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Show BEAUTY HAKD A'nvUKK. ' THE DAILY TOIL OF THE WASH- j INGTON FASHIONABLE SEASON. lair Mold, anil Matron. Who Are "In til Swim" Compelled to t'tlllro I'very Waking Moment tr ValUlX Their Social Obligation. twice a week at the theatres, and seemed ! not to have a cam. Now she is not ex i pected to go or bo entertained at any uonso at tho capital. She may transcend i tlie law as Mrs. Cleveland did toward i the end of tho sensou, and 1 present at her cabinet ladies' Wednesday rccep- ; tioTlS. ' There is not the least bit of Jefferson-ian Jefferson-ian simplicity in White House otiipiette. Every year it gains a inoro ironclad ! code. Uncle Ham's mails are not retained re-tained to carry Whito Houso invitations, invita-tions, but mounted luessoiigors fly fro Georgetown to CupiWl Hill, and fron: j thePotomao to Columbia Height dia- ! tribnting the cards. And woe betide him who does not send an answer within two days, is'olh- ' ing but sickness, the death of a near relative rel-ative or absence from t'.io city can ex-case ex-case a declination of the president's invitation. in-vitation. His ropiest is ft coinmand. The receptions to tho diplomatic corp, mil the army and navy divide the glory j f the winter. A peep into either is lil.o a glimpse of "The Arabian Nights'' tales concealed into one, j The first is very stately, I assure you. j Every diplomat dons his court dress, and I lh liiilli,.?! iliisTiliiv-ei) wonlit fill .l vault. I OCIETY'S season a t WashinKton starts with the Whito House re-reption re-reption Now Year's day, and closes with the boffinnintr of Lent. Dnrinff that time all if , ','old and (,'litter. 'A senator's wife who has been at tho capital eighteen eight-een winters cays the Hvorano of en ter iaininents iw is nearly fiOO durins the sea-.. By that she did not mean nftemooti receptions, but everything every-thing thnt mpiired a bid, luncheons, teas, dinners, evening receptions, mu-BicnloS mu-BicnloS snd balls. Bloro mo! you nay, fh"m is no woman living who can attend 800 nti'ain between be-tween New Year's and Lent. Ami you are right; but thero aro women who re-ceivo re-ceivo invitations to all, and only send rehTeta to one-fourth. Tnka one of la: t year's debutantes. Sho kept a diary of Ler ?oiaS3i nd with ono luncheon, two or three teas, as many evening receptions recep-tions and a dinner here and there, hor category summed up '3i entertainments, entertain-ments, with a deficit of a third many to which alio had sent regrets. Thum in tho treasury building- Then, tlii) j cwords! They clank in a way that bus;- ' 'e.-it.i a tourney, and even the most colorless color-less imagination is disappointed when i th; ir owners pace prcirieally around tho the big east room for half an hour and , r. tire. The ladies of tho corps ulwayti ; wear their most elaborate costumes and : finest jewels, and many aro tho rnagnifi- j cent pairs of shoulders glistening with I diamonds upon which tho light falls. Tho question of precedence at this recep- lion used to bother even presidents, but ! now the whole affair is ranked by timu j of service. Friends of tho president and I liis wife and people of high decree aro ' bidden to meet t he foreigners. ; v,..i f.. ti vi,;i , ti..u. i i,q ..t Next to the Whil? House the homo of tho vico president will be a center for society this winter. The position of the wifo of a cabinet minister is not a sinecure. They are expected ex-pected to keep open house every Wednesday Wednes-day until LentljcgiiiH, to assist the mistress mis-tress of the White House ut all her re-.options, re-.options, and to carry on their special duty to society by receptions and dinners. din-ners. They are nil expected to fall upon Mrs. Morton and the ladies of the su- . j A MAID TO CARE FOR HF.R. Were only two theatre parties in her list, as sho said that was the ono form of amusement sho had to omit. Every society so-ciety woman omits that, however, and during the season there is less theatre going than in any other city. The debutanto whom I have quoted had the task of a Titan, for she must needs make from two to three calls at every house at which she was entertained. enter-tained. First tho formal call, then the return, and finally the party call. Xi woman In Washington, save Mrs. Benjamin Ben-jamin Harrison, is so high that she need not pay calls. The square of bristol board tyrannizes over ail. How did the debutante perform all her duties? By being all ready for tho season when it began. Xot an inch of ribbon or lace did sho buy during that time. .She had a maid to care for her clothes, and every moment she was not going she was sleeping, it is an easy thing to sleep from 2 a. m. to 13 in., and that is what a Washington bello always learns to do. Xot two score entertainments in year ever go much beyond 1 :30 a. m. Every woman who is entertained must entertain. enter-tain. A luncheon, a series of teas, a dinner and possibly a ball are demsndoc! at each Washington house. The executive mansiou is, of course, the center of gayct y. During the season sea-son there aro at least eight formal entertainments enter-tainments there. First the reception Xew Year's Day, then two receptions in lKUVKRF.D FY MOUNTED ME8PF.NOKR. p.-mne court and senate, and nearly all a.' them had their full hundred calls made before Deo, 15. Their daughters mually accompany them on the rounds. The only alleviation they have from j ti e binding rule is that they need not ci II upon the "day"' of each person. A tl ey remain but two minutes they can make from sixteen to twenty-six calls in an afternoon, which means from 8 to 5. Only one thing is incnmlient on a senator's sen-ator's or representative's wifo, and that is to receive Thursday and return all calls made upon her. She need not give a dinner or card reception unless she desires, de-sires, and not more than a score of senators' sen-ators' wives snd twice as many wives of representatives ever do much more. Much is demanded of tho speaker's wife if she live in her own house. j Outside of this vast official circle, which includes tho diplomatic corps, there is an equally large resident population who, it is conceded, make up the oxclu- ; slve society of the capital. They cuter-tain cuter-tain in a year even more lavishly than the official circle, for nearly ail of the "old families" of the capital have weahh. Mii;isi IIamkkto.v ; LIKR "TI1R ARABIAN NIOIITS" TALKS. January to the diplomatic corps and the congress and judiciary respectively, and two in February to the army and navy, and last of all to the general public These five are obligatory, but the president presi-dent may give as many or as few dinners as he choones. Tho table in the state dining room seats from thirtv-six tofift gucets. The usual number is four. Two in January alternate weeks with the receptions to tho cabinet and diplomatic corps, and two in February to the supreme su-preme court and congress. Ex-1'reside.iit Cleveland only gave three the first two vears of his administration, omitting the last, and inviting whatever senators or representatives he c.ho.55 to tho other three. Ladies, of course, are invited to ull these dinners and receptions. Tho mistress of the White House has not the care of an ordinary housewife over these entertainments. Sho gives a little attention to the decorating of the mite of pnrlors, but her only other duty is to stand at the head of the receiving lino and greet the guests, no small tasK when the throng mounts into the thousands. ! in addition to formal entertainments j tho mistress of the White House usually i holds drawing rooms every Saturday aft- J ernoon, and receives pocp'.s by appointment appoint-ment nearly every day iu the "week. It is only by the most careful allotting of : time that she can do all that is expected : of her. Until the opening of the season Mrs. Harrison was the mistress of her own ! time, but the stroke of 11, Jan. 1, made j her its slave. Before that time she made informal calls upon the ladies of thn I cabinet and Jier intimato friends, went Oat to little dinners, was seen onca 01 j |