Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-28
LONDON SOCIAL
GLORY FADES
BRILLIANT SEASONS KNOWN BE-
FORE BoER WAR GONE
Six Weeks Now the Limlt-Hard
Times, Bridge Whist and
Motoring Cause De-
cline In II
speclal Cable to The Herald.

Special Cable to The Herald.
LONDON, July 27.-At the commence
ment of the London season hopes and
prophecies are heard that now at least
the lengthy. brilliant seasons of before
the South African war days will come
again. Year by year these hopes have
been blighted and the prophecies falsifed.
Last year hopes were higher than ever
that the glories of the past were to be
revived for sure, but disappointment fol-
lowed. Critics within and without society
are now agreed that the London season
is fast sinking into the category of the
glorious past. One society writer laments
the fact that the season must now he
recognized to be thing both shorter and
far less brilliant than IL was. The writer
argues that the prohibitive class distinc-
tions here nowadays may be said hardly
to exist, or at any rate are extremely
elastic. Provided one has a certain
amount of money one may emulate the
pleasures of fashions folles of any class.
Breaking Into Society
Most ranks of society, however, are as
inaccessible to outsiders as in any former
epoch, but the outer circle long since has
thrown down any barriers it may ever
have possessed, and day after day hordes
of invaders join the throng just within
the walls. In plain English, the middle
classes have risen up, and asserted their
rights to enter society, and as a pre-
liminary step have invaded London during
the season.
The shortness of the season now is
such a serious factor in its decline as to
make 1t seem to many hardly worth while
giving anything.
Moreover, there is in society a distinct
tightness of money. The great landed
proprietors feel the depreciation of the
land war. which is still responsible for
much enforced economy. The stock ex-
change is notoriously depressed. Certain
great families soar above all such sordid
considerations, and the South African
magnates, not to mention the plutocratic
traders who have arrived in high places
are expected to keep the ball rolling and
set money in circulation. But it is ru
mored everywhere among the initiated
that some of even the most high placed
have fallen upon evil days, and that the
estates of certain of the most mighty of
all are mortgaged up to the hilt to keep
pace with gambling follies.
King Does His Best
Such a state of affairs naturally affects
the glory of the London season. King
Edward and Queen Alexandra do their
part nobly in the interests of trade to
Withstand the ebD or the TIDE. his ma |
jesty has set his face against the week |
end habit and as often as is consistent |
with the dignity of a sovereign honors
his personal friends with his presence
1T social events. Then, no doubt the
great increase in luxury has effected a
of the season, for it is only |
The immensely rich who can keep the ball
'olling at the present scale of expenses
'or longer than a few weeks at time.
Probably the advent of the automobile
S killing the London season. The average
educated member of the upper classes |
ss~Own as society, is in spite of the de- |
tractors in the smart set a person of |
fairly cultivated mind and wide interests, |
and the possibilities which motoring have
opened out to the most intelligent of
these is simply limitless. There are speed
lunatics and motor maniacs. but these
are in the minority. The great majority |
values the open air life and increased |
of men and countrysides which
gives and receptions and over
crowded dances are apt to go by the
BOARD in consequence.