The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-05-31

MRS. ASTOR.
| winter Mrs. William Aston, social arbi-
| ter, let down the bars and allowed $50
more individuals to skip over into the
paddock of first society; then she in
stantly put them up again. All these
new people will flock to Newport. The
old town, which was erstwhile chosen
fer place of summer rest and resto-
ration by the sea, will merely witness
continuation Of last winters social
circus in intensified form.
Last winter was the heaviest social
Washington. The quite up to date
fashionable woman not uncommonly
went to lecture in the morning and
in the afternoon to a tea, where she
swallowed peanut sandwiches and 9TH
er connections the most unholy that
could pass into human stomach; after
that out to dinner of half score Of
courses and more Ubiquitous concoc-
tons, then away to the opera till mid
night. after the operas over, then
we retire to the ball." to dance and
again stuff till after the sons and
daughters of toll have taken their
places On the treadmill Does daylight
look in disguised on the revelry, the
wan faces, the withered flowers? Draw
the curtains closer, turn the electric
lights higher, shut out the day beams,
and on with the dance! Let not the
whirl stop!
1t is no exaggeration to say that the
life society women lead in New York
and in the national capital during the ;
season is much like that. What do
they do it for? ] don't know. Nobody
knows. To the less happy it would
look as if this feyerish, incessant
spinning round were to enable them to
forget. But what can fortunes favor
ties have on their minds that they
wish to forget?
The strain of such a life is harder
than that of the washerwoman. Last
winter it broke down several who
started in determined to do or die.
One of these was Mrs. Roosevelt, the
amiable, hospitable wife of our presi-
dent She was obliged to retire tenn
porarily from the field ere the well
come coming of Lent gave surcease
from entertaining and receiving. One
of her most efficient aids. Mrs. Knox,
wife of the attorney general, also
dropped before the season closed. vic
tim to. her desire to keep up with her
duties in the world of society.
In New York city it was the same,
only more so. Numbers of the society
leaders were knocked out premature
~. Some retired quietly to their coun-
try homes, others sailed to Europe to
this or that spa to drink nauseous wa
tiers and live on plain food until such
time as they could once more piece to-
gether their shattered nerves. Others
still went for a cruise upon their
yachts or to Florida or California or
the Carolinas-anywhere to get away
from turning night into day and the
digestion inside out
1t is said tie only leading society
woman able to endure a social season
without wincing is the oldest Of them
all. Mrs. William Astor, the Mrs. AS
tor, lady now almost seventy years
of age. With serene, secure mind she
starts in at the beginning of the sea-
son, takes the lead in the social pace
and keeps it to the end, royal and
strong
81 am well because [ take good care
Of myself" she is said to have re-
marked. This is true Of every one,
no matter what she does. Perhaps |
am more prudent and temperate in
my manner of living than others who
complain. Nerves? do not know
that I have any"
If the present and future Newport
seasons are to be a continuation ef
winter designations. merely shifted to
a new scene, when will our poor mil
lionaire ladies get any rest? On the
whole, seeing what awaits young fem
ininity III high life, it is well that
American cslIege girls are now tax
Ing strenuous trimming in golf. BASKET
ball and. it is said, even football. The
will need to be Shadows. every orr.
If this thing continues: but. again, d
rank outsider may be permitted to
ask, What IS it all forg
KATE SHARP.