St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-23
A Dearth of Society Men Gives the Cheap
Clerk a Chance 70 Get to the
Front.
How the Social Racket is worked---
Living on Free Lunches TO Buy
Dress Suit.
Fine Diamonds Worn by Congressman
Washburn's Family and Others
of Wealth---Personal
Correspondence of the Globe.

how deep water he has plunged in his
proposition TO force the army officers who
have been doing society here for so many
years TO actually leave Washington and 90
into the field. 1t is a pretty serious
undertaking TO set ones self. when i'm such
official position and with such society fu-
lures as Mr.. Endicott has to a task of this
magnitude. The thought that the dear army
men who have been giving tine and money
20 society for so long must go, Is prov
ing quite agonizing TO good many people
here, and they are going TO make some des-
perate efforts before they will submit TO it,
And they are people of some influence and
resources, too. There are two classes of
people who are in agony over this matter;
one class is the society ladies who adore
brass buttons, and who jump at anything
that is man; the other is the army people
themselves. The long presence "a
these society pets here has
proved mutually agreeable TO all
concerned, and their struggles against the
inevitable are interesting and amusing.
1.-The fact is, said gentleman who has a
good deal of experience in a social way, 10
your correspondent, that almost anything
that is capable of wearing breeches is vel
coined in society here, anyway. There is a
dearth Of young men and society men dur
ing the social season. The majority OF
people who furnish the ladies for society are
themselves too busy TO be bothered with
social entertainments, and the result is that
when the ladies want something of
THE MASCULINE SEX
for partner on social occasions there is
hard scratching to get anything that will AT
all ill tine bill. Men are in demand here in
the social season, can tell YOU"
So it is not to be wondered at that the
society people are worried about the prep
aratiOns for Withdrawing the army officers,
who have served their country and society
at the same time here. They are trained in
this sort of thing, the ladies know them and
know their families, if they have any,
and they hate to give them up.
in earnest in his program, and
it seems that the army officers
like the Cinnamon, ''Inust go" There will
be great sadness and a greater dearth of
men next winter than ever before.
Speaking of the demand for young men.
the gentleman alluded 10 above continued:
You would be surprised to see the kind of
young men who get into society here, and
the ease with which il is accomplished.
know Of young fellows of small education.
still smaller means. but plenty of ''gall''
who maintain themselves by holding
obscure places in some of the de-
partments, who make regular
thing of the society racket. They manage
TO become acquainted with one or two so
ciety people and get an invitation by some
means TO a social event, and then they are
fixed. When they have been introduced to
a lady they make it point 10 call on her,
talk all the society gossip they have read or
heard, and impress her with their famil-
| iarity with the social world. The next
time she is making out her invitations for
her reception or party she is really crazy
for enough men TO make pasSable show
ing, and is glad to put the name of
THE GLIB YOUNG MAN
who seemed 10 know everybody, into her
list. Ii the young man does not get ac-
quainted with all the people he wants TO in
this way he asks some friend who has an
| acquaintance TO take him along when he
goes calling, and so makes his way into the
households and into social circles. | have
known of more audaciouS cases than this
case, where young men had called on
young ladies whom they had never met,
merely announcing themselves As
| friends Of some personal friend of
the lady. 1t is easy for this
sort of society Adventures 10
SGN Il ANoAtlNlu. " AiCil liiOA 10 llCN StuuA
the thing, make up TO people who are about
| TO give entertainments, and sometimes
ctually 90 TO the entertainments to which
ahey have never been invited at all They
| tget money enough out of their positions TO
| buy dress suit and pair Of dancing slip
| pers. They go home from the Office. get a
15-cent lunch on the way, get out of their
Office suits and into their dress suits. 90 To
| an entertainment and get a square meal and
! plenty Of wine and cigars, and so live. In
the summer they save enough money out of
! their salaries 10 90 TO some fashionable
resort when they get their leaves, -
| spend a week or two, get their names in
the papers, and come home and pass into
/ retirement until the society opens again.
| The society racket is queer one. but will
| exist until society takes more pains with its
/ selection of Young men 10 whom il opens
| its dining rooms and parlOrs and ball rooms. -
The reports OF the treasury department
| show remarkable falling of i'm the impor-
tatioDs of diamonds into this country dur
| ing the past year as compared with the pre-
ceding years. The pressure OF hard times
| Is felt in this particular more quickly than
| almost any other. There have been some
sales of very
FINE DIAMONDS
in Washington. however, thus season. The
| display OF diamonds in Washington society
is very elegant. both here and at the sea
side, where most of that article is just now.
There have been some very fine diamonds
in Washington" said gentleman familiar
with the subject TO your correspondent.
''Gen. Beale'S family had some very fine
ones. so had Congressman WaShburne's
family. Gen. Bineham'S late wife had very
valuable ones. y good many of the lega-
| ton people have very valuable diamonds.
| probably the finest that are seen
here. They are better judges Of these
things on the other side of the water than
our people, and as the diplomats are gener-
| ally of the class that have plenty of money
TO put into this sort of thing. they are well
| supplied with good ones. too. "A good
many of the diamonds worn for evening
| entertainments here are like the evening
| dresses. very cheap. 1t IS very difficult
matter for any one but an expert 10 form a
4 correct idea of the value OF diamond by
| looking at il, so many elements are 10 be taken
! into consideration in forming an opinion. "
| The quality of stone is determined by its
/ color. shape. brilliancy and fiawleSSneSs. In
/ color a diamond is supposed TO be perfect
( when it is white, but there are two grades
better than perfect, viz: the steel color and
the blue. The latter is always a very fOun-
tain of fire, and the snap and the brilliancy
with which it reflects the light are potent
considerations in the estimation of its cost
The canary-colored diamond is sometimes
as valuable as the white, but the ordinary
| Yellow-tinted stone is worthless, and the
price runs down until you reach
THE BLACK DIAMOND,
which is commonly used for manufacturing
purposes. The shape of a diamond has