New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-24
THE MADELEINE SENORAS.
THEY RULE EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY
OF THE WORD FLIRT II
WIDOWS LEAD MADRID soCIETY-A
DUCHESS ANGELIC by NAME
AND NATURE


| AND NATURE.
There Is woman in the world more spoiled than
the Madrlene mondaine. In Spain chivalrous courtesy
toward the fair Is regarded In the light OF a
creed every man Is In love and consequently jeal-
ous and the result is that the women with their
expressive black eyes, at once so eloquent and so
| lnqulring. rule everything and everybody and hlrt
to their hearts content. They hIrt not alone with
their eyes, but also with their fans mantlliaS with
the sweep toss OF their skirt and with their dainty
little feet-indeed they constitute the very person.
| fcatiOn Of the word " hlrt,' and yet both men and
| women will hiss down the slightest double
! entendre and more less yelled improperly on the
stage. In fact, the whole OF the spanish capital
may be considered a kind OF modern court OF love-
where every man. from the grandest OF grandees
down TO the very street urchin, maniests such hgh
bred and "regente" courtesy toward the iair SEX
that the stranger involuntarily casts glance at the
bare feet OF the tattcred gamn In the expectation OF
finding them adorned with fu-nedged pair OF talons
| rouges OF the French Louis Quatorzc epoch.
Perhaps II l. thi, assurance which the women, no
matter what their age beauty possess OF the homage
OF the masculine that they careless IN regard
| to dress. Their ideas and taste concerning toilette
SAVIOR Of the Oricnta-due probably TO the Moorish
strain in their bloodin the pronounced fondness for
loud and vivid colors and although the Madrilchc
eleganics. rule, obtain their frocks from Paris,
| vet the tOettes constructed in accordance with
Spanish rather than French ideas OF fashion More
| over although the grace and coqucry with which
they Wear their mantilla, Is inimitable yet on the
other hand, they never look well In Partisan hat
or bonnet no matte: how prrfec creation OF Virot
the latter may be. This Is due to the fact that
they will persist in wearing them mantilla wise. ut
the back instead OF the front OF the head. and nothing
Is more easy than TO recognize Madriene cl' gante
In Paris or London by the poise OF her hat.
II Rome IS remarkable for the deficiency OF Its
salons Madrid on the contrary. Is more literally en-
! than ny her
Indeed every box at the opera may b. regarded as
constituting a salon. Only the lower classes In the
galleries listen TO what Is gons on on the stage, the
occupants Of the logcs being far more agrecaby oc-
cupcd in receiving visits, exchanging the latest
gossip and In flirting. And after the opera is
over everybody that Is anybody assemblies IN the
foyer to wait for the carriages. and the time instead
Of seeming long ~ II really is appears very short 80
charming do IL. women look. arrayed in Their
gorgeous opera cloakS. sometimes parity open 10 re-
veal gllmpscs Of perfect neck and shoulders while
bcwitchlng dark eyes geam forth Hike those Of some
Oriental mime" nom the graceful folds oil the
man,ias.
several Of the great ladies Of Madrid have OF late
b.g,n 10 have a fixed DAY In the week for being
at home. But the custom has not been geheiay
followed since practically. the doors Of salon oi
Nadriene are never closed from In III" afternoon
until midnight during the SIX months OF the year
that constitute the Madrid sea son. As IN me
a,tocratic society OF Vienna. everybody In th" great
world AT Madrid knows everybody else. and TO matter
what their pocal opinions Monarchl-ts. Carllst- and
even E,publcams-all on terms OF such Intimate
Intercourse and good fellowship that they mlngle ana
even "iutoyrr" q thou" one another. contrary 7"
General belief there Is society In ia" world where
Thorn is 40 much freedom ease and wrll-brcd sans
facon" a. I'm that Of Madrid The Formally III" hnuteir
as I'm that OF Madrid. The formality. the hauteur
and pride for which the spaniarcs are 80 noted only
come Hight In their in'crcourN" WIN perfect
strar gers when. 10 use a hguratiNe speech mey
| hive been strok,d o." wrong way.
The four greatest ladies OF Madrid women VINO
may ls. saId to lead society there are, cnriouSIy
enough all widows. They are the Duchess OF Medina
coeli the DUCHESS Of Fcrnan Nunez. the Duchess de
In Tore and the Duchess Of BaleIh To these may
rerhaps bc added the Of the young Duchess OF
Aba daughter Of IN" Duchess oil feT'a"N"'e@ anu
! niece 81 the Empress Eue"nc
The most important Of all these. rs well rs the
most popular. T. the Duchess Of Medna-'oci' 20
worthy IN every way Of her Christian name Angela
She Is Grand Mistress OF the Queen Regents house
hold and In the days ~ Queen Isabella was famous
for her beauty Exceedingly cultivated ana liberal
10 ,or ,i.vs IN. doors Of her magnificent palace In
IN. Corrcra de san Geronimo always open TO
talent and authors. painters, scuptors composers
and politicians meet there on an equal ground Inc
time no, occupied by her duties AT court Is Devoted
10 her grandson. the present chief OF the FAMILY
Ind barely sixteen years age. lie is the posthumous
son Of the late Duke Of Medina Coeli. who met 50
tragical n death In the forest Of Guadarama. Willie
ont shooting with his young bride. TO whom he had
been married barely more than three months, his
fowllng piece was accidentally discharged and he fell
MORALLY wounded at Der feet.
Far more exclusive in every way is the Duchess
o, Rnil.u the owner OF the beautiful palace Of
" Ayetc" at San sebastian. which she place, every
summer at the disposal Of the Queen Regent. her
e1cluslvcIsm is perhaps partly due to her bourgeois
. birth There Is house In Madrid 80 dfhcuil oi
access as her superb residence In Acaln-St- Her
father was n banker and army contractor. who maze
! nm enormous fortune through his friendship with
Espartero who for many years In the enrly part
Of Queen Isabela's reign ruled III" country WIN Il
rod Of iron The art collections In IN" Oneness OF
I,aiIen's Madrl-nc palace famed throughout the
world and there is full Of the celebrated
and now inlmitnble e ctino" porcelain which Is
u aLsolutely priceless Notwithstanding her plc0ran
origin there l. at the spanish court VINO en-
Joys greater intimacy with the Queen Regent. the
good viii OF Her Majesty being probably due TO the
D fact that II was the Duke Of IaIlen who went MS
special Ambassador To Vienna To ask 'hrisuha
hand I'm marriage for the late King.
. Another great house In Madrid famons rs having
been the first receive "A visit II the sovereign whch
the late King Alfonso breaking through the traditional
etiquette the Spanish Court attended grahd Dali
there IS that OF the Duchess Of Fcrnan- Nuncl
Nine Fernan- Nuncr Is enormously wealthy ana Ior
many years lived In Paris ~ Ambassadors oil SPAN
II WAS during the time of VI. Crews Presidency, and
her double barrcllcd name was s0irc" Of great uil-
entity TO poor Nine Grevy, who Instead OF addressing
the Duchess by her title, OF rs Nada"e IAno''sa-
+ drcc J." or even Us Nine. Fcrnan Nuncz. would per
q sIst IN calling her either Nine. Fernan' or Nine.
n Nunez" At the spanish Court both the Duchess
and her late husband have stood NJ !" ivor win
80 Regent owing their efforts To ."1rlz' horse
racing IN Spain Will II view of it, n'i Ii"lY a'pplhnt
Ing the cruel bull-nght>, which are 80 dispensing 10
Queen Christina The heraldic device Of the ancient
family of P.rnnp. Nunez IS bat and nothing i more
peculiar than the spectacle presented by III" bats win
, outstrctchrd wigs that figure on every article oil
furniture and OF plate ~ well rs on the pahei' oi
the wails-and in fact wherever place can DC ioihu
for them iI the Duchesss palace al Madrid
Her daughter l. married to the son OF Tie only
sister OF En,press Eugene. and has distinguished her-