The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-10-07
Our NEW YORK LETTER.


4 u TIE CURIOSITY the otD6t u1J
to sit 10 one Of the clubs of this city
& part Of o day, to the end OF study
ing the Z ils life Of the "young man
about I yn," a class very numerous
in this IL, where fortunes, colossal
in tb r proportions. were made by
the last generation for the present
generation TO spend. 1t was q seri-
Gus study, and one. l trust, that car
ries with it a moral.
The Young man about town is, of
course. wealthy. His father made a
large fortune in something, and sent
the young mar TO college. He grad
uated somehow, without learning
anything, and being too rich to fol-
low any business, gave his whole
mind Git wasn't much TO give to the
spending of it.
His day commences at noon, when
be rises. Before be gets bis pan,aloons
on be staggers to his side-board and
swallows a brandy-cocktail to give
him a little life, for the night before
took out of him oil the vitality be
had, and his sleep has not been sound
or refreshing. Before be has himself
encased in bis elegant clothes, be has
swallowed four or FIVE of these invig-
orators, and has got up enough friski-
ness in his stomach to be able to eat
O breakfast, which be does at his
club.
He may play at being a broker, in
which case he goes to Wall street,
and, with a set of choice spirits ofthe
same kidney, be makes q few trans
actions, A" going out for cocktails be-
fore and after each one. After bust
ness hours, be drops in at belmont
co.'s, and takes a bite of something,
drinking the while every fifteen min
utes, and about say six in the even
ing he is ready for dinner. AT din
ner be drinks chablis, sherry, cham
payne and burgundy, winding up
with cognac.
This brings him to the serious bus
mess of the day. He may go to the
opera with his sister, or the unfortu-
nate young lady who is to be his
wife, or be may join a stag party"
and drop in at one of the theatres for
an hour. Following this he goes, if
be is 10 a virtuous frame of mind, to a
ball or two, dancing a little at each,
and drinking a great deal; or, ifin a
vicious mood, there are balls of the
demimonde. In default of these, there
is always a game of draw-poker at
the clubs, with stakes unlimited;
or, if bis system demands d fercer
excitement, there are the farobanks,
where, with the aid Of wine and bran
dy, the young man may lose as much
money as be chooses, and the proprie-
tors generally manage that be shall
lose a great deal. He keeps at this
steadily till six o'clock in the morn
ing, when he goes home, not drunk,
but in a semi-intoxieated and general
ly befuddled condition, and drops in
to q sleep which is not natural-an
alcoholic sleep that comes from the
inability of a not oyer-strong consti-
tuition to bear any more stimulants
and cigars; for be it known, this gen
tie youth smokes the strongest cigars
every minute of the time that he is
not in bed or in the presence of de-
cent women.
The "young nan about town. does
not con6ne himself to the three vices
of alcohol, tobacco and gambling.
Not be. There is not q woman of
doubtful character in the city who
is unknown to him; and he has al
ways one, and generally more, mis-
tresses, who share his income with
the faro-banks, the liquor and cigar
dealers.
He dies at something less than
forty, as a rule, thought he lives be-
yond that age, it is to wish that be
had died before; for his death is not
the ordinary dissolution. 1t is
breakup. The system infeebled by
dissipation, kept alive by stimulants,
and drained by every known excess
comes TO q point where stimulants-
viii no longer act, for the tissues up.
on which they acted are gone. There
is not enough of the man left for run
to take hold of, and as rum has KEEP
the machine running for years, it il
really all there is of it. Then il
brakes and goes in a minute. There
is no fuel for the fire to take hold Of
and it dies.
!. Poor fellowl A life that might
r have blessed the world ended with
| not a good deed to leave behind-s
E career characterized by nothing but
, lust and self-indulgence, and q deatf
mourned only by the harpies whC
ministered to his sins; their regret be
: ing that be did not live long enough
to squander upon them his entire for
( tune.
There are forty thousand Of thes,
young men in New York this dal
living the life have only in part de
| seribed.
: THE COSMETIC ARTIST,
49,