Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-10
For the Gazette:

NM sands of poor children
EQ\ bymeans of numerous
"fresh air funds,
TO the ocean side on excursions. Mrs.
Cornelius Vanderbilt alone provides the
money for some of these trips, aud lets
her physician, pastor or other cognizant
persons select the beneficiaries.
HBut there's one thing l want to in
sist on - l know of her sayingto young
doctor, who was TO 90 along with lou
youngsters on an excursion to the Jersey
shore; "you must let them all wade, un-
less they are too i'll for it to be safe.
Start in the girls-for they may be shy to
begin-too timid TO take OF their
hosiery.
When l saw the little girls racing,
dancing and scattering in the water,
with their bare legs and tucked-up skirts,
realized the real thoughtfulness of their
benefaetress, and l wished that she
might have a painting of these cooled
and capering children as reward for
her charity. 1t would mean more than
the best cows-in-water canvas ever made
by an artist.
Do you imagine that the Astors and
the Vanderbilts and the other million
aires in their clique are frivolous aud
nothing else? Then you are very much
mistaken. 1t is true that they go in for
show: that they very carefully foster the
absurd notion that 400 persons constitute
kind OF aristocracy in New YORK; that
they excite great deal of ridlcule by
their pretensions of exclusiveness, the
fact being that they are really less SO
than are some other social circlesi but
along with all their harmless foolishness
goes an open-handed princellness OF
generosity. Every year or so an Aston
or Vanderbilt builds a hospital or
church, establishes library fund, en-
dows reformatory concern or does
something else for humanity at heavy
cost. We are apt TO forget these deeds,
and to bear in mind only the more fire.
quent exhibitions of social gaiety.
-.
A reader of this correspondence asks
me why the New York papers chronicle
the doings OF "the Four Hundred
much after the manner of the London
court circular, and thus tacitly assent TO
the idea that the McAllisterians are So
cialIv superior to other refined and re-
spectacle New Workers. Well, here is
the simple explanation: The journals
would not hold a 1.-THE of the "society
news" OF population of 2 ,000, 900. By
restricting it to this one set of elaborate
idlers IL is kept down to feasible space
in print, 1t relates to persons who by the
process are kept Familiarity before the
readers, and II is easy to get, for these
imitation aristoCrats like the cOnspicu-
business which is accorded to them. And
McAllister? o, he is M amiRble fellow I,
who volunteers to do the work for which
the once noted and comic Sexton Brown
used TO be paid. Brown was an enor-
mously fat and pompous old fellow, who
of1iciated at Grace church weddings and
funerals, and from that became facto-
tum at receptions and balls. BE kept
lists of people "in society" and it was
not altogether jocose theory, but
occasionally an actual practice, that he
provided eligible young men to edo the
swell grand' in larger assemblages. He
was butt for ridIcule by those who en-
ployed him. as well as by the public at
large. Well, upon Browns death Nc
AIlister took the job for love of it, and
he does il to the satisfaction of Mrs. Will
liam Astor, whose approval has been
quite sufficient TO maintain him IN Au-
thority. But here comes in n piece OF
news, which am enabled TO give in ad-
vance of its other divulgence. Mrs. W.
w. Aston, having established herself by
local postal sanction at Newport as 1.-the
Mrs. Astor,'' will next winter declare
her Independent leadership in town.
Her FIRST and great act of self-6ssertion
will be TO give Delmonico ball without
the help, real or implied, of Ward Mo
AlIister. And won I that make talki
-.
The girls at Newport are doing one
sensible thing. They are fixing more
agreeable code of manners, and doubt
less the effect will spread with reasonable
celebrity throughout the land. Men have
accused women of being so frightfully
artificial. Now the fad Is TO be natural
There will be less of this mealy'
mouthed, lackadaisIcal, don 't-know'
what-naughty- means style of girl.
When a woman means leg she will SAY
II, as the English do; and to her mal'
friend, who may happen TO be long
bodied and short-legged, she II remark
"Sit down, Jack; you look taller thar
when you stand up. Your legs weren =
pulled out far euough!'
I'm in favor of the natural Rgirl my
self, and l say success to her. Nov
some prudish and artificial people woult
have objected TO the remark of that es
timable German lady, wishing TO impres
upon her guests the fact that the no
weather had not deferred her from help
ing TO prepare the dinner, Informed then
that she chad cooked that pudding il
her shirt''-a very complimentary
phrase.
The natural girl will no doubt be mis-
understood at first; but we shall get &C
customed to her.
A tenderfoot from New York though
to make an impression at Leadvill
soiree by Waiting in a furious manner
but his partner restrained him an
gurgled gently:
"Danee me lightly, Adolphus, IT
somewhat alkalied."