The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-12-29
SQUABBLE
IN GOTHAM
SOCIETY
Furor Caused by the
AbdicatiOn Of Mrs.
AstOr.
Rival Successors WhoCut
the Four Hundred to
Seventy-Five..
Mrs. Whitney and Mrs. Paqet
Not the Only Leaders in
the Circle.
OPPOSITION IS RAMPANT.
Canfornians in the Metropolis OF the
Nation Who Attract the Atten-
ton Of the Public.
Mrs. Whitney and Mrs. Paget
Not the Only Leaders in
the Circle.
OPPOSITION IS RAMPANT.
CaIifornians in the Metropolis OF the
Nation Who Attract the Atten-
ton Of the Public.
Special Dispatch to. The Call.

y NEW YORK, Dec 2S.-The first ball
has been given, and with it the long
expected break in the ranks of the 400
has become a public matter Mrs
Aston, who has decided to abdicate as
the ruler of New Yorks highest cir
Giles, designated the two women she has
chosen as her successors by assigning
to them the posts of honor at the as
sembly ball given last week at the
Astoria.
These women are young matrons
who have had but one or two seasons
of social prominence. They are hand
some, stylish and wealthy. Both are
members of the Whitney family. One
is Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney, a nat
ural, unaffected person, possessing all
the solid household virtues of the Van
derbilts and a personal magnetism
which is entirely her own. She is small
of stature; her hair is Of sunny
brown; her manner is winsome The
other is Mrs. Almeric Paget, a Whit
ney by birth. She is tall, graceful,
dignified and tactful.
Had Mrs. Aston observed the existing
order of precedence she would have
placed her mantle on the shoulders of
Mills, but she decided otherwise. and
the result is a crisis in society. The
prominence given TO the Whitney
family is resented by the older set, and
the standard of revolt has been raised
The first overt act by the rebels is
the proclamation that the inner circle
- OF society has but seventy-five mem
bers. That was the challenge, and
now the war will begin.
In one sense the fight is the old one
the strife for supremacy by the Van
CerbIlts; the unyielding resistance of
I the Astors.
The society reporters are fastening
20 take sides, while the city and Sun
1 lay editors are rejoicing at the pros
pect of giving their democratic readers
columns OF stuff in which the foibles
of aristOcracy will be duly exploited.
The "400'-an amusing invention of a
clever cOpyreader who edited Ward
MCAllister's Society Notes"-has be-
come a threadbare expression, so the
10" is an OppOrtune discovery.
Meanwhile, sensible people smile.
The Astoria is not to have the mo-
nOpoly Of social gatherings. The ball
room of the New Delmonico will have
its full share. It is a beautiful room,
less pretentiOus, less gaudy and less
vulgar than the larger hall of the big
hotel.
Talking of Delmonico's. nothing has
as yet happened which 50 fOrcibly il
lustrates the evolution in the public life
OF New YOrks society, as the uptown
march of the famous old restaurant.
The change of location revealed the
change of customs, which is European
iZing America.
The spectacle of the old place on
Madison Square. with it's deserted ia
bles, it's drawn blinds and it's genuine
desuetude is 4 pathetic one. The new
house is perfection in the completeness
Of its appointments, the purity and
good taste of its decorations, its atmOs-
phere Of refnement-a combination
which makes of it the antitheSiS Of the
Astoria. But it is Il European estab-
lishment, in which there is joined the
gastronOmy of France and the good
form OF England. The windows are
dTaped, the carpets are thick, the light
is soft, everyone speaks in whispers.
What made the old DeTs a place
without its parallel in the world, was
\ its curious mixture of cOsmopolitanism
and prOVincialism. It had a clientele
such as no other restaurant possessed.
In the Old World, dining in public is
something which is only tolerated as a
frofic. 1t is regarded in the same light
as New Workers view visits to the
table d'hotes and chophOuses which
have the vogue for the time being. II
involves relaxation from the formali-
ties Of social existence. Hungarian
bands play noisy. czardas. rounds of IL
QUOrS are drunk, cigarettes are puffed
ard with the serving Of the black cot
fee, good manners are temporarily dis
pensed with.
It was not so at the old Del's There
was jollity, animated conversation,
popping of corks, but it was all de-
cOrous. Tobacco was prohibited, there
was no lOunging at the tables, and the
diners rose from the tables as inmacu-
late sartorially as they were mentally
The sexes met there uncer conditions
which in Europe would convey a re-
proach, but the American notion Of re-
spect for woman found there a tri-
umphant illustration.
Strangers from the country always
visited Del's for the doors were wide
open and it was amusing to see men
and women bred on tea and cold Sun
day dinners slipping chateau wines
and toying with the dishes of a gour-
NETS invention. At the new DePs then
company is not desired.
Mrs Herman Oelrichs, who by the by
figures with her sister, Miss Fair, in
the announced list Of ''SeVenty-fVe, is
improving rapidly, and all danger Of a
permanent injury to her vision has
passed.
The artificial ice skating Kinks have
opened their doors. The fashionab les
are great patrons of this form of sport
They hold their carnivals privately
now A few years ago they were more
dtmocratic and simply gathered or
given nights. But this scheme was
abandoned after an amusing incident
In A HIGH Mrs. John Jacob Aston and a
fr y young man figured. Mrs. Astor
WV is a skillful and graceful skater
was gliding over the smooth surface
Of the rink The young man was
charmed by her beauty and accosted
her with enthusiasm. Say you're a
peach Let's have a turn. The evil
dent sincerity of the fellows admira-
ton was an excuse that sufficed, but
young Mrs. Aston suggested to her
friends the desirability of more pri
vacy.