The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-12

Taking it easy? Well, not exactly!
,yhv summer is our busiest season.
There is no dull time in our business. So
around-even in Lent"
So said the man whose business it
&c 10 provide drawing-room novelties
for the very rich. His office is located
IN a side street, close to New York's
most fashionable shopping district,
snd occupies a well-lighted basement
room. The front is of solid plate
glass. through which he can see the
carriage of a well-known society wo-
man as soon as it draws up before his
door.
Here comes Mrs. George ]. Gould
IN search of some attraction for her
guests of Georgia Court. Mrs. Stuy-
vesant Fish demanding a novel fea-
ture to spring at her next dinner
Marty, and the well-known bachelor
host who would Offer striking for
eign "act" when he gathers few
choice spirits around his board.
Sometimes the patron leaves her
carriage, enters the office and critical
ly scans the engagement book the
agent spreads before her, but more
often she leans from her brougham and
INQUIRIES impatiently, Have you moth
ing neW?'
Extravagant Summer Entertainment
THE time when summer represent
ed a cessation of social extravagances,
a period of rest, is now past" said this
man the other day. with what is
known the country over as the smart
set, summer stands for the most ex-
travagant methods of entertaining,
and New York reaps the benefit of The
innovation.
why? Simply because to the
newly-made millionaire, Newport is
the summer battle ground. There if
he is properly sponsored by some
New York leader, he conducts the
social skirmish which prepares him
for the more vigorous campaign in
the city next winter. He may be a
ship-bulder from Philadelphia, a
pork-packer from Chicago, a steel
magnate from Pittsburg, or a gold
king from California. He may have
conquered the social world in his ma
tive State, but he will not feel that he
belongs to the truly elect of Americas
multi-millionaires until he has won
out in Newport season. 1t has taken
some families half a. dozen seasons to
penetrate the social circle. Some have
failed utterly, but it is all fish for our
baskets for he who would entertain
at Newport must draw his supplies
from New York, whether it be food,
flowers or fun.
The social season in the city
grows shorter each winter. Styles of
entertaining in the city are necessarily
more conventional. Dinners, dances
and the opera, with occasional vaude-
vile entertainments, fill the bill in
town. City houses do not lend them
selves readily to bizarre features. But
grounds, invites experiments along
social lines. There is no pastoral
simplicity about the modern garden
fete. 1t stands for the most extrava-
giant, the most ornate, the most luxu-
riOus type of entertaining which mod
ern hosts can contriVe.
Whenever one of these gorgeous
functions is given, the country is duly
informed of all the glittering details
by an enterprising press. The social
secretary of the host or hostess re
ceives reporters, furnishes them with
type written descriptions of decora-
tons and lists of guests, conducts
them perfunctorily over the grounds
and through the miniature theatre,
and dismisses them courteously. But
neither the clean, typewriter doou-
ment nor the brief glimpse of the so
cal fairyland can give to these
writer's any idea of the immense
amount of thought and work which
precedes the brilliant pageant.
This is divided between the host,
some valuable intimate friend, usually
a masculine one, denominated by face
tlous writer's as a tame cat and the
amusement agent who is called into
the conferences and who secures the
talent
The Acme of Summer Entertainment
The Pembroke Joneses set the pace
Tor garden fetes in 1901, and nothing
gwen since can compare with the fairy
IKE scene into which their Newport
place, Friedman was turned on that
occasion. More original programmes
nave been offered, more striking eff
4ects secured, but nothing more ex-
qulsltely artistic ever greeted society's
critical eye. For weeks electricians
were employed wiring the rose garden,
uhtll every bush held almost as many
tny bulbs as rosebuds. The temper
airy theater was rose colored, the mar
qolses were of the same hue, and the
pallroom was walled in rose-figured
Cretonne, with garlands of natural
blossoms. Where roses did not bloom,
hedges were built from stately stalks
Vi american beauties. And when the
srounds We're thrown open to guests,
every rosebush blazed into light; even
tne roses themselves seemed to have
electric bulbs buried in their hearts.
mat function is estimated to have
costs 1t hosts fully $2S,O00 and it con-
sisted OF a dinner with covers for ESQ
guests who swung around from their
oaoie to watch a vaudeville perform
ance in the miniature theater, after
Milch the cotillion was danced. In
o,lls case. the floral and electrical dec
0 of were perhaps the heaviest item
o, When the Cornelius Vanderbilts
Used New York theater and secured
fa e services of a Broadway company
s Ti one night at their Newport villa,
e o stress was laid upon the extrav-
r5 eone of this feature of the entertain
en- In reality, the theatrical en-
itt1dlhment was one of the smallest
ed I's IN the account, being represent
IN ny Just $4,000 all told. The theater
on winch the play was given for this |
h,S, night only was three weeks in |
a,oaihlIHng' from plans drawn by an |
az 1t was lined in pure white, |
Gu 1u the decorations were Louis XIV. |
eNtiduus in broad satin ribbon hung |