The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-12-01
In the Homes of Society Girls
is Discussed.
MANY LADIES TALK.
Some Do Not Believe the Gus
tom at All Prevalent
Testimony on the Subject From
Both Sides.


society circles in the statement made
that wine is being served more fire.
quently at society functions in Topeka
than it was a few years ago and that it
is q, growing custom in this, the most
rigid town in regard to temperance
matters, in the United States. Some
exceptions are taken to the statement
made by a society young lady that
considerable number OF society girls
serve wine to their young gentlemen
visitors.
THE statement that any Topeka So
ciety girls dispensed wine to their gen
tlemen callers was a. complete surprise
to me- said Mrs. Jonathan Thomas to-
day. I don't wish to say that Miss
Van Tassel said something that wasn't
so, but rather think she made entirely
too broad a. statement. I have never
heard anything about such a practice,
and have doubts about such a practice
being carried out. The only time
ever heard of wine being dispensed by
society girls was at New Years two
years ago, and IdOn't know if the report
was true. was surprised when saw
the statement in the paper last night,
because had never heard of the mat
ter before I think Topeka society
girls object to liquor just as much as
does Miss Van Tassel or any one else
Topeka society ladies are timid about
allowing their names to go into print
in interviews on the subject, and refuse
to talk for publication. They are will
| ling, however, to talk in a general way.
One prominent young lady said:
Il think it is no more than due the
| young ladies of Topeka that such a
| statement should be contradicted. II
| there are any society girls who serve
/ wine to their gentlemen guests they are
! few and far between, and the state
/ ment is put in too broad a way.
! know a great many of the society
/ girls and don't know of one to whom
/ liquor is not Objectionable. No self
| respecting young man would intrude
/ his company on a young lady when he
had been drinking, and I think the To-
/ peka young men for the most part are
| gentlemen. 1 think that Miss Van
/ TasseI made entirely too broad a state
ment, and that she would find it very
| hard to prove the assertion that the
| serving of wine by society young ladies
| to their gentlemen guests was becOm-
| ing prevalent
| A Topeka society lady, who moves in
| both the older and younger sets said:
| think that the statement that
young men are ruined by being served
/ with wine is ridiculous. 1 have never
heard OF Topeka young ladies serving
| wine to gentlemen guests, and am sure
| that such IS not the custom although it
may be done in Il few instances. But
at dinner parties I think it is no more
/ than proper that wine should be served,
and in this particular l think the idea
| of a young man being started on the
| road to ruin by being guest at such a
] dinner party is simply nOnsensicaL
| Some young men think they are not
| men until they become intoxicated once
/ or twice, but no young man will allow
! himself to be ruined unless he sets out
! to ruin himself I think wine has a
/ place in social functions but seldom if
ever 1 think is it used in excess at such
! times, and the company at all func-
| tiOnS of this kind is old enough to take
| care of themselves and perfectly re-
/ spOnsible for their actions.''
/ Mrs. J. L. Shellabarger, of 415 Harri-
son street. rather doubted that wine
/ was served to guests by society girls
/ She said: 4 do not believe that the
! Topeka society girls do drink wine. or
| that the practice is prevalent I should
| certainly condemn such a thing
| Mrs. Eugene F. Ware also has decid-
/ ed views on the subject. She said: I
! don't know whether it is the custom of
/ society girls to serve wine to their
/ young gentlemen guests. 1 have never
| served wine to young men at my house
/ and l would be opposed to such a thing
1 do not think it would be right. As a
/ matter of fact do not know what the
! society girls do, but I never heard that
! they were given to this practice"
| Mrs. T. B. Sweet, of Third and Harrf-
| son street, said: 4 DO not think the
! best society girls serve wine to their
/ young gentlemen guests. Some of the
/ fast young women may, but 1 am sure
/ none of my daughters friends do I
am unaIterably opposed to anything of
! the kind. 1 do not think it is a practice
/ among the best people,
/ Several society ladies who occasional
| ly serve wine to callers or at evening
| parties were visited but they fatty re-
/
| cation.
One of them said that while she be-
| lieVed there was nothing wrong in serv-
| ing wine to her guests she did not be-
! lieVe in unmarried young ladies serving
| it, in Offering it to very young men
| and she added because very young
| men are usually such SimpletOns that
! they do not know how to behave them
| selves, and they never do know enough
| to keep from talking too much about
| it"
| That Miss Van TasseI had some
/ foundation for her remarks. is vOuched
fer by a Topeka society man. He
| said;
| Every man who moves in society to
/ any extent in Topeka knows that the
| statement that wine is served, in many
| instances is correct. While there are
| plenty of homes in Topeka where the
| thought of serving liquor would not be
! entertained, still there are lust as
| many where liquor is served regular
! ly to guests. do not mean that there
| is practice of serving liquor indiscSin-
| inately, but with guests who are select
| ed and well known, there is no hesi-
| fancy in offering it. I believe that it
| is the proper thing to serve liquor on
| such occasions, and in my opinion
there is absolutely nothing wrong
| about the practice The talk about
| young men being ruined in that way
| is all nonsense, because if a man
( hasn't the appetite for liquor. he will
/ never let it get the better of him, and
| I think there is less chance of acquir-
/ ing such an appetite by drinking in a
| social way, than in any other kind of a
| manner. But when Topeka girls or
| ladies. say that they have never heard