The Olivia Letters - free ebook by Emily Edson Briggs

THE OLIVIA LETTERS

THE OLIVIA LETTERS Being Some History of Washington City for Forty Years as Told by the Letters of a Newspaper Correspondent By EMILY EDSON BRIGGS New York and Washington THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1906 Copyright, 1906, by EMILY EDSON BRIGGS...

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A TRIBUTE TO ARCHITECTURE.

Honor Paid to the Builders of the Dome of the National Capitol. Washington , January, 1866 . 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,

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A SOLDIER’S BURIAL.

Last Scene of all Pathetically Depicted. Washington , January 31, 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

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LINCOLN’S BIRTHDAY.

Memorial Address of Honorable George Bancroft. Washington , February 19, 1866 . The 12th 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 Bancroft 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 gathered together, and there was a man in the

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ADVICE POLITICAL.

President Johnson Gives Evidence of His Occupancy of the Chair of the Executive. Washington , March 1, 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 an

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A PLEA FOR THE NEGRO.

The Pitiable Condition of the Colored Race Deplored. Washington , March 9, 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 personal knowledge. It is true that

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AT DRY TORTUGAS.

Seeking Pardon for Those Imprisoned on That Island. Washington , February 16, 1867 . The reticence of General Grant covers the future with a haze of obscurity. Different Cabinet combinations appear before the public vision, like 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 Cawdo

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STATE ASSOCIATIONS.

Iowans Assemble at the Residence of Senator Harlan. Washington , February 25, 1867 . Looking at society in Washington from a certain point of view, is like gazing upon the shifting scenes of a brilliant panorama. But one of the most delightful and home-like pictures consists of the different persons temporarily 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 interchange of friendly sent

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BINGHAM AND BUTLER.

Characteristics of These Congressional Giants In Debate. Washington , March 27, 1867 . Scarcely has the day dawned upon the Fortieth Congress before it is our unpleasant task to chronicle its decline. 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 peculiar

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A WEST END RECEPTION.

The Modes and Methods of a Typical Society Function. Washington , January 15, 1868 . 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 General Butler will make a good fight. Like Andrew Johnson, 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 cou

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IN THE ARENA OF THE SENATE.

Messrs. Nye and Doolittle Cross Blades 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 culmination. 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 he

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SPEAKER COLFAX.

His Affection for His Mother—Other Characteristics. Washington , March 2, 1868 . The season of Lent has folded its soft, brooding wings over the weary devotees of fashion in Washington. Luxuriant wrappers, weak tea, and soft-boiled eggs have succeeded 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 preceded it. There is nothing left

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THE HIGH COURT OF IMPEACHMENT.

Characteristics of Leading Counsel 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 details which go to make the creation perfect, if not gathered 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

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MRS. SENATOR WADE.

The Maker of and Sharer in Her Husband’s Triumphs. Washington , March 17, 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 women performed more conspicuous parts in the national play of politics than at the present time in Washington. It can truthfully be said that

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AT THE PRESIDENT’S LEVEE.

Disgusting Manners of a Member of the French Legation—Handsome General Hancock. Washington , March 24, 1868 . It is well known that in every country the foreign diplomats 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 Mansion 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 nosegay,

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MARY CLEMMER AMES.

Tribute to the Talented Correspondent of 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 exceed, th

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AT THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.

“Ad Interim” Thomas Flayed by General Butler—Kindness of the Wife of Senator Wilson. Washington , April 14, 1868 . The interest surrounding the impeachment trial deepens. 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 country to defend him, and it is almost worth the fruit of a lifetime to sit in the presence of such a court, the jury composed of th

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HON. BENJAMIN F. WADE.

Considered the Proper Size for Presidential Timber. Washington , April 21, 1868 . The dying throes of the rebellion end with the impeachment 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

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TWO NOTABLE WOMEN.

Mrs. Kate Chase Sprague and Mrs. Oakes Ames. Washington , April 23, 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 arguments. 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, an

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JUDGE NELSON.

The President’s Counsel During the Impeachment Trial. Washington , April 27, 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 astonishing that he mistook the Senate for a set of

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A FAITHFUL SERVANT.

A Comprehensive Review of the Life Work Of Hon. Thaddeus Stevens. Washington , April 28, 1868 . After the storm and cloud of an eventful life, Thaddeus 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 Brougham, his intellectual powers seem to lose little by age, and his argument in beha

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JOHN A. BINGHAM.

Acquits Himself With Honors in Forensic Conflict. Washington , May 7, 1868 . Never, even during the late days of storm and darkness, 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 migh

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ANSON BURLINGAME.

His Triumphant Capture of the Inhabitants of 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 fa

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A TALENTED QUARTETTE.

Madame Le Vert, Gail Hamilton, Vinnie Ream, and Mrs. Lander. Washington , January, 1869 . 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 everybody because he is everybody’s servant, like the President, 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

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THE DRAGONS OF THE LOBBY.

Messrs. Gould, Huntingdon, and Dillon and their Cohorts. Washington , February, 1869 . Winding in and out through the long, devious basement passage, crawling through the corridors, trailing its slimy 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

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PRESIDENT GRANT’S INAUGURAL.

Entering Upon the Duties of the Executive. Washington , March 5, 1869 . 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 dissolved 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 President of the United States. A magic card was the “open sesame” to the Capitol, and once inside, the beholder was daz

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PRESIDENT JOHNSON’S FAMILY.

Traits of the Female and Younger Members Thereof. Washington , March 9, 1869 . The family of Mr. Andrew Johnson was the least ostentatious of any that has yet inhabited the White House, and its members preserved at the capital the simple manners 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 interesting to your readers. During her occupancy of the Executive Mansion Mrs. Johnson has lived almo

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SENATORIAL PEN PICTURES.

Ferry as a Heart-breaker—Conkling as a Novel Reader—Eaton and Anthony in Repartee. Washington , March 20, 1869 . 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

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SENATOR SPRAGUE.

A New Champion of a Panacea for Ills Financial. Washington , April 14, 1869 . 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! Senator 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 immensi

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SEALED SISTERS OF MORMONISM.

Washington , April 23, 1869 . 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 Senators have folded their tents and to-day they are stealing away. Spring, clean and fresh as a mermaid, trips daintily 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 Ori

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AWAITING AUDIENCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

General Dent and Robert Douglas as Buffers. Washington , April 27, 1869 . 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 fl

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JOHN M. BARCLAY.

A Fund of Reminiscences at the Command of the Journal Clerk of the House. Washington , November 6, 1869 . For more than a score of years strangers visiting the House of Representatives may have noticed, at the right hand yet a little 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 potent

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WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

Grace Greenwood, Phœbe Couzins, and Other Advocates of the Cause. Washington , January 18, 1870 . The National Woman Suffrage Convention was inaugurated 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 Association, welcomed the authorities to the platform, and listened with grace, respect, and occasional spice of applause, to the essay christen

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ELIZABETH CADY STANTON.

How She Engineers the Suffrage Movement. Washington , January 19, 1870 . The hour having arrived for the opening of the last evening’s session, and the great lights not appearing on the stage, it was moved by Professor Wilcox and seconded 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

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ISABELLA BEECHER HOOKER.

Fitting Representative of a Distinguished Family. Washington , January 20, 1870 . Wednesday’s evening session opened with the usual brilliant 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 sprinkl

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GATHERING OF THE STRONG-MINDED.

The Woman Suffragists Tell of Their Trials. Washington , January 21, 1870 . The last evening’s session of the woman’s suffrage convention opened under the most dazzling auspices. No movement of the kind at the national capital has ever been so honored before. Quite a strong solution of intellect, power, and fashion shaded its eyes before the meteoric display. For the first time in convention, respectable audiences have seen spiritualism, long-haired masculine, and pantaloon feminine banished fro

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AT A COMMITTEE HEARING.

The Ladies Plead Their Cause at the Capitol. Washington , January 22, 1870 . 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 delegates. 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, Paulin

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HONORING THE PRINCE.

Reception to the Visiting Scion of Royalty. Washington , January 26, 1870 . 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 moderately sized hall, and if you turn to the left you are ushered into a drawing-room, octagonal in

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LEVEE AT THE EXECUTIVE MANSION.

Cabinet Ladies Take Part In Assisting Mrs. Grant Washington , February 5, 1870 . 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 receptions, 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 violating all delicacy and good tas

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THE RULES.

In order to bring the members of society together in the first instance, the custom of the country was established that residents shall pay the first visit to strangers; and among strangers, first comers to later comers, foreign 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 themselves known, pay the first visit to the Cabinet ministers of the nation, which is returned. When brought t

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THE CODE.

The President. —Business calls are received at all times and hours when the President is unengaged. The morning 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 10 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 receptio

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GENERAL PHIL SHERIDAN.

The Handsome Warrior Graces the Speaker’s Reception. Washington , February 14, 1870 . 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 Democratic 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

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MIDWINTER SOCIETY.

How the Cabinet Ladies Conduct Their Several Functions. Washington , February 15, 1870 . Midway between a President’s levee and a private entertainment lies the social ground occupied by the card reception. It is semi-official in its character, because public position has much to do with general invitations extended to the guests. It does not necessarily follow that calls must have been exchanged between any of the parties in the contest. A man is invited because he is a Senator, head of a burea

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PROFESSOR MELAH.

The Functionary in Charge of State Dinners at the White House. Washington , March 8, 1870 . With the termination of the present week we have the last state dinner at the White House. That event probably 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, conseq

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SOME SENATORIAL SCENES.

John Sherman, Zach. S. Chandler and Oliver P. Morton in the Lime Light. Washington , March 12, 1870 . In order to see the light of the sun eclipsed, or completely 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 be

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THE ROBESON TEA PARTY.

The Secretary of the Navy Awarded the Palm for Entertaining. Washington , March 22, 1870 . Humiliating as the task may be, it must be acknowledged 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 dressmaking, 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

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DELEGATES FROM THE SOUTHLAND.

Pleading Their Cause Before President and Legislators. Washington , March 24, 1870 . 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

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THE TREASURY TRIO.

Wyman, Tuttle and Spinner Guard the Treasury Deposits—Jewels in Storage. Washington , December 28, 1870 . 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 Sinb

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VICTORIA C. WOODHULL.

Her Memorial to Congress on the Subject of Woman Suffrage. Washington , January 11, 1871 . 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 citizenship.” To Mrs. Woodhull alone, it is said, belongs the discovery of detecting

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SPREADING THE LIGHT.

Woman’s Rights Discussed by Mesdames Hooker, Blake, Anthony, and Others. Washington , January 12, 1871 . 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 possession of every right, both foreign and domestic. The sweet liquid voice of

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AN OPPOSING PETITION.

Signatures of Notable Ladies Against Granting the Ballot to Women. Washington , January 13, 1871 . 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 extension of woman suffrage: We, the undersigned, do hereby appeal to your honorable body, and des

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UPHOLDING THE BANNER.

The Suffrage Convention and Its Leading Participants. Washington , January 14, 1871 . The last evening’s session of the woman suffrage convention opened with Senator Wilson, of Massachusetts, 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

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CHAMPIONS OF THE SUFFRAGE CAUSE.

Mrs. Lucretia Mott, Mrs. Cady Stanton, and Mrs. Josephine S. Griffing. Washington , January 19, 1871 . 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 convention has met and occupies its position upon the world’s stage. Senator Pomeroy, of Kansas, seems to be the central figure around

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MRS. GRANT’S TUESDAY AFTERNOONS.

Jessie Benton Fremont Among the Notables in the Blue Room. Washington , January 31, 1871 . 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;

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DYING SCENES OF THE FORTY-FIRST CONGRESS.

Vinnie Ream Secures an Additional Appropriation for Her Statue of Lincoln. Washington , March 2, 1871 . With the exception of appropriation bills 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 lawful for a new Congress to assemble within an hour after the death-knell of the old, a blow of utt

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PRAISE FOR DEPARTING LEGISLATORS.

Value of George W. Julian’s Services to the Nation. Washington , March 7, 1871 . 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 be

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THE BLACK MAN IN CONGRESS.

Sketches of a Number of Solons of African Descent. Washington , March 11, 1871 . 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 Willis 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. Me

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A DISSERTATION ON DRESS.

Proper Procedure for Members of the Select Circle of Society. Washington , March 18, 1871 . In a social way the doors of the White House have closed for the season. The beginning of Lent has heretofore 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 comin

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MEETING OF OCCIDENT AND ORIENT.

Reception of the Imperial Embassy of Japan by President Grant. Washington , March 4, 1872 . Another interesting ceremony has taken place which marks an epoch in the civilization 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 solemn, and nothing occurred to mar or disturb the feelings of those present, exce

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THE PUBLIC GREET THE JAPANESE.

Under Adverse Circumstances Eastern Royalty Is Welcomed. Washington , March 6, 1872 . It has already been truthfully stated that several thousand dollars of the people’s money have been set aside with which to entertain our Oriental guests. Last night’s experiment proved to be a superb success. The Masonic Temple’s insignificant proportions were dwindled to Lilliputian size in the vain effort to make it resemble some gorgeous Eastern landscape. In the vain pursuit of this Quixotic dream General

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SAMUEL F. B. MORSE.

Memorial Services Held At The Capitol. Washington , April 17, 1872 . Because we have no Westminster Abbey, or other royal sleeping place when genius passes away, we have memorial 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 obsequies 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 numerou

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ON THE PROMENADE.

A Saturday Holiday With Its Strollers And Equipages. Washington , April 22, 1872 . Spring, though laggard, has at last smiled upon Washington. Once more the bosom of Mother Earth has yielded up the frost and the baby vegetation wears a smiling face. No longer the cold, bitter winds smite the wayfarer, 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 i

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CHARLES SUMNER.

An Interview in the Workshop of 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 nature, 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 womanh

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WOMAN’S INFLUENCE FOR GOOD.

Shaping Legislation for the District of Columbia. Washington , April 29, 1873 . Before the present form of government was inaugurated, Washington, in every respect, resembled a gambling or watering spa. A session of Congress might be termed “the season.” It was called a city through courtesy, because in reality it was only a straggling, awkward village. The brute creation traversed its streets, whilst forlorn pedestrians picked their way over disjointed sidewalks. The greater proportion of its p

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THE KING REUNIONS.

Attractive Gatherings of the Nation’s Celebrities. Washington , February 11, 1874 . 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 American citizen, independe

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CARL SCHURZ.

A Field Day in the Senate and Stellar Attractions. 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 b

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ON CAPITOL HILL.

A Visit to the Navy Yard—The Carroll and Butler Residences. Washington , September 24, 1874 . 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 ancestral 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 wi

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GEORGETOWN ARISTOCRACY.

The Bells, Madame Bodisco, Mrs. Southworth, and Governor Cooke. Washington , October 20, 1875 . Recently some stones have been unearthed in Georgetown of great value 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 Georgetown Heights in the early part of the last century. Far back in the shadowy past the clear ringing tongue of this English Bel

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SENATORS EDMUNDS AND CARPENTER.

Some Insight into Life Senatorial—Safeguards of that August Body. Washington , April 7, 1876 . 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 Commission, and provide for the same being held in the city of New York in 1883. The bill had already been introduced in the Senate by Senator Kernan, and championed by Senator Wallace, of Pennsylv

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HOME LIFE OF MRS. GRANT.

Characteristics of the Lady of the White House. Washington , December 13, 1879 . Wading through a mass of newspaper correspondence concerning life at the White House during the administration of General Grant, it is invariably found that language 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

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THE GREAT REAPER.

Gathers a Number of the Beaux and Belles. Washington , December 31, 1876 . 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 th

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CLOSING SCENES IN THE HOUSE.

Pen Pictures of Blackburn, Garfield, Randall and Lesser Lights. Washington , March 4, 1879 . Prematurely crushed before half its most important work was performed, the Forty-fifth Congress of the Republic 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 combatants in Congress that a hand-to-hand battle takes place. To-day the men whose of

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A MATRIMONIAL REGISTER.

List of Eligibles of the Senate and Cabinet. Washington , December 24, 1879 . “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 life are becalmed in Washington. Very little is doing in matrimonial business and mothers with marriageable daughters are advised to hold on to the stock in hand (unless there is danger of spoiling), as an advance is expected as soon

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BACHELORS AND WIDOWERS.

Congressmen Speer, Clymer, Ackley and O’Neill. 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.” Notwithstanding the danger and difficulties of carrying this weight, he has decided to enact the role of the immortal Don Quixote, and

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THE BOTANIC GARDEN.

Some Side Glances at the Expenditures for That Institution. Washington , January 18, 1880 . Although a fraction only of the single men in Congress have cut a figure 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 governme

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WHITE HOUSE RECEPTIONS COMPARED.

Customs Prevailing Under the Lincoln, 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 opportunity to note the different changes and peculiar innovations 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

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VICE-PRESIDENT ARTHUR.

How He Wields the Gavel of the Presiding Officer of the Senate. Washington , April 1, 1880 . 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 Commission. 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 gathers in the national temple which glorifies Capitol Hill. A face new and strange t

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KATE CHASE SPRAGUE.

A Dinner With the Queen of American Aristocracy. 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-necktie element. The assemblings are largely feminine, of necessity, from the fact that Congress, about to depart, is wholly engrossed with its “unfinis

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LACK OF A LEADER.

Society Without a Ruling Spirit to Take the Initiative. Washington , February 18, 1881 . It takes the most exquisite kind of courage to paint truthful views of life 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 society; lack of

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BEN HILL AND ROSCOE CONKLING.

Mannerisms of These Famous Senators and a Number of Their Colleagues. 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, la

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PRESIDENT GARFIELD’S CABINET DAY.

Members of the Official Family—A Soldier’s Disappointment. Washington , August 22, 1881 . 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 b

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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 building appears like an antiquated belle rejuvenated by the modern accessories of the toilet. Oriental designs, artistically arranged,

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AT THE TRIAL OF GUITEAU.

Anecdotes of the 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 associated with the unique criminal trial of 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

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ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

Captain De Long’s Departure—The Polaris and Her Commander. Washington , January 7, 1882 . Since the cablegrams of James Gordon Bennett to the authorities at Washington, no further news has been received of the ill-fated survivors of the Jeannette , who are now supposed to be traversing the frozen waste of Northern 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 ja

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