Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-08
tGOTHAM'S GRAB BAG
Is Dipped Into by Clara Belle, Who
Succeeds in Bringing Ont
A BUDGET OF AMUSING GOSSIP.
Noisy Society People ROundly Kissed at
an Opera House.
A PHILOSOPHER AND FLIRT TALKS

| nine talk in Filth avenue MONIES THIS week
| is about the forthcoming New Years ball
when the ranks of the Four Hundred will
be extended 10 three times that number, and
a high old modish time is expected. There
is one truth in this subject, however, which
| will be read with greater satisfaction at a
distance from Murray Hill than in the
/ neighborhood. It is that the ball will moi
/ have beautiful New York debutante. No,
! not one. Several of the noted beauties oI
previous seasons will be there, of course,
but OF the Gotham girls who will on that
occasion make their first appearance at a
ball not one instance of more than tolerable
good looks will be manifest. OF course,
youth requires only q moderate degree Of
comeliness to be charming, and SO the
youngsters will be admirable; but am now
discussing positive beauty. I have gone
through the names of the maidens who are
in their first season and will be at the ball;
I have seen every one Of them; and declare
that-to make crucial test-no one in the
lot will be considered even pretty at the age
of 80. The clique of families who deem
themselves "New York society" do not yield
beauty prolifcally, and their output of
debutantes this winter is uncommonly de-
void of facial loveliness.
SOME NEW BEAUTIES.
However, there will be several new beau
ties at the New Years ball, although we
have had to bring them from other cities.
They will compete for the award of the an
nual beauty prize, and I name Julia
Schreiner as the most probable winner. It
has long been q practice with our wealthy
and fashionable matrons to seek here, there
and everywhere for superlatively lovely
girls, and, having found rare specimens, to
bring them to Gotham for exploitation.
For example, Mrs. William Astor's judg-
ment contradicts mine. and she declares
that Lulu Williams, whom she has i'm
ported from Boston to chaperone at the ball,
is the most beautiful young woman she has
ever seen.
Hayward Cutting, who was herself great
beauty during her earlier years. 1t was she
who led the cotillon with the Prince of
Wales at the famous ball given in his honor
away back in 1850. A veteran beau with a
vivid memory tells me that when Lydia
Mason-that was her maiden name-was led
out by the then youthful and somewhat
handsome Prince, she was the most acutely
envied creature on the face of the earth.
There had been much deliberation and con-
troversy over the choice of partner for the
royal visitor, and Miss Mason was chosen.
not so much for her social eligibility, as for
her personal beauty. She became widow
ten years ago, and afterward resided in
Paris, but now she has returned to New
York, established herself in Fifth avenue
home and has determined uuon a resump-
ton of her old-time importance in the
Astor-V Vanderbilt circles. Conscious by her
own experience Of the potency of youthful
loVeliness in stylish sociability, she has
brought Miss Sehreiner from Paris as q guest
for the winter, and depends confidently upon
her to make the Cutting house a center of
regard. Thus we have the almost dominant
Mrs. Astor and the freshly-ambitious Mrs.
Cutting pitted against each other for the
New Years ball, each with beauty to
chaperone, and each professedly sure that
she will win the prize for her prOtege.
THE AsToRs KISSED.
The Astor family is of German origin, as
everybody knows, and it is hardly beyond
the recollection of our ol ldest inhabitants
when the original John Jacob was an i'm
poverished beginner at American fortune
making. But at present the Astors are at
war with portion of the German popula-
tion Of New York City. Singular battles
musical culture are alike disturbed by the
conflicts. There were number of engage
ments last winter, the Metropolitan Opera
House being the battle ground, and now,
since the commencement of the present
opera season, the warfare has been renewed.
Box 9 is in what we call the parterre circle
at the Metropolitan, and is one of the most
conspicuous in the house. William Astor
is its owner, aud Mrs. Astor is probably the
most potent and popular woman in our "best
society" She is noted for excellent deport-
ment, good common sense, and respect for
the conventionalities of fashionable life.
Nevertheless, she fills her box every opera
night with women and girls who talk as in
cessantly and loudly as though they were |
assembled in a drawing room-not only be- |
tween acts, when everybody chatters, but |
during the stage performance, when the ma
jority of the audience desire really to be |
auditors of the opera itself Once last win |
ter gentleman stood up in the parquet, |
about 20 feet distant from this Astor box, |
and said in q loud tone:
''Will the persons in that box please |
hush? The rest of Us want to hear the |
music"
The silence which ensued seemed to be |
due to shock only, and upon recovery Of |
vivacity the offenders talked as disturbingly |
were |
roundly Missed, but nothing subdued them.
This wear they are again in full force and
undiminished volubility. Now, the pnruuet !
is filled to a considerable extent by music
loving Germans and others who pay 81 |
apiece for their seats, and the German ele- |
ment seems to have resolved positively that |
the Astors shall stop talking. The Astors |
are evidently quite as determined to talk. |
On the opening night of the season the first |
Yoiley of Kisses was fired at the box, but it |
took no effect whatever, and repetitions of |
such demonstration have not hushed a |
single Astor voice. That is the situation at |
present 1t will be interesting to see what |
the winter will bring forth.
NEW BEAUTY PREsERvATIvE.
To preserve their beauty, women in olden /
time used to wear masks in winter to shield |
their satin skin from the cold. If our |
bellies of to-day seem less pru-
dent, and show their charming faces more |
freely, they nevertheless wear q protecting |
mask, although it is invisible. A timely |
checkmate the cold winds, which are SO |
likely to mix up the roses and lilies OF ones
But December has brought a
new and drinkable help to the maintenance
of a good complexion. At least, so the |
matrons and maidens of Nobtown believe.
On returning home from a chilly walk or
drive. and particularly from q horseback !
ride, they refresh themselves with strength
ening cordial. Here is the recipe: Take
half glass of boiling water, two Jumps of
sugar, a glass Of claret and very small
amount Of cocoa. This delightful and re-
storing compound at once brings color to the
cheeks, brflliancy to the eyes and inde-
fatigable readiness for pleasure.
o, we have whimsical palates, assure
you. At the time when the aesthetic craze
was in full swing. and the American humor-
list was emptying the walls of his sarcasm
upon the heads of its votaries, we used to
henr good deal about lilies as the daily