The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-11
WOMEN'S CLUBS.
THOSE IN PARIS AND VIENNA
WHICH ATTRACT ATTENTION.

SerCle oeS remmeS Qu Monde ana
Les Jupon Courts-The Beautiful
and Noted Women Who Belong to
These Clubs.
(CopVri0htO
New YORK, April 9.-Memories Of Prin-
cess Metternich's brilliant reign of fashion
Of twenty-five years ago are revived by the
organization at Paris of a club of great
ladies and leaders of society. 1t is called
lie Cercle des Femmes du Monde, ;" and is
the counterpart of the Club des Ladies ;"
founded by the ill-favored but supremely
witty and elegant Austrian ambassadress in
1868. In that instance the princess, who
with charming candor calls herself ale SINCE
blanc" 1.-THE white monkey aud who has
never entertained any illusions concern
ing her personal charms, could induce
but very few OF her friends to cast
in their lot with hers in the formation of
the "Club des LADIES' Not very wonder
full fact either. for women who consent to
give themselves a breveu Of ugliness are not
often found. Consequently the club in
question was very short lived. TO the great
regret OF the princess, who mournfully re-
marked that frankness was not among the
many engaging qualities of her female
friends, adding that if this were the case the
"Club des Ladies" would have indeed been
overcrowded. A clever idea would have
been to name the new "Cercie des Femmes
du Monde" lie Club des Jolies Femmes"
This would have secured mberless adhe-
sions, and members would have
made rush for the luxu-
rious local where the club had been
inaugurated with great eclat few days
ago. There is, of course, a loud outcry
among the husbands of the fashionable
women who have entered their names on
the books of the "Cercle des Femmes du
Monde" Gentlemen. as a rule. do not ap-
preciate this sincerest form of flattery which
consists In imitation, and are Mortified at
the idea that MADAME" as well as IN On
sieur" INDUCES in baccarat, ecarte, cigar
cites and iced drinks of a more or less fiery
nature. OF a truth the fair members argue
that they feel the want of place into which
they can drop for a cup of tea" or
dainty uncheon-commodities which, at
pinch, they might get in the seolusion OF
their own homes-but, no doubt. they know
what they want better than their irate
lords, and for the matter of that they get
it, too.
Some years ago Princess Pauline, in no
way discouraged by her Partisan failure,
founded another ladies' club in Vienna.
The name of the charming president was
sufficient to make the enterprise a success in
the Austrian capital. All the fine-feur of
the exclusive feminine Viennese aristocrary
became members thereof. The salons
OF the club were always filed
with grandes danes who thoroughly
enioVed the freedom from all care which
they found In the palatial building on the
Ringstrasse. Excellent music, exquisite
flowers, choice vintages, caravan tea, per-
feet cuisine, outlandIsh deicacies, and
verbena scented cigarettes contributed to
make life pleasant for them there. II the
truth ia TO be told, there was also a card
room, beautifully decorated with Gobelin
tapestries, where a pretty high game
was carried on nightly, but the toue OF the
club was always refined and select. as be-
comes an institution supported by women
who are the cream of the European grand
monde. Austrian great ladies, like their
lovely empress, are all sportswomen at
heart. They ride, they drive four-in~
hand, they shoot with amazing skill and
these delicate ethereal creatures stalk
chamois or hunt wild boars with fully as
much energy and pluck as their husbands.
sons OF brothers. At the 'club" the con-
versation, far from being Of a gossipy kind,
| was almost entirely restricted to the races,
| the hunt and horse flesh.
Princess Pauline Metternich is one of the
best whips in Europe, a fearless rider and a
| dead shot. She inherited a courage which
Sander, who was famous for his hair
Drained extravagances; he once drove bis
four in-hand up the wide marble staircase
of the imperial palace at Prague, and on
another occasion jumped with his horse
from the JUhannnis-Brucke into the rush-
ing waters of the Moldau. His daughter is
a very curious mixture of gamin, grande
dame and a sportswoman, and if her
Influence has contributed In a marked
degree to iberate European So
ciety In general from many of the tram
| mels born OF exaggerated decorum, she has
always, even during the widest periods of
her eventful life raised rather than low
| cred the standard of woman's refinement
| and chic She has made Vienna and Paris
what they are from social point OF view,
namely, the headquarters Of fashion, pleas
ure and gayety. and it is to be regretted
that it is not she who has been chosen as
president of the Cercle des Femmes du
Monde, for. in that case, many Of the draw
| backs Of lady's club would have been
| avoided.
Our sex does nothingi with measure and
moderation. We are essentially creatures
of the moment, aud we adopt new idea
| with an amount of passion which leaves
| room for nothing else while it lasts. A man
is not prevented by his club from attending
| to his business or even to his family, il he is
a family man. hut club for the farer por-
| ton or humanity means utter neglect OF
home. this little kingdom of ours. Even
| when at the head of great
and wealthy establishment, where a
numerous retinue of servants spares US all
the petty aunoyances of daily life, it is
| however, imperiously necessary that the
mistress Of the house should supervise every.
thing personally. The lamentations of the
husband who finds, on coming home, a
cherries freside uubrightened by the
presence of his womankind because
Madame" is lunching at her club. his
children left to the undlsputed care of
menials, aud his dinner abandoned to the
tender mercies of the undirected chef are
only therefore, too natural.
| There is now at Paris another "club. u
which Is in direct opposition to the Cercle
des Femmes du Monde. 1t has been nick
named Les Jup ms Courts" There, all
women who can pay the initiation fees are
elected; actresses, demi-mondaines, oour-
! geoises, fiu de steele. eccentric great ladies.
sportswomen. circus riders, etc, form the
contingent. This brings about very COM
plicated and sometimes highly amusing stu
ations for the wife or sister is there enabled
30 meet on footing Of equality, if not OF
familiarity or intimacy, the pretty ones
whom their husbands or brothers have dis
tipguished behind the scenes. This, 1t APP
pears, is not devoid Of a piquancy very
much appreciated by the former, l am
| told for in this way and with the help OF
the card tables the wives are sometimes
able to regain from the demi-monde e. al
portion of that dowry which their hus-
| hands have souaOdared in that quarter