The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-08-16

A=I people, writes Cleveland
l9a lsW Moffett, in an article on
THE Shameful Misuse Of Wealth." in
| Success. And | say at once with all
| possible emphasis that / believe it is
doing serious and increasing harm,
| changing the old standards of sim
| pllclty and honesty, demoralizing many
women, and acting as potent cause
of far-reaching discomfort.
Let us look at certain phases of
| American life and seeif there is reason
for so sombre a Judgment Take the
example of women in the rich smart
set and consider its influence on other
women neither rich nor poor, on ordi-
nary American women. And remem-
Der that for years our newspapers
have devoted pages every week to the
doings OF these wonderful ladies "ln
society" City newspapers, country
newspapers. all the newspapers have
told about their gowns, their balls,
their grand dinners, their weddings,
theii divorces, their departures for Eu-
rope, their returns from Europe, their
ways the same names over and over
again in pompous catalogue until the
hamlcts in Idaho and the swamps Of
Florida know them better than the
saints of sacred story. Until by mere
force of iteration, by the hypnotism OF
repetition, as tireless advertiser at
last compels you to buy his soap, these
society" people have been taken at
their own valuation and in hundreds Of
towns and small cities all over America
thousands Of women follow their spec
tacular flutterlngs with almost reverent
interest. Thus spurious aristOcracy
has grown up in this land, an aris-
tocracy that rests ON neither culture
nor wit nor serious achievements, but
simply on money and love of show
and Sunday newspapers!
Yet vain and shallow as 1t is, this
tinsel aristocracy is a real power in
America, great power. 1t dominates
the social life Of Newport and New
York, il decides who shall or shall not
be the "Four Hundred"-who shall or
shall not be nodded to from naughty
carriages and counted anybody" in
fashionable gathering places. 1t is en-
We'd, feared and initiated, worst of all
1t is initiated! Women from every
part of the country come to New York
and see these "leaders" of society they
are always on exhibition, observe their
gowns and manners and hear about
their morals. "Ah," says one. $50 she
is in the -Four Hundred that girl who
used to make her own dresses" And
another says, $50 she got divorce and
married millionairer' And another
says: what, that woman a Newport
swell, when her father was James, the
minerw And another says, '7They tell
me this lady drinks too much, and that
one never pays her bills, and another
swears like a pirate, but 1t must be all
right, for they're in the -Four Hun
dredr" And thousands say, But /
am as pretty and as clever as they are,
why shouldn't l do as well? And if
they do this or that to succeed why
shouldn't | do the sameW And back
they 90 to their homes in numberless
towns and small cities carrying with
them and spreading the seeds of reck-
lessness and discomfort Nor can any
man tell into what miserable harvest
these seeds may grow, into what ex-
travagance, into what scandals and
wreck of homes.
And even among the great body of
WI nd
firm against such decentralization, there
may be noted a certain lowering of
moral tone as the result of influences
from above;;" they tolerate or prac-
tice gambling since the bridge" craze
started. they drink more than they
did and are less sure than they used
10 be what is or is not becoming in a
woman.
An amusing illustration Of this last
point was offered recently at Palm
Beach. One day in the height of the
season there appeared at the bathing
pool strikingly handsome woman in
much diminished bathing suit. 1t
was made in one piece, much like
mans suit. and there were no stock
ings. There sounded forthwith a scan
daliZed chorus from all the ladies pres
ent; they were quite Mortified. and
protests were made to the hotel man.
ager. But the next day it transpired
that the wearer Of this outer garment
was Lady -. of the smartest set in
London and the smartest set in New
York, and straightway the murmurs
ceased.
WELL" sighed one of the ladies who
had been most strenuous against this
immodesty, 'if l could swim as we'll
as Lady - l suppose should do as
she does"
And the hotel manager, knowing the
ways Of the world, declared that Lady
- might wear any old bathing suit
she wanted to- or none at ALL" since,
being rich and social power, she
could do no wrong.
Wherever we follow our spectacular
rich (the newspapers force us to follow
them), we find them parading like &C.
centricities, taking off shoes and stock
ings in Baltimore after a fashionable
gathering to wade in a public fJun-
toin. nlayinp loan frog in Wo shin ofon