The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-25
SQUIRE OF DANES
UNIQUE PLACE IN NEW YORK So
CIETY WHICH is FILLED BY
MIR. LEHR
SELLS WINE TO THE WOMEN


Purveyor to the Smart Set, He 0c-
Made Hit at Newport, and
Means Were Found to Prevent
His Return to His Home at BAL
timOre.
In the vast and intricate machinery of
a cosmopolitan society there are num-
Der of little pieces fitting in here and
there that do not attract the eye at first
or compel admiration for their strength
and power. They are not great driving
wheels or piston rods, but. rather, wheels
within wheels; perhaps only bolt,
screw or an exhaust pipe; but that they
are very important integral parts of the
whole is made evident the minute the
machine is put in motion.
1t is one of these useful little parts that
Mr. Harry Lehr is now playing in New
York society.
1t may be said, without danger of con-
tradiction, that to succeed in New York
society a young man must usually be
either to the manner born, or extremely
rich, handsome or crever. Now, Mr..
Harry Lehrs best friends do not claim
any of these distinctions for him. He is
not a New Yorker at ALL He halls from
Baltimore-City of Monuments-and, as
some one has added, of monumental
cheek.
1t is no longer to mans credit that
people say Of him: How clever!' How
braves" or How good looking" But If
you hear people exclaining about some
one: What will he do next?" then you
may know that that youth is on the
very top rung of social altitude. that he
is the fashion; that his dressing mirror
is surrounded with frame of invitations,
and that his mail is as large as that of
the rich widow who advertises for sec
rotary.
When 1t is understood then. that Mr..
Harry Lehr possesses this gift of orig
inality, combined with all the daring that
can be attributed to such a ladylike per-
son, the secret Of his social success is
out of the bag and a tribe of imitators
will be springlng up on ali sides.
1t would never do, for instance, to blum
der into the story of how Sherlock
Holmes picked out Adam and Eve in
heaven, which is said to be one of Mr..
Lehrs pieces de resistance at an after
noon tea or debutante's ball. The boudoir
or the coy dinner table is the proper
place for such anecdotes, for even If the
audience Is small the story Is sure to be
repeated and go the rounds before an
other day Is spent.
Again, there would be nothing original,
but only uncomfortable, In wadihg
through fountain with pumps and silk
stockings on, had not the originator OF
the scheme persuaded number of pref
ty women that there was nothing like 1t
IN the world, and induced them to follow
their leader into the water There is orig
lnality, there is daring of the true cal
her that only the caste of Lehr de Lehr
could invent and carry through
1t was with several historiettes of thfs
kind as an introduction. and with num-
Der of New York friends as sponsors,
that Mr.. Harry Lehr first rose above the
horizon of Newport two summers ago
He was very CHEEKY and good-natured,
willing and obliging, and quite domesti-
Gated, as the smart set now say in
bPCdhlLl6 VI lIlSlI ldIll6 CdlS. lie UldQ6
decided hit that summer, when many of
the cid Newport standbys were in Cuba,
including Messrs. Woodbury. Kane, Will
lie" Tiffany. John Jacob Astor, Nichol-
son Kane, reggie" Ronalds, the Norman
boys, Henry Bell and "Larrie' Worden.
A great many women were on the lookout
for novelties, and the gay little Balti-i
morean, with his playful ways and funny
stories, was a perfect godsend. He prov
AlDE Ill Z Iii, I'll 1t.
Baltimore were true. and that he had by
no means exhausted his fund of original
lty and daring.
When the summer was over some Of the
leading young matrons and one or two
older ones Of the smart set decided that
he was quite too good a thing to be per-
mitted to return to Baltimore to play in
fountains. and fiirt with those Unsuitable
girls of Charles street New York was
the place for his talents and bonholnie.
Oh, No! 1t would never do Harry
Lehr must remain in New York
Business? Making a living? Why of
course. Let's see. What can you do? My
husbands a lawyer. No, you don't know
anything about law Mine is banker
No, you are not serious enough for him.
That's why L like YOU oh! I'll tell
you what" said third woman. My
husband is on the house committee of
OF you. You must become wine mer-
chant and sell champagne. Every one
drinks it nowadays. We never serve any
other wine at home. 1t comes in with
oysters and does not even go out with
the coffee
So 1t was all settled satisfactorily that
Mr.. Harry Lehr should settle in New
York and sell champagne. There was
plenty of precedent for such an honorable
career. Mr.. T. Howard Howard, Mr.
Ernest Staples, Mr.. Edgar Murphy, Mr.
Ernest la Montague, Mr.. Frank de Luze,
Mr.. Frank Hubbard. Mr.. Belmont Purdy
and many other good men and true had
sold champagne and made mighty good
thing out OF it, and they had not half the
social backing that Mr. Harry Lehr was
to get.
Here it was, though, that Mr.. Lehr
again showed his originality and daring.
The gentlemen referred to had all follow
ed the usual channels of trade and Of
fered their wares either through circulars
or by personal solicitation to men only
They approached the heads of the houses
the fathers. husbands or brothers-and
talked up their bins and vintages in a
regular matter of fact style.
Not so with Mr.. Harry Lehr. The wom-
en- of the Smart set wanted him to set
tie in New York They had practically
decided upon his business for him. Now
they must buy of his wine, so that he
would not have to shut up shop and re-
turn to the cold, cold fountains of Balti-
more. So of course they bought nobly
plentifully, extravagantly After all,
women are the best customers in the
world, easy to sell to. not overcritlcal, and
go loyal in their appreciation! In no time
at all Mr.. Lehr could have printed on his
oorNe n no ca oh0sau ftPurvavor In Nv