The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-27

MoAlliEter The invitation list is her
especial care, and she is supposed to in
gpect it with the closest scrutiny. If any
one who can boast of neither grand
father nor million slips in, it will be
her fault.
Miss de Barrii will doubtless prove
equal to the task, for she has been a
belle in New York society for half
dozen years at least, and probably she
knows the value of the claims to social
position of every individual who has
the remotest chance of being recognized
by the Patriarchs.
She is the niece of the former minis
ter of Peru, MI. Berrada, who cut such
a wide swath in Washington and New
port society during his residence in those
places. At Newport, it may be remem-
bered, he built more than a dozen years
ago very pretentous residence. It was
called a castle then and was thought to
be wonderful structure, though its
magnifcence has since then been over
Swallowed by the palatial cottages of a
score of multimillionaires
Miss de Barril is a very handsome
woman of the pure Spanish type. She is
an excellent musician and has q fine
contralto voice, but her chief accom-
plishment is her ability in managing So
cial affairs. This has been demonstrated
on many occasions, of course, or the Pa
triarchs would not iutrust her with
such an important post.
The fame of the Patrierchs' balls is
widespread. They are the great society
affairs of New York S winter season and
have been ever since the first one was
given in the winter Of 1879. McAllister,
- ia II 4
1t, " devoted whole chapter to seri-
GUS and minute description of the So
cial conditions which prompted him to
organize the association. Briefly, he was
afraid that the very rich people who had
begun to monopolize society would in
time get control of all the social power
worth having, and he was inclined to
doubt their ability to use it with discre-
ton. So he organized the Patriarchs,
of which the rich might become part
and parcel, but which they could not
control to the exclusion of those people
of more moderate means, but of longer
lineage and greater refinement.
There were only rs of the Patriarchs
for a number Of years, but the pressure
was SO great that the number was after
ward increased to so. Each Patriarch
has the right to invite to each ball four
ladies and five gentlemen besides the
members of his own family. 1t has also
been the custom to send invitations to
so of the most distinguished strangers,
foreign noblemen preferred, who were
within reach. The expense of the balls
IS met by an annual subscription of
500 from each member.
1t can easily be seen that q Patriarch
IN good standing is a most powerful au-
tocrat in Knickerbocker society, and it
does rot require much of a stretch of
the imagination to picture the mad rush
of the hundreds of social aspirants who
were left out of the list and the fierce
struggle which took place every winter
to get some of the 275 invitations AL
though these functions have assumed
much larger proportions than McAlIister
ever dreamed of allowing, they are still
exclusive enough SO that the pressure to
get in is as strong as ever
Miss de Barril will have to bear the
brunt of it all too. She is used to hard
work, however. for when her fortune
was swept away by the war between
Peru and Chile she became private Sec
rotary TO Mrs. Frederick Vanderbilt,
and In that capacity has managed all
the swell affairs given by that lady
within the last five years. 1t was she
who engineered the Vanderbilt Marlbor-
ough wedding function, one of the most
elaborate events which New York ever
saw. Her position now is officially de-
ecribed as assistant secretary to the Pa
triarchs, but in reality she is a sort of
queen regent in Father Knickerbocker'
gilded court.
- CLARENCE P. SKINNER.