The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-18
BEHIND SCENES IN THE CLUBS
A GLIMPSE AT THE OPERA AND IT'S
FASHIONABLE AUDIENCE.
Best Dressed Women OF the world
and the Most Ilnpudent Young Men
marrying and Family Life.

South America! Where millionafres are thick
or than blackberries in dog days and honey
Tipped heiresses swarm like bees in midsum-
mer We may see it out driving In the park at
Palermo, or meet it every afternoon on the
Gale Florida. We may take chances with
1t every Sunday at the races, or we may
stare at its diamonds every night during the
opera season. If we have good introductions
we may go inside its mansions and attend
it's fine dinners. or perhaps drop in for a
game at the swell Jockey Club. where for
tunes sometimes change hands in a night.
The races are one of the social Institutions
of the Argentine capital. The President and
his Cabinet, the officers of the army and
navy, and every one who pretends to be
anybody, attends them, and this notwith-
standing that they are always held upon
Sundays. The chief race track is owned by
the Jockey Club This club is the most cele-
brated in South America It's initiation fee
is three times that Of any club In New York.
and its annual dues equal more than many
an Argentine young man earns in year.
Its clubhouse will compare favorably in it's
furniture and finishing with almost any
palace of Europe. The races are all under
this club, and all the money won and lost
passes through its hands. 1t takes a certain
percentage of all the bets made, and when
L tell you that last year more than thirteen
million dollars passed through the hands OF
its pool sellers you can see that a. small
percentage will give the club very big in
come. There are many fine horses in the
Argentine, and the races well contested.
The day I attended them eighty-seven
horses were entered and the grand stand
contained more than ten thousand people. r.
building covering more than half an acre
was devoted to pool selling, and there was
stream of men going to and from the
windows of this building to make their bets
or to receive their winnings. Every one was
betting. Men, women and children put their
money on every race, and as the horses
neared the winning post the crowd in the
grand stand went wild. Ten thousand peo-
PIE stood UP, -some climbing on the benches,
and now and then yell went up fTom many
thousand throats. 1t was a well-dressed
crowd, and there seemed to be almost as
many women as men in it. There were the
poor as we'll as the rich, though the former
were shut off in u cheaper section Of the
stand by themselves.
IN PALERMO PARK.
The Sunday afternoons Of the Argentine
people are spent up to or o'clock at the
races The races begin at II and are sup
posed to stop at g. At about $3.50 you will
see all the carriages turning toward Pa
lermo Park This is a beautiful forest and
garden, covering many acres. 1t has fine
drives magnificent palm trees and winding
lakes. with here and there cafe where
you may stop for refreshments. 1t is On
Sundays and Thursdays that all fashionable
Buenos Ayres comes to Palermo On sun
day afternoons the crowd is immense, and 1t
is estimated that there are often as many
as 1000 carriages and 10000 foot passengers
to be seen there during single afternoon.
The carriages are owned by all classes.
The people of the Latin races are fond OF
show and the Spanish the italian and the
Argentine of moderate means will starve
himself during the week in order that he
may take drive on Sunday. Most Of the
turnouts, however, are owned by the sweils.
Some of these are magnificent. They have
coachmen and footmen in livery. The horses
in some cases have harness plated with
silver and go1d and they are Of as fine
stock as you will find in Hyde Park or in
the Bots de Boulogne. Young bloods sit on
high drags and direct their horses as they
drive with gloved hands. On the backs OF
other rigs you will see stiff-bacl1ed little
tigers or footmen in gorgeous dress. Cav
airy officers in uniform gallop by you and
boys canter along on ponies. At just about
5 o'clock the crowd is the thickest, and at
this time 1t is a sight for the gods and men,
especially for the men, for most of tho
carriages are open and the majority Of the
women who sit in them are of that beautiful
type which is seen at its best in Buenos
Ayres. Rosy faces, with luscious lips and
large luminous eyes, look out at you from
nearly every carriage that passes. The pic
lures are we'll framed There are no dark
mantas or head shawls here, such as they
have in Peru. There is no prudish modesty
no dropping Of the eyes and bushing at the
sight of men. These are live flesh and
blood girls, not nuns. They girls who
are not afraid to look you in the eye, and
who evidently feel well able to care for
themselves, although their fathers and
mothers by Spanish custom keep them Sc
cllded They do not often walk upon the
Streets and you seldom see them out OF
doors except in carriages. They are, how
ever, on dress parade every afternoon at
the windows, and as you look UP, If the
street is clear, you may perhaps be re-
warded with a smile. At least was. re-
member how one looked down upon me from
one of the SWEETEST houses of Buenos Ayres,
and as her eye caught mine she bowed. She
actually did. 1 tipped my hat In return
carefully hiding the bald spot which my
wife says is coming there.
AL The OEEfSA.
Even more swell than the races or Paler-
mo is the italian opera. Buenos Ayres Is
theatergoing city. It has tweIIty-six such
houses of amusement, upon which its peo-
pie spend in the neighborhood of two mill
lion dollars a year. The most expensive
and most fashionable of all is the opera,
where the boxes for the season cost q
thousand silver dollars and upward and
where some of the greatest singers of the
world take part. The boxes are usually
taken for the season. and an Argentine
swell would rather sell his shirt and wear
dickey than give up his part in box at the
opera The orchestra or pit is next in price
to the boxes. A seat here costs sixteen sill
yer dollars a night. or a little more than
/ five dollars In gold. General entrance Is two
dollars in gold. and the seats IN the peanut
CELERY are as low as Is cents. During my
last night AT the opera the Italian star
Tomagno Sang in "Wilhelm Tell" but the
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