The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-03-14
CLUB LIFE IN NEW YORK.
Its Latter Day Expansions and Some
of Its PecuIiar Features.

of Its PecuIiar Features.
The New Yorker that cannot find d
club in this town to suit his lasts and
convenience must be hard to please.
Time was when rich men and men of
fashion alone aspired to club member
ship. Exclusive clubs NOW constitute
an insignificant percentage of the
whole number of clubs in New York.
If q. man is fond of dining, Of drink
ing good liquor, of politics, of polemics,
OF art, of music, of books, of chess, of
cards. of fencing, of boxing, he may
find a club 10 his taste. If he likes
to keep up early local associations, to
pay pioUs regard TO the memory of his
ancestors, 10 study geography, law
medicine or divinity, he caa find a
club to aid him in all these things. If
a man is very rich he can belong 10
q. club where he viii meet his fellow
millionaires: if he is poor, he may find
q club where nobody loses caste from
buying cheap lunches and drinking
California claret. Provisions for the
poor man in New York clubdom is its
striking characteristic in this last de-
cade of the century and there must be
a great number Of young men with 81,
900 a year and less scattered through
out several hundred clubs. Matters
are likely to be better than worse for
poor men in New York clubs, because
there are many little economies prac-
ticed in European clubs that have not
vet found their way across the Allan
tic. It is cheaper to live at many Of
the small and unpretentious clubs than
anywhere else save at a cheap board
ing house or at almost inedible tables
d'hote.
There are scne amusing contrasts in
side the club houses of New York
rrst-
where men with no pretenSions seem
ingly feel at home. On the other hand,
there are clubs that make no effort TO
be swell, where fashionable youths love
70 disport themselves. The Phiiadel-
phian who resigns from his club be-
cause he met his shoemaker at a club
reception would fare i'll at some OF the
greatest political clubs of this town
Names that inspire awe in the minds
of the socially ambitious appear on
such club rosters along with the
names Of the socially damned. II hap
pens not infreuuentiy. too. that the
bearers Of these awe-inspiring names
are almost habitues Of these unexclu-
sive clubs.
THE out-of-town member is more and
more conspicuous at New York clubs
and there are some clubs that are as
busy with baggage as small hotels
The observant man who will frequent
such club for a year or two can not
well help acquiring an intimate ac-
cnaintance with the nice distinctions of
dress. manner, and voice that mark
fis fellow citizen from various parts Of
the Union. He Is soon able to pick out
at a glance IL a crowded dining room
the nonresident member Perhaps ii
is owing to the fact that some clubs
have thus taken on the air Of hotels
that club clerks show 2 disposition 10
emulate the manners of the tradition
al hotel clerk. 1t is found to be an ex-
ceedingiy difficult matter for a club to
get and keep as a clerk a competent
native American, The foreigners that
so often fill such places usually run a
well recognized course. The clerk he
gins by being obseqnious. This man
ner rapidly wears off and gives place
to familiarity, this again 10 indiffer-
cree. and this finally 20 stern hauteur.
The humble nonresident that meets
the club clerk in his final stage begins
70 wonder what privilege club member
ship confers.-New York sun.