Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-11
BLOOD REJECTS GOLD
And There's a Revolution in the
Ranks of New .York's 400.
W. M'ALLISTER DEFINES SMELLS
And Talks About the Leaders of the Set and
oot5s the Latest Idiocies.
WIFE IN THE BOURGEOISIE

iealousies, is the sensation that has beer
keeping clubrooms and boudoirs in an up
roar for the past week. There are grea
fortunes with little names and great name!
. with little fortunes involved, and the Napo
s-leon of this social Malta is Ward MeAllis
ter
The 400" were entirely amicable ovel
breakfasts, luncheons and teas, but 1t wa:
over the dinner table that the abolition first
started. The first to throw the gauntlet
down were the great names with little for
tunes-the blue blooded ancestry of Puritan
origin who were born with tact, brains and
small incomes supported by unlimited sell
esteem, and old family portraits in oil OF
course, some of the little names with great
fortunes were patronized by the great names
without fortunes, and they Joined the an
cestral prodigies. There was no sudden
clash of sentiment, no rude or vulgar words,
outward bombardment. The 400" dis
agreed, as ladies and gentlemen will dis
agree, with the rarifed atmosphere that be-
longs to high attitudes.
MoAIlister Talks on the Social Situation.
-s In Ward McAllister's opinion, the whole
thing is pure snobbery, but then this is q
case where the everlasting fall of the 400
z to get the facts about this disintegration in
the social camp found him engrossed in
thought Since he has Joined the Immor-
tails in authorship his pen has been ever
8 ready in the interests of society, and his
-- first greeting had a professional flavor that
was aattering.
You see, NV deah boy. L write articles
myself now, and ifI say ANYTHING give you
nv thunder" He placed the reporter upon
IF Vi l,-v that If took sOrne time
TO convince him was out of the question.
When subsequently, he thundered, 1t was
with freedom and ease that he has long
withheld from the interviewer.
''Do YOU think the 400 are increasing
their ranks" was asked.
'Well, you know. there have always
been $50 swells Such number has never
been gathered together at any one of the
great entertainments, however.
From the archives of his desk he drew
several account books. sAt the last New
Years ball." he continued, ''the-e were
only 319 swells present"
'Eighty-one of the 400 missing?" was
asked.
mo, not exactly that, you see-some
had seeded; they always will, you know.
A lady once said to me, Why not invite
thousand people? That would be impossi-
Die. The 50 gentlemen, don't you see,
would never allow it,
Gold and Flood at War.
'Is there not a split in the 1902"
'sNo, l would not say that A certain
lot of people have conceived the notion
that the moneved classes in society are en-
croaching upon the old families. The new
rich, with their power of wealth and with
one great ambition-social promiu ence-
were to be met with everywhere at dinner
parties and balls afterward. Some OF them
were charming people, the others were not,
and some of them belonged to the 400"
'FThen there was disagreement
"Well it appears so, and it has taken the
form this winter of what is known as the
dinner dance, don't you see?'
''Whst is dinner dance?''
An American shy at exclusiveness. Six
ladies have formed a sort of select club
where, when one gives dance the other
five give dinner parties These dinner par
ties are limited to 80 guests"
(which makes the 15O?'
Exactly"
, 'sThen some of the 400 are excluded"
81 ''Undoubtedly Its the new and exclu-
-siye set. To my mind 1 don't approve of it.
I think it is mere snobbery to shut out any
of the real swells-you understand. ="
- The Real Swell of To-Day Defined
"a ''What is real swell?''
''Men and women of tact, wealth and
family are the fashionables. -
t'Does money constitute the principal re-
qnirement of social success?''
81. used to, but it does not carry so far in
New York now. There are so manv people
with money, don't you know. OF course in
some cases money has bought everything"
HAS money made Mrs Bradley Martins
success %
res ''Well, vou see, Mrs. Bradley Martin has
been literally embraced by society. She has
succeeded because she is active worker.
She is a short, quick little woman, with
pretty face. She was Miss Sherman, and !,
her father was famous statistlcian, who !
dealt only in first mortgage bonds. He left |
her an enormous fortune, much more than |
people believe, probably an income of S4oo.- |
600 year, and she spends almost $500, 900 |
year"
SIS she one Of tn. 1902
''Well, she belongs to the 400 undoubt- |
edlv," replied Mr.. McAllister, evasively.
"And Mrs Paran Stevens?"
''She is swell, of course, though 1 remem.
Der at time in Boston when she was not |
received in society. The English people |
made her success. She was very hand |
some woman and very correct. She is a |
brilliant talker and vary daring one"
Will Fill the Eyes, No: the Stomach.
B lis she of the chosen few?''
7''I suppose so, though she does very little |
grand entertaining. Shes throws open her |
house, and if you're a distinguished person |
you can walk around it, but she rarely gives |
YOU anything to eat, little appolinaris |
water perhaps; but that's the Partisan style |
of entertainment, where you talk and drink |
syrups,"
'sHas Mrs. Whitney Joined the 15O?'' /
f'She is one of the 400, but attained her |
position through her husbands position as
Secretary of the Navy"
s'Then who are the six leaders of this new
{ exclusive dinner dance brigade?''
''Hey are good entertainers. Let me
see; there's Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt. She
!. gives an excellent dinner and / mention her
first. Her wines are the best to be had in |
New York. Then Mrs. Townsend Burden.
next Mrs Ogden Mills
'sAnd Mrs. William Astor?"
Eyes, I should place her the fourth in
order because her dinners are abundant and
very decorative. Mrs. William ID. Sloane
and Mrs. George Bowdoin conclude the
list Mrs Edward Cooper also gives a f1ne
old-lashioned dinner. At any of the houses
mentioned you can enjoy dinner as good
as if vou were dining with the best in Paris
or London.
Mrs. Cleveland is Not in 1t.
& 7.sHov is it that Mrs William Astor had
$50 people present at her last ball?"
at was an annual affair, you see, and the
Astors have ALWAYS been extremely polite
Mrs. John Jacob Astor was even more lib
eral than her daughter.
ELIAS Mrs John Jacob Astor, Jr., Joined
the 150?''
ftShe is a social success of course. Her