The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1910-02-16
RECLASS|FYlNC
OF SOCIETY.
The Historic -Four Hundred to
Be Eliminated.
RANK THE FIRST REQUISITE.

RANK THE FIRST REQUISITE.
A New Set to b Called the Assembly
10 Being Formed by Smart Sets Of
Philadelphia, New York and Wash.
inston-To Be National In lts Scope.
Especial Allowance For Bachelors.
Goodby to the Four Hundred, for
now it's to be the One Thousand.
Under the name Of the assembly
set" the smart sets Of New York, Phil.
adelphia and Washington win be fused
into a body not to exceed a thousand
families. In this process there will be
eliminated the now historic Four Hun
dred. Mrs. William 81. Taft is behind
this movement, which had it's incep-
ton shortly after the death of Mrs.
william Astor a year ago, and it is
looked upon favorably by the New
Workers. in view of the way that d.
vorce and other causes have played
havoc with the original membership.
There is absolutely no intention to ig-
more other cities, except geographical
~. In the opinion Of those behind the
movement every social leader Of the
United States maintains a residence in
either Philadelphia. Washington or
New York, and this will be sufficient
qualification for membership.
Wealth Alone Not Considered.
Rank, birth and wealth will be only
relative qualifications for membership.
Rank will be more valuable than birth,
according to the promoters of the
movement. They include birth as a
categorical qualification in order to en-
brace those families that have achieved
no especial rank or wealth to justify
their coming under these headings.
Wealth alone will not be considered.
That money nevertheless is not an
unnecessary item Is made plain by the
drain of expenses that membership in
this set will demand.
The latest development, by the way,
discussed at a recent informal reunion
at which Mrs. Taft was present, is to
make especial allowance for bachelors
between the ages of twenty-five and
fifty. Their membership will not be
considered a numerical unit in the One
Thousand, but an e%xtraneous set highly
necessary to the smooth working of
exclusive social life. The age limit is
made twenty-five on the assumption
that a man younger than that is not Of
much interest except as q dancing
partner, Or to fill in odd places. and
these odd places, very frequent at or
binary functions, will be eliminated
in the new assembly. At about fifty
a bachelor will begin to be uninterest-
ing.
National Set Socially Prominent.
Washington believes that there will
be a great howl following this win
moving out of many rabid social fami-
lies. In most cases, it is said, protests
and objections will be overlooked as
insignificant. but because the assem-
bly, is to be a national set socially
prominent and entirely ASSOCIATED
from the traditional sets made popular
in fiction or otherwise-and the White
House might officially step on the toes
Of some "howling political dervish
whose daughters make him %cantanker-
u and whose wife drives him to des-
peration," to use the very words of a
popular official hostess from Massachu-
setts-the launching of the assembly
will be unaccompanied by publicity or
announcement of date and therefore
may be expected to m%aterialize any
day.
May Not Know They're Excluded.
Those who are left out may not know
OF it for many months.
The west will not be ignored in this
Reconsideration of social families.
There are at least fifty families who
reside some time in the year in either
Washington, Philadelphia or New
York. New England will be we'll rep
resented.
In planning the new assembly per-
haps not one-fourth of the Four Hun
dred will be given places. This asser-
ton, already current in high society,
has reached the ears Of some who be.
lieve themselves doomed to exclusion,
with a resultant antagonism on their
part and expressions Of derision at the
new order. Of things. It seems that
the promoters Of the assembly unite in
the belief that the -Four Hundred and
similar sets in other cities have out.
grown themselves by intermarriage
and a too farfetched holiness which
has removed them from the interest.
ing side Of the world.
Early Rising Club.
A dozen of the most nrOminont hnsi