Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-17
The American Elite Their Man.

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merB.
For now these many days we have
been hearing a great deal about the
famous "Four Hundred of New York y
These superfine ar;stocrsts embrace all
the blue blood of Gotham, although,
upon occasion, by special grace as it were,
there have been balls given in the metro
politan city with the approval of the
august McAllister, which embraced as
many as eight hundred Of the nobility Of
the land. But this appalling figure
suggestive of many plebeian interloper
was only eked out by admitting the
friends Of the elite of New York from the
various sections of the Union. Still it
was concession of doubtful wisdom,
and has done much to impair the exclu-
aive character Of the blue bloods of New
York.
The Nav York World of late
date records q new departure of the
aristocratic Four Hundred. 1t appears
that they have lately adopted practice
of paying the mass of their social obli-
cations during the opera. That is to say.
the gilded youth during the progress Of
the music keep up an interminable
trampling from box to box, and the aris-
tocratic voices of both sexes maintain q
terrible clatter, several hundred people at
once talking in an ordinary conversational
tone, utterly drowning the singers aza
knocking the orchestra galley-west. Not
long ago, an impudsnt and presumably
cultivated plebeian sitting in the gallery,
who had paid his vulgar dollar to hear
the music, got up in his place, squared
round on the Four Hundred and said it
was on outrage that such clatter
should be kept up. The importunate
wretch continued that if the aristocratic
portion of the audience had no more
knowledge or appreciation Of music than
80 many hogs, that was no reason why
they should interrupt the enjoyment of
those who had. For the moment this
Goth disturbed the self-poessssion of the
Four Hundred, and there was s. hush Of
amazement. They quickly caromed on
their cheek, however, and after an in.
staut's pause the hubbub was as great
as ever.
1t is true that in European theatsrs
there is good deal of social intercourse
at the opera, but it is almost entirel y
between acts, and the conversations are
conducted in well-bred undertonss. For
any demonstrative intercourse the foyer
is availed of. There is no attempt to
marshal multitudes through the exigen-
cies Of ackno wledging calls. The whole
Four Hundred in movement at once, with
their loud, vulgar ways. make it very
binding for the quiet lover of music. He
feels like getting down in his boots or
reaching around for dynamite bomb to
hurl into the disturbing quarter.
Verify, the Four Hundred, with the
illustrious Ward McAllistersat their head,
are mighty institution. They are aris-
tocratic to the tips of their dainty finger
nails. The success with which they can
dig up coats of arms and quarterings of
nobility almost makes them oblivious of
their real origin. Some Of them can
produce irrefragable evidence of having
had grandfather, although the number
who can do so is limited.
1t is true that most Of these aristocratic
people are the sons or grandsons, daugh-
ters or grandsdaughtsrs, OF soap boilers j,
lager beer sellers. tobacconists, trades
men OF various sorts, and other people of
low degree. One Of the daughters of old
Commodore Vanderbilt once turned up
her nose at lady, with the remark,
''She's nobody" The Commodore, who
never lost his good sense, quietly re-
my dear, your mother once
sold beer by the glass;" Disgusting OBJ
servation Unfeeling man To thus
interrupt the flight of his gifted daughter
to the aristocratic empyrean The Astor
family also settle down in their secure
ease in the eclectic -Four
Hundred with luxurious sigh of enjoy
ment, notwithstanding that old John
Jacob, who built up the multiform mil
lions that make the tribe, once peddled
pretzsls and things 10 New York City.
Great are the Four Hundred and their
affiliations throughout the United States,
including California, and in Europe. The