El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-03-14

IN the United States in which
family pedigree has social i'm
portance which no amount OF
wealth viii overcome DespIte
the fact that all Americans
ar supposed to be born free and equal
there are social advantages derived
from birth which money cannot puy
and these usually are most ln1lQentlal
in the older cities. In Boston, the So
ciaI prominence Of Beacon street has
been lost in the Development or BACK
Bay as a residential -sectlon' Dut lhe
families who once dominated beac9A
street are still largely influential in d.
recting the social affairs or the CITY.
The newly arrived millionaire may pen
citrate to the outer court of Boston
society but he cannot be obvious 70
the existence of an inner circle eX-
tending throughout all New England
which is only open to those VINO Dy m
heritance have had known pOslllon
from the time Of the colonial re-
gime.
In New York, the preponderance OF
enormous fortunes possessed by per
sons coming from all parts OF the
country has given a LAVISH eNtraFA-
Rance TO many social affairs that would
not be countenanced by the old Kltck-
erbocker founders of the. city, but not
withstanding this, the descendants OF
these old families stlu exercise soSlat
authority. The family with a mo9est
competence inherited from long llle
of ancestry, has recognized adfanl-
age which the wife OF a western NIL
lfOnafre who desires to break into New
York society does not ignore. + Ilo-.,5
have been women Of old New oIk
families who have had at their as
pOsal for a season the automobiles ana
carriages Of some social climber wn9
felt more than repaid BY the soclal
benefit she derived from being seen IN
the society Of the woman OF lesser
means. In fact, there are women OF
old KnickerbOcl1er stock in New ork
who have been known to accept tees I
for introducing the newly arrived rlcn
into society and by so doing they are
quite as much within their rlshts a
Lne English nOblewomen who make no
secret OF accepting from i've 70 IlLLy
thousand dollars for presenting Ameli-
can heiresses at the English court ana !
afterwards introducing them 70 LoLuon
PhuadeIphia's social Dictators.
In Philadelphia. however, such busl- I
ness methods do not oh tain in social al
fairs This city is stiu ruled social [
" By the old assembly list conEisIln I
Of the Representatives Of the families
who founded it-nearly a century ana
a half ago The list IS carefully re-
vised each year and the first ques-
ton asked regarding the addition OF a
name is. who were ner granupaL- I
largely influenced by the simplicity I
of the Quakers and there Is not that I
lavish eXtraTagance prevailing else
where The question Of money seldom /
enters IN
A Philadelphia woman would ride in 1
the public street GERS rather than IN I
the carriage Of a woman OF unesla-o-
lished social Standing Inc Iact t.at 7
the old fortune OF the family has dis I
appeared makes no difference in Pnila- 1
deIphia- even though woman may /
become breadWinner- For years one
of the leaders Of the assembly set who 7
was most influential in the addition OF I
new names was a. woman OF no wealth I
who was supporting herself upon sal
for a line OF work in which she had de- i
veloped special talent
The fact that q member Of the old /
Biddle family made and sold 1lne
handWOrked blouses and lingerie did i
not prevent her marrying man whose
family had preserved Its fortune as
well as its position Another girl, as g.
debutante, could hardly procure SIM
pie cotton frOck and plain white slip
pers for the assembly dances Yet she
was the recipient OF as much attention Z
Of years later She decided TO act IS
agent for a certain coal company, IL 4
did not affect her social position her
society friends gave her orders for &
coal and their Invitations to dinners
and dances, uninfluenced BY the 1act
that her commissions from the sale OF
coal provided her family with comforts
Of which they had been deprived for
a whole generation
Market Street the Dividing Line.
Strangers in old Philadelphia laugh
at the tradition which makes Market
street the dlFldlng line between those
who have social position and those
without il, but the TACT has been well
established and even now the dlstinc-
ton exists. Few names upon the as
5embly list are 70 be found north OF
darket street. This does not inmcare
however, that those who dwell in the
vicinity Of RittenhOuse Square have all
social recognition Many Of the older
families now prefer TO live in the sub
lrbs and their old residences on Wal
nut or Spruce streets are occupied by
newcomers who hope by their location
TO secure social recognition. something
-hat does not always follow.
II IS expected that the establishment
north Broad street VIII have great
in overcoming the distinction
against the section north of Market
street At first there was a strons
unsuccessful because the fashionable
set would not cross Market street. but
ne past three years have proved that
even in Philadelphia the love for music
rom its first opening the new opera
house was patronized by the most eZ-
Elusive society.
In Baltimore the old Maryland de-
pendants OF Calvert and Carroll stock
ire as exclusive IN their social ideas
IS are the Philadelphians. and the
guarded. The assembly ban Of the
Monumental City is an important So
'ial event and is always attended BY
number OF prominent personages
rom washington.
Charleston AristOcracy.
While the old families of Philadelnhfa
Till hold complete social dominion. &c
s years since they have had any act
We part in the government Of the city.
n this respect Charleston differs from
most of the older American cities. 1t
s often spoken Of as the most aristo-
rate city IN this country and one rea-
on Is that the government OF the city
-lWays has been largely In the hands
4 the old arlstOcratic families who
ounded the town. Tt las happened
hat the mayor of the city was also
he president of the st. Cecilia society / ,
which is the old social organization
corresponding almost exactly to the
-ssembly of Philadelphia or Baltf-
more. The ST. Cesilia was founded in
1872 as an amateur musical society .
ut the musical feature was Abandoned
arly in the nineteenth century and III !
5 now a social organization 1t gives ,
lree balls each year which are spoken
r in Charleston as St Cecilfas .
hey are always held on Thursda,- Z &
ecause the first St Cecilia concert ,
vas given on st. Cecilia's dav. which
hat year was on THURSDAY Tho C-,I,. Z