The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-01-05
New York Society Successfully
Reduced to just rs People
By the Creme de la Creme de la
Creme Last Night.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Mrs. John Jacob AstOr and 9th
erS Have Shut Out
All the Rest of the 400 From
the Inner Circle.

New York. Jan. 5-No dancing event
in many years has attracted SO much
comment or broken more social hearts
than a small cotillion given in the
small ball room of the annex of the
Metropolitan club last night. It was
given by twelve hOstesses. They were
not subscribers. They were not pat
ronesses. Each lady was the hostess
Of four or five, as the case happened to
be, invited guests.
When the dance was over it had
proved to those who were invited. so
claimed, that New York's 400 had been
successfully cut down to an exclusive
basis of seventy-five.
The dance was beautiful, as others
have been, no more so. The supper
was served by the chef of the Metro
pOlitan club. It was a good supper,
but no better than many others.
The women were certainly among the
most beautiful in New York. There
was Mrs. John Jacob Astor, said to be
the most beautiful woman in society
and Mrs Burke Roche, famed for more
than seven seasons, as one of the ten
lOveliest women in society Fiji Pot
ter was there, the belle among all the
debutantes of the season. Miss Potter
is more beautiful than the lovely moth
er who LETT her husband and daughter
for the stage. Miss Van Allen was there,
grand daughter of Mrs. AstOr and heir
ess of the millions that Jas. J. Van AL
u
Then there were heiresses, the Misses
Gerry, daughters of Commodore Ell
bridge I. Gerry, with many millions to
divide between them. There was Miss
Barley, the latest debutante estimat-
ed to be worth SIS, 600 900 in prospect
Then there was Vanderbilt-the pop
uIar VIM. K.-and also a son of q Van
derbilt although he has been discwned
for marrying the wife who was one of
the hOsteSseS tonight. A daughter OF
the Yanderbilts and son and daughter
Of the Whitneys were on the list.
All these were there, vet, aCcOFdiug
to- Athe gOssips, it was none of these
things, not wealth nor beauty that
gave pre-eminence to this small cOtil-
lion 1t was, the assertion is made.
because the Y young and powerful
matrons had stretched out their hands
and drawn the ropes close about So
ciety. They had, as a group, done
something exclusive, and the current
idea is, that hereafter in New York, it
will not be asked: did he or she go to
the Bradley Martin ball?" But, WAS
he or she at the cotillion of the seven
ty-fiVe?"
The cOtillion was not danced until
midnight, and then was lead by Worth
ington Whitehouse, dancing with Mrs.
Astor.
Some of the people who were not
there and who have been accounted
leaders of society, were Mr. and Mrs.
O. H. P. Belmont. Then another miss
ing pair were Mr.. and Mrs. w c. Whit
ney. The Whitneys went to Aiken, n.
c., a few days ago. The Herman Oel-
richs, too, were not the list.
The twelve women who signed their
powerful names and were hostesses
were Mrs. John Jacob AstOr, Mrs.
Lloyd Brice, Mrs. Peter Cooper Hew-
itt Mrs. Almeric Paget, Mrs Frank
Pendleton, Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish. Mrs
Ogden Mills, Mrs. w. Starr Miller. Mrs
Or1ne Wilson, Mrs. Henry Payne Whit
ney, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt and
Mrs. Hehry Sloane.