The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-01-09
LITERARY.
Newspaper Bellies.

We assume, to begin WITH that - So
cictv Notes and :. Society Scraps were
invented bv Il retired soapboiler, who car
ricd his business interests into his private
life. and desired to advertise the elegance
of his furniture or the beauty Of his
daughters The soapboilcr hypothesis is
the only tcnable one that occurs 10 us,
because no man. sure of his position in
society. would desire to make the public a
party TO his private actions. In this view
of the case there is but one objection to
" Society Notes" They are too meagrc
The opportunity to make this feature OF
the newspaper readable to the general pub
lie is at hand The soapboiler has dcliv-
cred himself over to the reporter and the
reporter has handed him over to the mcr-
cies of the public, and the public de-
mands Il full account of his receptions
and all the details Of his private life.
When we 20 through with the soapbolcrs
let us havc-but in the meantime, if the
reporter has done his duty, lie may find
that parties arc held with locked doors
While the reporter is about it, why does
he not describe The rouge, the vanity, the
powder and the paint! We are only car
rying out - Society Notes to their legiti-
mate consequence, and may best illustrate
the true system as suggested to the re-
porter bv the following extract from AL
phonse Daudet's." This is Daudct's
description of party in the days OF the
regime OF Napoleon III:
From the place in which he found him.
self he witnessed the curious procession
of Jenkins guests. which was not ended
at midnight The open saloon, the vast
ante-room, whose doors had been taken
oil, OH which toated out the long trains
whose silkcn weight seemed to draw back
wards the undraped shoulders OF the la
dies, in that graceful ascending motion
that made them appear, little by little, un-
til their glory was completely revealed
The couples, when they reached the top,
seemed rs ii entering upon the stage, and
that was true, rs each OF them left on the
top steps, the frowns, the lines OF care,
the air of wearincss, their anger and their
sadness, and showed Il satisfied cOuntc-
nance, bcamng smile OH the calm COM
pOsure of the features. The men exchange
loyal hand shakes. fraternal illusions; the
women, hearing nothing, absorbed in
themselves, with little stationary Frances,
graceful shivers, and much play OF eyes
and shoulders, murmurcd few words OF
welcome. Z + This
society is HORRIBLE whispered the pro-
vincial to himself The smiles that sur
rounded him appeared to him like grim
aces"
The publication of society notes may
be traced to the English method of ga
zetting those received by the Queen. But
this is requisite information to nobil-
ity and gentry widely scattered, and the
ceremony is Il feature of an established
society. The public is, in u measure, in
terested in it, and description appertains
to class set apart, and involves some
thing more than the dress of the wearers.
In fact the dress on such occasions is n
regulation costume, probably SO ordained
to prevent any scnselcss display. Any
public. for that matter, will adj
nit of description OF toilets; and. per-
haps the country has right to know what