, 1880-02-15
SOCIAL DISSIPATION,

| The return OF good times hes been cor
spicuously signa1ized in Chicago by the nun
ber and lavishness Of the social entertain
ments that have been given during tn
winter. There has been very epidemic Q
parties and receptions up to Wednesday las1
The society weeklies and the social column
of the Sunday newspapers have beel
crowded, with supreme indifference to th
increased cost Of print-paper. II there be
Samuel Pepys among us, writing diary TO
the delectation OF future ages, the old gentle
man has been kept going night and day, ant
his only regret for the present season is tha
there has been so much sameness In tn
| material which has been furnished him
Everybody seems to have adopted "111tltun
in puruo" " for coat Of arms, and all have
We'd with each other in crowding the larges
number OF people into the smallest amount
of space as the crowning triumph Of socia
success. Ordinary c1ub~houses have been
turned into caravanseries, and private dwell
ings have developed a capacity for the TEN
| porary accommodation Of fashionable hu
manity that outruns the possibility OF tene-
ments for the poor. The particular ambition
Of the social leaders this year appears to have
scared In the direction Of crowds
There is something very Irrational about
the large parties, which have been the mos1
usual kind Of social entertainments. People
are packed into hot rooms under blazing gus,
| where circulation Of air {much less Of hui
manity) is scarcely possible. The masculine
| portion of the assemblage is almost wholly
occupied in the effort to avoid the PTtneesse
trains the ladies wear. f. The feminine minds
equally absorbed in saving the feminine inery
from destruction. This division Of time and
attention Is not favorable either to brilliancy
Of conversation or dignity of repose. Awell-
studied Dor. mot has all the life knocked out
Of It by q bodily collision, and statuesque
position is rendered ridiculous by the tele-
scoping Of some train in motion. The mys-
terious element of fate is constantly at work
to bring the most uncongenial people to-
gether, and the host and hostess are so much
occupied at the parlor-door in receiving and
dismissing their fitting guests that
they can do nothing to reduce the
reisning chaos to anything like order.
The whirr and buzz Of small-talk
browns the music, though there is some COM
pensation in the thought that the music is
generally meagre and bad. AS if society
were made up Of the wicked, there is no rest
for the jostling mass Of humanity thus col
lected together. Nobody can sit down,
though everybody wants to. Dancing is out
of the question, except possibly in the !" wee
small hours" when the old folks have gone
home, done UP from very fatigue. The sup
per is damnable iteration" of escaloped
oysters, indigestible salad, watery ices, and
weak coffees. Finally, when all is over, the
hosts and the guest sigh with relief at duty
that has been discharged. It must have been
in recollection Of some such social revel as
one Of the large parties Of to-day that Byron
wrote:
Society is now one polished horde,
Formed OF two mighty tribes,-the Bores and
Fashion has had quite as much to do With
the interminable succession Of parties which
has only ended with Lent as has the new
sense of prosperity. Otherwise people might
have found more rational and more
enjoyable methods for spending their
money. But the ladies who have
assisted at the social triumphs Of
their friends and neighbors have been
tempted not only to follow in the wake, but
to make similar commotion. There is a
sense OF obligation that finds easiest relief In
having cards engraved and ordering the COM |
plete outfit for reception" It throws the |
burden Of unreturned calls upon the invited |
guests, and it wipes out all the social indebt- |
odness that has been accumulatlng for ever |
so long. A dinner-party requires science, |
taste, care, and esprit; miscellaneous recep |
IN nr1v T., *fc
ladies' incline to large parties. This is not
Intended as reflection upon the average
Feminine capacity to entertain, but merely
OF the force of fashion and the
ready tact with which the ladies choose the
easiest way for paying their debts. But the
male portion of society ought to be dropped
'ut OF the account, and hence the afternoon
receptions for ladies only should be encour-
'ged in future seasons as the least objection
1ble of the large society gathe rings. These
afternoon parties may be made to yield just
IS much revenue to the card-engrarers, the
aterers, the florists, the dressmakers,
md thG livery~men; they afford the
anne opportunity for discharglng social
obligations and displaying new toilets; they
re more favorable for gossip than parties
where horri1 men embarrass the lively ex-
hanse Of small-talk; and we venture the as
ertlon that the social entertainments which
ave been enjoyed the most this past season
y the masculine portion of.society are those
There invitations were sent simply to the
'ives or daughters.
Ihe end of the society season was on
Wednesday. Lent imposed rest on society.
lany people very rich in money and very
oor in health (and the two conditions ire
uently go together) are making their prep
rattons to escape the trials Of Chicago
]ring. Nearly everybody has given party
no could afford to do SO or had not the
oral courage to keep out of the strong social