Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-12
SOME RUN TO MUSIC,
And That is Very Bad for Their
Neighbors.
OTHERS TAKE UP LITERATURE.
That's the Reason That Editors
Grow Bald and Gray.
MANY WRITE FOR THE STAGE.
The Modern Craze to Yearn Liv-
ing in the Arts.
AMERICAN BELLIES IN LONDON
How They. Have Made Captive Al
bion's Youth With the Witchcry
of Their Ways and Shine in
English Society.


lCopyriDht 1889 by James Gordon Bcnnstt.1
LONDON, May H. New York Herald
Cable-Special to THE BEE. The London
season is now in full swing, and any person
searching amusement who fails to find it
must be very hard pleased. Staring in at
the shop windows ought to provide ample
entertainment for day or two, and then
there are picture galleries where as many
bad oil paintings and water colors are on
view, mixed with some good ones as in any
other European capital. These times every
body goes in for art and there are few per-
sons who are not secretly persuaded
they could beat Leighton and Millais
out of the field if they only
had fair chance. There is sure to be
artistic genius IN every family nowadays. 1t
sometimes runs to music, and then it is very
bad for the next door neighbors, and still
worse for anybody IN the same house. Some
times 1t goes to literature, which accounts
for so many editors being gray and bald.
There never were so many people who
fancied that art, literature or music is their
proper sphere as just now. AS our theat-
rical friends inform us, the prevailing idea is
that anybody can write successful play; the
consequence is most of the managers are
driven half out of their wits by
the manuscripts which pour upon
them. In spite OF it all several
good theaters are at this moment
closed in London because an attractive play
cannot be found. So no aspiring dramatist
need fancy his chance is gone. There are
amusements enough, but it must be confessed
our American visitors find that time hangs
rather heavily upon their hands when they
have done the theaters. There is no social
center where they can meet friends and form
satisfactory acquaintances. Yet it may be
doubted whether any city, in Europe contains
q larger number of resident Americans occu-
pying firstraJe social positions and recognized
by everybody as being among the most
charming persons in English society. Let
me mention some of them. Confinng my
self to the ladies, among the recent additions
into Anglo o-American circles the Duchess of
Marlborough comes first. She had already
established herself in the good will of all
who had met her, and the newspapers have
made known the fact that the queen has
given parliamentary gracious reception to
Lady Randolph Churchill: so she has of
course been a favorite for long time, not
only in social circles, but among the working
classes, at whose meetings she is often to be
vocate of women's rights, she takes an active
part in politics and has been a leader in the
Primrose league, which her husband started
from the very first. She spares no exertio
to assist its progress in popularity aud in
fuence Lady Randolp ranks decidedly first
among the American colony now firmly es-
tablished here. Lady Vaudeville has also
been here some time and has very little now
d.
Harcourt, formerly Miss Ives, is less gener-
ally known, but no one is more highly es-
teemed. Lady Vernon, nee Miss Fanny
Laurence, is q great parsonage in Derby
and Cheshire. Then we have Lady Lyster
Kaye. sister of Lady Maud and Lady
Heskets, nee Miss Florence Sharon.
Lady Abenger was Miss Ella
Magruder and Lady Anglesea is well known
to many Herald readers as Mrs. Wodehouse,
formerly Miss Minnie King. Mrs. Caven-
dish Bentenck, wife of the popular member
of parliament, is one Of the most hospitable
of this delightful circle OF representative
Americans. Mrs. Beresford Hope and Mrs
Ernest Chaplain, a niece Of MIR. Morton,
the vice e-president are also very popular.
Mrs. Phipps, nee Miss Jessie Duncan, has
been one of the great attractions of English
society ever since she came here. Lady
Waterlow made the wealthy men of the city
wish they could all find American wives,
and some of them have hastened to do so.
Mrs. Victoria Woodruff and Miss Tennie G.
Chafiin both made most advantageous mar
riages. Mrs. Hughes Hallett Miss Emily
Schomberg and Mrs. Joseph Chamberlain
must be added to the list. The
ladies who married members of parliament
are somewhat less public, but are in very
charming circles of life. Among these must
be mentioned Mrs. Moslyn, Mrs. Charlton
Mrs. Adair and Mrs. Schenting, also Mrs.
Woodward, one of the daughters of the pop.
ular Hugh Hastings, of New York, and Mrs.
Dockrell, a daughter of Mr.. Vanschaik, also
favorite old New Yorker. Mrs. Dockrell
has most delightful residence in Hamp
stead, a little way out of the smoke and din
of London. Mrs. Ernest Beckett is the wife
of another member Of parliament.
Even If these were all the ladies who have
married Englishmen that coult be mentioned
1t would be sufficient to show that the Amer
ican element now is very large, and that it
must producs some effect on the tone of the
society into which 1t has entered, and in
truth the influence is not denied by anyone
who is competent to form a judgment upon
the facts. Some old fashioned people pro-
fess to be not very well satisfied with the
chances that have taken place within the last
few years, but it is notoriously difficult to
please everybody. This admixture of Amer
lean blood made the tone of social life more
cheerful, and less artificial than II
used to be, and no doubt will
produce effects which must be last
ing. as anyone can see who considers how
many young English boys and girls are now
growing up whose mothers are American.
The two nations evidently are not destined
to be farther apart as regards blood rela-
tionship and family ties than they are now.
Englishmen who go to America unmarried
seldom return SO. II Is pretty fair proposi-
tion that American young ladies reciprocate
the compliment when they come over here,