The Indianapolis journal., 1893-10-01
THE -FOUR HUNDRED AT NEWPORT.
Lives OF Leisure and Luxury and Also OF
Frivolity and Emptiness.

Lives of Leisure and Luxury and Also Oh
Frivolity and Emptiness.
Harper's Weekly.
Cottage life Is the center and core OF
Newport society. 1t aims at the exclusion
of publicity. at the seclusion of home life.
with every inch of its grounds open TO
view. It Is about as secluded as the cups
ana saucers at an afternoon tea. 1t Is no
effort however. to maintain this ostrich
view of things, for everything Is arranged
to preserve IL. They all think they live
secluded lives. for there Is nothing
to bring them in contact with
ali do about the same things. They 60 TO
the same places Their belongings are
bought from the same shops Their clothes
come from thesame tailors and well-known
modIstes. They buy the same flowers TO
decorate their tables. They have the same
dishes. They drink the same wines. They
have the samo plans for their children.
Their children drive the Same little pony
carts. They have the same sort of serv ants.
the same gronms the same harness. and the
it oil. IL is so refined. 80 well-appoInted. so
luxurious, so beautiful, that any one
might envy the possession and enJoyment
of it all.
Take their luncheons and dinners. for
instance. Look around at the beautiful
and refined appointments. at the well-bred
faces, the well-dressed women. Look at
the glass and silver and gold. The hunkies
bearing aloft tie selvers of fruits, as IL az
Belshazzar's feast. Every conceivable dish
is there, either In or out of season. As
wit has said, Everything. even from the
apples of Sodom TO English grapes at 50
pound" Then hear che talk. for it can
hardly be called conversation. 1t scarcely
comes up to the standard of the grapes.
though IL is often equal to the apples OF
Sodom.
When the women are intimate their talk
is a little risque. They often speak as If on
the edge of precipiece, but fortunately the
walters are now either French or Italian.
and do not understand. There Is nothing
that the virtuous worldly woman knows so
we'll as the vices of others" Nothing Is
more entertaining than TO discuss them.
As for household appointments think OF
satin sheets-of blue and pink. and black
and white satini Think of $1,000 for four
pairs of sheetsl Think of embroidered
sheets trimmed with lace at $500 pair.
with nigh tdresses to match. Think or
turquoise and diamond necklace TO wear
with them. of bracelets TO match! One has
even heard of solitaire rings for those poor
little things that are one day TO DO turned
mp TO the daisies.
What do you think of $50 rods in room.
with $50 gowns hanging therconf what
think you of costly lace toilet coversi OF
tortoise she'll jewel boxesf of enameied
brushesf Of mooDstones In coffee spoonsf OF
diamonds In honi-soitsl and of dozens and
dozens of other astonishing thiDgsf Then
there have been moments in her life when
she has wished that things were different
with her. i hope So because love ber.
But she will have a hard time of it until
she has been pruned and trimmed TO suit
her surroundings Mrs. Grundy stands
sponsor for her. She Is absolutely under
the control of conformity. and Mrs Grundy
has done II. l hope she has never had any
very great longings outside of her possi-
bilIties. for there Is no one TO match her
with. If she becomes original Yet. there
Is a good deal In her. and she might en-
large her life. The society man IS not her
equal. Then why should she not marry @
foreignerf Englishmen can hardly be
called that who are of our Own rece and
language. These men seem much more in-
pressed with her loveliness than our own
young men are, nor are they one whit
more married for their money than our So
cety men stand ready TO be. Alas the
truth is this about onr young men of swell.
dom: they have all so recently sworn TO lead
club lives that they are entirely occupied
with the effort to JOIN ell the clubs They
have to work as hard TO get initials after
their names. which will give them prestige
among their associates, as has al artist. q
literary or scientific man. SO it happens
that the large fortunes which they really
covet escape them and 20 out OF tho
country: then they grumble that our girls
OF the world have chosen their fate away
from their own country and from them.
An idle American does not make the better
husband of the two; perhaps he Is too new
to the occupation of Idlenese He can't es-
cape from himself yet into paths of ambi.
tion or OF public usefulness