The Portland daily press., 1892-05-31
the money under such conditions. In
deed. some of their southern frienda
think the Lees would under no cir.

SaA<AAh UaG Lees WOekSiF SN~-> 1%S SLS'
cumstances, claimsthe award. Such an
amount estimated as recompense for
the timber cut from single estate
gives the reader of to-day fair idea of
the area and resources OF the
old-fashioned plantations of the
southern aristocracy. There was lordly
atmosphere about them and baronial
dignity in their maintenance. Great
parks, in which deer disported them
selves frequently surrounded the man.
sion house to which winding drives of
mile or two led from the main road" or
nearest country highway. The time
for all these things has passed away,
and the great estates are now subdi-
vided and far1ned out. The great wheat
farms of Dakota, where everything is
done by machinery, have superseded
them. But the race of men and women
who were bred up on the Old Dominion
demesnes still survives in such people
as the Lees. do not know whether
the children of Robert E. Lee can right
fully be held as illustrating the truth
Of the dogma that great mems daugh-
ters are more apt to be great than great
mems sons. But Sherman and Burr
seemed, at least, to hand down in the
direct female line nearer reproduction
of their own ability and charm. And
many other instances may occur to the
thoughtful.
AsToR WOMEN AND THE MILLIONS.
The ignoring of Mrs. Coleman Dray-
ton in the will of her father, the late
William Astor, has been severe shock
to the lady's many friends. Just how
it has affected Mrs. Drayton herself is
not definitely known, but it is surnised
that it is something of shock to her.
In any event, it has .'set society agog"
and has been the means of reviving a
scandal that has been stirred up too
often already. Another thing this has
done-it has created an immense
amount of sympathy for Mrs. Drayton,
and served to intensity the popular pre-
judice against the Astor system of will
making. II lit were any family other than
the Astors, the will would undoubtedly
be contested, as it ought to be. 1t has
not been proved that Mrs. Drayton is
guilty under the Indictment found
against her, and, however much the
stories may affect her standing with the
family, they do not greatly disturb her
legal status as an heir. No act that the
late William Astor could have commit
ted in the matter of disposing of his es-
tate could have been more unexpected
than this, and scarcely more unpopular.
Mrs. Drayton, suddenly plunged from
her exalted position in society, is stag
gering under heavy cross, and this
slight from her father no doubt adds to
it hundred fold. To be sure, the
SS50,00o which she was to have
received will go to her children, and
Mrs. Drayton says she has already re-
ceived large sums of money "on ac-
count" and is satisfied. But her friends
know that she is putting as good face
on the matter as possible. The public
does not believe she is satisfied and
knows very well that she ought not to
be. Mrs. Drayton is not likely to suffer
for the necessaries of life. She will
have these and many of the luxuries,
for where there are so many millions
floating around all the pin money she
wants will blow her way; but it is the
iignominy placed upon her by this omis-
sion of her name from her fathers will
under which she is staggering as from
blow. Considering the vast fortune left
by Mr.. Astor, the women of the family
are given but beggarly pittance Mrs.
:Astor's $4,000 will not enable her to
live as she has been living With two
immensely expensive establishments to
keep up, one in Fifth avenue and one
in Newport, she will have a strug-
gle for existence. She will be
obliged to dispose of a lot of
horses, dismiss servants, cut here and
curtail there in order to make both ends
meet have already suggested that
the Astor women should ''get together"
and make a determined stand for their
rights, and am still of the opinion that
the point is well taken. They are de-
cidedly getting the worst of it. Young
John Jacob Astor has been left so much
money, and more in prospect, that he
doesn't know whether he is afoot or on
horseback, while the women are left
destitute in comparison. They are ap-
parently faring worse as the fortune
gets larger, and the time may come
when they will be forced to take in
washing. When it occurs to a male
member of the Astor family worth
s25o,0oo,0o6 to leave s9.Oo week to an
old servant who has worn out her life in
the service of the family, there is no
telling what may happen next. say
member of the Astor family worth $780,.
100000 and will probably meet with the
statement that both branches of the
Astor family are supposed to be worth
but s2o0,o0o,oo0. There is difference
between what is supposed to be and
what really is. There is very good war
rant for saying that the Astors have
been pulling the wool over the eyes of
the public for many years regarding
their wealth, which is as likely to be
above $500, 1000, 900 as below it.
POINTS IN THE AsroR WILL.
Mr.. William Astor's fame has suf-
fered somewhat by his will. There is
so much in it that is small and narrow
that the public, which has been regard
ing Mr.. Astor with good deal of re-
spect, is disposed to reverse its judg-