The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-27
SOCIETY AND THE STAGE.
COmmOtiOn Resulting from the Do
nestle Troubles of the SIOanes.
New York Letter in St. Louis Globe-Demo

l
New York Letter in st. Louis Globe-Demo-
/ crat
! The recent unfortunate disclosures con-
| corning the relations between Mr.. Henry T.
| Sloane and his handsome wife have led to
| the broaching once more of the question,
What is the matter with society,"" For
weeks the sensational newspapers had been
printing double-leaded mysterious items to
| the effect that the leaders of fashion were
| about to receive a rude shock by the pub
| LEGATION of the troubles of one of their num-
Der. None of the papers in question was
| sure enough of its ground to mention names,
! and so the public went guessing from
| day to day, with the result that many
wealthy families fell under suspicion in the
| attempt to grasp at the meaning of the
craftily-worded paragraphs. When the pub
| lie announcement was made there were not
a few who, with insistence, declared that
| the whole thing was known to them months
before the facts were given to a sensation
| loving population
Mrs. Sloane has been a leader in society
for long time. and the famous disagree
ment between her and Mrs. Ogden Mills at
the time of the Bradley Martin ball was the
topic of the day in society circles at that
| time When Ward McAllister was at his
height of popularity and decided that upper
tendon was restricted to 400, he included
| in that number the two women in question
| 1t was but a short time after the falling
out that Mrs. Sloane and Mrs. Mills met
! at Newport and there was reconciliation
| They again became good friends, and the
| smaller fry, which had been puzzled as to
whether to follow the lead of Mrs. Sloane
or Mrs. Mills, in order to maintain their
| standing felt greatly relieved in conse-
| Quence. Later Mrs. Sloane concluded that
the 400 included too many undesirabes, and
with a blue pencil she went through the
list with the result that the number was
reduced to seventy-five. This woman's
home has always been little short of a pal
| ace; her gowns are of the most expensive
sort and number one hundred or more; her
diamonds and other jewels are the most 19st
| has been surrounded by luxury ever since
she came into the world as Jessie Robbins.
Yet, despite all this, the skeleton mas been
| revealed and family ties have been broken.
Mr.. Sloane is man of quiet ways and
| generally liked. He is what the upper class
| would call a tradesman, for with his broth
| er he conducts a carpet store, which tur-
nishes all of the expensive rugs. carpets and
| tapestries used by the swell set. lie mas
! never been called a society man, although
| he has maintained a magnificent house at
Newport, as well as one IN this CITY. me
| his wife just before this scandal became
known, is one of the most magnificent In the
fashionable locality IN when II is locaieu.
| In this handsome abode Mrs. Sloane has
| been lying i'll, attended by immediate reia-
/ tives and friends, and having with her the
| two children, who are really the greatest
| sufferers as a result of the disclosures Mr..
Sloane is at a hotel. where he will remain
| until the affairs of his family have been IN
a measure Strengthened out. He is mem
Der of a number Of clubs and is popular at
al Of a sdeh in
name has been dragged into the scanoal IN
an indirect way. In the meantime there
are consultations between lawyers and in
| terested parties and the public continues
to gloat over the latest exposure in the
upper set of fashionable New York society.
| There are many speculations as to the out
come. 1t is known that Mr.. Sloane IS OPP,
posed to recourse to the divorce court ana and
| at the same time he is said to nave declared
| that his children must be protected
A man of the world was recently asked
| what is the matter with society,"? and ne
| replied: '',The wines are too old, the food is
too rich. The women have no work 10 90
and don't get enough exercise. Inc care 1o o.
children, which makes women good, is leIt
| to servants. Late hours and late sleeping
overstimulating, no normal outlet Tor en-
| ergies-and there you are. His explanation
! may or may not be accepted by the class
| which is just now most interested IN the
wrecking Of the sloane . nome, Gnf witch cs
have brought disgrace upon prominent ram
lilies. -, -
heaval has been comparison Of the morals
of the stage and of society. This was IN
the mind Of many fyg, wne9 t so Closely upon
the remarks of a certain, clergyman recent
ly. The divine in question is the Key. MI.
Slcer who like many of his cloth, has
been anxious to see the much-talked-of ele-
walton of the morals of the modern theater.
He was one of the speakers at a recent
dinner given at DelmonicoS by a we'll
| known organization. Bronson Howard, one
of the foremost American playwrights of
remarks the clergyman was rather bitter in
his denunciation of the stage life of to-day,
and severe in his criticisms of the modern
approval but 1.-The Christian he considered
without the pale of morality. His reference
to the lives of some of the leading play
plimentary, but he did condescend to pay
a tribute to one whom the public always
loved and respected. Referring to her, he
said: "When reach heaven, If | find Rosina
Vokes without halo | shall give her mine.
discussion Of the question SIS morality in
that sphere on a higher plane than on the
stage, in the green room, or in the actress
boudoir?' The player will say no. The So
ciety leader will reply emphatically in the
affirmative. Yet, according to cynic, zone
is as good as the other until one or both
ARE found out" In explaining he said:
l'"When stage woman becomes an object
of notoriety she is forever marked for the
reason that she is public property. She is
before the public for criticism, and in con-
sequence, the moment she is touched by
the whitening breath of scandal she Is held
up to scorn everywhere. There is, unfor-
tunately, a disposition to gauge the charac-
tiers of others in her profession along the
same lines solely because they are figures
in the mimic world in which she moves. In
society there have been many unfortunate
( circumstances which have never become
known because those interested have not
been constantly before the public gaze. Is
there any more harm in the action of the
modern play of to-day than there is in
opera box parties balls and after-theater
suppers in which wine is the brain-befud-
| ding beverage for the average society wom-
an? think not. 1t is the striving for social
standing. the wasting of opportunity and
| power which is the curse of society. 1t is
| the wasting of lives, the degradation of
class and the setting of bad examples
|