Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-07
SPECTACULAR SOCIETY.
MANHATTAN,s NABOBS DAILY
GROWING MORE SNOBBISH.


NEW YORK, Dec. BIT will not be
many years before Manhattan's princes of
mammon will rival in the gaudiness of
their balls and receptions the palmiest
events of the ancient days of the Orient.
Everything pertaining to society is be-
coming more and more spectacular and
Of course prOportionately less substantial.
Even the newspapers are falling in with
the craze, and their society announce
ments TEEN with praises which rival those
on any three-sheet theatrical or circus
poster in town. A mention Of wedding
is seldom unaccOmpanied by an estimate
of the value of the presents, the cost OF
the brides trOusseau. financial worth Of
the silver service on the banquet table,
the amount expended on the nuptial event
by the parents of the bride, the exact
amount which bride and bridegroom have
IN ready cash and real estate, and a host
of other facts of a financial turn which
have an unmistakable SAVIOR Of
Vulgarity. In many cases where
the family skeleton is more than
usually securely fastened in the
closet, the pedigree of the high contract
ing parties is given in full, with a whole
vocabulary or two of Establishments
thrown in. Some of the wiseacres hint
that the papers most given TO printing
gush of this sort get paid Tor every line
that appears at regular advertising rates,
with cuts at prOpOrtiOnate prices. Others
who pretend to be equally knowing, aver
with a wink. that the average society re-
porter in New FORK has "mighty soft
snap" and coins a small fortune annually
outside of his salary from the perquisites
which are to be picked up by catering to
the modern nabobs. 1t is gradually be-
coming more and more the style to gar
nish a private reception or high tea with
reading or singing by professional people.
4 well known elOcutiOnst, whose pOpu-
larity is in part owing to a rather hand
some face and rare suaVity Of manner and
conversation, picks up several thou
sand dollars every winter by appearances
at entertainments at private residences.
There are several popular singers on
whom mammOn lavishes similar good for
tune. Tn price for such service IS liked
on a sliding scale, which runs from 500
TO $1,000, according to the wealth and
standing Of the whilOm employer at whose
house the appearance is to be made. Lon
don, which in q great measure sets the
fashion for the gilded butterflies of the
more modern metropolis, has lately shown
partiality for minstrel ballads and feats
Of iugglery at parlOr entertainments. 1t
is safe 10 say that New York Will soon
catch the craze, and burnt cork artists
and attenuated magicians will find new
and profitable field for their talents. If
the thing keeps on, it will not be long
before the private residences of the city
viii be considered cheap and incomplete
without private theatre attached or in
the building, as is the case with some of
the regal residences Of the old world,
THE NEW YORK COACHMAN.
No fellow out of business hours is a
more assuming or deceptive chap than
the average New York cOachman. He
dresses like a lord of the realm, is versed
in all the arts and Establishments of upper
tendon, and frequently passes himself of
for the fOrtune-favored heir OF noble
family. Whence the money comes which
enables him to sport all his aesthetic
tOggery is a puzZler to those who are not
uD TO his tricks. When he suddenly drops
down among his country cousins in COM
pany with his masters retlnue in the
summer time he fairly takes the breath
away from his bucolic and less favored
cOlabOrers. All the shOpkeepers Win
whom he comes in contact in the metro
polls. however, are not at loss to ac-
count for his fine feathers and seemingly
WeIl-flled pockets. The only wonder with
them is that he is not riding behind
his own lackey instead of driving
for some one else. Ask one OF the whips
victims to explain the matter and he will
reply that the word "tips" is the key to
the secret. "Tips" being interpreted
means commissions which are obtained
by methods which are almost akin to
Matchmaking. Nine out of ten of the
METROPOLITAN nabObs have the most IN
bounded confidence in their cOachmen.
They trust them almost implicitly, and
virtually leave the entire management OF
the stable and all its appurtenanceS IN
hi ThoGn rnaniUc salary
on an average anywhere from sec to 500
per month. In addition they fall heir to
all the cast-Off clothing of their employers,
have all their living expenses paid both
in town and when away tor the summer,
and in many cases are given an assistant
or two to help them in their werk. 1t is
not uncommon in addition to all these
marks Of favor for the gentleman
of the house to occasionally tip
the driver with a quarter or fifty
cents, or possibly a cigar or two. The
place of cOachman to a swell family is
thus seen TO be not half such a disagreed
BILE position as many seem to suppose.
The income which coachmen manage to
pick up among tradespeople is, also
as already intimated, not 10 De
sneered at. BlacksmithS can only be GER
tain of desirable customers by standing
in with the cOachman and giving him a
large percentage. A failure on the part
of the blacksmith to appreciate this fact
is followed by a speedy transfer OF pat
rOnage TO another shop. The owner sell
dom inquiries where his horses are shOd
as long as the cOachman says that the
work is satisfactorily performed. As may
be imagined, the commission system is
the cause of many more visits to the
blacksmiths than might otherwise be
the case. At the saddlery estab-
lishments the same system is in
vogue. Veterinary surgeons are also
let into the tricks OF the trade and aid in
making up the ''pretty penny" which the
metropolitan cOachman counts as his pin
money. As a rule drivers of this stamp
are a pretty shrewd lot of fellows, and
manage to form a sufficiently correct esti-
mate of their masters to run up liberal
bills and at the same time keep the fig
ures Just below the point which would be
apt to provoke inquiry.
EMMA NEVADA'S DEBUT.
Emma Nevada, the opera singer, who
has lust taken the city by storm, is pos
sessed of father who bids fair to become
as famous as the old fellow who keeps
such a close eye on ''Our Mary" Nearly
everybody who knows anything about the
new debutante has learned by this time
that Nevada is only her stage name and
was adopted in remembrance of her ma
tai state in the far Northwest. Before
going on the stage she was known as
Emma Dixon, daughter of William w.
Dixon. of Nevada City, where her child
hood days were passed in almost une-
Ventful retirement. 1t is related of her,
however, that she gave evidence Of a
remarkable voice almost before entering
her teens, when she used to sing Sup in
a balloon, boys" and other popular airs.
As she grew in years and her vocal pow
ers became more manifest her dOting
father took her to Europe, where she was
educated and first appeared IN public.
Now that she is on the high road to sue
cess it is perhaps only natural that the
old gentleman's interest in her should not
only continue, but somewhat quicken as
well. Her appearance at the Grand
Opera House at Paris and at other En-
ropean theatres were the direct results of
the far sighted financial diplomacy of her
father. 1t is also said that he engineered
the negotiations which eliminated in
Miss NeVada's appearance in this
country under Col. MaplesOn's
management at the Academy Of Music
the other night. The gallant Colonel
succeeded in drawing to the house an
audience which came from tha hon ton
circles of the city, and securing for his
prOtege a start in public favor which is
calculated to rid her path Of many of the