Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-02-23
SOCIETY COLUMNS.

The Rational Capital I'm q Stir-The
DevOtees of Fashion by the Ears.
The Washington correspondent of the
Cincinnati Gazette writes;
The society reporters found hundreds
who were always extremely anxious to
have their furniture, their servants, their
dresses, and those of their guests described,
and who were always ready to write and
send their own notices to the various Of
fees. Competition between the journals
caused a general search for receptions, and
for fortnight few, no matter how private,
have escaped. Everywhere the report
era have urged those who would
listen to send a paragraph for each
days Issue. The result can be imagined,
and some of them will now be noted.
There have been hundreds of cases of mis-
taken identity, and thus names, and style
of dress the owners had never been known
to adopt, have been connected in the soci-
ETY. columns. Those who hold their heads
high above others have been represented as
visiting each other and even helping each
other receive. Mere children have been
described as in society, and ladies far past
middle life have seen themselves announced
blind reporters have made sad havoc
with toilets over the preparation of
which hours had been wasted, and
those whose competitions are hor-
rid In certain colors have been
paraded before their friends decked out
brilliantly ii all the Objectionable tints.
Ladies have been dressed by these wicked
pencils in materials which it would mortify
their pride to wear, and others, who show
their sense by thinking of other things than
dress, have been decorated in the extreme
of fashion. A desire for fun in many in
stances, malice in others, and general
laundering of writer's and compositors,
have led to COUNTLESS accidents and ludicrous
transformations, which the cases above will
serve 10 suggest.
As to descriptions Of parlors, and house
furniture in general, the same mistakes or
exaggerated descriptions have appeared,
and establishments have been named in all
the papers as beTildering throughout, that
were, in fac, quite plain, while some that
were entitled to special notice were most
yexingly transformed.
Explanations demanded at several of the
newspaper Offices revealed the fact that q
considerable number of the society items
were sent in by those to whom they related,
and knowledge of this fact has spread
around with becoming celebrity. The spur
and point it has given to unkind gossip are
beyond description. When adjectives have
been exhausted in paragraph to tell how
beautiful of face, of form, or both,
and how rich in dress this or that
one was, the authorship is attributed
to those thus praised. So Of the elaborate
descriptions Of what society ladies know
to be plain house plainly furnished; and
so of all the ten thousand batteries that
have filed column after column here since
the season began. Those exaggerations
have in many instances caused double an
noyance. The local journals all over the
land have copied these sickening eulogies,
and reproduced them at the homes Of the
victims, and there fed a fame of Cos
sip which will be blazing high
long after the season has closed, and those
thus extolled as dazzling, and beautiful,
and rich in all the costly fabrics Of fashion,
have returned and are once more the plain
persons, plainly dressed, that they have al
ways been. Among those who make the
daily rounds the questions now are fire.
quent as to who, in one circle or the o.her,
wrote this or that fulscme description
among the multitude that find their way in
to print.
While there are many who enjoy this
sickeniug parade of their dress and appear
ance in the daily press, it must not be sup
posed by any means that all here are pleas
ed with these society notes. On the con-
trsry, there are scores among the sensible
who have not hesitated to show proper in
dignation. Notice has been given that
their household privacy must not be parad-
ed in the daily papers. At q number of
places the society editors have been literal
ly kicked out, and matters are beginning to
ri oht thane plVns