St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1953-09-04

wife of a wealthy undertaken,
mer policy king wha had wisely
saved his earning and invested
them in a legitimate business;
and the fourth at bridge was an
attractive. unmarried m d e |
whose total income fom modelling
in a year would not have paid
for one of the tiny skins In her
blue mink stole. All four had ar
rived in Cadillacs.
A cynical newspaper woman
standing nearby remarked bitter
ly: There is Negro society in
microcosm. One was born into it,
one married into It, one bought
her way and the other charmed
her way in. Negro society is really
a phony."
The woman who had made the
remark was UNDERSTANDABLE Bit
ter. AS a child she had learned to
respect people in the social whirl
as "the best people" AS a teen
ager she had been an avid reader
Of the society pages Of her local
papers and she had dreamed of
the day when she would win
place in society. She had finally
made 1t when she grew into wo-
manhood.
But as a journalist she had
learned so much about the inside
of so-called society, that all her
young idealism and illusions had
been rudely shattered. She had
discovered that her society idols
all had feet of clay.
Economic Changes Bring Society
Overhauling
There are many young debu-
tantes as well as veteran sociaites
who have been stricken by similar
disillusion about Negro society in
recent years. The younger set,
who approach the society world
with trepidation and awe, soon
learn that they far overestimated
the Importance of belonging to
the social set and discover that
there are far more important
things in the world. The oldtimers
attend today's social events and
tsk-tsk as they observe the 60
ings-on of the nouveau richie who
have successfully crashed society's
gates.
The facts about Negro society
today are that II Is coming apart
at the seams and Is In the midst
Of a widespread overhauling as n
result Of the tremendous changes
In Negro life In the last several
decades. Social arbiters win admit
privately that they have tossed In
the sponge rs far as determining
who's who in the colored social
register.
Whereas once family as well as
color lines ruled the roost in such
social centers as Washington, At
lanta. Boston and Charleston, the
vast economic upheaval of the
war and postwar years has turned
the social picture topsy-turvy. AS
incomes have scared in Negro
communities, as new wealthy
have hit the road in their shiny
fishtails, society's once-rigid
standards have fallen and just
about anyone with money rates as
a socialite.
As one women's editor recently
defined the new Negro society, It
might be called n group of people
whose only bond Is profound dis
Hike for each other and a profound
respect for money. clothes and
position-if they have II, which
few Of them do"
Outs Berate The Tns'
Jousting as they do for social
position. it Is little wonder that
there is much enmity and jealousy
among social leaders. Not only Is
the newer social set arousing the
dislike of the older generation
who resent them as interlopers.
but the freshman society crowd
is elbowing many Of their own
number In their ambition to reach
the social zenith. Usually the cry
of Negro society is a phony and
isn't what II used to be" Is a
piaintive cry from the "outs"
against those who are the ''ins."
But some Of the bitterness Of
yesterdays social leaders against
the newcomers Is not entirely un-
justified In the scramble for So
ciety position. there are many
dubious elements trying TO
squeeze their way in. Bookmakers
and POLICEMEN. call girls and dice
girls are often mixing with the
best so-caIled black bluebloods"
at many society affairs. The prac-
tice Of proclaiming debutantes has
degenerated into farce in many
communities. In one Southern
city this past year, a big debu-
tAnte ball was held at which any
high school graduate was eligible,
II she graduated and SO found
) sponsors. OF these three fen by
the wayside, two because Of preg-
nancy.
In trying to impress society,
some Of the nouvcau richie dis
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