Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-07
RESORT OF WEALTH
Continuous Exhibition of 0pu-
lence and Extravaganza.
SCENES AT PALM BEACH
Perpetual Dress Parade at the Royal
Poinciana.
LARGEST HOTEL IN THE WORLD
Only q Fair Beach - Not Nearly as
Good as Those Farther North
Means Of Diversion Limited.
LARGEST HOTEL IN THE WORLD

Means of Diversion Limited.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
PALM BEACH, March 2, 1907.
For dress parade, for a continuous ex-
hibition of opulence and extravaganza in
the form of fine raiment and precious
stones, there is no place like the Royal
Poinciana Hotel at Palm Beach. 1t is pre-
eminently place for rich people, and they
come here not only to spend money, but to
display the results of what they have al
ready spent. The first thing that attracts
attention when you get off the train is the
mountains Of trunks that are unloaded at
the platform - stacks of "Saratogas,
French wardrobe trunks and English
hampers, filled with the latest Partisan
creations, hat boxes of all sizes and various
other sorts of luggage. The name Sara
toga" was first applied to the big trunks
that women used to take to that fashion
able watering place many years ago for the
same purpose for which they come here,
and the Grand Union Hotel, with its i'm
mense rotunda and wide piaZzas used to
see similar rivalry in dress. White Sui
phur Springs, fob de wah" was another
SSShS VI tuS SAME SOEt, UuI neither OF tnOSo
places was ever a circumstance to what
RAIN Beach Is today. In the first place,
the settings were not present; in the second
place the wealth did not exist
Exhibitions of millinery and dress goods
are given here three times a day-at the
bathing beach and the pavilion at II In the
morning, at band concert, with tea in the
cocoanut grove. at 4:30, and after dinner
IN the rotunda of the hotel where every
body gathers for the qualification of them
selves and their neighbors in the best that
the modistes and milliners can supply.
f. The Evening Display.
There is great rivalry in jewels also.
Every evening about 6 o'clock, before.
they go upstairs to dress, you will see a
line Of ladies standing in front of the
cashiers window getting their jewel boxes
out of the safe. Often when rich people
go away from home for a good time they
leave their jewels at home, but when they
come to Palm Beach fashionable women,
who intend to enter the dress contest here,
bring every bit of gold and silver and
precious stones they have.
Usually about a thousand people gather
in the rotunda for the evening, while the
orchestral concert is going on-two-thirCs
of them women, mostly of middle age.
There are very few young girls here.
Sweet simplicity is not entered in this
race; buds have no show. The contestants
are mostly full-bloWn roses, camellias and
peonies Matrons in the prime of maturity
display abundant charms of person, as well
as apparel. And evening after evening.
while the orchestra performs its program,
they sit chatting with their friends and
staring at the women they don't know.
The conversation, as one would naturally
expect, is about dress and jewelry. no.
tice that the ugliest women wear tne most
eral here loaded down with sparkling gems,
and you conclude from their appearance
that they have no other place 70 sho"
them. Some OF the displays are ~ os zen,
tatious that l am sure it would be con,
sidered a compliment II any one would
stop and look for the price-marks.
The Morning Exhibition.
The morning exhibition is quite as re-
markable as that in the evening. and much
more enjoyable because OF the exquisite
lace hand embroidery and other expensive
needlework that is displayed. The morn
ing exhibition is of linen and lace, rather
than satin and diamonds. AS you walk
down the piazza you can see TOO many
gowns of Irish point to count, gowns COST
inc hundreds of dollars, and long wraps to
match costing hundreds more. Almost
everybody Is in white or IN pale tlnts.
,ooded with gorgeous flowers and plumes
remarkable for their length anu oeau. NY
Parasols, stockings, slippers, gloves ana
fans match the costumes; ana neaty
W
Veil" falling over her shoulders, and some
times tied over her hat. 1t isn't fash1onaoie
to get tanned any more. Last year anu
the year before girls Went yen arot thev wear
long gloves and wells, so that as httle as
possible of the skin may be exposed. me
slippers dainty with ,o very Saarp St
and high heels. They look PreIty' Jul
must be very uncomfortable.
Evidence Of opulence.
noff ad
nurse with the clasp set with diamonds
and other jewels, which, OF itseii' Is an
evidence of opulence, for they cost all the
NAV from $500 up to $1,000. Everyday
Won ,ook Won can see such expensive &C
cessories lying in her ladyship's lap as she
sits on the piazza or swinging from her
wrist as she walks. A great deal OF
shopping is done here. The main corridor
on the Office floor is occupied by New
York jewelers. milliners, dressmakers and
dealers in rugs and other foreign fabrics
and bric-a-brac. You can judge OF the
amount of business that's done here when
YOU know that the merchants pay from
Ave to ten thousand dollars rent for a sea-
son of three months. Their windows and
show cases are filled with the most allur-
ing articles, and the rich people who
come here, being in spending mood, are
good customers
1t isn't beauty show by any means.
women here now, but Solomon In all his
glory would not have attracted SO much
attention as the brewers wife who sits In
a big red rocking chair rohed In richer
garments than the Queen of Sheba ever
wore
Means Of Diversion.
The bathing suits are rather startling.
The bathing beach is Oh the other side OF
the island and is reached by broad walk
about a quarter Of mile long shaded by
palmetto trees. 1t is the fashionable prom
enade. There is little tram car drawn
by a mule to carry the lame and the lazy,
or they can ride over in rolling chairs pro-
pe,led by colored men as tricycles. That Is
the fayorite form of locomotion here. There
are no carriages on the island. and the
onlv horse Is a mule that hauls the car.
You pay dollar an hour for the use of
the rolling chair, and the wheelman pushes
YOU at about the ordinary speed Of car
riaxe. There are several pleasant drives
or rides There is a jungle two or three
miles away through which a narrow. cir
cuitous trail of hard .macadam has been
made, and furnishes quite fascinating ex-
cursion Then Alligator Joe has choice
| collection of crocodiles and gators. large
and small, in a corral two or three miles
from the hotel, where people can ride In
| a chair and for 50 cents can see them bask-