The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-03-12
GOTHAM GOSSIP

a visit paid to New York this week by
Miss EIkins with Mrs. Hit and her
SON.
The party registered at the St Regis
Sunday evening. They remained until
Wednesday night. when they returned
to Washington.
Miss Elkins did a good deal of shop
ping, and wherever she went Billy"
went, too. Even when the arrange
menf of a marriage between Miss Ell
kins and the Duke of the Abruzki
seemed most probable two years ago.
Billy Hit was the most devoted If
the admirers of the stately West Vir-
ginfa heiress.
In the summer OF 1903, when the
rumor spread that Abruzzi was ready
to renounce his rank for Miss EIkins's
sake. Hit followed her to Europe. and
he was so constantly in her company
at various places on the Continent that
he was compelled to make formal de-
NAL in Paris that he was engaged TO
her.
| Reverting to the days Of Our frontier
grandmothers. who found solace in the
pipe. Gotham's leisure loving women
have extended a warm welcome to the
smoking feature through which the
new Ritz Carlton Hotel expects to irrs-
part a Partisan atmosphere to Ameri-
can hotel life. Ignoring the protests OF
many women's organizations, the man
agement of the new English establish
ment have openoi one of their large
| tea rooms to the use of women who
lare fond of the weed. Encouraged by
the hotel, which is run By syndicate
that operates string Of fashionable
places throughout Europe. some of the
richest dressed women in town who
have become addicted TO the insfdious
habit make the Oak Room Of the Ritx
Carlton their daily rendezvous. Visit
ors to the latter any afternoon between
and may see from seventy-f1ve to
one hundred matrons, whose names al
most continually emblazon the society
columns of the daily papers, sitting at
tables putting cigarettes in evident en-
joyment of the unusual privilege ac-
corded them. Heretofore cigarette
smoking by women in public has been
strictly tabooed in every hotel in New
York. In the past women have es-
sayed to attempt it have been told that
they must either desist or get out.
Whatever smoking has been done by
society women therefore has been done
in the privancy of their own homes.
Now that q hotel has made bold to in
troduce the European practice of al
lowing it In their public rooms, as a
bid for patronage. those who regard
the practice as distinctly smart. effect
to be much elated. On the other hand.
those who look upon 1t as an un-
pleasant usurpation OF a perniciously
bad habit OF the stronger sex condemn
4 Il as an abomination and threaten TO
invoke the aid OF the legislature to
stop it
Tired Of being used as "a good
thing by the public and made the goat
when popular censure Is aroused
against the aristocracy OF money and
its so-called abuse OF corporation priv
ilege, the syndicate of millionaires who
have been financing the Madison
Square Garden and other enterprises
for the entertainment Of the public
have announced their intention Of get
ting from under. In the last two
years the New Theatre. which the1
built at a cost OF 100000 to giy1
, American authors and dramatists ar
opportunity to present their creations
without respect to their commercial
possibilities, for arts sake, has lost
$500. 900. Amazed at the popular aver.
sion shown by the theatre going popu.
lation to the aeneulic. inert, and otter
insipid productions presented there
t its hackers have given notice of theh
plan to give up the use OF the bis
playhouse and continue their activei
: for the uplift of the drama elsewhere
upon q less expensive scale. For tn
first time in years the metropolitan
Oper House, also backed by the synds
cate, has made money this season
Heretofore it has been tremendoui
i drain upon the bank rolls of its direc
tors, and more than once has threat
ened a revolt among those who hav'
] had to pay the enormous bills annual,