New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-23
A TEXTURE or NEU- LIFE.

advices.
A FEATURE OF NEU-YORK LIFE.
The annual dinner of the New-England So
ciety last evening attended by a larger num-
Der of members than ever before and marked
by unusual cordially and enthusiasm, suggests
The interesting social fact that societies for
cutivating the ties of birth and perpetuating
the memories of early days are constantly null
| tiplying in number and membership and in
creasing in importance. OF these the New
| England Society is perhaps the most conspic-
uous. for long series of yearly banquets at
which great pains have been taken to assemble
the most notable speakers from all parts OF the
country has spread its fame by newspaper re-
port and word of mouth all over the continent.
But the Knickerbockers are in no danger
of being stifled in their own city by aggressive
| and adventurous intruders from the land Of
Cotton Mather and John Carver. The St.
Nicholas, and the Holland societies, organized
for the purpose of preserving and transmitting
unimpaired to posterity the mutifarious virtues
of Wouter Van Twiler and his contemporaries
have never betrayed sign of fear in pres
ence of the Yankee cohorts. They renew their
youth at DelmonicO's every winter and prosper
abundantly the year through. The Knights
Of st. Patrick and his Friendly Sons, who per-
petuate among us the best qualities of the Irish
race and never cultivate their loyalty to the
Green Isle at the expense of the amenities
annually appropriate two days in the calendar
to the exercise of true Celtic hospitality. The
st. Georges Society represents Old England
in the metropolis of the New World, and the
St. Andrews Society the land Of Bruce and
Burns, and each engages and rewards large
share Of public attention at its yearly celebra-
ton.
There is a supported German Society in
Newly orE whose main purpose is the assistance
of immigrants, but there are no organizations
among the Germans similar in motive, spirit
and operation to those which represent other
nationalties. Their gregarious social procliv-
tiles find other outlets chiefly through the two
great clubs, the Liederkranz and the Aron
whose relationship eliminates in elaborate
balls given at the Metropolitan Opera House.
The French element in Newly ork life expresses
itself in the Cercle Francois de fIarmonie,
which also dances away one night year in an
atmosphere of effervescence peculiarly char
acteristic of the Gallo temperament.
Akin in its central idea to the New-England
Society is the Southern Society, which is still
young, but which is growing so rapidly and
taking on so many elements of strength that
it's permanence and influence are already as
smed Unique, but surely destined to be i'm
itated as New York becomes more and more
a magnet to attract the energy and talents of
the country, is the Ohio Society. No other
social organization in this city, so far as we
h0
exalts the horn of a single Commonwealth.
New-York has drawn within its embrace an
extraordinarily large number of Ohio men of
resource and capacity to make their influence
felt wherever they might choose to establish
themselves, and the liberal spirit in which they
founded their society and the hospitality which
they are constantly extending to all corners
have been rewarded by signal and increasing
prosperity. Perhaps no other State has yet
sent hither sufficient number of her sons and
daughters and bound them together by sufi-
GENTLY strong sentiment of sympathy and in
terest to make the formation of another society
like that Of the Buckeyes Immediately success
full But the first experiment in that direction
has been so fruitful of pleasure and profit that
il is likely to be repeated before many years.
We have not pretended to exhaust the list
of social organizations formed racial and
geographical lines, but enough of them have
been enumerated TO indicate how largely they
contribute to the reputation of this city and to
the pleasure of living here. And aside from
their public appearances many of them find |
their best reason for existence in the charity |
and comfort and assistance which they con- |
stantly extend, each in it's own field, to the |
poor and the unfortunate.