Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-02-28
NEW YORK RICH MEN.
THEIR INDIFFERENCE AND NOTABLE
LACK or CIVIC PRIDE.
Balls That Yield Endowment Of tho Gent
Inc Type-The Brilliant People OF
the Ciiy--New Aston Hotel.

years ago he was a fixture IN Philadel-
pbia with little OF no fortune md
very poor prospects. Associating him
self with Elkins ana Weidner. the mani
| pulators of street-raIlway transportation
| IN philadelphia, he migrated 20 Chicago,
and, along with the Others, has amassed a
magnificent fortune. His wife. who Is q
| beautiful and attractive woman, finds New
| York n more delightful place Of residence
than Chicago. presume. and she and her
| husband have act up a fine household here.
| Mr.. Ycrkes said 10 me the other day that
be thought he could In measure ac-
count for toe lack OF pride which rich men
| feel IN New York city. as compared With
the local pride entertained By residents OF
western cities and towns.
Il was his theory that very large per-
| ceutage # the rich men OF New ork city
was made Up Of men who bal &C Iuired
| their fortunes elsewhere and who came 10
! New York 20 merely enjoy existence.
MANY Of them left behind them interests
which required more or less care and
watchfulness, and while they called New
| York a home and abiding place. the
| heart of each OF them was really in
tne western and southern towns where
| the fortunes had been made. am my
self" said he, "a New Yorker when in
| New York, but, of course. | am Chicago
| interested IN the development OF Chicago.
| but am not particularly anxious about the
growth OF Now York; This certainly
| does explain good deal of that lndifer-
ence and lack of civic pride which has
| earned for New York very Justly the con-
| tempt and derisIon of the bright and
growing cities of other sections OF the
| country.
FIFTY BALLS IN ONE NIGHT.
| New York OF this season OF the year ~
essentially q city of balls ana dances, but
| in these the -Four Hundred and the One
Hundred and Fifty are not. A man whose
| business takes him among the balls on the
east and west side where dances are
given tells IA that on at least one night
| this winter fifty dances took place.
| The average. he says. Is somewhere be-
| tween fifteen and twenty-five night
| And these are the balls that yield en-
| joyment Of the genuine type: All the va
rous orders and labor and political organl-
cations have their balls. All the COM
mercial trades are represented III these
merry affairs. The employees OF every
conceivable industry turn out and swing
| their partners to the lasciyiOus blessings
| of the string band. The other night the
| Necktie-Cutters assembled in one of the
| big halls and eniOyed one of the merriest
| balls of the season. The Blacksmlths'
| Helpers have their dance. and the Coach
| mems Literary Union meet In the social
whirl.
| SO it goes clear through trade, com
merce. and the industries. while tho fr,vo-
| lous functions OF the Four Hundred are
| decidedly not in it," If Mr.. Rhinelander
| dc Peyster were TO be caught at one OF
| these balls the spectacle OF " Berthe the
| Lamb" as he energies from his reception
on the Stock Exchange, would be
nothing in comparison. But, while these
events lay no claim to representing
neither tho inner circle nor the outer
| fringe Of our best society," they,
| nevertheless, represent "a good type
| of American men and women, with
a fine epIiukllng from Ireland and other
| foreign parts. II is here You see more
! graceful dancers IN one night than YOU
| will see in a weeks round of alleged gayety
| on Fifth and Madison avenues. Here you
| find the maddening waltz in its native
purity. and the bewtching dancing IN
| the barn." not only till you cant rest.
| but until you have no desire to. In addi-
ton to these we have the tough balls ;
but these present a phase of life 1t were
better not to dwell on in chapter de-
voted somewhat TO the -Four Hundred.
| MEN WHO ARE NOT N SOCIETY.
! In one Of his outpourings the other day
Il
| that John Choate, the lawyer for whose
brilliant genus he actually. confessed a
| regard, was mot in society" for the reason
| that he cared nothing tor II. This remark
| is significant. There are no Joe Choates
In the so-called social set. The real
| " brilliant men and women OF New
| York are not there for the reason
that they "care nothing for it," De
pew has been read out of the Inner cir
cle"-or, TO state the bald, brutal fact. he
was barred out Of 1t before he got in-anc
| il he did not subscribe literally TO The
| New Years balls and other pass he-hai
functions, he could not have his name
printed in the newspaper-list OF even the
common, frayed-out Four Hundred. But
| Mr.. Depew looks upon society as quite
harmless. while affording some amuse
ment. Being rich and generous, be will
| continue to pay his assessments and capei
around on the outskirts simply Tor the fuI
he gets out of il.
The late Henry w. Grady, the southern
orator and editor, was a man for whom
society always had its net out, but never
succeeded in wholly capturing. When he
was Young he was fond Of social gather
ings. but got over il even before he reach
ed middle age. 1t is told of Grady thai
when he was drawn into society
with hswser he never got IN
! Sl0o tne DdTlOT uObI. Ills ldNOiAbc Pboi
ton was to sit outside leaning against the
wall. his hat on the back of his head and |
tooth-pick between his teeth. Here III
would entertain dozen people at once
and notwithstanding his tooth-pick and thu
fact that he would not trust his hat to thu
hat-rack, was the lion of the occasion
Men like Grady and Choate, and the olde
fellows, like Daniel Dougherty and Colo
mel Ingersoll, could do great deal for so
ciety but they won't. All they ask OF i
is to be let alone.
THE DUTLLH's LATEST.
| see that my friend. Mr.. Ward McAllis
ter, the sslt-appointed arbiter OF So
ciety" in this city, has made another oil
vision OF his famous Four Hundred, an'
now has an exalted inner circle composed o
| $50 rich people whose names he furnishe
to his newspaper. and who are said to b.
really the creme de Ia creme of our New
York social life. OF course, Mr.. McAllls
ter is wise enough to pick out very ricl
people who are ANXIOUS to exploit them
selves in the social world and are able I,
do so. That is precisely his idea Of wha
constitutes a claim upon society,". Brains
merit. achievement, industry, and oil tina
sink into insignifcance when people ar
not able TO entertain and contribute to thu
support OF Butler McAllister.
Since the butler began writing and talk
ing for print the people whom he serve
as general butler and lacquey. are grow
inc / think. little tired OF him. hi
caddishness and general ignorance of wha
is really refined and elevating in life ar,
rapidly bringing him into, well-merlteC
contempt. And now that he has earned thu
hostility of $50 members Of the origina
-Four Hundred, who have been ex
Guided from his preferred list. it Is easy Z
predict his early downfall. This, taken i
Connection with the statement recently
made by somebody. that his table manner
are not first-clsss, and that no has beef
actually seen upon the street to blow hi
nose with his fingers. leads me TO .beliey'
fiat Wa shall soon see an end of his pre-
sumption as social leader and his pre-
posterous claim as q man OF fashion. IL
fact. he is already regarded here as a eros
between silly clown and the late ridicu
lous Count Joanpes.
SUCCESSFUL AUTHORIZES.
Probably the most interesting female
personaee in New York just now is l.aur