St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-08

abroad, while the
New York man has
refrigerated. A generation of absolute
leisure, unlimited wealth, limitleSs adj
vantages, outdoor exercise, tennis, yacht
ing and European travel have lifted to-
days New York women far above their
mothers in physical beauty and the ac-
cOmpliShments of the world. Husbands
and fathers have footed the bill. Speci-
mems of sturdy, robust and vigorous
manhood are not as numerous as they
were. The life and death struggle for
wealth which has built up the New
York woman has made StOop-shoul-
dered and OverwOrked dyspeptic of the
New York man. says the New York
Sun. The beauty and grandeur of his
wife have been bought at heavy price.
AT THE THEATER.
At the Metropolitan Opera any night
an observer of New York people may
see the history of this recent develop
ment written in the faces of the men
and women in the boxes. The effect is
everywhere the same. Take the first
box that your glass lights upon. Sitting
in front and in the full glare of the
many lights in the thousands of eyes are
two women, the wife of a famous mer-
chant and her sister. They rustic in
with superb Indifference to the public
gaze, at $50 or o'clock, throw off their
wraps, seat themselves carefully, and
proceed to look the house over. The
wife is about thirty-fve, the sister
twenty. Everything about them sug-
geSts the elaborate grooming of fashion,
able life. They are Superbly-mOulded
women, with keen, bright eyes, the red
deSt of lips, and clear, transparent skins.
The rounded outlines and per-
feet health and repOse of the
elder show that such thing
as care and anxiety are unknown. She
is the picture of cOntentment and abso-
lutte physical beauty. She turns and
speaks in careless and Indifferent way
to some one in the rear of the box. A
friendly and affectionate smile, which
strikes the observer as being just
That is the husband who is sit
ting in the corner. He is million
aire merchant, who has not been absent
from his Office a single day for fifteen
years. He is forty and looks fifty-fve.
His figure is Shrunken, his eyes heavy.
and his mouth drawn down by the fixed
and strained force of eternal anxiety.
Even in weight he is ten or twenty
pounds lighter than his wife, and he
StoopS with bent shoulders YEARLY to-
ward them. The lines in his face may
be seen from across the opera house.
They are dug deep into the parchment
like skin, the evidences of incessant
work and overweight constitution and
indomitable will power. 1T is the face
of man who is fortunate if he can steal
five hours of sleep in the twenty-fOur,
and who is proud if he can keep the
ship going to keep his wife in the
SplendOr that her beauty and taste de-
mand. This is not an idle sketch Of the
New York merchant or an isolated one.
Any man who looks behind the first row
of magnificent and glowing specimens
of American womanhOOd at the Metro
politan opera will see face after face
that has the history of mighty strug-
gle stamped on every feature. But the
faces of the women are as serene as
their health is perfect and their habit
eXtravagant. The men are the bankers,
merchants. professional and business
men of the town, whose names are
known throughout the country. The
women form the only leisure Glass; in
New York, and the effect on them has
been highly beneficial.
A SLAVE TO HIS WIFE.
An EngliShman of title who has writ
ten book of memoirs, and is traveller
of some repute, sat in DelmonicO'S res
taurant with the writer one afternoon, a
SHOEt iliHe ago, WdICHillS tilc NEW LUX
erS as they drifted in and out of the res
taurant or passed on Fifth avenue.
eff it is true" he said, ''that the
Spanish women make the best of mo-
theirs, the Americans make the best
fathers. A Frenchman when he marrieS
takes his wife into his shop with him,
and gradually presses his children into
service as they arrive at a suitable age.
An EngliShman forces his wife to do
the homework and attend to the heav-
Ter duties of the family, so that he may
save the servants hire. But the very
instant an American finds himself in
position to twist his funds to some ac-
count. he sets his wife up as a lady at
once. He puts her into a fashionable
boarding house, while he has to sleep in
the store, spends an absurd amount of
money on her, and forces her up above
his level with an assiduity that is simply
amazing.
''The same sentiment pervades all
grades of New York society. At the
first of the PatriarchS' balls last season.
and these assemblies are, believe, &C
knOWledged to be absolutely exclusive,
and to contain all that is best OF New
York society, | stood near the door with
an attache of our legation, and watched
the people stream in. L have seen many
thrOngS of beautiful women, but never
one that equaled that. There seemed
to be literally no end to the specimens
of female lovliness. But the men who
accompanied the women had neither
the robust and powerful physique of
English, and Germans, and Russians,
nor the look of repOSe and leisure which
gives dignity to the men of France,
Italy and Spain, though they are often
exceedingly small of stature. Many of
the older men at the Pat iarch's ball
that night were known to me by reputa-
ton. Most of their sons are in business
or professional life. The fathers were
worn out, and the difference between
the sons and daughters of the same
family was enough to cause almost
anybody to stop and reflect. The
girls were magnificent looking crea-
lures, high bred, straight, strong
and beautiful. They slept every day
until noon or later, then lOunged about
over light breakfast, with brisk jog
OH a thoroughbred horse, played tennis
and walked or drove in the open air,
had sieSta in the afternoon, and were
sent forth to a ball or dinner at night,
every nerve and every force carefully
nurtured and every muscle well trained.
"rhe brothers of these girls were
forced to leave their bed after four or
five hours of feverish sleep, rush down
town and drive away at their profess
sional or business labors until it is time
to rush home for dinner. Down town
their meals are bOlted, and they netur-
ally revert to stimulants for their work.
SIN the spring the girls are taken for
an ocean voyage or trip Oh the COLI
tinent. After three or four months they
come back to America and spend few
weeks at Newport. From there they go
RI q hroo OF IF tho Por c1,ira billc .
to Lennox, Bar Harbor or Tuxedo, re-
turning to New York in time for the
holidays and the spring gayeties. Ev-
erywhere they have outdoor life--yacht-
ing, tennis, horseback exercise, nour-
ishing food and the best of attendance.