The San Francisco call., 1905-06-25
SMART SET
IN LONDON
SAVING. Up
Economy Causes a
Dull Social
Season,
Keen DisappointmentIs
Felt Among the
Americans.
Heavy Inheritance Tax Makes
Deep Inroads in Purses
of Nobility.

LONDON, June A.-Thus far the Lon
don season has not been brilliant one.
nor does the outlook hold much promise
of Improvement. 1t is true there are
more court functions scheduled than for
long time past, but far as its own
diversions are concerned, society has for
the most part contented itself with the
usual round Of small conventional affairs,
such as teas. receptions and muslcales.
There have been hardly any big enter
tainments outside Of these which royalty
has played the host and judging from
recent indications, few such will be given.
Over the teacups the other day, one of
the best known and most successful of
the young American matrons here thus
bewailed the dullness of the social pros
pect:
Really it is most aggravating," she
saIu. Here are several American women
prepared to do something worth while, but
we find only the smaller social lights in
town for the season. There is no sense in
doing things on a BradleyMartin scale
just to entertain our own country folk.
We want opportunities to do something
which will bring US added glory in aris-
tocratic English circles, and procure US
invitations TO similar entertainments in
return. 1t is true Mayfair appears un-
usually prosperous but il is the lesser fig
ures in English society who are practi-
caily running the show. For various rea-
sons many of the wealthiest and most ex-
elusive of the bon ton are beginning to
think themselves poor. and none can go
in for economy harder than the rich when
they imagine they are hard up.
House agents tell me that English peo-
pie who have heretofore ungrudgingly
paid from 5000 to $4,000 for a furnished
house for the season decline this year to
pay more than $1,000 or S30O0 If they take
af oil off fafr trd{
cation OF how society is retrenching."
Many prominent people who have been
generous entertainers in former seasons
have withdrawn from the giddy whirl
this year. Among them are the Duke or
Abercorn, whose town house Mrs Potter
Palmer was fortunate in securing; the
Duchess of Bedford, the Marquis of Bath,
Mrs. Wynfinch and several others Deaths
in their families have caused the tempo
rary retirement of several people who
have previously contributed generously to
the seasons gayeties.
Il is not alone the period of mourning
which demands seclusion. The heavy tax
to be paid when deaths cause a transfer
of estates may necessitate rigid economy
for years to make UP. The Government
takes it's 10 per cent toll of both the
realty and personally that changes hands
in this fashion. 1t has to be paid in cash.
too. The Marquis of Bath had to pay
no less than 81 .0oo,000 in death dues on his
inheritance. That means that he will
have to spend much less than the income
from his property for some years in order
to catch up.
Mrs Wynfinch's husband was a rich
welshman, but the death dues she has
had to meet by cash payments have
so crippled her financially that society
will see nothing of her for some years.
Though sharing the traditional re-
luctance of the old nobility to emerge
from aristocratic privacy and come be-
fore the public as the subject of a
newspaper article, the Right Honorable
Lady Haldon has expressly permitted
the publication of a statement recently
made 70 a representative of the press
regarding her wonderful cure by'-a
certain patent nostrum, which there is
no need to mention here.
So begins an advertisement now ap-
/ pearing in a large number of journals,
accompanied by portrait of the
beautiful English peeress," in which
her ladyship relates "for the benefit of
/ all sufferers" how she was restored to
/ health after the best professional treat
ment had failed to do her any good
Lady Haldon was actress before
| she married Lord Haldon. A short time
ago she emerged from her aristo-
cratic privacy" to appear on the variety
stage apparently she mas HOI met
with the financial success she antici-
pated and is resorting to other methods
of adding to her income.
The market rate for puffs from
peeresses has greatly declined OF late
years. But since Lord Haldon shows
no disposition TO emerge from his
aristocratic privacy" and replenlsh the
/ exhausted exchequer by tackling work
! of some sort. Lady Haldon has to do
/ whatever she can to make both ends
meet. Marrying a peer is not always
all that IL IS cracked up to be.