The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-21
sIILL1oNAIREs, wHIMs.
They Are Often Very Costly and Sometimes
of Questionable Taste.

Newport Letter in Boston Journal
There are quite a number of people here
to whom the remark, "a fool and his money
soon parted" would very well apply. They
go in for all sorts of extravagances, and there
is no limit to their expenditures in order to
crafty whims and sometimes questionable
tastes. Take, for instance, the foolish custom
OF giving costly favors at germans and which
was touched upon in previous letter. The
practice and the expenditure have got to be
perfectly absurd. At german given here not
such great while ago there were some sixty
favors, and there is good reason to believe
that not one of them cost less than $50.
There is nothing to be gained by such foolish |
expenditures, but there are luxuries ins |
dulged in by number of our people that
are endurable as we'll as beautiful. Some
two or three years ago Mr.. William Astor, !
the owner of the yacht Ambassadors, was
walking along Bellevue avenue and his eyes
CHANGED for a moment to rest upon some !
elegant rugs of very light texture that were
in the window of one Of the Eastern bazaars.
That glance cost Mr.. Astor $4,000, but he
gratifed his whim and had something that
was very beautiful. He entered the shop
and asked the price of the rugs or
spreads. Zone thousand dollars each" said
the proprietor, and he turned partially
away, believing that the interrogatoF
was simply satisfying q. curiosity. He
didn't think the visitor to his bazaar was a
millionaire, but it was not long ere he learn
ed the fact. well" said Mr.. Astor, after q
slight pause, "how many have you got2'
and the bazaar man told him he was the pos.
SCISSOR of four. "Send them down to the I
yacht Ambassadors" the millionaire di-
rected, and they were sent and the man got
his money. They were used as spreads for !
the state-room beds. In that case Mr. Astor
had something that was very beautiful for
his money. And so did Mr.. George Peabody
Wetmore, who is said to have paid the
enormous sum of $4,000 for a beautifully
carved staircase which he had imported d.
rect from Italy. This same young gentleman
is gratifying luxurious tastes in another
direction. For two years he has had large
number of workmen engaged in building
some magnificent stabling accommodations
for his splendid horses. The interior Of the
building is something gorgeous, hard woods,
bright metals and costly stone being seen
everywhere. Mr. James r. Keene had some
magnificent greenhouses erected at the back
Of the house he purchased from Mr. Nathan
Matthews, of Boston, and in them may be
seen some of the rarest plants, ferns and
palms. Mrs. Gardner Brewer and her charm
ing daughter, of Boston, delight in the
collection OF rare flowers and exotics, pay
ing, it is believed, fabulous sums so long
as they can secu re seed and bulbs that are
scarce. These ladies are also liberal patrons
of art. Then there is Mrs George w. Wales,
of Boston, in whose lovely cottage on Yznaga
avenue can be seen some of the most costly,
unique and rare china to be found in this
country; in fact, this lady is believed to have
the finest private collection In America.
These are some OF the many examples Of
people being lavish in the expenditure of
money, but for which they have something
to pride themselves on. Not few of the
wealthy ones find their way to gambling re-
sorts. What have they to show for their
lavish expenditures?