The Washington herald., 1914-06-28
AMERICANS Lead
PARIS BY nose
Fair Hostesses Have Com
pletely Dominated Social
Life of Capital.
IGNORE OTHERS WHOLLY
Queen of Them All Is Msrquise De
Ganay. Nee Ridgway. Who Has
Dazzled France.
1ecial cIble to ne washinrtou Hrnld

| Special Cable to The washinEtou HsaM
Paris, June z7.-Never in the history Of
Paris have so many beautiful and veal
thy American hostesses so completely
dominated the society life Of this city
during the season closing tomorrow with
the Grand Prix.
Their brilliant and uninterrupted Sc
quence Of entertainments, begun a cou-
pie Of months ago. eliminated in the
present Grande Demaine with so stren-
uous windup that the French society
writers are now saying that American
women easily lead the world for social
vitality
To such an unprecedented extent have
the American hostesses Iavished their
wealth on princely entertainments that
the local society newspapers are devot-
Ing their space exclusively to such func-
tions. the French society functions being
so far pushed in the background that
| they are entirely ignored
Social Queen of Paris.
The society queen Of Paris this season
| is an American. the Marquise de Ganay
tnee Ridgway. Of Philadelphia, whose
brilliant fetes have surpassed even those
| OF the semi-rOyal Duchess de GramOnt
and the Princess Jacques de Broglie.
Earlier in the season the Marquise de
pire ball. vividly recalling to the people
scenes Of the Napoleonic era She since
has given innumerable charity fetes
which eliminated this week IN a Spanish
gala which Figaro describes as the most
important and artistic charity affair
Paris has ever seen It lasted two days. Z,
Thursday and Friday the dancing and
singing by the best known society men
and women being give in a patio special
ly brought from Spain and reconstructed
in the gardens of the Ganay mansion
The young Princess Michael Murat Cnee
stailo). eighteen months after her mar
| rage also has become one of the most
brilliant stars Of the social armament
here. In her salons prominent Americans
daily meet the noble stalwarts Of the
Napoleonic cause
| ihe Duchess De Ia Rochefoucauld (nee
| MITCHELL. is another American social
queen. her recent unconventional parties
at Ciros for the European princeiinss
having been the gayest feature of this
city.
Grand Dukes M"nopoIized.
The French and English aristocracv.
especially the Russian grand dukes. have
been monopolized by Mrs William 3.
I Leeds. Mrs. ". z. Corey Mrs Potter
Palmer Mr.. and Mrs Perry Belmont.
Mr.. and Mrs. Anthony Drexel and Mr..
and Mrs. Harry Lehr.
Mrs. Philip Van vaIkenburg onlv a
month after settling here has scored a
great social triumph and this week en-
tertained merbers Of the Bourbon. Pona-
parte and Metternich families. Her new
apartment in the Avenue des Champs
Elysees was much too small to accomrno-
date the royal and noble guests who
move in her orbit. 50 she engaged all the
space the Ritz Hotel could spare in order
10 give dinner tonight to the Duke Of
OPorto. King ManUeI's uncle. Princess
Comelia of Bourbon. Prince Charles Louis
Bourbon. Prince Primoli Bonaparte,
Count WolT Metternich. Prince Alexis
Dolgorouki Gar Of the Russian grand
chamberlain, and numerous others, all Of
whom she afteTward took to the Million
dollar mansion of the Princess Guv'
Faucigny Lucinge Cnee Terry for music
After the Grand Prix Mrs. Van vaIken-
burg is paving a fortnight visit to the
historic Hanoverian castle Of Count Wolf,
Metternich. descendant Of the great Dip
lomat. a handsome bachelor whom she
has entertained three times this week.
The Princess Murnt.
Mrs. Rutherford Stuyvesant closed her
social calendar this week and has gone
10 Carlsbad for the cure. She has intro
duced numerous Americans this season
to the Grand Duchess Anasthasia OF
MeCklenburg SChwerin. the expert rovaI
tango dancer. Infanta Eulalia. King Al
fOnso's aunt. and numerous Young princaz
and was herself one Of thirty Americas
hostesses attending the garden partv
given by the Princess Murat on Monday
for go guests This is significant as "a
means that the Princess Nfurat is at
taching no further importance to the
mistake Mrs Rutherford Stuyvesant's
lawyer made in the Paris courts a month
ago when he said the Princess Murat
had recommended his client to a dress .
maker whose bill the American hostess
contested.
Mrs. George A. EessIer Of New York.
also has h"Nn entertaining on = lavish
scale. her guests being not only the lead
ers in American society but also the
cream Of the French aristocracy and the
foremost artists and authors Her pro-
gram had brilliant windup tonight when
she gave party in the superb Ranelagh
Park for the delegates to the Interna-
tional Chambers Of Commerce Congress.
The Countess Arthur de Gabrfac Clee
Fithian, of Washington. Mrs William
X. Moore. Mrs. Chauncey Depew Mrs.
Ralph Thomas and Mrs. Ferdinand Blu
menthal also have done large share IN
enabling the American hostesses to
achieve the triumph Of running Paris So
Cially this season.