The sun., 1903-12-06
HARD TO CLIMB IN LONDON.
EASY TO HIRE 4 SOCIAL B.ACkER,
BUT THAT LEADS NOWHERE.
All the Great Join to Help the Chaperon,
hut IT'S Dinerent when Socially Ann
bilious Americans Try 10 Go II Alcno
Lster-s0cisty Always Aids for Pay.

UuOu0 AtntTlVBuS hFy W Wv 50 fssVAso
Later-s0ciety Always Aids for Pay.
The knowing ones always smile nova
oays when they hear that q woman with an
| exalted position In New York society is going
abroad TO try TO capture London. This 10
an old story. and there was time when
aspirations OF that Kind filled many pretty
| and ambitious heads. IT took the cxper-
fences OF number of wealthy New York
women to prove that this game was not
worth the candle to women who have
reached the social plano In New iorks
| life that sotisfies them.
There are still American women who 80
to London with their money. their Deanty
| and their wit u make name Tor thern-
selves in the smart world there. But In rine
cases out of ten they are not known In
New York, and they are playing the London
! game only as an overture TO what they
| expect to accomplish in New York. Get
! ting into society here by way OF London Is
no new thing.
! ANYBODY who knew the woman that
sailed last week for London said one OF
the social zealots who accompanies the
train Of his set from New York to the Cont
! nent and back TO Newport, laughed at
the idea thnt she had any ambitions for
London society. She has seen more OF 1t
| than almost any Amet lean woman not
| living in England, has had the present
| King as a guest ut hes dinner and has
repeatedly met kis wife socially. So there
was very little for he's IL any London Sue
cess.
"One has no idea Of the complete manner
IN which any American woman who goes
| to London is compelled to knuckle down
and be led around by the rose il she ever
expects to get anywhG'c II che were not
paying for all this she might naturally be
directed to do as shc wGs told But to have
other people spending her money. spend
ing it in tho way they want, and then not
allowing her to open her head about the
way, is q state of AFFAIRS to which most
American women object. however loudly
the social bee may buzz il, their bonnets.
take the case Of two or three women
who have recently been scattering their
husbands money about London. One OF
them. under the chapeionage Of Western
girl married to not very rich baronet,
has been taken q bout to number Of houses,
has made some acquaintances. fed a great
many people, and incidentally made some
valuable presents Of jewelry, in addition to
housing for the entire season her sponsor
and her husband.
Last year she was all over the place.
But during the London season OF this spring
she was scarcely heard OF, although she
had the same house, jus! as much money,
and was ntert aiming just as much, but a
very different class from that Oh which
she had wasted her money year before.
In fact, she was as Inuch out OF II socially
as IL che had not known year OF London
success.
sNow what crime do you suppose that
woman was guilty Of? Why. she had been
asked to house party during the grouse
shooting in Scotland and had actually
invited all tho people she met there tc
come to her place q month later. Some
of them went, or At least promised to 60
but when they beard tho stand that the
hostess took, they either declined or ig
noreL their accsptauces. The hostess wa
curious.
s'Do you know what that catty American
woman did?' she asked everybody she
met for six months afterward. She came
to my house merely because she had been
| generous to the wife OF friend Of mine,
and for his mothers sake asked the Ameri-
can to come for q week as / was told that
TO do. Instead OF teing humble aud hold
ing her tongue she invited every person
she had Irct thar week 70 come to some
ElGco in NarW!ckshire she had leased Tor
d year or two.
a'Of course ncne Of them went. because
.1plaiccd that really knew very little
about her except thu. she was very rich
and haa been very generous to COM
patriot OF hers VINO married the son OF an
as church mice, 50 l was willing to invite
the woman for their snke, and that was
! the way she returned my kindness.
1T would be hard to Bee the offence in
:! what this woman had done. but the Eng
: lish view Of suoh cases Ii that she should
hsve been grateful for any attention and
only that: so .,. ,.,. ,.,...
did not drop out any moro completely
, thnn anot her who had brief swim in Lon
jewelry to tho woman who launched her,
In addition to paying the expenses OF all
, the parties to which they went together.
She got to know lot Of people, and some
! She had little spirit left, and maybe
| she was overconfidsnt. At all events
she dared to rafuse mething that her
! sponsor demanded and there was a row.
| There were no signs Of trouble until the
American woman gave party and wanted
| to invite the friends she had made during
the earlier part Of the London season. To
a woman and almost to man they de-
clined, They had known this American,
| gone to her house and enjoyed her hos
| pit atty merely as friend of their friend.
Not one of them took any interest in her
personally beyond what her wealth might
do for them. She made one or two other
efforts after that. but finally. convinced
| OF the futility of trying it again. she came
home.
so very little suffices to give the impress
sion that this person or that is in society
| in London. Most Of the strugglers try
it through the charity racket. No beggar
is equal to the lady who wants to raise
money for this charitable purpose or that,
and there is nothing at which they will
stop. So this actress or that II she wants
TO stand behind an American bar or sell
tea at bazaar, will have plenty Of Ameri-
can women there to do 1t with her, and
plenty of titles scattered among the names.
| Then the story goes forth that this actress
| is popular in society and on terms OF great
| familiarity with the British aristooracy.
AS matter Of fact not ono of the women
whose names appear on the programme
with hers would speak TO her on any other
| occasion or allow her to enter her house
except for some such purpose. There Is
lots OF this kind of society to be had in
! London without any trouble. One need
only have the money to subscribe liberally
| to be able to know all the social rifIraff
and aristoeratic dereliots hanging about