The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-26
u. 10 Z ~ -.y-s r.
A HONOLULU
BL UE BOOK
Society to Have
an Accurate
Register.
BY THE WAY
WHO IS SOCIETY?
Barbour Lathrop Denies That He
is Cutting Down the
List.

Honolulu got the newspaper SooieIs
column not more than a year ago and
has enjoyed it so much that now 1t is
TO have Blue Book. What Blue
Book is every society person knows;
but the hoi polloi outside the sacred
pale may not understand that 1t is
roster of the socially irreproachable, the
truly prominent and the surely solvent;
la book that ladies will consult in max
ing up their reception lists, which re-
iporters will look at when they want the
names Of people who ought to be inter-
viewed and which the groceryman and
butcher, especially the neW-coming
groceryman and butcher, will consult
when somebody asks for credit.
John H. Pierce Is canvassing the town
for the Blue Book and expects to have
lit out in a few weeks. Then the world
will know the names of our four hum
ldred providing, of course, there are four
hundred of what the French Duchess
called ''real people here. 1t is good
many for Honolulu because Ward Nc
Allister said that New York had no
more than that. Now, from the fact
that the number of couples who danced
in the train of Barbour Lathrop last
night was reduced from twenty-five to
eighteen, it is suspected that but eigh-
teen couples of us are really eighteen
carat fine.
A reporter interviewed Mr.. Lathrop
on this point yesterday, but the new
leader of Honolulu society-a recent
conner from the rarefied atmosphere of
New York-was wary. He would not
admit that his social sieve had but
eighteen nuggets left in it. But this is
what he said;
why, 1 have nothing to say about
Honolulu society; how should 1? / am
a stranger here and know only few
people. 1t would be the most caddish
thing I could do to attempt to give any
opinion about exclusive circles-it
would be an impossible thing.
IF there is a rumor that l selected
stny guests for the cotillion with a view
towards inviting only those who are
ENTITLED to enter the most exclusive cir
4 cles, that rumor Is certainly without
foundation
Il did not wish to have too large a
number for the reason that l did not
! feel like leading a German, nor did my
friends, and as the cotillion is to be
given in honor of two young ladies, I
turned the matter Of invitations over
to them, limiting the number of invi-
. tations to twenty. 8E7
81 am not widely acquainted here and
certainly could not invite strangers,
nor should 1 presume to criticise those
whom 1 do not know. I am in no po-
sition to judge of the quality of Ho-
Inolulu's society, and my invitation list
certainly does not express my opinion
as to the limitations of whom should
belong to the most exclusive set.
have simply invited a party of friends
and my invitation list is not in any
sense a discrimination. That would be
absurd.
L am astonished that such con-
struetion should have been put upon
the matter. ] could not for a moment
have entertained SO presumptuous a
thought as that of drawing social lines
in a city where my acquaintance is
only a limited one-and as to express
ing my opinion, why, that is most
impossible thing. Even to f1atter would
be a caddish thing from me in my posi-
ton. l certainly have no opinion to
give"
Mr.. Barbour Lathrop does not mean
to be caught in the Ward McAllister
trap.
But to return to the Blue Book. 1t
is not given out who is to censor the
list of the. truly eligible, and Mr.. Lath-
rop evidently has no aspirations that
way. Some say that the difficult task
will be entrusted to Tarn McGrew, the
Prince Carnival of Mardi Gras; others
TO Walter Dillingham;, who occupies
the highest seat of tally-ho; others
nf oil of I,o
, social cogniscenti. Whoever gets the
JOB, it is needless to say, will be in hot
, water.