The times., 1899-02-19
AN AMERICAN PEERAGE.
Possibility of Establishing an Aris-
tocracy in This Country.

I Possibility of Establishing IN AriS-
tocrncy in This Country.
How long will II be before a titled aris-
| tocracy like the peerage of England can
| be established in the United States? That
! is possibility candidly and hopefully dis
cussed in New York society where any wo-
man nearly who has the cash and the
| opportunity will gladly lay down 4 hun
dred thousand or even more for the legal
right to fasten high-sounding handle to
her name.
Perhaps never before In the history OF
this country have the English nobility
been so passiOnately enyied and so sedu-,
lously courted by our great moneyed aris-
tocracy. which is undoubtedly the most
powerful in the world. There is no salts
flying the ambition of fashionable woman
by telling her she belongs to the wealthiest
social circle in civilization. Up in the
! ranks of what Ward McAllister used TO
define as the 400. title is now the pass
port to content, distinction, and prestige,
and most unfortunately the leisure class of
men are beginning 10 hunger after high
sounding prefixes as ardently as the wOm-
en-.
Now New York society is pre-eminently
energetic and ingenious where its desires
and ambitions are concerned and to wish
for a thing is synonymous with straining
every nerve TO procure ii. 1t will prOba
bly, be some little time before Congress
takes upon itself the organization of
nobility. and genuine nobility is what
these aspiring souls want. They don't
banker in the least after the empty sort
of titles worn in France. They want a
close copy of the British institution, with
pOmp and powers attached. and without
actually assuming any of the lordly cog
nomens they are preparing 10 do the next
best thing. Not only are there more plans
on foot than ever for matrimonial alliances
with noble Englishmen but our smart So
ciety itself is growing more and more eX-
elusive every year.
II YOU will take pains to follow the wills
of such rich men who have died within the
past two years or who are known TO have
made their wills you viii be sure to COM
ment on the fact that the bulk of the for
tune now goes to the eldest son, along
with the great city or Newport house. ana
the finest jewels. pictures. etc, and the
wife and the other children make no de-
muir II a son is lacking. then the oldest
grandson comes in for the lions share. and
thus perfectly quietly a group of great
families. such as the Vanderbilts. Astors,
Sloans, Lorillards. Gerrys. Belmonts Mills.
and Marquands. are being built up as Sc
curely as the ducal houses in Great Brit
ain
To draw the lines more sharply yet it
has been demonstrated this winter that 70
man or woman can claim to have a place
in New York society unless he or she has
made an appearance in some one of the
six houses on upper Fifth Avenue. the mis-
tresses of which are the acknowledged
leaders No matter who you are. If Mrs
William Sloan. Mrs. Ogden Mills. or one or
two others have opened their door 10 you.
recognition of your place socially is prompt
and rather cordial. without it, you are
nothing though you may speak with the
tongue of men and angels, are beautiful
and wealthy, and go everywhere else OF
course. there is one other chance for you
and that is TO go to London. be presented
at court. marry a title, however impover-
ished and elderly its wearer may be. AlI
that opens a door to this exclusive New
York set. which. as one woman candidly
confessed. is bound to be limited and dill
cult of entrance so long as there are no IL
ties by which to ticket men and WON n.
and thus discriminate between the classes
and masses.