Life — December 3, 1908 — page 32: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

This Bubble World HINGS never looked so hopeful for New York society. All the world seems to be tak- ing an interest in it, and none so poor or so rich, so near or so remote, as not to shy a brick at it, and tell itt it ought to be ashamed. A discourse about it purporting to come from Mrs. Astor— mirabile dictu—was lately printed some- where and quoted everywhere, and the World has been print- ing some reflections it and gestions about it from Mrs. Jennie-Jerome-Randolph-Churchill- Cornwallis-West. Mrs. West speaks po- litely and modestly enough about it, com- paring it with society in London, and pointing out that though both suffer from crowds, London society is less ex- clusive, interesting and better worth while than ours. There seems to be a general call on New York society to brace up and be something; something more important, more worthy of the money spent on it, more amusin; edifying and useful. The call comes as much from within as from without; as much from Mrs. Fish and Mr. Frederick Martin as from Upton Sinclair and Joe Patterson. The call from without is largely ignorant, but the call from within has considerable signifi- cance. It is a true wail of folks who have been fed on terrapin and husks and are tired of the diet. One of the deficiencies of New York society as viewed by its critics is that it upon more <3 LIFE @ MERKY CHRISTMAS. has no head. That is a serious defect, but it suggests a tremen- dous remedy. A gentleman and lady who belong to New York but have lived away from it, ex- cept in summer, “for the last ten years, are coming home next spring. When they come they will be by all odds the most people in this centre of popu- lation. They have all the qualifica- tions except one to give New York society the sort of leadership that might help it, and if they would not lead they might still be very decorative and stimu- lating. Meanwhile, and until the gentleman in question gets back from Africa, folks hereabout will continue to have what fun they can in their spare time. It is a very free city Society with the®large S is only a bye- product anyway, and even when it fails altogether the factory doesn’t stop. The “ New" Woman D® ANDREW MACPHAIL of Lon- don declares that the American woman is in a bad way. He s she is in the same case with pelled to perform a new and uncongenial task, where he has to do tricks, Off the stage the dog is subject to fits of ill tem- per, craves excitement, and finally breaks This, says the wise doctor, is what is the tter with American women, The diminution of her aficction for children notable ys that dog com- down, is replaced by a noisy sentimentalism which is ally disastrous for the mother, the child and the husband. It is the maternal instinct running riot. Perhaps the doctor doesn’t look far enough ahead. This may be only a pass- ing phase. For example, we have the new style of directory hip, and the empire hand. These on the one hand, and on the other, the tendency to embonpoint which is al- most impossible to avoid, owing to the delicious dishes served at all the popular restaurants, not to say privately. that is the joy of it. + This shows how Providence may in- deed take the most humble method to develop character and self control. Every woman who desires to have direc- tory hips must naturally avoid gastro- nomical delights. The self control which this gives will no doubt eventually enable her to form her disposition on different lines. Thus we shall have in the future a childless woman, who amid'the nervous allurements of a continuously turbulent y, will yet be calm and serene and well poised :—hipless but happy. Providing the Poor with Sorrows ONOTONY is the curse of mankind, in just the same way that variety is the spice of life. Something ought to be done, therefore, about providing the poor with new and interesting troubles. At present, they always have the same old things. It's cither starvation, ness, or crime. Just a dreary round of one or the other, with no let up, and no chance for a radical change. Now with the rich it is different. They are bound to be continually disap- pointed, but it’s never the same. The ways of rich men’s sons, for example, are constantly changing. If every one of them always, and simply, drank him- self to death, what a curse that would be! But he is liable to run off with an actress, shoot his best friend, burn up in an automobile or an airship, be wrecked in a yacht, or get to be the proprictor of a yellow newspaper. You never can tell what is going to happen to him. It gives a rich man something to look forward to, all this variety of things that are open to his progeny. Think of it! His daughter may marry in the course of a decade, any number of noblemen and cutthroais, and the variety of dope that his wife can get in the habit of taking, from hasheesh to highballs, is almost un- limited. As for himself, almost every- thing he undertakes is a disappointment, but usually different from everything that has gone before. The poor old poor! No wonder they are sullen, when they behold the lovely and picturesque sorrows of the rich ! comicbooks.com