New-York tribune., 1908-09-27
5ERKSHIRES In
AUTUMNAL GLORY
SOCIAL LIFE At HEIGHT
OF GAYETT.
T;las of the Wealthy FestiUe scith
House Parties, Hhile Week-
End Patrons Fill Hotels.

p5ttshold Sept 2e.-The Berkshire Hills are ar
-sved in all the glory OF autumnal colors AS far
=. +he eve can reach up and down the winding
,suev Of the Housatoaic River. from the far
-a+cb of crevlock the northern mountain sentinel.
:. Mount Everett. in the border OF the county.
+ssre IS onz gorgeous burst Of color Nature has
,srkad through the hills, touching the hintops
with her b-1sh. and the browns and yellows.
hronzes and soarlets. purples and oranss reflected
=, the lakes rnirrored in the bright sunshine Of
,s+e September have transformed the land Henry
us-s Reacher when in Lenox, wrote this about the
Berkshire autumn.
I stand alone upon the peaceful summit Of the
-sn and turn IN every direction. The East is all
sr5ov. the blue North flashes all her hills with
-ssisnoe- the West stands IN FURNISHED armor;
ths Southern hills buckle the zone of the horizon
-aretser with erneralds and rl5ies. such as were
never set in the fahled gtrdie of the gods
ONLY TIE brotherhood IF evergreen-the pine.
the cedar. the spruce and henlock-refuse TO
s,i- The universal revel They wear their sober
green straight through autumn and winter. if
+hev SCI to keep the path OF summer open through
-he Whole wear. and girdle all seasons together
with endless green. But in vain do they give
sele-,n examples the merry leaves which frolic
with every breeze that sweet riot in the glow
,n- shades Gay leaves viii not be counselled. but
vii die bright and laughing
With this riot Of color has come the great thrush
- the Perkshre Hills for the delights Of the gay
season The Berkshire Hills unlike most every
other resort secticn, have seven months season.
These months are divided into three periods Of
social entertaining and o1t-of-door enjoyment The
e-sr nerioS is the spring season, when large
rr-centaee of the villas are opened and Prepara-
lions are made for the fun swing OF the season
"a come. owners Of estates are arriving in the
F3erkShi-e Hills earlier every year Reports ef the
delights in the hills in the early spring months
have spreaa and May sees more than half of the
ro-tasers in their country places Then budding
lime brings on the summer folk. and by the END
~ Tune al the cottages are leased or occupied
-,;s constitutes the early season. when there IS a
-,,s ~ exclusive little dinner entertainments and
* time when those who have been going into the
Pe~lshires lor Z long time enjoy the country lie
Then comes on the .+rnid-season- late July and
August. when quiet reIgns in the Berkshire VII
las Their owners. one after another, ind they
-.se5 = change Of scene and q wlif Of sea air.
and depart for few weeks with their friends
n The Maine coast Bar Harbor. Newport OF
Southampton. In the third season. from Sep'ein-
her we'll into November. Lee, LenoX StockhTldse
and Pittsheld al their hest Back to ther
country estates go the villa owners and follow
ing in their wake are numberless tourists Then
come the holse parties AT the country places and
weekend parties al the hotels, for the weekend
idea At a hotel in the Berkshires is one Of the
new wrinkles in social life. Men and women Of
wealth and fashion SO 70 Lenox because It is the
r7-oner thing "a do in the fall season, while seek
ers after beauty in nature I'll the hotels through
the belt from Pittsfield 10 Stockbridge. Hotels
f17stle with business. swarms CT automobiles fill
the streets and the whole show Is on for eight
weeks with scarcely g breathing spell for those
who are known by the oottagers-
The whole Of September and October is
pageant by day and a series Of dinners at night.
Bridge entertainments are so numerous that writ
ing rooms fn hotels are turned into cardrooms
and thousands II dollars in prizes offered for
success in play Dances break the round of din
Ter giving, and now and then there is a dinner
dance. where the guests at dinner are reinforced
later in the evening by other guests who dance
70 music Of srTinged orchestras .rought from
New York
By day there are 2 hundred diversions There
are mountains TO be climbed from the brows of
which can be seen beautiful vistas of scenery
There is golf links, thers are tennis tourna-
rnenrs in all the resorts Stockbridge and Pitts
field giving open tournaments; picnics histori-
cal and picturesque spots, motor car excursions
% the land of the quaint Shakers. one Of the re-
hgio1s sects which losing their identity and
viii soon b extinct and late fall fishing on group
q water bowls which are set like gems in the
hundred hills
Well into November continues the round Of en-
treatments and pleasures and II is only when
the trumpet call Of the New York Horse Show
calls back 10 New York the house parties that
one by one the villa owners begin to depart
many. however. remaining for the coon hunts the
husking bees, the shooting and the sharr. crisp
IN ones country place for Thanksgiving and the
holiday finds half q hundred Of the Berkshire
villas entertaining house parties
Many who have built villas in the Berlshires
I've IN them the year around. With their friends
theF enjoy skating. shooting. ooasting sleeing
SQUASH. billiards and dancing
RIDING has been most popular in Lenox since the
t'pialon of the paper chase in Ienox in 1903 into
Tie BERKSHIRE Hunt. The organization Of the hunt
came out Of the meetings Of those interested in
cross country riding Tanglewood the estate Of
sr and Mrs Richard Q Dixey. For several sea
sons mounted hare and hounds had been one of
ne aTusemenrs Of the LenoX younger set and
Lahs-eVood was the gathering place for the chase.
mere one rider was sent of ahead Of the hounds
MADE I'D of Young men and women. riding their
1aForlte horses. the hare leaving behind paper
lralt These paper chases became fixtures Of the
season and gradually the idea OF a hunt club be-
came uppermost il the minds Of the riders Late
II The fail ri 1903 q meeting was held, and the
Berkshire HUat Club was formally organized
TO-DAY the Berkshire Hunt is known all over the
East Is one Of the foremost exponents Of cross
country hunting in America. It mas taken pre-
ei-inence a social organization in Lenox, where
lis hunt breakfasts al country places often at
tended b. two hundred persons
Visitors TO the Berkshires may the meet and
The klH' At the meetings of the Berkshire hounds
The chase is often miles long, the relocated
riders dashing across the estates Of well known