New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-27
London March n.


. gusts of forty or fifty people or more.
F e. dear % the New York hostess. are not
glven in London. nor is mere higness
. reckoned an element Of social success
Iu the biggest capital Of the world.
where society Tar exceeds in numbers the
society ~ any other capital. people are
content with moderation. A dinner Of
forty people is a lottery. IN which each
guest has TWO chances and no more.
HAS luck and bis hopes Of being amused
or interested depend wholly on his right
and Ieft hand neighbors.
Lady arthur. being 10y birth a French
woman had French ideas on this and
other subjects She did not choose her
guests alphabetically nor by rank. nor
for the sake OF a passing notoriety-
Lions you might meet al her house, but
they were not expected 10 roar. nor did
they. Neither az dinner nor after din
uer were more people asked than could
De managed. Large parties are. Of
course. given ir London, but they do not
constitute a salon. II Is OF the essence
~ salon thar people shall not be left
wholly 20 themselves. as in a large party
rhey must be- but shall be looked after
Afin--ies DO not always md themselves.
They have 10 be brought together.
Others have 70 be kept apart. 80
authority ls needed. Intuitions. Quick
eye for situations and gentle skill in
distribution are the gifts which 90 10 the
making Of q good hostess. These Lady
Arthur had. BY mere smartness she set
Iitle store. I suppose the house in
-tudlry square which Lord Arthur Rus
sci BUM never passed for a particularly
smart house. OF houses which are called
and which are smart there are scores
q. London. OF salons there are very
t.W. Herself the CauElter ~ a French
'-s-ourr and with her husband brother
I'D d duke. Lady Arthur had no particu-
-ar need O. concern herself about mere
sl1arrress. T-at Is a reputation not
eltcgfrher difficult % acquire The
Kings smile may confer IT, Not. per-
haTs, The late Queens. o. whom one
more than usually brilliant butterfly re-
marked
But tae Queen. sou know. never was
~ society"
Which perhaps in The sense intended
was true
II thrre were one note more marked
tEar another ir these AudIey square as
=-Ua.Ies b. was a note ~ culture. Ease
and Eaol breeding and distinction may
an he taken tor granted. u Is II the
tl.-Es which may NOT De taken for
granted thar speak. and culture GER
t4-l.y may nor. There are many houses
.U LHnlrl ln which il IS neither expected
E-r desired. in New York. as we al
know. II ls discouraged. II would be
discouraged anywhere e II were OBJ
-rus-Ee or pedauuc Neither IN a salon
nor anywhere else IS it 10 supersede
E-ad manners. bur o. blend with them
I'D make a salon possible there must be
varied interests. play ~ mind. fiexihil-
i-,. adaptabIity and an unlimited sup
II- cf tact. Perhaps the last includes all
social Sits except chose 0f the intellect
u covers "a multitude ~ deficiencies
Ea- L-ere was 3Ilss Ada Reeve. a clever
actress. Who .ast year was discussing on
rle sta-e questions ~ costume telse-
where then on the stage. and an
u0-ueeL-
III woman has tact and diamonds
she needs nothing else"
5Iost ~ the geuer1l,ies which you
have been reading are really particulars,
and are descriptive ~ Lady Arthur Rus
. sells receptions ~ which I have spoken
as q salon 7 don't know thar Lady Az
ra-r herself ever used the word. nor
does Do matter. The -lins. NOT the name,
IS what matters There was culture. Of
q very unusual kind. ol both sides II
tre house There was. 0u Lady Arthur =
side. lCr French blood. a salon ia Paris
ls uo rare tl.us. and The reason Why IL
urr rare ls because the society o.
Paris .- French. In the Fauhg-rg 81.
German. u nowhere else. the social ira
E.r.ors VI Lle old monarchy in its most
brilliant days sun survive
Ona az The noticeable things about this
house .r Ald-ey Square was the pres
a-ee of .ne-lshed foreigners. and an
other was that they seemed 40 longer "a
consider themselves foreigners They
were az home. Nor was this true only
II men and women ~ rank who might
ra az KIN 10 The Peyronrers. and ar any
rate were of their world. but ~ ar-
rs-z ana men of lelte-s. 7 VIII take n
Pa-sr as an example. He had come "a
London o. deliver tle HILBERT lectures
ana a lecture ou Marcus Alrellus before
-ra R.yaI Institution in Alhemarl'
-r~aet. off which tle ever lanenred Tyn-
dam was rhen IN the head had met
. r.-ar rr.ra an other houses. He seemed
. .u.a Gsrava-. In Audley square tni
.v.t.. and troubled ar had disappeared
d. r.F rn Er-It-l-7t amy rate. he spoh
r.r.-nF h.s conversation. or the con
..r..-.nr 20 ffe English wifh him. wal
-r..ret.r. limited Rut when he talked
ana .rcu when De- do uot he was sur
rounded by cloud or listeners or, as th'
r.-. might De-. az looEers-on. Hence d
ra- tfat b. was so often kept OF Ten
Standing aDG Dds physical frame was o
e-rr kind that long standing was ink
-.r. I'D him. and even painful notices
.r. rIent t1sr De- seemed Il ~ ease. an'
SAID o. Eim hoped De- was uot suffering
eyes" De- said. "trat is exactly H.
am s1urarL and BE- z have 20 stan'
much longer . don't know what wil
. harpeu
.Fut ufE DOM sou sit downr"
"ol. do SOU thtuk . might
-o to.ll him 90 -orta bio sof
.rrl. ,a.e seated. a1 iIenatle swee