The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-04
NEWPORT SOCIETY NEWS
BY pIEpRIcH kNIcKERBocKER.

BY DlEDRlCH kNlCkERBoCkEh'
 New York, October 3.-One sees many fine turnouts in the park and on the Riv- erside drive. To a stranger they would give rise to the belief that the swells are at home from sea shore. Alas, us false view. These people will be the real thing some day, but their hour has not yet come These are of the household or the new rich--the people of Mrs. Stuyves- ant Fish interposes as buffer Letween those of her "elass'' and the common peo- ple. An, well be it as 1t may, the true brilliant stars of the social Armament are not circling the park or drive. Their orbits do not cut into the metropolitan circle.
 It was different twenty years ago, then October saw the best people in town, but in those days the people did not have the wealth they now enjoy, or the money as they were then acquiring it or the leis- ure. as they did not have, in those days, an elegant idle class. They were just what Mrs Stuy. Fish now objects to as decidedly "eommon" and thoroughly .narvenn." But let us forget that the mushrooms of thost days were mush- rooms and only remember that our best society has been accepted at home and abroad as American society. At New port, we find the granddaughter or Peter Goelet, the old junkman, getting ready to marry the Duke of Roxburghe. Jack Astor says his cousin Pauline could have had him, but she Is not as fond or oukes as her father William, "the renegade" But why bother about the nationality of the Astors When John Jacob Astor turned from dressing the quarters of beeves to dressing their skins, he stepped on the road to the fur trade He was German at heart in speech and In tastes. To be sure his descendants became Amer ieanized still it is not strange that one of the Astor blood should desire to get back across the Atlantic. Suppose he did stop in England. The English are as much German as he But to return to May Goelet, she is getting her things to- gether to be ready to be a duchess and the duke, s2,000OOO better off than when he landed, is quietly fishing in Canada Of course we are all talking of the we'd ding. It will be a grand affair, and not to be invited will certainly knock socia. aspirations of some on the head.
 
 Life is thoroughly enjoyable at New port now. The people Mrs. Fish complain of have gone away While the streets are just a bit dull, owing to so many houses being closed, there is no question that there is an immense amount of pleasure in this after season. There are plenty of dinners given, and the flower show has been a delightfully."- managed affair." It was needless for any one who could be cassed among the ranks of the millionaires to enter the lists. The flow CTS were superb, and there was a certain air of exclusiveness about the the whole thing which apparently appealed co the reopie who were present. From now un- til November 1, this second season in Newport will continue, and while it will not be gay in the sense of summer season, there will be no end of small en- tertanments. The reconciliation of Mrs. Vanderbilt and her son, Cornelius Van derbilt and his family, often prognosti- cated, but long delayed, is likely to take place in the immediate future. Mir. and Mrs. Luther Kountze, always friends of Mrs Vanderbilt, have been her guests of late at the Beakers N. Delaney Kountze the only living son of MT. and Mrs. Kountz, is to marry Miss Martha Johnson in the spring. His fiancee is the first cousin of Mrs. Cornelius Wander bilt and her intimate friend, and the Kountze influence has been used to has, ten the family reunion. William K. Vanderbilt his nephews, Alfred G. Van derbilt and Reginald--1. Vanderbilt, as well as other friends and advisers, in- cbdng Chauneey M. Depew, now with his wife the guest of MT. and Mrs. W. ID. Sloan at Lenox, counsel this step.
 
 No two more delightful entertainments could have been devised than those given recently by Mines. Astor Bristed and Dix ey, at Lenox, the first an informal dance and the other a costume party, which though an impromptu, brought together one hundred and fifty people in most gor- geous attire. It was quite remarkable how quickly some of the costumes were made ready To be sure some had done / service at famous costume parties of the last five years, but the majority of them were made for the occasion. MT. and Mrs. Dixey wore the same gorgeous robes that had done service at the Elizabethan fes- tival in Boston. Their collection of cos- tunes, brought from all parts of the world, was generously loaned to those who had none at hand. MT. stephen Hills Parker, who was in Lenox for the first time in many years, was most amiable in designing costumes, one of which was for Mrs. Guy Ward This was classic Greek design, one of the most admired. Most artistic was the Dante of MT. AL fred Sedgwick, whose profile is a counter part of that of the great Italian poet, as 
 MT. Parker was impressive in the richly jeweled robes of an East Indian poten- tate. The Shalxeress of Mrs. David Lydig was an effectual disguise which few were able to penetrate. The quantness of Miss Kate Cary's costume caused much merri- ment. She was gowned as a miss of the 1880 period, in checked silk, poke bon net, long curls and with an affection of 2 .shyness that caused a ripple of laughter whenever she appeared. The gathering at the Lenox horse show suggested in measure a county fair. It was an all-day affair, people driving out on coaches, brakes and country carts, all taking luncheon along. Mir and Mrs Levi z. Letter expect to spend several weeks here this fall before going to their big Washington house. It Is rumored that they intend to entertain 1 a series of house parties during the win ter, composed for the most part of their New York friends. There is talk too, of their giving a big ball during the holi- days. The Letters have never given a ball in Washington since the much-talked iof function when they occupied the old