The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-04-09
.LOUNCERS IN LUXURY
The Life Of the Gilded Youths Of
Great Britain.
FADs or MODERN SyBARlTES.
They Surround Themselves With the
Hiohest Products Of Civilization and
Make Idols of Their Bodies, These
Twentieth Century Epiedres.

Make Idols of Their Bodies, These
Twentieth Century Epiedres.
In a case that came before the bank
ruptcy court recently the debtor
Young man in the early twenties, gave
in his accounts an item of f6,OOO
which, he said. was the amount he had
lost owing to the compulsory sale or
the furniture in his fat, The original
cost Of the furniture in question is left
to the Imagination. The truth is that
our golden lads" do themselves re-
markably we'll Ito use their own eX.
pression) and think that nothing In the
world Is too good for them. We are
always reading in the papers illusions
to the luxury and extrayagance OF wo-
men of the smart world Now and
then we may come across some refer
ence to the elaboration Of self indul-
gence In which the young men Of our
wealthy class luxuriate. Some years
since we had a description Of the
wardrobe of New York dude" 1t
appeared In an American paper, and
much of 1t had been communicated by
the young man himself. especially
some information as to the prices OF
the garments he affected. Not long
after a paragraph went the round OF
the papers about certain Italian poet
and the little comforts with which he
loved to surround himself. They were
described as in no way inferior to
those of the New York young man. It
is not alone in England that the dandy
surrounds himself with the highest
products of civilization and makes Il
god of his body.
The luxury of woman OF fashion
pales almost to insignifcanee when
compared with that. for instance, OF
her brother in the guards or heir to
the family estates. The young man who
was $4,000 to the bad in consequence OF
''the bankruptcy sale" Of his furniture
is a case In point. He probably Law
ished between fS.000 and 10000 on the
plenishing of the rooms. This is moi
much beyond the usual with young
men of the kind. Carpets alone make a
large hole In $1,000. Something very
special in wall hanglngs Is proportion
ate In cost. Each piece of furniture Is
a gem in its way The tradesmen know
! the kind of customer they have to dea
with and that--for the present-ther'
is plenty of money They bring fortl
their richest and rarest and not Ii
vain. The high ambition of the younl
man is to "go one better" than an!
other fellow he knows in every detail
Of his surroundings. The civilized
world is ransacked in order to proyid,
him with the latest refinements of cost
ly luxuriousness in such appointment
as bed and bath, glass, china. orna
ments, silver and dexterously shaded
lights. His florists yearly bill woulC
keep two or three poor families.
AS to dress, single fact may throw
some light on the relative values of tn,
young mans wardrobe and that of tn,
smart woman The valet Of one sucl
gilded youth having complained to hi
master that in his large and Luxurious
west end fat there was no proper &C
commodation for his clothes. the re
source of renting second fat equal.
large for the housing Of the wardrob
was suggested and at once adopted. 1
small room Is devoted to clothes ant
brushes and certain preparations 70
the treatment Of shoe and kid and boo
leather. A larger room is given to tn
boots and shoes themselves and thei
familiar trees, and so on with the NOR
important articles of dress. Countr.
clothes have spacious quarters devotet
to them. They include riding gear
cricket and tennis suits, sporting gel
up and travelling kit Here are hi
portmanteaus and travelling bags. al
imposing array. A large wicker baske
standing among them elicits smilin
inquiry from the interested relative
whom he has invited to tea and +
whom he is showing his new "dig
gings" "Oh. thatT' he says. "Tha
basket ought to know its way t
France alone. 1t goes every fortnigh
with my washing. English laundric
ruin silk things. We tried 'em. Tor
them to pieces and made the sheet
yellow in no time"
"Silk sheets"
"Oh, yes! No one ever has any 9th
er now"
"And you send this huge basketfu
once fortnight"
Every week." he corrects US. "On
is on its way back now"
1t is interesting to see the youn
men Of the day at our smart restau
rants, each seated alone at one Of th
tables. intent on doing himself thol
oughIy well. His whole mind seem
occupied with the menu and its con
ponent parts.
In Il novel written by man til
opening chapter shows us ruinp
youth leaying London for Monte Ca?lt
We gives the guard shiIling& TO kpn
The rest Of the world out Of his frs
class carriage and regards with Satis
faction three small hampers with whic
he has uroyisionpd himself for th