The age-herald., 1902-03-16
New York 400
BY DlEDRIcH kNIckERBockER.

1 New York, March 15-(specfal.) )-How i my good friends who enjoy good posi- tion supported by great wealth would love to bend the hinges of the knee to | royalty. Our American girls have loved the titles of dukes and earls for many years. and those who have become duch- | esses and countesses have shone in the ] new world of which they have become part. But all cannot win the straw berry leaves, and that is where the rub comes. Mrs. Ogden Mills and Mrs. Cor nelius Vanderbilt have scored heavily in securing Prince Henry as a guest. It has caused them to soar in the im- perial aristocratic heavens and it has made many women jealous
 Now why should Teenie Mills and Grace Vanderbilt be elated? If the prince were only a man, man of dis tinction, would they be elated? Not at all. It all rests in the aris- tocratic idea. He is the brother of an emperor the cousin of king and both emperor and king are by ancient lineage recognized the social world around as the heads of a social system. Would the same sense of elation thrill these ladies if their guest had been the presI- dent of the French republic? No. It is not the temporal power of a man of genius, of a statesman, or of ruler It Is the fact that a man representing the aristocrat tic idea or principle in its hign- est form recognizes as of his caste the hostesses who entertained him. Really now, it would take very little to make certain fair danes bend their knees to king. The social world of America could be very easily annexed to a foreign throne.
 It is unnecessary to say that both these ladies did their uttermost to greet royalty with the homage royalty is presumed to find acceptable. One hostess even went so far as to make the princes chair diff ferent from all the others. having it up- holstered for the occasion in the imperial colors. At the Mills breakfast the prince sat on the right of Mrs. Mills and on his right sat Mrs. Clarence Mackay; at the Vanderbilt dinner the prince sat on Mrs. Vanderbilt's right and on his right Mrs. Edmund l.. Baylies. Prince Henry certainly met four very charming women Mrs. Mackay was Miss Duer a very bright. clever talker, a pretty woman and an old New Yorker; Mrs. Baylies was a Miss Van Rensselaer,. also an old New Yorker and a most charming wo- man.
 Both of these hostesses desired to have as their guests persons of established position, and at the same time persons of distinction. They wanted to confine 1t to the younger set because the younger women are pretty and attractive. But, alas our younger social set has not much to recommend it. The women have only to be beautiful and to be well gowned, but wealth may make a man conspicuous but not distinguished. Had the mayor been in the swim he would have been asked, but as he is not Pierpont Morgan and Augutus Belmont were. Our politi- cal life does not show our men to ad- vantage. cannot see why they did not invite Wnitelaw Reid and Chauncey M. Depew. They are not only representa- tive men, but belong to the social system. Confidentially, Mrs. Mills and Mrs. Van derbilt have made mjly enemies.
 It seems early to plan for the August season at Newport, but people are busy planning what they are to do, and there is much more in the way of house hunt ing and house furnishing than has ever been known there at this time of year. There are to be new people, but they were tried and found satisfactory last year and can almost rank among the old inhabitants, according to their own view of the matter.
 Mrs. Astor will be back in time for the season and intends entertaining, as can easily be imagined when her ball room is being done over Mrs Kerno- chan. who is going over to Europe for the coronation, also expects to return in t;,,a to entertain. but the season ia not