Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-09-04
A Reminder Of Vanity Fair.


Henry Watterson, OF the Louisville,
press, and Rev. Dean Richmond Bah.
bett, OF the Church OF the Epiphany.
New York, have apparently made it
their life mission to reform the Smart
Set included in the select -Four
Hundred" Of the great metropolis,
enumerated and classified by Ward
McAllister. The reverend critic, is
not, OF course, as caustic as the Ken
lucky censor. but from his exalted
position Of teacher and cxem2lar of
morals, his utteiances are likely to
have more profound effect.
In sermon, on last Sunday, on
"The Sins and Follies OF Fashion," he
declares that the acts of the idle rich
people are degrading and abhorrant to
all decent people. He atlirms that
he is more than convinced that the
Clergy must preach clearly. pointet.ly
an. ~ fotcioiy as possible, in condetl-
nation OF the sins and folles OF the
time; dwell less on the exodus of the
Israeli'es from Egypt, and more on the
exodus Of Christian virtues from Amer
lean life"
He seems to have the courage of
plain sense of duty when he uses this
fOrcible language TO recall his men,
bership to a respect for those proprie-
ties which lie at the very foundation
OF the social fabric.
There are many ways to look at the
selfish, wasteful, indecorous, baleful
and often insane acts of the so-caled
smart set who seem to make crusade
to get their peculiar social antics in the |
newspapers, as enthusiasts impale but |
TEXTILES for exhibition in museum. The !
senseless class in the public initiate |
them; the sober thinking class have a |
plying contempt for them; the earnest |
Christians blush for them; the patriotic |
American abhOrs them, and the gen. !
uine aristocracy OF America and Europe !
laugh at them. Their example is pesti- |
lential to democratic America their an
tics violation of all normal sanity
their moral standard reprehensible at !
the bar of Christian morals; their lives, |
with all their false glitter and brilliant |
frippery, are personal degradation to |
themselves and make a rapid descent |
into that Ayernus of the senses where |
lie buried all the best and choicest of
OF human aspirations"
"Swell" society everywhere seems to
be afflicted with this frivolity and
abandonment of that personal equi-
poise which sustains the dignity of
human character. 1t was only short
time ago that reference was made in
these columns to the antics of Harry
S. Lehr, at Newport, where his leader
ship bad impelled many of the So
called "better class" to adopt the
most absurd antics to attract public
attention and get their peculiar fads
into the newspapers. They readily
followed him, according to reports in
the daily press in inaugurating mon.
dey parties" and that he had induced
prominent society dame TO walk
down the street with him, each hold
ing the hand of rag doll. Another
society couple waded, in full dress,
through lake in one Of the city parks,
to pose in the public eye as belonging
to the privileged few who can snap
their fingers at propriety. Had they
belonged to any but the smart SET"
such foolishness would have been
promptly frowned down, did it not
land them in the insane asylum or
police court.
The reverend gentleman is right in
insisting that those who claim to be
aristOcrats should be required to show
some claim to the term, whose deriya-
ton is from two Greek words signify.
ing best and strong. The latter char
acteristic will rapidly wane by persist
ence in acts which only merit and
bring contempt, and the title to the
former is sham when confronted by
"such fantastic tricks before high heaven.
As make the angels weep"