The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-09

| advance notices, so to speak, that have
been going the rounds of the press for
some weeks past enticing the interest of
the public of two continents and arousing
the most lively expectancy, the kind that
10 supposed to stand you on tip toe.
| We refer, OF course, to the costume
ball OF the Bradley Martins.
The Bradley Martins are well fixed as to
the goods of this world and when they
took up their residence in New York
about Christmas time their fame as liberal
spenders OF their financial resources had
| preceded tnom and the metropolis, not to
| say the country and perhaps the whole
| world, has been anticipating their doing
| something big. Tomorrow night they
will do il and will break all Existing
national records in the doing.
Except for such notice as would 90 due
| q function of the magnitude Of the Brad
ley:Martin costdme DaIl, that event would
likely have been consummated without
| diverting controversy, had not distin-
| guished New York divine pronounced
| from his pulpit the opinion that 1t is
wrong to indulge in such an ex-
travagsnce and that moreover it was
dangerous, not to say a menace to the in
stitutions that statesmen like to talk
4 about, since 1t was calculated to stir the
socialistic elements that are by some good
| people supposed to be seething under
meath the said institutions and cause the
same 20 break out with disastrous effects
to the Republic. rhereupon, arose
warm discussion as to the possibility OF
the danger assumed, ,as to the methods tine
very rich should take to keep their super
duous incomes from piling up too heavily
on them, ard as to extravaganza as con-
| trasted with philanthropy and the most
good OF the body polite in general. And
the discussion has been quite confusing.
| 1t Is said that the ball is to cost the
Bradley Martins a matter OF fifty thous-
and dollars and tnat the money that will
he expended by all concerned In the fes-
tivities will approximate a quarter of a
million. Thess figures are pobahly
too high by fifty per cent. As op-
| posed to the position taken by the
| divine referred to Ii has been shown that
| the expenditure OF this big sum would
do a vast deal of good furnishing em-
| ployment to hundreds and perhap, thous-
ands of workers, many OF whom were ac-
counted to te in dire need of such en-
ployment and accordingly that the
Bradley Martin ball was directly an
agency OF public philanthropy rather
than q useless waste Of good money serv-
ing only for the further pampering of the
| already satiated tastes of few particu
| Iarly fortunate mem bers OF our commonly
democratic society, rs might at first
blush appear.
The putting into circulation OF the
amount of money that has been and is
| to be, expended by the Bradley Martins
and their guests can Of course but make
an impression ana do considerable good
even in Q community so large and wealthy
as the metropolis. The releasing of this
fortune has been felt ana will be felt
advantageously and a good many persons
that need money will get q share of 1t.
To be sure Mr.. Astor, who owns the
motel where the ball Is to be given, will
get a rather larger share than almost any
body else with whom he divides and Ii
ia not to be assumed that Mr.. Astor
really needs bis share to help him
get through the winter comfort
ably and keep him in food and fueL
Indeed. from the strictly utilitsrian point
| Of view, a quarter OF u million dollars or
half that sum could doubtless be dis
| tributed to the greater advantage of moro
people ti.an Will share in the division OF
the bountiful spoils from the Bradley
Martin ball. Nevertheless we ought not
find fault with any body who is disposed
to spend money, providing they don't use
their resources to buy votes or form trusts
inimical to the common interests and we
shoulc oil be pleased, that the Bradley
Martins are spending their extra cash in
New York rather than in London or
Paris. 80 far as .their responsibility TO
the public at large is concerned in the
manner OF their expenditure, that is a
delicate question that does not seem to be
so near to a decision as is the ball to a
conclusion. But we should say that 1t is
about the same as the responsibility to