The Helena independent., 1893-08-24
SOCIETY At NEWPORT.
Junius Hesri Browne ms = PhiIosopI,io
Seaside Observer.
Especial correspondence.l

IS
Especial CorrespDndencc.l
NEWPORT, II. l., Aug. l4.--We arc CON
stantly hearing OF Questionable" watering
places that have not the slightest claim to
fashion. But there il no doubt whatever
that Newport II fashionable In the fullest
and strictest sense Of that indefinite adjec-
tive II is one Of the very few places in the
republic entitled to the distinction, II such
IL be, though the term, however well de-
served, Is not altogether complimentary.
10 be fashionable Is supposed to mean
cultured, refined, elegant, high bred, Of
good lineage and ample income. But in this
country, as In other countries, nowadays 1t
means little more than passable manners,
some social tact and training, large pre-
tense and abundant money.
Society, as persons outside OF it may i'm
agine 1t to be- simple, easy, kindly, sym
pathetic, polite within as well as without,
always delightful--cnn scarcely he found
anywhere. A coterie of this stamp may be
met at long intervals but a coterie Is small
slowly formed, carefully selected, fastid-
ious, wholly independent Society, in con-
ventional import, Is too large, too complex,
too selfish, too mercenary, to be regulated
with discrimination. Society here, with
the biggest kind OF an S, il particularly in
cluded in this generalization, as every one
knows who has observed IT..
Newport society, like society tho world
over, Is promiscuous, compounded of good,
bad and indifferent, of nice people and peo-
pie positively disreputable. Notwithstand-
ing this notorious fact, the smart set here
pretends that it is exclusive. But what
does it not pretend? What would it be
without pretense? This, indeed, with most
of it's members, is its principal character
istic.
Since have been here have been think
ing over the antecedents of many of the
conspicuous summerers, and they are sin
gularly diversified Some of them have
lineage, have led honorable If not very
distinguished lives, and are generous, deli.
cate minded, thoroughly ''genteel," to use
word almost obsolete. Others, and the
majority, are noted for nothing. They are
commonplace, characterless, inane, gen
orally conceited, egotistic and saturated
with assumptions of every sort. A third
class are composed Of business men, natural
and eager money max ers, whose wives and
daughters are socially ambitious, and whose
absorbing thought is to get on in society
and to disport themselves ostentatiously.
A fourth set is made up Of men who have
acquired wealth by commerce and are so
anxious to acquire more and more that they
are by no means scrupulous as to the means
they use, nor sensitive to the private repu-
tation they possess. They are inclined to
swagger; to talk about family and blood,
probably because they have none, and to be
guilty of affectations that are translucent.
To these belong their sons, who rs a rule
are shams, snobs, braggarts, who boast
that they are not in business and that they
have not made their own money, thus re-
f1ecting severely, unconsciously maybe, on
their fathers, and intimating that they are
blessed with ancestry. These young fel-
lows cultivate athletics and certain vices
which they regard as fashionable and take
no pains to hide. With little mind and
less culture, they have usually been coached
through some college of high repute, reck-
oning degree as the proper thing, but get
ting almost no benefit from it. They are
very fond Of slang, particularly the latest
and that current in the sporting world.