The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-19
MRS. AsTOR NAMES 100.
Social AutOcrat of New York Sc
Iects Sixty-twO Families.

Iects Sixty-twO Families.
From the Philadelphia North Amer
lean.
New York. Jan. 13-The 400! Word
to conjure with. Mrs. Aston has created
it. She is the acknowledged leader of
all that makes up New York society.
Ergo, what Mrs. Aston says is law and
the 100 now exists.
For more decades than the average
woman of society will admit Mrs. As
tor has been the guiding spirit of fash
ion. For thirty years her annual ball
has marked the hight of the season.
TO be hidden to it meant social recog-
milton.
Once Mrs. Astors ball list seemed
full with 300 names. By the late Ward
McAllister's time it grew to 400. Then
by the influx of so many rich people to
New York and the residence here of
families of position from Philadelphia,
Boston. Baltimore and other cities, the
list grew larger and larger, till now
it numbers more than 800.
set Within Set.
Mrs. Aston began to realize that an
other problem confronted her. She
found set within a set. She found
one little circle occupied by COM
paratvely few families whose wealth,
birth or position made their places II
reproachable Gravitating about them
was another and a larger set, just as
smart and many of them much richer,
but somehow there was a vague but
none the less certain line between them.
How to distinguish between the two
was the problem. Suddenly the solu-
ton was clear as day. Instead of max
ing public the list of her 600 accept
ances as had been her custom hereto
fore, Mrs. Astor selected the names OF
50 married parties, II young women
and "A men-that is the new 100.
Why They Are There.
On this list are just sixty-two differ
ent names. These families represent the
very elite of the elite of New York
society Some are there by reason OF
long possessed wealth; some by rea-
son of family ancestry; few because
Of their great tact, clevereness or
breeding.
Most remarkable of all, not a single
old Knickerbocker name appears on the
list
Astor heads the list. 1t is the richest
real estate holding family in the United
states, though the first John Jacob AS
Tor founded the fortune in fur trades
IN the far North. Relationship to the
AStors brings in the names of Roose-
selt Willing and Drayton. One of the
hooSeNelts married Mrs, AstOr's daugh-
Ter and so the Roosevelts and Astors
are cousins or connections by mar
riage.
President Is I'm II.
Ana it is the first time in the his
Ioly of the smart set in fifty years
sshen the President of the United
states is included among New York's
lash!onables.
The Vikings come in because John
Jacob Astor. the present head of the
house, married Miss Willing. of Phila-
u.pnia. Miss Drayton is Mrs. Astor's
sranddaughter.,
,Vnly the O. II. p. Belmonts are on
s..lS Astor's list. Mr.. Belmont is fine
,H,pe OF the society man in Congress.
wy belmont was Miss Alva Smith,
sou lhern belle, and was formerly the
'I.e OK w. X. Vanderbilt.
,r'V3eph II. Choate was the architect
ms own fortune, though he would
nma.uIy be called a millionaire. He is
vS ol The acknowledged leaders of the
b'm York bar and United States am
I,Sddor to Great Britain.
Wary Clews made his money In
S,.n street. His sons most recent
sunc lion is that he married the d.
Tb.eu wife of Frederic Gebhardt.
MY nave town house at No. 80
NtS,t lhirty-fOurth street. and beau
P l villa at Newport
are DreXels are Philadelphians They
p,n worth several millions. The Nor
ns, 90 not appear on Mrs. Astors
hey probably sent regrets.
da,Nlur Kemp is a wholesale drug
thu. The firms fortune was laid
vato'Fn me manufacture Of q toilet
Mr. mat ~ known the world over.
ts ,'Ne,nps father brought the flrm
prosperity.
re" regard Harry Lehr as the clev-
poo' man In society. He came here
f1Ul,' Nl pushed his way by talk and
k To-day no young man IN town
Alu io Mrs Aston. lie married
1fss I,'Nn Ninton Ddhlgren. who was
Dom. .Ael She has several mill
m.a Mr. Lehr's father was Ger
N'p at Baltimore.
"ort"n's Wan, uonors.
n Morton has had more hon.
NDt Nlh Than amy man in Now
i-.t iIir chief being Vice PROG
Va W0 United STATES. From a