The evening times., 1900-01-08
THE ARIsTocRAcY OF cE1LE.
Their Habits at Home and When in
Public Places.
lFrom the Chicago Re,

(From the Chicago Rccord)
The landholding aristocracy Of Chile are
q highly educated and cultured people
They live in handsome houses. Iuxuriously
furnished and adorned with works OF art
that indicate taste and refinement They
have Libraries. and 20 in for bindings and
first editions and ali kinds Of fads They
are educated in music and are much more
advanced IN social accomplishments than
our own people You seldom find a society
woman in Santiago CT Valparaiso who does
not speak at least two languages and most
OF them three They are excessively formal
with strangers, and are fastidious about
mat,5SS OF etiquette and dress. You can
tell the tastes OF a people from their shop
windows. which in Santiago are as lovely
and alluring as those OF Paris They are
full Of the latest fashions and novelties
from every country. IN fact. il is the
boast Of the people that they can buy any
thing in Santiago that can be bought In
Paris.
There are several large department
stores and arcades and pOrIa3es hIled with
little shops for the sale Of iewelry. millI-
merry, and fancy goods. which indicate the
extravaganza and the luxurious tastes OF
the population 40 city Of the size of San
tiagO Z5C.0O0 inhabitants. either in the
United States or Europe has so many fine
play Of the gilded side OF life.
The shoppers are as fascinating rs the
shops The fashionable hour for trading is
in the morning after mass. and the ladies
order the bills sent TO papa But the re
sentiment OF the stranger IS always aroused
by the crowds. Of well-dressed young men
who spend their mornings hanging around
the entrances Of the retail stores. staring
at the ladies who come and 90. and making
lTrr- h..f~
Where do they come from. you ask2 Why
are they not in colleges or the counting
houses or employed in some capacity some
where2 Evidently they are the sons OF
the aristocracy. judging by their dress
and manners. Do their mothers and their
fathers know they are OUT Some OF them
are very yOung-nOt more than sixteen or
seventeen years Old-others are men Of
thirty or more who have all the signs Of
experienced roues and appear TO be wait
ing for chance for a Irritation
Yes. their fathers and their mothers do
know that they are out, and see them fre-
Quently.' said a gentleman with whom I
was walking one day. They are the sons
Of the aristocracy and they ought to be
at work or in school. They are the vic
tins Of the indulgent parents and our
social system. These young men are not
allowed the freedom Of acquaintance and
assO, iatiOn with young women as in your
country. The two sexes are kept apart as
much as possible until marriage. as in
France. Hence. they crave forbidden fruit.
And again, these young men are taught
that labor is degrading. They are edu-
Gated to be gentlemen of leisure. They
have allowances OF money every month
from their fathers, which they are per
mitted to spend as they please, and it goes
mostly for cocktails and cigarettes. What
becomes of them2 Why, some of them
succeed To the management Of the family
estate. some secure appointments in the
army; others 90 into politics and similar
professions which require no special pre-
paratiOn, but the devil gets his share"
To see the aristoeracy Of Santiago at its
best one must attend the opera, which is
given four nights each week during the
season by an Italian company brought over
with full chorus and orchestra from Milan
Italy, and its performances are as perfect
here as there. The opera house which is
one Of the finest in the world. surpasses
everything in London. and equal TO any
thing We have in the United States is
owned by the municipality, and equipped
with costumes, properties, and scenery for
all the standard operas, and everything
new that is successful in Paris or other
European musical centres. The house is
furnished free OF cost, and the city govern
ment gives the manager as subsidy of S40-
600 year IN cash. The seats and boxes are
sold by subscription for a season Of sixty
nights as in New York. and are paid for in
advance. There is usually a guarantee fund
also to protect the manager from financial
loss Those who lease boxes and seats for
the season often sublet them to strangers.
and il is not considered an impropriety. so
that people who are spending only a few
days in the city can go to box Office and OBJ
tain seats by paying the regular rates. The
same company appears thirty nights during
the season a Valparaiso under similar con-
ditions and with a smaller subsidy
The singers in the chorus, as well as the
orchestra, are all Italians. and the princi-
pal ballet dancers also come from Milan
The soloists are first class. The people
will not tolerate anything else, and the au-
dienees are quite as interesting as the per-
formers for the dressing and the display
Of jewels is equal to that seen at the
Covent Garden in London, the Grand
Opera House in Paris, or the Metropolitan
in New York. 1t surpasses the display at
Berlin and other cities of Germany. where
the people go 10 hear the music and not to
show their clothes.
There is a large foyer in which the peo-
pie promenade between the acts. refresh
ment room, where ices. vines. sandwiches.
and other light refreshments are served ;
a gentleman's cafe. a smoking room and