rooms, up the stairway to the private apartments of the house, where tea is served. It is marvelous how wonderfully well American women manage the official handshaking, and, after a time, when the muscles have grown stronger by the unwonted exercise, to greatly enjoy it. Many ladies aver they are refreshed by the contact, taking inspiration as well as giving it by touch. Mrs. Cleveland pi-obably made the greatest record in hand- shaking among the ladies of the White House. With youth, beauty, and great vitality there was fascination in her cordial hand clasp, which she gave witli the right hand uncovered. Madame Bonaparte's manner in greeting her friends much resembles that of Mrs. Cleveland. Mrs. Harrison is unable to shake hands by reason of a disabled finger that suffers acutest pain from the slightest pres- sure, but President Harrison gives ample cheer for two, as his hearty grasp leaves a pleasant memory. Mrs. Harrison smiles most graciously as she bows over her bouquet. The President holds receptions in the east room in the Execu- tive Mansion on several api^ointed days in the week, about midday. These are open to all and ai'e held whenever His Excellency is in the city. With this enumeration of events the White House pi'Ogramme for the official season closes. 18 Ladies of the White House. The first lady who bore the honors as a President's wife in our country never lived in the city named for her hus- band. Mrs. Washington's levees were held at No. 3, Franklin Square, New York city, and were conducted on the plan of the British and French drawing-rooms. The house of the first President was furnished with elegance, and its routine was arranged in as formal a manner as that of St. James or St. Cloud. Always an aristocrat, Mrs. Washing- ton assumed the duties of her high position with the advan- tages of wealth and lofty social standing. The fashionable and refined people of the land attended her receptions, the rules of the establishment were rigorous, and persons were excluded unless in proper attire. After the removal of the seat of Government to Philadelphia Mrs. Washington held her drawing-rooms on Friday evening of each week. These were attended with a degree of stiffness and formality that can scarcely be realized at this day. The lady of the man- sion always sat on these events, and the guests were ar- ranged in a ch'cle about her. The President passed among the guests with pleasant greetings, but there was no hand- shaking. Mrs. Washington returned all visits on the third day. Mrs. Adams, wife of the second President of the United States, was descended from a line of ' colonial clergymen, the aristocracy of New England. When the seat of Govern- ment was removed from Philadelphia to Washington, in June, 1800, Mrs. Adams accompanied her husband and was the first lady to occupy the unfinished White House. Mrs. Adams received and returned visits and kej^t up in the par- tially-furnished house the formal etiquette established by Mrs. Washington in New York and Philadelphia. President and Mrs. Adams held the first New Year's reception at the 19 White House iii 1801, using- the oval room upstairs as a Jrawiiig-rooin. Mrs. Adams' health failed in the sjDriug and she went to live in Massachusetts, having been mistress of the "White House but one-half year. The wife of President Thomas Jefferson had been dead nineteen years when, in 1801, he took possession of the "White House. His daughters, Mrs. Eppes and Mrs. Ran- dolph, sjient little time with their father, and the mansion was practically' without a mistress during the eight years of his administration. Mr. Jefferson abolished the cere- monious levees that had been introduced by Mrs. "Washing- ton and Mrs. John Adams, and the fashionable people did not like the innovation. Mr. Jefferson appointed Mr. Madi- son Secretar}' of State in 1801, and Mrs. Dorothy Madison made her house the most attractive resort of society at the Capital. In the absence of Mr. Jefferson's daughters, Mrs. Madison presided at the White House receptions. In 1801) Mrs. Madison went to the White House as its mistress, where she dispensed with liberal hand a most generous hospitality. Washington Irving describes a re- ception which he attended as '' a blaze of splendor." The formalities of preceding drawing-rooms were laid aside and the first lady had a mild and genial reception for each guest. At 37 she was youthful in appearance and pos- sessed great beauty of face and form, and she possessed another prime beautifier, the devoted love of her husband. She never forgot a name nor a face, and she rendered her husband's administration most brilliant and successful. It was during this period that the British soldiers of the war of 1812 burned the unfinished White House and Mrs. Madi- son tied to Virginia, where, after a few days' absence, she returned with the President to the Capital. They took up their residence in the octagon house owned by Col. Tayloe. When the President's House was repaired they returned to 20 it, and in 1816 gave the most splendid reception that had. ever been held up to that date in the Executive Mansion. Mrs. Madison wore gay colors and rouge upon her cheeks, the Justices of the Supreme Court vv^ore their flov^ing silken gowns, the heroes of the war of 1812 were in full dress, and the most notable display was made by the Diplomatic Corps, prominent among whom was Sir Charles Bagot, of Great Britain. Mrs. Monroe became lady of the White House in 1817. She had lived at foreign courts Avith her husband, but she mingled little in society. Her drawing-rooms were not ele- gant affairs and neither President Monroe nor his dainty wife enjoyed the Wednesday-evening receptions. Mrs. Monroe returned no visits, and, owing to her delicate health,, she preferred the retirement of her domestic circle. It w^as at this time that the furniture for the east room was pur- chased in Paris, and it was in March, 1820, that Maria Monroe, the youngest daughter of the President, was mar- ried in the east room to her cousin, Samuel L. Gouverneur,^ of New York. At dinner their was great gravity of mien and conversation. The oldest Senator, meaning seniority of service, conducted Mrs. Monroe to the table, the Presi- dent preceding with the wife of a Senator. Great crowds attended the receptions, no invitations being necessary. The President stood apart from his wife and her attendant ladies and shook hands with the people. The wives of the early Presidents came to that exalted position through a course of diplomatic training abroad and ministerial duties at home. Mrs. John Q. Adams took possession of the White House in 1825, at the age of fifty years and after living abroad at many courts and eight years in the premiership at Washington. Her health was- ever delicate and precarious, and her life in the President'^ House was marked by little gayety. 21 General Jackson's wife died in December, before he took the oath of otfiee, in 1829, and his uiece, Mrs. Emily Donel- son, whose husband. Major A. J. Donelson, was private sec- I'etary to the President, officiated as mistress of ceremonies at the Executive Mansion. She resembled Mary, Queen of Scots, in appearance and manner, and entered with zest into the festivities of the Capital and participated in all of its ^ayeties. She dressed exquisitely and was a brilliant woman. Mrs. Donelson's four children were born in the White House and General Jackson made their christenings occa- sions of great ceremony. The President was very fond of them and took a grandfather's interest in all their plays and games. Mrs. Abram Van Buren, the daughter-in-law of President Van Buren, performed the duties of mistress of the White House during his administration. Mrs. Van Buren had died many years before. The President appointed his eldest son his private secretary, and gave his wife charge of the ceremon- ials. She was a representative of the old aristocracy of the South, and was gifted in beauty of form and deportment. She was a born social leader, and ^as educated to the en- joyment of wealth and culture. Mrs. Jane F. Harrison, the widow of his namesake son, accompanied Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison to Washington for his inauguration in March, 1841, and resided with him in the White House during the one month he lived there. Mrs. Harrison, the President's wife, had not left her home at North Bend, when word of her crushing bereavement reached her. A service was performed in the White House over the remains of Gen. Harrison in the presence of Pres- ident Tyler and other dignitaries. Mrs. Tyler accompanied her husl)and to the Executive Mansion in April, 1841. She had no taste for the world of fashion and display, but was eminently domestic in her pre- 22 dilections. Mrs. Tyler, whose health was failing, was as- sisted in her social duties by her two daughters, Mrs. Jones, and Mrs. Semple, and by Mrs. Robert Tyler, the wife of her oldest son, who was private secretary to the President for three years. The third daughter of Mrs. Tyler, Elizabeth,, was married to Mr. Waller in the east room of the White House in January, 1842. Owing to the ill-health of Mrs. Tyler the task devolved ujDon Mrs. Richard Tyler to repre- sent her mother-in-law on state occasions. The drawing- rooms at the White House were open every evening infor- mally until 10 o'clock, and during the winter months private balls were given by special invitations in the general re- ception-rooms, terminating at 11 o'clock. In addition to these private entertainments there was introduced at this period, for the first time, music on the grounds of the south front of the mansion on the Saturday evenings of each week during the spring, summer, and autumn, for the recreation of the public. To a similar end a public levee was held once a month, in addition to the general receptions on the first day of January and Fourth of July of each year. Of all card receptions no descriptions were permitted to be pub- lished in the newspapers. On the tenth of September, 1842,, Mrs. Tyler died in the White House, and her body lay in state in the east room before burial in Virginia. After Mrs. Tyler's death, her daughter, Mrs. Semple, assumed the posi- tion and duties of mistress of the White House, and so acted until May, 1844. President Tyler married Miss Julia Gardiner in New York city in June, 1844, and immediately after they went to Washington and held a grand reception in the White House. It was in the preceding winter that the father of this bride of the White House was killed while on board a boat on the- Potomac. From the time of her marriage until the close of her busbaud's administratiori, eight months, Mrs. Tyler did the honors of the Executive Mansion. On the inauguration of the Democratic President, James K. Polk, in March, 1845, Mrs. Polk immediately' assumed the agreeable duties of the lady of the White House. She had no children to divide her attention, and she gave all her time to the pleasures of her station. The extreme formal- ity required now was not practiced when Mrs. Polk held weekly receptions and received the company sitting, and cake and wine were served to the guests. Mrs. Polk was a lady of great dignity and wide culture, belonging to the old school of strict deportment. During her residence in the White House the practice of dancing there was discontinued. The reception companies outgrew the cake and wine by in- creased numbers. With the exception of one summer spent in Tennessee, Mrs. Polk spent all the term in the White House. When Mrs. Taylor entered the White House, in March, 1849, she had seen more army service and passed through more varied frontier experiences with her husband than any other lady who has presided there. During the year and a half Gen. Taylor was President Mrs. Taylor did not take up the duties of mistress, but relinquished that honor to her youngest daughter, the wife of Col. Bliss, and popularly known as " Miss Betty Taylor." Mrs. Bliss was a brilliant hostess and the White House was very gay under her ad- ministration. General Taylor died in July, 1850, and Vice- President Fillmore succeeded to the Presidency. Mrs. Fillmore was in delicate health but bravely took her j)art in all formalities. She received with the President on Tues- day mornings, from 12 to 2 o'clock ; every Thursday evening they gave a large dinner party, and frequently one on Sat- urday. Miss Fillmore, the only daughter of the President, was the acting ladj- oi the White House during their resi- 24 dence, there owing to her mother's ill-health, and was, though but twenty, most accomplished and successful in the diffi- cult role. Mrs. Fillmore died in Willard's Hotel, March 30, 1853, and Miss Fillmore died of cholera in July, 1854. Mrs. Pierce entered the White House in 1853 in deep mourning for the violent death of her last son. But she seldom omitted being present at the receptions of the Presi- dent. She always held receptions in the blue room and pre- sided at all state dinners. The hospitality of the Executive Mansion was characterized by dignity and quiet. The name of Harriet Lane, the ward and niece of Presi- dent Buchanan, is evermore associated with his brilliant administration as lady of the White House. Miss Lane presided over the usual festivities of the President's Man- sion with that matchless grace and elegant repose of man- ner for which she was justly celebrated in this and other lands, and she entertained the world-wide circle of Mr. Buchanan's friends in addition to all official functions. In 1860 Mr. Buchanan and Miss Lane entertained Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and suite, at the Executive Mansion with a series of brilliant diversions. Mrs. Lincoln attained the fulfilment of a life-long ambition when she took possession of the President's House, with her husband, in March, 1861. The White House during her life in it was the reverse of gay. Officials were the chief callers at the Mansion, and the movement of armies and news from the front in the stirring times of civil war occu- pied the attention of the President's household. The state dinners were abandoned and weekly receptions were substi- tuted. Mrs. Lincoln was fond of society and would have made the Executive Mansion as brilliant, socially, as any lady who ever presided there, had the times permitted it. The first two years of Mr. Lincoln's administration were filled with gloom and the terrible mental strain and absorption 1 25 of the war crisis. At the end of this time occurred the death of Wilhe, the second son, and for two years more the President's family was in mourning. Mrs. Lincoln was a Ion el}' woman in the "White House and sjient most of the summer of 18(54 at watering places. The New Year's re- ception of 1865 was the most brilliant entertainment given by the administration. Peace had been restored ; the sec- ond inauguration, anxiously anticipated, was safely accomp- lished, when the hand of the assassin plunged the rejoicing nation into mourning by taking the precious life of the President. • Mrs. Johnson was an invalid when her husband entered the White House, in the spring of 1865, and she never ap- peared in Washington society. The eldest daughter of the house, Mrs. Patterson, assumed the duties of the first lady of the land. The first reception held by President John- son was on the 1st of January, 1866, when he was assisted by his daughters, Mrs. Patterson and Mrs. Stover. Thirty thousand dollars was appropriated this year for the re- furnishing of the Executive Mansion, and Mrs. Patterson gave her attention to the serious task of directing the ex- penditure, and the house was rendered, under her excellent management of the fund, more comfortable and beautiful than ever. Mrs. Patterson's reign was remarkable for the revival and the great success of the state dinners. The five grandchildren of President Johnson formed the largest and brightest band of children that was ever sheltered in the White House. When Mrs. Grant became mistress of the White House, in 1869, she had a family of young people about her and entertained there many of her friends and kinspeople. The family travelled much at home and abroad. The debut and the marriage of Miss Nellie were social events of moment, the latter occurring in May, 1874, the seventh wedding in the 2G White House. The groom was Mr. Algernon Sartoris, of England. In the following season Col. Fred Grant intro- duced his bride, Miss Honore, at the White House. The eight years' social administration of Mrs. Grant was charac- terized by great magnificence. The official entertainments were conducted upon a more elaborate scale than those of any previous administration. The Mansion was richly fur- nished, and costly plate and decorations were supplied. Among the social events of an official character that oc- curred were receptions and state dinners in honor of the Duke%f Edinburgh, the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, the King Kalakaua, and the first Minister from China to this Government. The official receptions were frequent and the closing reception held by President Grant was especially brilliant. Mrs. Hayes took with her to the performance of her pleasant duties as hostess of the Executive Mansion a winsome, cheerful spirit, and some experience in official circles. She was delighted with the high place they had attained, and four weeks after taking up her residence in the White House she held her first Saturday afternoon recep- tion. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of their marriage and the coming of age of their second son in the white House. Mr. Hayes' niece, Miss Piatt, was wedded in it during his stay. The White House was essentially a family mansion while Mrs. Hayes was in it, as she kej)t it filled with relatives and friends. Dinner parties, on which official occasions no wine was served, and card receptions at which splendid collations were served with lemonade, followed each other in rapid succession. It is said that on these latter events Secretarj^ of State Evarts kept a buffet of wine open in the State Department for the delectation of the foreign ministers and their friends. Mrs. Garfield occupied the position of first lady of the 27 land but for a few mouths, aud in that time suffered a se- vere illness and kept secluded from public gaze. President Garfield entered the White House in March, 1H81, and died in September of the same year. The lirst person to greet him when he arrived at the Executive Mansion on the day of his inauguration was his aged mother, who was known as Grandma Garfield. General Arthur on succeeding to the Presidency installed his sister, Mrs. McElroy, as mistress of the White House, and she was ably assisted in all matters pertaining to the entertainments at the Executive Mansion by Secretary of State ]Mr. Fi-elinghuysen and his highly accomplished wife and daughters, who are evermore remembered in the Capi- tal with loving regard and admiration. Miss Rose Elizabeth Cleveland took up the reins of the social administration at the President's House when Mr. Cleveland assumed the reins of Government, in 1885. After a year and a quarter the President was married to Miss Folsom of Buffalo, in June, 1886, in the blue drawing-room of the White House, in the presence of his Cabinet officers and their families and a few friends. Mrs. Cleveland then entered upon the serious duties of her high position, for serious they were for one so young, and all the country paid an enthusiastic devotion to the youth, beauty, tact, and amiability of the bride of the White House. The official entertainments were given during this administration with the most punctilious observance of all forms and ceremon- ies on the part of the Chief Executive and his wife and min- isters. AVhen Mrs. Harrison came to the White House, in 1889, as its presiding genius, she came to a city full of devoted friends all eager to welcome her back to Washington, from which she had retired four years before, when Mr. Harrison left the U. S. Senate. In conducting!- the "N^Tiite Hou.se 28 programme of ceremonies and festivities Mrs. Harrison is assisted by her daughter. Mrs. McKee, and her daugliter- in law, Mrs. Russell Harrison, and lier nieces, Mrs. Dim- mick and Mrs. Parker. Mrs. McKee's two children and Mrs. Russell Harrison's little daughter have brightened the house with their childish happiness, and Rev. John Scott, J). D., Mrs. Harrison's father, also resides at the Executive Mansion, making four generations of the one family that are sheltered by the Presidential roof. Never since the heroic days of Mrs. Patterson, in the peiiod that followed the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, has a lady of the White House given so much time and talent to the renovating, re- freshing, and beautifying of the President's Mansion as has Mrs. Harrison in applying an appropriation for some re. furnishing. Only an exquisite and practical housekeeper could have given the skilled oversight to every department of the repairs that Mrs. Harrison has given and reaped the reward of great excellence in the results of it all. In ad- dition to the other improvements electric lights were added to the illuminating facilities of the White House. Mrs. Harrison is not only most scrupulous in the performance of every social function pertaining to the duties of her official rank, but entertains most elaborately a host of friends outside of the official circle. High Officials. • The consequence and dignity of the Vice-President in the American Republic, both in the possibility of his becoming Chief Magistrate and in the importance of the casting vote in the Senate, are matters of growing interest. For sixteen years Washington did not have, for any appreciable length of time, a Vice-President, so that the social value of that j)osition was almost lost to sight. But when Mr. Morton and his highly accomplished wife took the long-vacant jjlace 2:) in society, the proper precedence was gladly accorded them. The wife of the Vice-President ranks second only to the lady of the "White House upon state occasions. The ladies of the Supreme Court paid the first visits to Mrs. Morton ; the wives of the Senators, as to the wife of the presiding officer of the Senate, and the ladies of the Cabinet, honored the wife of the Vice-President in this res])ect as a ranking member of the Cabinet. And all these visits are returned in person. The Vice-President keeps open house on Cabi inet days, "Wednesdays, and gives the first Cabinet dinner to the President in the season. The Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and his Associate Justices are entitled to great dig- nity and honor. They are appointed to their exalted estate for life — they decide cases in ultimate appeal — and are not alfected by political changes. The ladies of the Court call upon each other in the order of their husband's ranking, and they receive callers on Mondays during the session of the Court. The Chief-Justice and the Associate Justices are to be respectively addressed in conversation as " Mr. Chief-Justice " and " Mr. Justice.'' The Cabinet ministers are the constitutional advisers of the President ; they are the heads of the great Govern- mental departments, and, with their families, are members of the President's official household. They are entitled to every social consideration, but they do not, ordinarily, rank the Senators, who derive their sviperior honors from the conditions of State sovereignty, and they sit in secret ses- sion upon the confirmation of the Cabinet officers' apjDoint- ment. Therefore the ladies of the Cabinet employ the delightful days of early winter in completing the ever- extending list of Senatorial calls. The ladies of the Cabinet also pay first visits to the ladies of the Suj^reme Court. This ground was long and hotly contested and was won by 30 the ladies of the Court, who declined all invitations to dine at the Cabinet houses until the point was surrendered. Each Cabinet officer gives a state dinner in honor of the President each season, and it was found that the persistent absence of Supreme Court Justices on these occasions extremely embarrassing. The Cabinet ladies, including the wife of the Vice-Presi- dent and the Avifef of the Speaker of the House, hold recep- tions on Wednesday afternoons, from 3 to 6 o'clock, during the season, and all who choose may pay their respects to those ladies in their own homes. With the passage of the Hoar Presidential succession bill, that turned the sequence of the office into the Cabinet, the possibility of the Speaker of the House coming into the Presidency through that channel was removed and his social ranking changed. But the Speaker is always as the dii'ect representative of the great and free people of the United States, and by the vast patronage of his position a tremendous power in legislative affairs. All the high officials named have sufficient responsibilities' and honors without ever drawing upon the anticipatory ones of the Chief Executive. The Speaker, who formerly stood next to the Vice-Presi- dent, is now preceded by all the members of the Cabinet. In President Arthur's time Mrs. Carlisle, wife of Speaker Carlisle, was the ranking first lady in official life, while later the wife of ex-SjDeaker Reed called upon all the ladies of the present Cabinet. The wife of the jDresent SjDeaker of the House, Mrs. Crisp, a charming woman, accomplished in all social ways, is regretably prevented by lack of health from taking up the social duties of the position. United States Senators and their families enjoy an ex- ceptional fine official position at the Capital. The tenure of the Senatorial office is for six years, and the of tener a man 31 is returned the stronger he becomes in the estimation of the people of his own State, adding lustre and importance to her name, and also to the whole country, until a State cannot choose but re-elect a great statesman who has proved himself leal to the country's interests, if she would do otherwise, for the scorn of the nation's opinion. The wives of the Senators call ui)on the wife of the Vice- President, her husband being the President of the Senate, and upon each other in the order of the length of time their husbands have served in the Senate, the first visit in all these instances signifying the jDrecedence of the person called vipon. Mrs. Morrill receives the first visits of the entire Senate by virtue of Senator Morrill's seniority in office, and they all love to pay the dear lady that honor. The depart- ure of Mrs. Ingalls and Mrs. Edmunds from the charmed cil'cle leaves Mrs. Cockrell and Mrs. Dawes equally seconds in rank. It is the generally accepted rule of the ladies of the Senate to make first calls upon the ladies of the Su- preme Court. Those in opposition hold that new Senators should call upon the Justices they find installed, but that the recently confirmed Justices should pay their respects in the form of visiting cards to the confirming power. The President's appointment does not confirm. It was the wife of a Kansas Senator w'ho first broke the established custom some years ago, and paid the first call upon the ladies of the Court, and as the wife of a Senator who was also the daughter of a Senator says, " they have never recovered from the incident." Tlie members of the Diplomatic Corps make first visits upon the Senators. This is the practice. There are ladies in the Diplomatic circle who stand out against this custom, but they simply do an impolitic thing, and men have sufiered and do sufier in pubUc life from their wives, offences in social matters. A lady who has been in a high ofiicial position here for many years and who has looked 32 with clear eyes upon all that has passed before her, remarks in this connection, " If I were the wife of a foreign minister, wishing for the success of my husband's career, I should on coming here make every Senatorial call." It is not a very great task, the making of the visits, and no woman can measure the assistance she is giving the cause of her coun- try's affairs in pursuing so diplomatic a policy. The courte- ous course stands forth like the sun in brilliant contrast to the sulky conduct of the non-conforming diplomat. The U. S. Senate has the final settlement of all treaties and negotiations with foreign countries, and the power to make or mar the fame and fortune of a foreign minister. It is upon such slight threads of amenity ofttimes that the ful- filment of momentous human events depend. Man is a sentimental being at his best, the strain of an old song will send the tears coursing down his face, and a name spoken will drive him into the wildest ecstasy of unaccountable en- thusiasm. It is the man of broadest, widest world experi- ence, deepest knowledge, and finest cultivation who is the most impressionable. Ignorance is ever immovable in its impregnable stronghold of stuj)id resistance. After the insistence of the immense importance of the Senate as an august correlative branch of the Government, the additional fact remains that the ministers received by our Government are of the second class according to the rules of the Vienna Congress of 1815, and adopted by the Department of State, and do not on that account take any superiority of rank. Upon these two points the Senators base their claims of precedence and they are seldom brought in question. The ladies of the Senatorial circle keep open house on Thursday afternoons throughout the season. It is customary for them to make as many of their duty calls in December as they can accomplish. Members of the House of Representatives and their wives 33 make the tirst visits vipou all the functionaries that have been named. The ladies are expected to keep Tuesdays at home, but as they have an imposinj^ array of duty calls to make, they may be pardoned if they take the day for needed recruiting of wearied energies instead of standing up to re- ceive a few callers. All private persons owe them the first visit. The Diplomatic Corps resident in Washington give to its society a charming quality of cosmopolitanism found only in the capitals of important countries. The presence of representative men and women of other nations, with all the historic interest that attaches to them, people and countries, gives that spice of variety to drawing-room life that enter- tains the frivolous and attracts the thoughtful. Linguists practice their e.xercises upon the foreigners, students of political economy get live opinions upon current discussions first hand from them, and society belles enjoy the polished deference that marks the dii^lomat's manner to ladies. Many hostesses measure the success of their entertain- ments liy the number of foreign countries represented among tlie guests in their drawing-rooms, while others in the old resident family cuxdes, chiefly upon the principle enun- ciated in the ancient ballad, " The rose that all are praising is not the flower for me," make no effort to put themselves up(m the visiting lists of the legation people. There is no stumbling-block so uncompromising to a new arrival at the Capital as is his unknowable relation to the diplomatic body. The foreign ministers represent an extraordinary mission from their governments to ours, and are treated with marked courtesy and deference by ftll i)ersons in public and private life. The newly accredited minister to this Capital calls upon the Secretary of State at the Department and is presented by that official to the President at the Executive Mansion. 34 He wears his full uniform or whatever court or military dress he may be entitled to wear, presents his letters to the President, and makes a speech. On the same day he calls upon the other members of the Diplomatic Corps. He also leaves cards for the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Vice-President, the Cabinet minis- ters, and the members of the Foreign Committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The fam- ilies of the ministers are, to all intents, as those of private individuals, save that they are included with the ministers in all invitations for social events in official society. They keep a day at home on which to receive their friends or not, as they choose. When they do so strangers are not ex- pected to call, and their j)resence on such an occasion would be deemed an unwarrantable intrusion. At the doors of some legations the sight-seeing visitors are refused admit- tance by the servants. It is related of the British legation that by the inadvertent announcement in the newspapers of the day on which the Minister and Lady Pauncefote would receive their friends at 5-o'clock tea, one-half of the city called ; the mob thronged the rooms and hallways and turned the intended pleasure into an evening of despair. The British legation is a handsome mansion of exception- ally spacious proportions, and the occupants, being English- speaking, are more interesting to our people than are the folks of the other legations. The Mexican legation is one of the linest residences in the Capital City, and upon certain j)re-announced afternoons during the winter its handsome drawing-rooms, dining-room, and ball-room, with all their art treasures and rich furnish- ings, are lighted and thrown open. The hospitality on these occasions is royal in its profusion and heartiness. Every person who has ever met Minister or Madame Ro- mero feels free to go and take his friends, and persons in 85 official lift' improve the oppoituuity to puy their resiDccts, and the spacious house is thronged. Madame Romero receives the company in grande toilette ; in the dining-room the table is spread witli dainties, Mexican punch is served, and in the mirror-lined ball-room a band plays dreamy waltzes and the dancers jjursue the languishing music with Hying feet. Some of the great powers of Europe are represented here by widowers and bachelors, and of course ladies do not call at these legations. It often occurs that a minister repre- sentative of a country is invited to meet a dignitary of that country, and the host should bear in mind that, what- ever his rank, the minister takes precedence of his visiting countryman. The order of precedence that obtains in the Dijilomatic Corps was decreed at the Vienna conference some years ago. The ranking minister, doyen or dean, holds his position by right of seniority or 2)riority of time he has been at the post. Baron de Fava, of Italy, is the present dean, with Minister Romero, of Mexico, an able second in line of succession to the honor. Thirty-two friendly nations have legations in this city. The reason that a great majority of the secretar- ies and attaches, and some of the ministers as well, of lega- gations are bachelors, is that the United States has the name abroad of being an expensive place to live in, and another reason is that those diplomats having young people in their families prefer to educate them in Europe. Washington is a favorite post with young diplomats. The duties are not arduous, consisting mainly in keejiing up friendly relations between the two countries, and there are few treaties to negotiate. A minister needs to hold himself well aloof from the complications of our political system, an inadvertent meddling in which brought Sir Lionel Sackville Sackville-West to ereat humiliation and a recall to Great Britaiu in Mr. Cleveland's time. Washington, with: its charming society, its beautiful natural features, its theatres, its near neighborhood to New York city and to the fashionable summer resorts, is one of the most satis- factory appointments in the gift of the foreign offices of Europe. Copenhagen, Athens, and Buenos Ayres are con- sidered dull posts, and a young and ambitious diplomat would prefer going to a more desirable city in a lower grade capacity. The exceptional positions occupied by the General of the Army and the Admiral of the Navy rank them after the four classes of officials named. They represent the two arms of the Government ujDon which it depends for pro- tection in case of war, but they have no essential part in the machinery of the State. Their stations are specially created for special services, and they rise to the highest places by a regular system of promotions. As guests at a state dinner they rank high at the Presidential board, for the same reason that the Speaker of the House on a like occasion is seated near the host ; because of the great and practical importance of the offices they hold and the mag- nitude of their personalities in the respect of the peojjle. The corresponding rank among officers of the Army and Navy is as follows ; the Lieutenant-General and the Vice- Admiral, the Major-General and the Kear- Admiral, the Brigadier-General and the Commodore, the Colonel of the Army and the Captain of the Navy, and so on. And a social precedence based upon this order is observed on ceremonious occasions. The ladies of the Army and Navy circle keep Friday for their day at home. Resident Society. The resident society contingent in Washington form a a powerful and conservative body, strongly inclined to ex- 37 cluisiveness. They are exempt from the obligation of making official visits. They have no official position, but when they enter official society they conform to official rules of prece- dence and etiquette. They must make all first visits upon new arrivals whose acquaintance thej desire, as they would in any other city, but few society people call upon the highest officials whom they have not previously known, until introduced by mutual fi'iends. The demarcation line between residents and officials is not arbitrarily drawn, since there are many Congressional and Army and Navy officers' families who by long continuance in office and by reason of having homes here are influential pillars in the resident circle. There are also official families of long residence and great dignitj' at the Capital who do not assimilate with the non-political set, and who have a feeling that the courtesies and compliments of the Executive Mansion should not be too liberally showered upon "local society people."' The wife of one of the best known jjoliticians in this country, who has occupied high official station, said at the White House once in answer to the question, "Who is she? " of a lady, " Oh, she is nobody ; she has no business here ; she is the wife of a dentist ! " The fact that many of the residents in this city are re- tired officials serves to keep the balance of good feeling evenly poised between these seemingly irreconcilable ele- ments. Despite a modicum of contempt held on both sides, each for the other, the two streams do roll harmoniously together, commingling indistinguishably. The congenial spirits soon recognize each other in whatever diverse circles they may be naturally placed, and assimilate for mutual entertainment. Wealth is necessary to smart society, but it must be expended lavishly and skilfully to gratify the tastes of society, and profuse disjiensers of their wealth may be taken into the ranks. All sins can be forgiven the 38 man who aspires to social honors but the ineradicable one of innate vulgarity. The man of princely fortune must bring- with it some of the graces and arts of nobility if he would satisfy the critical requirements of the circle he seeks to enter. In London, it is said the new people are taking the lead of the old families in the grandeur of their enter- tainments. The same thing may be said of society at the Capital. Riches are requisite to admission to the highest rank, but the quality of being agreeable is quite as essential. "Princes sometimes travel in disguise, pigs never do." But it is a small world after all in which we live, and for numerous reasons indicated at different points a decorous symphony of sweetest unity is constantly maintained in the somewhat conglomerate circle of fashion that merrily re- volves at the National Capital. Those officials who come for the briefest stay often enjoy the most brilliant society. They bring letters of introduction, and their own good breeding and agreeable manners insure them the upper- most rooms at feasts and the chief seats in the inner coun- cils. Washington society is the paradise of men and women past their first flush of youth. Precedence is here given to the elders at all times and places. In this particular our community resembles more those of the continent of Europe than those of the United States. Young people never did and will never dominate society at the Capital. With the magnificent proportions of society and the constant change- fulness of its personnel that is its peculiar feature, the de- parting of familiar faces, the arriving of new ones, the re- markable thing is that there is no city in the world where a man or a woman becomes known and achieves a reputa- tion upon his merits in so short a space of time as here. The reason is found in the fact that great attention is paid to social culture and the discussion of social matters. So- :^)0 ciety is uot a secouJary interest. In all the trying relations of life, official or of private station, it is a comfort to re- naember that the unbewitched dictations of common sense are safe rules of action, and that whatever is done in kindli- ness and moderation of it is written in the eternal verities that higher nor lower criticism cannot assail. Should that famous Nova Zemblan of S2:)eculative litera- ture take his stand upon our streets in a fashionable portion of the city on a pleasant afternoon in the gay season, he would sjieedily conclude that the j^rincipal business of the people of the United States as seen at their Capital was to driAe about to each other's houses, leaving innumerable bits of pasteboard. He would not penetrate beneath the outer appealing of the frivolous show, and see the grave political import and importance of it ; nor could he laiow how deeply the social currents run or how hard they pull in this mani- fest foolishness of calling. " Why, the members of the House would not vote for my husband for Speaker if I did not call upon their wives ! " said the wife of the most pop- ular presiding officer the lower branch of Congress ever had. "Whatever would become of fair Washington and fair Wash- ingtonians should it suddenly be decreed that the sole in- dustry and beloved system of paying visits had been ever- lastingly abrogated, I should not like to conjecture. The social rounder and the political visitor never go out on strike. And the householders are ever ready to receive, each one, when her da}'* at home in, the week arrives. All sorts and conditions of men and women go a-calling. In gay turn- outs, the very best their purses can command. There is the luxurious Victoria with its matched Arab horses, liveried driver and footman, and the family arms upon its glittering- panels at the head of the imposing line, and the livery ca\> hired by a syndicate from a park stand. The only vehicle 40 that lias not been pressed into the service to any great ex- tent is the democratic bicycle. On Monday the ladies of the SajDreme Court and all the residents of Capitol Hill keep open house for callers ; Tues- day has been assigned to the families of Representatives in Congress ; Wednesday the wife of the Vice-President, the vpife of the Speaker of the House, and the ladies of the Cabinet households are at home ; Thursday the ladies of the Senatorial circle receive ; Friday belongs to the Army and Navy set, and Saturday'' is given up to the lady of the "White House. Besides these there are certain neighbor hood days observed by residents, and some ladies who would come under the foregoing regulations take the day of the street upon which they live. For instance, Tuesday is K street day ; the residents of I street receive on Thursday ; F and G streets, above the War, State, and Navy Departments, known as the "Ai'my and Navy quarter," have Friday, as has also Massachusetts avenue, and Connecticut avenue receives on Saturday. However, all ladies have the name of their day at home engraved upon their visiting cards. The Cabinet ladies lead in the number of calls received upon any one day ; in short, they have the populace at their doors, while the ladies of the Senate come in a good second for the honors. In times past, when the hours of a public reception extended from 1 to 6 o'clock in the afternoon, and the official housholds served elaborate collations, includ- ing ices and salads (at one well-remembered Cabinet house there was always a bottle of prime sherry on the sideboard), to the multitudes during those hours, it is not a surprising fact that many of them closed their doors at the beginning of Lent, the close of the season, not to open them again until the following December. In those days, too, in addi- tion to the Wednesday afternoon receptions, a Cabinet min- ister was thought derelict in his duty to the country if he 41