Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-03
MACKEYISM IN ENGLAND.
YANKEE TOADIEs HELD IN CON
TEMPT ACROSS THE WATER.

Btah Old Times with Cay Men OF Title
Behind Closed DOors-How the Con
VrntioDaI American Husband Spepds
His Time at Home-Bis Alleged Ina
bitity to he Entertaining.
NEW YORK, Oct. Club men and the
more substantial merchants and business
men of New York, whose fanatics are in
society, are more interested in our English
cousins just now than they are In local
politics. The tales that have been brought
back from London by this years coming
ent Of tourists are melancholy in the ex-
treme. There seems to be no reason to
doubt now that American men are Virtu-
ally tabooed in London no matter what
society does with American women. That
the latter had great social success In
the early part of the season is undeni-
able, but it is claimed that the tide was
turned against American beauties, as far
as popular favor was concerned, when
the contingent of society women from this
side Of the water followed the Prince Of
Wales from London to the Continent. 1t
isn't OF material consequence whether
the London papers were jealous of the
Americans or not. 1t 10 a fact that the
British press, not only as far as the
society papers are concerned, but also as
20 the larger journals, has directed with
unusual bitterness all sorts Of attacks
against American women. They claim
| that Mrs. Mackey is the most assiduOus
Of these toadies TO the Prince of Wales
and his set and hence has arisen the word
| MaCkeyism, generally meant as con-
temptuous title for turf hunters and shOd-
Ia nIg do Of In
| water. such women as Mrs. Mackey,
| Mrs. james Brown Potter, Mrs. Paran
| Stevens, Hiss Chamberlain. Miss Grant
| and NJ ss LangdOn nave mace newspaper
! fame enough TINS year through this
species of comment TO satisfy the most
ardent longngs OF an aspiring tragedian.
| While A merican women nave been Great
ing all this stir abroad, hobnobblng with
princes. slipping little chunks Of ice
| playfully down the backs of loyal dukes,
| dancing the Highland schottische after
| n siX-bour dinner with peers OF the realm
| and locking the doors so that the servants
| could not see their indecent antics, and
! making themselves so thoroughly con-
! spieuous that their names have been
! cabled all over the world aud the papers
| speak of them with about so much re-
spect as thev show for the lenders OF the
! Partisan balf-wOrid. While all this WAS
going on among the women, The little old
| American husband sat in the cramped
! little American exchange sucking the END
! Of an American cigar, snubbed, ignored
| and unknown.
Ii is no new thing in the history Of
| clubdOm to find that Engishmen who
! have been laVishly entertained here have
! refused to recognize their American en-
tertainers when they met them in Lon
don. Incidents OF this sort have occur
| red from time TO time. This year, how
! inliffprauOa Of EDUIis n man baG
been 80 pronounced that it has been i'm
| possible TO ignore it. Nowhere were the
! men of the family included in the invita-
| tons extended to the women and the
troupe of America's fair daughters Who
nave managed to divert for q season the
Prince of Wales, though thelr own reputa-
tons have been wOtuily besmirched,
! have in no case been accompanied by
| their husbands, brothers or natural pro-
tectors. Most of the latter found IL 80
uncomfortable in London that they came
| home, leaving the women behind them
! Every steamer brings fresh batch OF
| nalcontents. Engiishmen Of title who
when visiting New York had lived for
weeks and sometimes months on the hos
| pitaiity of some amiable citizen, WHO
! gave his visitor incessOnt dinners, made
| him an honorary member of all the avail
able clubs and did everything in his
power to render his visit comfortable
/ ana Pheasant, nave given HOlulnk HlOTe
than surly nod or limp shake of the
hard when they met their former hosts
in London.
There is but one thing to be said Ia
favor OF the EDglishmen. Tney give their
reasons with undertaking candOr. They
claim that American men afford neither
interest, amusement, or instruction, and
that as rule they are under-bred, SO that
no matter how useful they may be on
tnis side, they do not feel that it Is posi-
bic to introduce them to men of distinc-
ton or position in London club life. If
any New Yorker cares to be slapped in
the face more nOnchalantly than this we
would like to know how 1t Is possible for
the act to be accomplished.
few nights ago this was the subject
| Of conversation with some men at a small
dnner--itis a topic that crops upwhereVer
men eOugregate n1w-and one OF the party,
himself an Englishman,a member of seven
London clubs and a director of two of the
more pretentious clubs of New York, gave
his opinion with about as much gentle
J ness as the English clubmen usually eX.
! hibit towards Americans whom they
meet in London. The speaker is connected
with perhaps the most prominent OF the
steamship lines between here and Great
Britain, and is thrown In contact con-
stantlY with the English who visit America.
THE position of the English clubmau ,"he
u
Americans do not seem TO think so. Lon
don clubs are remarkably exclusive. 1t
is the most difficult thing in the world to
get man beyond the threshold OF the
vis1ting room. While nearly AL New
York men use their club house as meet
ing place, Il restaurant or Il billiard hall,
the London man regards his club as his
home. His residence, that is his real home,
Ia nearly always in the country and wnen
be is in London be may lodge in neighbOr-
Ing chambers, but he has all his appoint
ments, his letters and in fact virtually
lives at his club. He knows the members
and they know him. He regards every
! new acquainta nee as a bore aud man
; whom he Will have to disturb himself 20
/ remember aud De civil to. The chances
are that he dosen't know anything about
, America, and doesn't care to. He never
, expects to come here, and though he may
l he glad enough TO meet a bright and
vivaclous young American married
woman in society, he draws the line at
2 being made host iuvOluntarily by having
I an American forced on INN by some
+ other member OF his club. The fact is,
that American men, though in some cases
quick, amusing, good-natured, and ali
2 that, are, taken as a whole, remarkable for
their lack OF entertaining qualities. Most
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