Telegram-herald., 1889-04-25
THE FOUR HUNDRED
Ibe Troubles Whlea Have Come
Upon Wsrc Il ALast ?.
QJBIIosS HE GOULD soT SOLVE


u -
er4na nomenelator n tie Foul Hun
dred. ROW interest tAe people q l-ls clgy
T. al extent which even makes chem
forget for the present tie appointments
is President Harrison ~. AcAlisier
has rashly attempted % solve rro q-ea-
tlons of more than nariunsl lmpcrt, H..
MLa is ~ soclelss and in 50 FAR as il Is a
matter II sepea.ogy does tas descent run
in the male or the female Ane. He lA
clInes % tne latter on the ground tlat
the social and ceremonial government
Is womans pgerogatiye. lis fellow COM
mltteemen take different views. hence
these tears.
lt is of course known 10 al the Amer
lean people that the 29th and Both in-
stans and the lst II May are - he de
voted 10 grand centennial Observance
IN this city. and that ali that part of it
which concerns government officers, sol
GERS and the malo SIX generally was
easily provided for But the grand hall
on tho evening OF tie 25th and tAe grand
banquet on the evening Of the 50th ars
social affairs. hence the ladies' must be
satisfied, hence complications. hence
but need not SET forth the ungallant in
ference.
A the start many committees were
named; general committee on plan and
scope, sub-committees on everything
else, and the chairman OF that on enter
tainmeuts Is Ward McAllister. the only
man IN the world who knows all about
she -Four Hundred who constitute $50
ciety" IN New York Iie leased the
Metropolitan Opera house for the two
affairs and provided for having it deco
rated in style that Is simply gorgeous
lie sold Opera house boxes TO the best
peCDle only" set forth the list OF those
who were 10 come in free IS invited
guests and was proceeding 10 arrange for
the sale OF the remaining tickets when
his troubles began. One Of the commit
Tee unwisely detailed the proceedings 70
his wife, the list was IN the papers within
twcnty-four hours, and then a racket
arose which almost made Dir. AicAllister
wish ne had never been born.
All were agreed that the president, the
vice president, cabinet officers, congress
men, foreign ambassadors and such peo-
pie should be dead heads" but now tho
members of the New York legislature in
sisted on a show, and after them the city
aldermen and officials. 1t cannot be nee
essary TO tell well informed Americans
that the ordinary New York politician
does not belong 20 the Four Hundred.
And as admitting all these left few va
cancies and the committeeman them
selves are not admitted free, this amount
cd to a proposition that the men who got
tho thing up should pay for their own
entertainment and that of the dead
heads. Tickets were SIS each. There
was a series Of revolutions in the com
mittce and Mr.. McAIlster was practi-
cally reduced to the position of floor man
accr only. This gave him quittance OF
the men, but let him into a new whirl
with the ladies. 1t IS not ungallant to
say that this was getting out Of the fry
ing pan into the fire.
The great question was, who shall
dance: And especially, who shall lie in
the centennial quadrille." the opening
performance in which the highest na-
tional officials are to takc part' Mir. Nc
Allister planned q quadriile ii which the
ladies should be descendants Of the rev.
olutonary leaders. Tie did not design
participation in this quadrille should be,
as he said. made a ladder for social or
political ambition" He wanted il 10 be
an incarnation Of patriotic genealogy,
and that in the female line. OF course.
many of the 'hO tong" rs we say in
Paris, were left out-alsO many OF the
various cOmmittcemen's wives. and very,
very many Of the aldermen's and lcgisia-
tors ladies. 1t is scarcely necessary 10
add that tbore was a widespread. enthu-
siastic and most emphatic kick.
At this point was made manifest n sad
lack in the American social structure.
What we need in this country. and cs-
pecially in this city, Is a parliament Of
fashion, and society like that which Cali
cula established IN Rome. As it is there
is altogether too much mixing. 4 COM
mon man can make million or two ia
leather or pickles or garbage OF whisky.
then so t. Orange. y. j.. and buy n colin-
try seat and 20 into fairish society; IN q
few years hc can relocate IN the city. -
from Orange. and have the entree of
some # the boet families. IN many other
respects the composition of the Four
Hundred j. arbitrary.
Floor Manager AcAllister was So dis
tractei by these complications that he
threatened - resign and iet tho whole
thing 60 % wreck. and was barely per