Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-04-23

s~ HAVE been into the cafes of the Astor, the Waldorf, Sher-
rvs and other fashionable hotels, and nine women out of ten
will order drinks of the same kind that their escorts order
- AND QUITE AS MANY OF THEM. | have watched
these women and L have wondered if they realized what those
same men thought of them deep down in their hearts
They think mark you, am voicing the sentiments of the man
about town when 1 say i)-they think these same young women are all
right for a time, but they would not MARRY such women.
And this brings naturally to mind the thought, Why are there in
New York city today thousands of men in their thirtes and forties,
men Of means or of excellent salaries and incomes, who are not mar
ried? And why are there so many instances of men marrying, as So
ciety puts it, BENEATH THEMg
The answer is because SO many of the daughters of their own
fashionable set are given to drink, cigarette smoking, gambling Gr
that is what bridge whist has resolved itself into) and to kindred
vices. 1t is because men of the world and of society realize that
SUCH WOMEN ARE NOT FIT TO BECOME THE MOTH
Frs OF CHILDREN, not fit to preside at their tables and over
their households.
Not many of these men, finding the women of their own circle
given over to these vicious habits, go beneath it, and find honest
young women whose names are not IN the social register as their help
meets.
The cause of these conditions is largely due to the fact that the
women of society have nothing to do. They are deprived of the atten-
ton and society of their husbands; they are without children and
housekeeping cares, and they become MERE PLEASURE SEEK
Frs, and before they know it they are brought to that state of mind
where all of their faculties are engaged in discovering modes of selfish
enjoyment.
If there were MORE CHILDREN in the homes of the rich
there would be less dissipation. Think of it, on Fifth avenue from
Washington square to Ninetyffth street there were only fourteen
children born last year. On Madison avenue from Twenythird to
@NoL h+
year. These figures are eloquent.
THE ONLY REMEDY FOR THESE TRULY GRAVE CONDITIONS
is FOR THE WOMEN TO FIND AN AIM THAT is WORTHY OF THE
DEEPEST AND STRONGEST IN THEIR NATURES. ANY SERIOUS
PURPOSE WILL SAVE WOMEN FROM FRiVoLITH
We find that these women seldom read; they have no thirst for
knowledge; they seldom cultivate their minds by study. Only the
other day I was going up in the elevator of one of the most fashionable
hotels of the city when | heard a young woman say to another, and it
was then 8 O'Clock, II haven't done a thing all day but play bridge"
That is only an example of what women do with their time. l am
told that the gambling whist habit has become so prevalent that women
Jon,oo and 1o,onc nj thap- Uo from housn fl house from fashiOna-
BILE hotel to hotel day after day and night after night, reviving shem-
selves by drinks of various sorts. Of course there are those who would
crticise a man of the cloth for offending his fashionable pew rent
es, perhaps, by telling the truth about these alarming conditions.
The conditions are all the more grave when one considers that the
ENTIRE COUNTRY is influenced by the doings of members of the
ultra fashionable circle of New York. Their every movement is her
aided in the society columns and their amusements are taken AS A
PATTERN by other silly women all over the land.
When Mrs. Astor slums she has a thousand followers; if Mrs, Fish
plays bridge the smaller fry viii follow suit, and if all of fashionable
society drink and smoke the entire country will feel its vici-ss in
fuence.
THAT is WHERE THE MOST HARM is DONE.