The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1867-01-09
Fast Life in New York.

1t is really wonder to know how people
exist in New York. It is perfectly astonishing
to think that that highly respectable middle
aged gentleman, who has for twelve months
past been looking for a situation, can still at
ford to pay his FIVE dollars per diem at the
New York Hotel, with occasional extras tor
champagne and cocktails. 1t is more than ex-
traordnary that that young gentleman, VINO
went up with the last downward turn in gold,
can sit down nightly, with cool dellberat'on,
at the Manhattan Club, to play short whist,
without honors at twenty dollars game;
game at which, by the way, nothing but the
bindest luck can save him, unless he cut N,
as he is quite apt to do, with other players,
who have about as little conception OF the
game as he has himself Still, these men do
live at the best hotels and will play high whist.
They move in the fastest circles, and they keep
up the best they can, with pace that is sure
to exhaust them, unless they are pulled
throuh by some wonderful turn of luck. This,
in truth, is what fast men in New York live
for. They squander the present and discount
the future, living on, in the hope of some un-
foreseen chance which may put them all right
again. Life is lottery, and the tickets can
be had for as little ready cash as is demanded
of the silly negro for lottery policy, or of a
servant girl in Vienna for chance in gov
eminent loan scheme. So they invest freely
and wait for the turn of the wheel.
1t is this spilit which gives to New York
life recklessness and an extravaganza such
as is known nowhere else. Wealth will assert
ITSELF doubtless, all the world over, but in the
old countries it is at least apt to be character
sed by magnifcence and elegance. Wealth
there is lavished with a certain air of luxury
and sybaritism which is unknown in New Y ork.
Entertainments are sumptuous and costly,
courses are various and expensive, wines are
delicious, flowers are beautiful, and strains Of
exquisite music come floating to your ear from
some distant apartment All this is much
simpfed in New York. The dinners, to be
sure, are made as elegant as your imported
chef and your confidential confectioner, to
whom you entrust the whole affair, can make
them, but you give then, yourself the finishing
touch of New Yorkism by a dash of splendor
which, while it vies with the splendid magniti
cence of the days of Cleopatra, has practi
cal air of Americanism, which reflects pecu-
liar credit on this continent. Then people dis
solved their pearls to make dinners superbly
expensive. Now, they simply provide them,
for their guests. There are stories of two or
three such dinners, but one in particular has
made no little talk, on account of the costly
diamonds and valuable jewels that were found
by each lady in her napkin Two innocent
and unfortunate young virgins, who, of course,
knew no better-in New York there are
great many who never know any better-were
made to return these little trtles next morn
ing, which they doubtless did very reluctantly.
They were very ndignant-perhaps, indeed,
horri6ed-at the idea suggested by one more
accustomed aux usages du monde, that they
had compromised themselves by the accept
ance of any such gifts