Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-03-04
[Copyright, isa7, BY the Author.

W. W. are or can be. When
they live in cities
and circumstances favor them, when
they are in any sense their own mis-
tresses, they become SO devoted to, so
absorbed in, society as to become often
what may be called social monomaniacs
These are well known, though extreme
characters in all big American towns,
notably in New York, and are curious
subjects for study. They are not, as
might instinctively be thought young
in the main. On the contrary, the mass
of them are wives, mothers, frequently
middle aged or beyond middle age.
They are not even drawn to society, as
many women are supposed to be, in
their capacity of managing mammas.
Their daughters may be well off their
hands, being advantageously married
and settled
When they have very young daugh-
ters, children, even babies, their ma
ternal interests, strange to say, are
swallowed up by their social interests.
They do not, of course, nourish their
own children. They would not if they
could. The claims of society are i'm
measurably beyond those of their own
offspring. Women of fashion here could
not be expected to do what peasant wo-
men alone do abroad. They would re-
gard that as exceedingly vulgar under
any circumstances They perform their
entire duty, they think, by securing
competent nurses for their small chill
dren, by hearing reports from them and
about them twice or thrice daily. If a
friend inquiries about the last daughter,
mamma says that she is informed that
Clara or Florence is very well, quite
over her ailment. She has not herself
been to the nursery since the day be-
fore. Mamma has q theory, generally
cherished among the titled and privi-
legged classes in Europe and which she
is addicted to airing, that children are
fonder of and have much more respect
for their parents when they see very lit
tie of them and only on stated occa-
sions. They can hardly believe this. The
opinion is essentially un-American, but
it suits their convenience and their in
clination to act ON it, and it accords
with their set.
Whether young, middle aged or old,
maidens, wives or widows, all the
members of the peculiar class are con-
secrated to society and are concerned
with little else. Society is their common
bond, their sole affinity, their one voca-
tion. They seem weary of it; they speak
YEARLY of it. How can they help being
weary of such monotonous round-see-
ing the same faces, saying the same
things, hearing the same stories, eating
the same breakfasts, luncheons, dinners,
suppers, substantially at least, but not
wearing the same clothes or decorations
by any means? A woman of fashion
never does this She would not, could
not, be fashionable if she should.
Is it clothes alone that even preserve
the charm Of society? 1t certainly ap-
pears SO at times Wherever (some)
( women can wear new gowns continually
their paradise must be. But society is
no doubt something more than that to
them. What that something is may not
be understood by the representative
! masculine mind It may be the newness
of each occasion, the fresh sense of tri-
umph through distinguished personal
ity, the novelty of adulation at every
function, that prevents aught like pail
ing.
| AS woman in society is generally
an actress, and as actresses never tire of
appearing for whole season in one
part, SO it must be with the completely
social woman.
Social monomaniac is not an exagger-
ated or extravagant term, as many a
woman demonstrates. She really has no
counter attractions. She reads some
what, she travels, she studies music and
languages, she gives certain amount
of time to charity, but those pursuits
are socially regarded, are as roads hav-
ing one terminus She seldom thinks or
talks of anything else. The social notes
are the first thing she turns to in the
newspaper, and she dwells long and in
tently ON them. She is apt to be severe
ON many persons mentioned there. They
are not in society, she is prone to say.
She is inclined to call them upstarts,
|
| if she refers to them at all. She COM
monty disdains to name them in any
way. They are not, to her mind, worth
her notice, which she conceitedly con-
siders as bestowing favor. AS a rule she
descants very little OH wealth. That is
not, to her thinking, good form-a
phrase she is partial to. But it is easy
| 81, &o1~
ing it for granted that nobody who is
anybody can get on without it. 1t nee
essarily belongs to every kind of enjoy
able life, any life worth keeping. She
has it, of course. Otherwise she would
not belong to what is now styled the
smart set.
/ Her social views are not uninterest-
ing. She holds that no one should as
sumo to have any place in society who
is not rich; that society imperatively
uemands m1lrlonalres; that 1t cannot be
organized or conducted without them.
In this she is more than half right, but
when she claims, as she virtually does,
though she would deny it, that merit is
in some manner mysteriously founded
1 Uu b large luCOul0 S1lo ID dDSuIO anu
chrysocratic. To have grown rich in one
generation is vulgar, but to have had
wealth for several generations is exalted.
She invariably assumes illustrious de-
scent of some sort, though she may be
chary Of alluding thereto. Several an
cestors of renown appear in her pedigree,
albeit she may either have placed them
there or have created for them history
they are not entitled to. She must have
some authority, however spurious, for
lineage, for she slavishiy initiates the
old world in regard to blood. In nine
cases out of ten she is, allowing for all
her good qualities, tuft hunter, a pre-
tender and a snob. She can scarcely be
otherwise in democracy where up
rightness and labor are the sole nobility.
She is unrelated to the republic, saw
age satire on herself.
JUNIUs HENRI BROWNE,