The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-03-22

Lambs. Some Of them are wealthy.
but more are richer in brains than in
money, though they spend the latter
when they have it with an OPEN
handedness equal to that Of any of the
millionaries around them. The City
| Club. where many Of the important re-
form movements that have Influenced
the political history of New York have
had their inception. is located in For
ty-fourth street and almost across
from II is the Phi Gamma Delta Club,
made UP of members of that college
| fraternity.
At opposite ends of these two short
blocks in which is concentrated so
| much of the lavish expenditure Of
wealthy New Workers are located three
Of the most celebrated establishments
in the country devoted to public en-
tertainment- At the Broadway corner
is the Hotel Aston with its multitude
Of restaurants and private dining
rooms, including the largest hotel room
| In the world in which the greatest
public dinners held in the city take
place. Here, from beginning to end Of
the winter season, occurs long sue
cession of dinners in which the most
prominent men in the country partici-
pate as guests and speakers. FIRE.
quently a dozen of these dinners are
going on at the same time Snder the
one roof.
During the present season President
Taft, ex-President Roosevelt, three Of
the justices of the supreme court and
scores of other national leaders Of
thought and action have delivered i'm
portant addresses here at banQuets,
the combined cost Of which during a
season mounts well up toward the mill
lion mark, single dinner representing
! frequently an expenditure of tens Of
thousands Of dollars.
At the other boundary of the short
stretch of pavement constituting what
may appropriately be termed the
street Of spenders," two restaurants Of
international Observation-Disclosures
and Sherry's-face each other. Both
i are centres of lavish entertainment, Of
i costly dinners and OF other social af-
! fairs in which the members OF the
400" vie with one another.
While Forty second street still main
tains the record for having the largest
number of theatres Of any one In New
York, Forty-fourth is a close second
with no less than six playhouses, in
| GLIDING the largest one in the city.
The audiences which these attract add
not little to the sum total expended
| daily in this street Of nimble dol
lars
Money Is the Keynote.
In fact the keynote OF this street is
money. In every club elaborate deco
ration and luxurious appointments in
dictate the personal extravaganza which
distinguishes large proportion Of the
members. Only a wealthy can can af-
ford to belong to the more expensive
ones, for, In order to keep UP his
end" a member must throw away his
dollars with both hands-and he does
It. More than 100000 Is annually
spent upon wines and cigars alone in
Forty fourth street.
| It is said that the club dues here
amount to over $75o,000 q year. ]. P.
Morgan, who belongs to fewer clubs
than many other prominent New York
ers, pays $1,000 in dues annually. w.
Gould Brokaw is a member Of twenty
| FIVE clubs, Foxhall Keen Of twenty, Au-
gust Belmont of thirty-tw two, an SO on,
each man paying from $1,000 to $10,-
| 900 a year merely to belong to the
clubs, some of which he may hardly
visit. And, withall the money they
spend upon themselves, they do not by
any means stint their wives and
daughters, inasmuch as a rough esti-
mate Of the value Of the dresses and
diamonds worn by the women who
frequent the Hotel Astor, Sherry's and
Delmonico's any evening during the
season gives a result of between $8,-
100000 and 100000
F1guratively speaking, Forty-fourth
street is paved with gold. Years ago
It was occupied by stables, sheds and
ramshackle buildings but these have
given place to palatial structures. In
twenty-five years land here has appre-
ciated In value nearly ten-fold and 1t
still goes on increasing year by year.
| From Broadway to Fifth avenue the
distance is but a third Of a mile, but
the person on foot has difficulty max
| ing way along the awning covered
sidewalks. through crowds of dinners
out, theatre-goers and their attend
ants, while the electric cabs, automo-
biles and carriages form double lines
along this narrow way through won
derland OF luxury. It is estimated that
10,200 vehicles pass through this street
each day, and 10000 of this number
apparently are there between the hours
of six and twelve each night, when