The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-10-28
SMELLS AT NEWPORT.
The Life In Some Respects Resembles q
Wonderland.


To one who comes to Newport at in
tcrvals and examines ii good naturedly
it always appears like place designed
by the author of "Alice in Wonder.
land" Everything is according to the
rule of contrary, and the people go
gravely on their way without noticing
the vast and laughable incongruities
that are enough to make a craven image
smile. First, it is society founded es.
sentially on trade. Bellevue avenue,
with it's palaces and swell turnouts, has
a rock bottom foundation of leather.
hides, sugar, tobacco and SUCH But
never was trade SO hated and loathcd
anywhere as at Newport. There So
ciety has chosen to model itself after
that of a great landed aristocracy,
when the only thing that the society
people here have not is land! Isn't it
too funny for anything?
Then they built great houses,
modelled after the manor houses of En-.
gland and the chateaux of France, which
are expressly designated for the enter
tainment Of great numbers Of guests.
But such a thing as a house party is
practically unknown at Newport.
Imagine the Astors or the Vanderbilts
entertaining an average party of twenty
persons all through the season. But
no-the mind can not grasp the idea.
Yet they go on building enormous
houses and living in one wing Of them.
Guests at Newport, beyond two or
three desira bic men and a fashionable
girl or a swell couple, would be utterly
disjointing and impossible. One
couldn't take ten persons to dinner
or n small dance, and so guests are
fewer here than anywhere else on the
civilized globe. 1t is true that
one may utilize ones acquaintanccs as
guests, by way of getting a footing in
society, and it is done very often; but
the fact remains that after all the en-
tertaining done here there is but little
hospitality. Life, indeed, is great
spectacular function at Newport;
everything is keyed up to the note of
beauty, and it would be vain and fool
ish to expect anything else. And, alas!
Newport society, the best of it, is dead
ly dull.
The result of this luxurious, material
life is. first, to prevent people from be-
ginning to think; and, second, to pre-.
vent them from thinking if once they
begin. Stray foreigners who come to
the United States with great anticipa-
tions of American esprit among women
and American humor among men would
never find any of it here. The young
men and maidens are sham English
They are not in touch with American
life-nor with English life either. for
that matter. They are Immediately
well dressed and perfectly we'll man
nered. The men have, under all their
veneering, certain manliness and
courage such as the duke of Wellington
said that puppies usually have. The
women are at heart womanly, but they
are the dullest Americans that can be
found. A Newport dinner is one of the
most splendid and stupid functions in
the world. It is exactly like dinners
given by the great moneyed class, as
represented by the rich English mer-
chants-grand, solemn, conscious. each
one anxious to impress his neighbor
with his social consequence. There is
no especial depravity in this-it is
merely the way that a society founded
on money must organize itself.-Boston
Transcript.