Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-23
The Manner Of Man Who Reigns
the Four Hundred.
NO REALM MORE STABLE THAN HIS
On the Floor He Cuts Old-FashiOned Pigeon
Wings Before BIS Lady.
A TALK WITH A MUCH COURTED NAN
rcOnnrsrorDrxcr OF THE D1srArCHl


Directory he appears simply as 'McAllis-
ter, Ward, lawyer" Here blood tells as
well as it does in the efete monarchies Of
the East. Before he ascended the throne,
McAllister practiced law, but it is many
years since his voice was raised in court.
The king in his day was one of the hand
soonest of men. With over two score years
and ten crowding upon him, he is still fine
looking man. He does not betray his age
by his looks, speech or actions. He has
been as carefully groomed all his life as
race horse. As consequence, time has been
almost set at naught.
As the King scarcely moves outside OF
the -Four Hundred, the general public has
little opportunity to see him. He is
Southerner and Georgia is his birthplace. 1t
was there that the legal sheepskin was be-
slowed upon him. He is nearly six feet
in height and well built, though not pOrtly.
he has a military air in his movements.
There is scarcely a gray spear in his well
thatched head of brown hair. He wears a
luxuriant mustache and an imperial such
as Napoleon III. wore, thereby setting the
style for men in his day. He dresses in
dark clothes at all times, but the material OF
which his garments are made is always ex-
pensive and the cut is fashionable. His
personal adornments are few. They merely
consist of signet ring and scarf pin.
NOT A RICH MAN.
McAllister is by no means rich man, at
least as fortunes rank in the Four Hundred.
He has competency, so that the thought
of the wolf being at the Royal door does
not disturb either his waking or sleeping
heurs. He lives In brown stone house in
| West Thirty-six street, not far from Fifth
avenue. His residence is almost in the
center of what 10 former years was known
as Murray Hill. Here it is that the affairs
of state in the social realm are conducted.
The back parlor is where His Majesty for
mulates mis- DEGREES. When he seats him
| self at his mahogany desk, McAllister puts
on pair of gold trimmed spectacles whose
bows extend back over his aristocratic ears.
This desk, by the way, contains documen-
tary evidence of the standing or rank of
every one of the Kings subjects and tell
how absolute is the sway of the present
reigning Monarch.
Nor has the King any apprehension, or
even cause for apprehension, that his throne
will be toppled over and a republic pro-
claimed. No kingdom was ever more firmly
established, and no King was ever more GER
tain of the loyalty OF his subjects. There
never was but one revolt against the Mon
arch, and that was when the great Centen-
nial ball was given in 1889. Then StuYve-
SAINT Fish, as the Chairman of the Public
Committee, disputed the authority of Nc
Allister l. His punishment was condign.
He was banished from the kingdom by Nc
Allister. At any rate the King and Fish
do not speak as they pass by, and the KiLg
showed his royal displeasure by not invit-
ing Fish to the New Years ball, which was
the crowning event of McAllister's reign.
FAITHFUL TO HIS TRUST.
People outside of the Four Hundred NAV
not understand whv McAllister is so firmly
fixed in his place. 1t Is because of his fdel-
ity to his trust The clamor for admission
to the charmed circle of exclusive society"
is great. But admission can be gained only
by satisfactory proof of the pedigree or
standing of theapplIcant. Neither entreat-
les, threats nor bribes will avail with Meal
lister. 1t is fact not generally known that
there are poor persons in the Four Hundred.
They, however, have family names that en-
title them to social distinction. Not that
any member is actually in want, but there
are several who are in reduced circum-
stances" Many in the past have tried to
buy their way into the kingdom, but their
breeding and connections proved a barrier
that even millions would not sweep away.
McAIlister's ratings of society people are
like those in a commercial agency. There
are only 400 who are qualified to rank A l.
To be sure there were 1000 at the New
Years ball, but 800 OF them belonged to
dependent social principalities. The balls
at Delmonico's, known as the "Patriarchs,"
are the most restricted society gatherings
Noh olu ha iufr ut of
without the consent of McAllister. First
the name of the lady or gentleman must be
presented to him for consideration. If he
approves, the name is entered on the list,
which he has sole authority to prepare. If
the lady or gentleman is not known to him
he institutes the most rigid inquiry as to the
persons family history and standing, and
there can be no appeal from his decision.
THE SAME AT NEWPORT.
It is the same at Newport as in New
York. During the season McAllister sets
up his kingdom at Newport, and no ball or
important social event of a general charac- |
ter is considered wholly correct unless under |
his immediate direction. Barn dances are |
popular at the summer rendezvous of the |
fashionables. These barn dances are de- |
cidedly different from the hoe-downs which |
wind up corn-husking in the country. In |
the first place the barns are not sheathed |
with hemlock boards which pull apart under |
the seasoning influence of the wind and sun |
until cracks half an inch wide are created /
for the stars to peep through and the wind |
to blow through. The Newport "barns''
are of brick and stone, and many of them |
cost from S5O. 900 to 500, 900. The dancers |
thread the mazes on stone floors, and refresh |
themselves with champagne right off the |
ice McAllister sets the seal of royalty on |
81, 4 h,, |
the cotillon. He is an old fashioned dancer. |
He cuts pigeon wings before the lady on the |
corner in the style which our grandfathers |
approved, and pirouettes in the same erst-
while fashion.
A MUCH CoURTED MAN.
McAllister is one of the most courted men |
in the world. He is rarely permitted to
dine at home. The fashionable hour for
dining is 8 in the evening. Mr.. McAllister
begins to dress two hours before. He does
not accept invitations to dine for the sake of
gorging with food and wine, but for the
sake OF sociability. His office hours" are
from 10 to II in the morning. At no other
hour of the day can he be found at home.
He is not naughty man by any means.
He has sort of stammering way of speak
ing. He repeats every second or third SEN
tence and concludes every repetition with
the query ''don't you know?" One might
think that he was coxcomb. He is any
thing but that. He is a brainy man, and
the qualification of his ambition to be the
social leader in America is not so remarka-
BILE when the general strife for social dis
tinctlon is considered. The correspondent
of The DISPATCH spent a portion of a
morning talking with Mr.. McAllister in his
back parlor Office. His methodical nature
was shown by the way in which his books
and papers were kept. The lists of society
v,aopla and the raoord of avar4s ,,osf ond - |