The sun., 1906-02-04
HARD WORK OF RICH WOMEN
LTTER tTt RE iND THE ARTS Ar
yRtCT NAVY.
Mrs Harry Paync whitney VINO Has fom-
miSriOn to 10 sculpture for the New
Hotel Belmont Not the Only New York
woman Of Wealth and Social Position
to work Hard al u Fa,Ortr Pursuit.

I,Ot el Belmont, Not the Only New York
Woman OF Wealth and Social Position
to work Hard al u FR,Oritr Pursuit.
s'r. Harry Payne Whitney, who is de-
voting her spare time to sculpture with as
much enlhusa ,n as II she had not been
born II Vanderbilt aud later married
( Whitney, H. not the only woman Of wealth
aad social position in New York to fud
success III the indulgence Of All Impulse
to artistic eudeayor which was not the re-
suit of Necessity
! When Mrs. Whitney took the coninis-
sioh to do the caryatldeA III the drawing
room Of the new Hotel Belmont. ii was Ia
order to get herself out VI the ranks OF the
amateurs. She wanted an order from An
! architect such az any other sculptor might
get, even il she did happen to be the wife
Of one millionaire and the daughter Of an
} other.
4 This ia a characteristic nowadays OF
women with talents. They are not satisfied
10 exercise their talents merely for their
own pleasure. They are anxious TO get
into the struggle going on in the world and
take their chances along with others
Mrs. Whitneys sister-in law, the VIE OF
Payne Whitney, was Helen Hay, and came
|
fore her marriage she had published verse
! II the maga zines, and there are now enough
OF her poems to fill volume.
, The number OF women who win success
in literature here in New York grows larger
almost every year. Catherine Duer and
her sister. now Mrs. Henry Wise Miller.
began as Mrs. Whitney did to write verse
before they turned their pens to fiction of
Il kind that reveals chiefly the New York
they know best. They had never thought
, Of writing a. Il profession when their first
poems were published, but success led them
on until they we're well established on the
magazine lists Miss Duer is now a regular
contributor to all Of the fiction magazines.
Mrs Wharton is of course the best known
! OF the women who have made for them
selves a better place in literature than they
occupied by right in society, She was a
Miss Jones Of Philadelphia, and sister OF
Cadwalader Jones Her husband is man
of wealth.
Writing began in her case as a result OF
an irresistible desire to see what she could
| accomplish with her pen. Her health was
+ never robust and much Of her writing was
done to pass the time while she was confined
to her house. For years she tn actised in
this way ~ that when her works came
first before the public abe was already
finished writer.
Mrs Wharton has never grown In the
least Indifferent to the details Of social life
merely because she has been successful as
a novelist Her liveries are regarded as
the snlartest in New York. and she il said
to pay more attention 10 such things than
any other hostess in her set.
Mrs. Wharton's home, The Mount at
Lenox is another example OF her solicitude
and care in the details Of life This com
paretively small establishment Is wonder
fully maintained.
Mrs. Clarence H Mackay is another
woman OF wealth who has found time
among the duties Of great position In the
world OF wealth and fashion to yield to the
inclination 70 write. She has already pub
lished a play and written "A novel, and she
delights in gathering literary men about
her
ABSORPTION in other interests has made
it impossible Tor her to write much OF late,
but she has confded TO her friends that she
is gong to do something i'll the line Of
authorship more important than anything
she has vet attempted Educational mat
tcrs. which have taken SO much OF her time
TOR the past two years are likely to figure
in this new work
Mrs Mackay is jtist now especially in
terested in trade schools "a the result OF her
studies in socialism at Barnard College
during two terms She attended lectures
regularly and no student was more indus
trious or showed greater interest in her
work.
newer conner In this field is Miss France es
Davidge, who although only out OF her
teens. il the author Of one OF the 'best
sellers- OF the year. Her first novel has
been uncommonly successful, although she
had no other preparation for her work than
tho. ordinary education OF a young woman
of social position,
She is n daughter Of William Davidge.
merchant Of this city, and her mother
WAS Miss Robinson, daughter OF Beverley
Robinson of Staten Island. She is one of n
set OF young girls to which belonged th.
former Miss Glare Bryce who was married
the other day to j. Sergeant Cram. AL
though Miss Davidge is lust arriving in the
literary field her SUCCESS has been brilliant
for beginner,
Another newcomer among the poets
ia Blanche La Roy Shoemaker, daughter
OF Mr. and Mrs Henry r shoemaker of 20
West Fifty-third street. She was intro
,luced to society only last winter, but sire
has published book Of verse good enough
10 find many admirers outside the circle
of hor own friends,
Mrs Edwin Post. who was the beautiful
Emily Price, daughter Of the late Bruce
Price. the architect. is another recent addi-
!, ton to the list Of women writer's. She has
a, far confined herself to fiction, and always
signs her work Emily Post"
The success of New York society women
in literature is by no means a new thing
Ever since Mrs. Sidney Harris, who was
Miriam Coles. wrote "Rutledge' and other
novels thirty years ago, literature has been
a favorite occupation Of women in society,
who have met with varying degrees OF
success in pursuit OF its laurcls.
Mrs. Van Rensselaer, CrnGer was one Of
those who attained the most widespread d
popula rity Mrs, Benton Harrison, although
Southern woman by birth. gained her
reputation as writer after she had won