La Junta tribune., 1911-03-25
Bv GEORGE /. BYlNcroN


Ing In the lobby Of the o club Of New
York smoking cigarettes and chatting.
The small talk of the men standing
In the lobby was diverted by the en-.
trance Of young man who. passing
fhp group. went to the ONCE. called
for letters. received several and went
Into the general lounEing room TO read
them.
"Who IL hep asked one.
Don't know" said another.
He's not member OF the club"
said u third. ivan vechten put him
up. His name liz Royden.'
Hes got some sort OF social pull
n fourth put In. Hes thick wirh the
Traccys. What Mrs. Tracey puts her
stamp on goes"
1T doesn't matter to me-" said one
Of the party. Horace skinner. "who
puts n stamp on him. he doesn't 20
with me"
This remark attracted attention
Skinner WAS roiillion leader to the set
In question and could admit or decline
TO admit one who knocked at fhr
golden door.
"What's the matter with himT" was
asked. But skinner walked away.
leaving his friends TO find out for
themselves why he had put the stamp
OF his disapproval on Mr.. Roydcn. All
nrrs OF gentleman. and from what
little was known Of his mental cndow
mcnts they were ~ least respectable
But what had such qualifications to
do with social life: People with
brains. wealth. refinement were crowd
Ing upon the holy numbers NJ n
wag fareiionsly called them. and here
was stranger about whom uothing
was known who bid fair to walk in
and make himself NJ home
There Is sin to be found In the So
cinl swim of New York here and there
some descendants Of the leaders Of
half n century or more ago. These rel.
les of th" pasi may be rich or may be
poor. They are there because they have
always been there. Should they pass
would bc obliged to fight their way
like the resi- ~ those seeking entrance.
Of this class WIS Miss Van Vechten.
whose brother had 'puf up" Mr.. Roy.
den ~ n guest al the u club. The Van
Ne'hiens Ind once owned n farm IN
the middle ~ Manhattan Island. and
Of such is The oldest aud best In New
York society. Furthermore. Miss Van
Nechten's ancestors were prominent In
ltcvolutionar, days. II was moi 10 be-
expected thai IN her associations she
would take her cue from any one. In
deed. frequently when she saw her So
Ella. sisters who had sprung from 4
composition OF rail or oil magnates
with hotel keepers daughters snubbing
some one she wu- quite likely To put
upon the snubi~d her own arisiocraiic
seal.
Now. Mrs. Tracey. who Introduced
Mr. i,"rdrn. had made mistakes that
had saiird her power. She had vouch
ri for several Irr-ons simply on the
ground thar they were geDiuses. aud
tide discoveries thar would save the
lives of millions 81 human beings. She
had not considered that such persons
had no place IN society. Consequently
when she took up Mr.. Royd..n an op.
position To Ills admission sprang up ON
the part of .rriain young women whose
fathers had been wreckcrs and reor-
ga1iz.r- Of corporations and whose
mothers IN some Instances bnd been
toilcrS IN early life. II was these ts.o.
pie whom the really ari-iocratic Miss
Van Ncchicn loved To aDtngoDizc The
more they turned the cold shoulder ON
ttoydrn the uiorc Miss Van v~htcn
loaded him with fayor-. She was lead.
~r of n small sci within the larger set
and gradually Withdrew the gentleman
into this inner circle.
Had be- ls's.B n maD of that promi.
hence especially desirable 10 the social
world This would have been u masteriy
move. for M ss'oner would hr have
been admitted to Mis-. Van vcchten's p
coterIc thsu he would have become de-
/ buHOc w " SVUeTai WY ~ WHrs
his Introduction only tended TO make
him n special rather shnn \ universal !
u,~mt,er of the whole.
Mean while the only person who ap
p~arsd io tax" no Interest In Mr. Roy
d~n's -9'isi admission or rcJ~'tlon wss
Mr. Itoydrn himself. lie ma1e no ac.
qusinisnces ~ ~ cisb wbsrs ~ was
gue-i for the simple reason that
the ciut- ~ 0otham are placer wh~rr
small grout'a ~ men who avs ncsiuaiut
I'd ALREADY sh ~ small sables and
chxs: Others r~ad the paIrrp. while
otben. mostly hs~he$sr~. use - =
h0tci. Nrvert h~is.- In Grain respects
Il hss IL b~ing as y whole. Mr. Roy
0es found II = convenient place In
which to write his ieiseru and upend
bis time when not dcvoting himself Ia
Miss Van v~chirn. Iudss<l. having NJ
oceui'si,on during hi- stay In New
York and neither t,rlnR interested In