The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-31

The question of getting into society
cussed. 1t is presented in an interest
ing way in the Sun of that city. 1.-THE
Innocent, says the Sun, had turned
her attention to society, and her eyes
were wandering down a list of names
with the interest that strangers so
often show in the accounts they read
of the great doings of some New York
ers. Her expression betrayed familiar
fty with them although it was only the
names and not their owners that she
knew. After a moment she paused.
But these people" she said, mention
ing the name, Il see they were at the
Joneses' dinner. How in the world
did they get in?" She paused for an
answer and the Man-of-the-world felt
that he had to say something.
How did they get in?" he repeated
after her. How does anybody get
in?"
That is what I do not know" she
answered.
but you understand what I mean?
When a person has great deal of mon
ey and comes of an old family or brings
letters of introduction from other cities
it is easy enough to see that he should
be invited all about and be among the
most conspicuous people in society.
But these people are perfectly ordinary.
l saw her once at the theatre and she
was not even beautiful. / know it
was she, because a woman sitting be-
hind me said it was, and called her by
her first name. She said, too, that it
was astonishing how that woman was
getting on in New York She is probab-
ly attractive and bright in some ways,
and doubtless contrived to make her
self entertaining. So long as she does
that people will be glad to
ENJOY HER SOCIETY"
What an awful lot of struggling and
pushing and wire pulling it must take, >"
persisted the Innocent, for a woman
like that to come here a stranger and
manage to make herself popular in such
set I don't believe it is worth the
while even if it is nice to be around
all the time with just the people that
are in the public eye and are always
talked about and written about and
seem at the top of everything. With
all its struggling there must be some
compensation for it after WHILE
The Man-of- they world turned and
looked seriously at the Innocent. He
seemed on the point of taking an i'm
portant step. She was still absorbed
in reading the list of names Twice
he started to speak and restrained him
self, but at the third time his voice was
solemn. do you feel like hearing a
lecturer" he asked.
A lecture on just the subject which
we were talking about? Yes" putting
the paper down. IF it is interest
ing
1T is not for me to say whether or
not it is interesting" he told her. You
must decide that. But l know enough
about Your information on certain sub
Jects to realize that it is bound to be
instructive to you, so l think l will be-
gin now without passing on the sub
ject of its interest. l gave it once sew
eral years ago to a woman who sent to
ask me some questions about an article
she had just written. New York society
was the subject her paper dealt with
and she ought to have known better
than to write what she did 1t was
filled with the customary accounts of
the heart-burnings and bitterness eX-
perienced by persons struggling to get
into the particular set on which they
had set their hearts. 1t dWelt on the
amount of money demanded, on the
length and authenticity of the pedi-
gree one had to possess and on the ire
mendous artifciality, decentralization
and heartlessness of the life that wo-
men in society, or those struggling to
get into what they considered society,
are
COMPELLED TO LEAD.
She read me the article and asked me
what / thought of it. l was the au-
thority she had selected, because a
long experience had made me familiar
with what New York society is made
up of. l had seen it grow from
small body, in which every member
knew the other and took his pleasures
simply and modestly, up to the great
luxurious, wealthy, elaborate body that
it is today. After she had read her
article to me / could feel the expression
in my face showed that l disagreed
with it,
las a specialist suppose?" asked
the Innocent with touch of sarcasm in
her voice
Exactly went on the Man-o the
world. "as a specialist brought in to
give me advice on subject I was sup
posed to know fully. | told her that
society above all things wanted to be
pleased. 1t can be best amused by
something quite unlike what it has
known before For that reason it is
always satisfied to take up anybody
who can supply this dash of novelty
and amusement. Constant succession
of dances and dinners, of luncheons
pie together so frequently that they
are likely to become familiar with one
another's qualities. They become an