Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 1908)
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING. AUOrfST 23, 1903 OoingA1broXd 'pgr Their Cm. Ibrs, if ?m ' 'Vy Mr. I ;? ill $3 ) X. The Habit That is Becoming General With American Women of Wealth 7t fRS. BRADLEY MARTIN was be I in interviewed in London. J- ' "If ill you ever return to IV ew York?" she was asked. "One can never fell 1 what may happen. But, really, I see no advantage in going to New York when all Sew York comes to Lon don." It was the last word upon her self-exile hy the woman who, a dozen years ago, gave the fancy-dress ball at the Waldorf which made her the most-talked-of hostess in Amer ica. Her struggle for social recognition ended, in triumphs unsurpassed by any Amer ican hostess of recent generations, she gave jierself barely time to feel her position as tured before she spurned it in her spring across the Atlantic, to seek fresh fields for con quering. And she's never coming back trever more. Likewise scores, even hundreds, of Amer ican women, whom we have come to regard as tqually nice ladies, have spurned, and are spuming, the land of liberty in fashion equally light, equally disdainful. MRS. BRADLEY MARTIN vouchsafed an expla nation, one all the more significant for the fact that she professed no such detestation of the land of her birth and her money as actuates William Waldorf Astor. Expatriate, but not renegade, is Mrs. Bradley Martin: and there, again, be typifies a numerous contingent of her aliter-ab-entees. "I haven't forgotten that I am an American; I al ways will be. But I am tremmdously fond of England smd the English. I have lived here bo long that I feel more at home In London than I should In New York. America Isn't 'home' any more for me. "I am not an expatriate." she hastened to declare; the word blisters so long as one corpuscle runs red In stead of blue. "But England Is a delightful place to live In. and New York has a lot of things to learn Irom the people here. "Consider tha English country life, with Its week ends,, the social arrangements and the ease with which things are done. Why. it Is a positive Jov. And there is no effort at least, no effort apparent in any social affair here; while-"rn New York what a to-do thpv make over most things! Oh. I made it myself- I know Whereof I speak. "Then, the American woman Is so successful here eocially. as a rule. A woman with money, who is MX If'.' .: Weil bred, a woman with tact and the majority of Americans have that can get along in any society. Once you are In London society is a very simple thing far simpler than Is society in New York. This talk about American and English women being so different Is all nonsense. Women are t;.e Fan.e the World over. Our women are splendid-look i:, g crea tures, and they have excellent ta.-ic Thev ;;er had to leave New Yoik to learn that, either." fche might vers well lave aii.e.-d , reason for , her preference for England i.s !!k her affertlon f.-.r daughter Cornelia, "to married t.'.e Karl of ('raven In lfcya. The cunte? American n.-ther is now grandmother to quite an lnirt-.r candidate for ti e British peerage, the hai.dsmne intb- Viscout.t rtriis ton. She has every excuse "f dementi- ties to h.'.ee But "he is candid, even in her oe i liking f..r the modified feudal jmrnp whic:. atti -ids l.er .iri.;tl at her estate in Scotland. Ka:m.i-.-t.u,, w i -ro the s ,... . children line up along the , .. rou.j and ct..-e: her pipers greet her w if; , , i .. '. - fnvr!t i. ; 4 Carnegie's pipers greet his .-iwaker.'i .. ;:,,.in!r gs at 6klbO, and she bows in gracious it;.-., estv tr, ;i,.r r... pendents In a style that I a g ; e:i r :i.md,rg Great Britain of Queen Vutnia. As for Bradley Martin, t.'.e AiLar.v clerk to nl.ora he brought the millions of her !(!'- r. Ifaa.- S.'er min, the enormously rich lumber bur at.t. be fades Into modest retirement before ti.e eff jlgence if i.er glory unless some formal affair compels his appear ance. T'en he dutifully do-.s IJ.e breeKs and a ki t. It "Ul'1 seem as it tr-ise rnperul. encouraging words of Mri. Rradley Martin bad been the ade ir.e curr, of the new Mrs. Waoe ('nance, while n.-.e was rrpari: g the trousseau that adorned her transmuta tion fro-v, the widowed eftate of Mrs. Van Rensselaer Crufer to the mat nmen is 1 happiness of Mrs. Wade Chance. Mri I'hnnoe does n"t Impersonate Imposing Wealth. Menns? Oh. yes. ahe has means; but auch rler, nr Mrs Bradley Martin Implied are acarcely rputrt to he hers el'h.r.- 1- her own rfght or as Tat at . frn- er busbar d. a!tK,ougb h la an asso ciate of Spencer Traak In whose Interests he went to London Aa ' Ju,ie .rd r." Mrs Oncer Ider.t'fied herae'f with the lot:;, tua! ar.d library i.fe ef t.-.,g country ed her ocil position was rf the k,-.d tr.at many "5"f 'al Aroarlcan bcts?e. rw ;r Undon, long afi..'...W.Uh.'n"umi'r n" sdver.tjre there, f a .i.!"-1 n;M '' r' nature liw fVlt. BOT' "'rprlse. for sr- aims to eatab E2!Uil h ntelctul a.or.4 of a-w r:r ai r.cmp. fceti II tCnn..00" ,ook lodgings In a prlrat. , .J:. kT -arrant. a Mrs. Cbanre in een- R?? S5 m IS I0'? .prl1 Un ' Alfred '' ""'it r fcecfc.lor. fid the hednoom kT?5-Um1 r ln0"' for the Ditttta ef Cbacoaa. Aa eooa aa tke at aa mltab'.e weuisg Jll Y 1 George n 4: Cr 'ror-srrer'iy 7er Is found London Is to be treated to the spectacle of an American woman essaying that moat difficult feat, even for the grande dame born to the purple, the es tablishment of a salon. Pretty nearly every woman who Is Inspired to emulation of English society in Its native fops r)as some reason that may serve as adequate excuse; but pretty nearly all of them are likeiy to subscribe in tl.eir heart of hearts to tii simple sentiment that they like Europe better. The widow of Marshall Field, grave with the bur den of toe education of l.er tuo I i.yp, de-t.t.ej under ti eir far-seeing father's v r.i to be tl m rlenest l.elrs in America, fouioi it eFsential t:.it sl.e take ti.e.n to England for their pr litiili.ai y .-tu-liet", young Marshall at Eton and his bitil.er. Harry, 1 ; t a school in Hertfordshire. Hut It was not long before handsome Mrs Mar shall Field herself discovered th.it bo- iv.i.e .!, Iiadv eboat-n for her modest retired could brood maternally over the t and their sister, (twenbivn. u i - r for a woman of her resources h-. - i d . here she 1 '. Iier boys r too small a '. i s, ,, , , . ;. ro,-. 1 v 1 1 tea. t a - d k : 1 i" I .I r.iiu.v he took a large es'.af ii into the pressing ''" "f A':."-: w . tinding "England a d.!ghtful pl.ee i :;e n. vv o a re ENJOYS MINING MILLIONS s v v. . and t Me V- r t ' f " p."ttr.4 present. v : . . m t r M a n k i y . 11 r f i . e Caf !-. r-;. 1 . itasr!, f : j'.ace of r!ienc. But f). ,: 1 1 : r , k f 1 J y t vsf . f , : . r r t ; or ti 1 r: sr i Ti r a r Hrir a:r -jn-if of K lr.if IMwar.j ri nnr f .a f'f regard f. r fell t lr. Anif rh ; tlifOitnt ir. le tru tr, e Ma dupt of -;r f-r y conflict Mi!! ' n .1 1 1-, UMi-M J r..ta-s- kay f . gr , ami a rises In K ', rona , . ., at this late nay. when she aims to sale sun.a rev height or to retrieve aorr.e o! rtiso-.rrf,t ure. liut the 1'.don.itar. mother rf a -,n- e d'.i- v lores the game. America has nm t- ', -' ..- r,r ',.', s a daughter ur.r :ai tha-i a a -r' f I. a- dicae; and It wruM I inra ar. k i te he -. , . j . staunch Mra Macka on ( e- way h o- a fa-, it we, 1 he to ae a lufr, M- '"hanra f-iit;t.r.g Wa ' A to see her ending grar.'llv on tha f.r.tg lir.e. ar.d l- -n ail Indiratiora vie vor;t l disar ; "ir.tad Mrs. John (J Adai-. daughter f Or'-; V' worth, a tin was k.l ad In t " ft' f a V, naaa. and wife of a great :- t --i f "ai. aharlff of Ionega'. IP another Ar"r" wo ;s, found tar linea in Londo-, C-jri-r ftr; t-et p a.. ant. Fire yaara ago ahe gara nr f t farcv d-ai halls which go so m'.ot; ly in Engiar.d and raite ij3 a to-do In Naw Tork. It might hare been railed the roll cf tha e-rigrea A rary. rv pretty n;i it waa too. There waa the admirable Prlncaas Htrf df f-r-rnarly Clara Hunt ieg: en. tha daughter c- th.a :t (-l-lla P. Huntlnrton nhoaa wealth waa in muft tr.ora than arrpe for the ral part rf a rrino tj-.t aha ceald afford to appear at the ball aa Qnees Erther 3. S8S.1 CO, sril sl ow her bare feet blazing, as to the pink tinted toes, with amethysts, emeralds, pearls and diamonds. Ami meanwhile her mother, possessed of a half dozen mansions throughout Europe, allowed New York city to levy on her residence there for unpaid taxes. There too, were the duchess of Manchester and Ladv Newborough and the duchess of Roxburghe. for merly Miss Goelet. who came as Mary, Queen of Scots in black velvet with large sleeves of white satin. Yet the emigres of that Adair bajl served were relatively few. - The colony has grown enormously in size since then, and the gates are BtiU widely open to new comers, so only that they fulfil the requirements laid down by Mrs. Bradley Martin. Such a candidate for England's pleasant lines of life Is Miss Mathllde Townsend, daughter of the lato William M. Scott, the railway magnate of Pennsyl vania whose appearance in Washington society , brought Into her train such suitors as the Due d'Alba and handsome young Jerome Bonaparte. But it is not England alone that draws them nwav. The continent holds so admired a heauty and heiress as Mrs. George Law, owner of many millions Tli Various ' .--la r JIM9. . x ) 7 m WIIAT do rery rich women do with their cast-off garments? What becomes of th ball dresses of the woman who boasts that she is never f-ren in fhe same g-own twice f What of the dresses which go out of fashion in a season, and which, because of only occasional wear, are not worn, out or even soiled? What of these elaborate creations ? What be c Tries of them f How often hare you not asked the question! FIFTT THOL'5A?fD. perhapa a hundred thousand. d-!!ara a year la spent by rr.any aoctaty "orr.en for clothea These they never wear out. Pcasibiy a ball gown, after ita firat aeneation. - ay rever again be worn. "I wouldn't apoll tfca auc fii of a areas by wearing It twice!" a well-known a ay ader once eiclalined. rojMleaa not many women throw aside their d-M after a aingie wearing. But durlr.g a aeaaon la ratta n the queen ef her set wll not wear her rr.ore than a ha f dotan or a dotan tlitin And fat w-uld be anuaual for nvasr b-ailk4 and d; morle ladles of faahion. F"t. thing beenmea at than ciotbee. Who la the foHr-inate recipient? ' wAftii I o 'A p. CI." v 3f ref.iSk. as the girl widow of George Law. She lives In quiet, elegant seclusion In Paris as much because she can bo rich without being notorious in Europe as for any other reason. Poor girl, she is so pretty, so lovely, so rich and so courted that the naughty newspapers simply wouldn't leave her in peace. They insisted on en gaging her to French counts. Austrian princes, Khedives from Egypt and maharajahs from Kapur thala until she was actually compelled to hire a re press agent at $2500 a year to keep her name out of print. For some the life abroad means simply the taking of life's pleasures where they flow most smoothly. For others, even as it Is for their fathers and sons in trade, it Is the game, the great game of life, that attracts. Owners &kfie lk. .Manr a mnlv wAmnn tolllno- r.f K X UQ DCl.ldai J V J. DU.CIJ TTVl. ...... ...... U . inn Importunities for charity made upon the rfoh, saya the number of letters from women asking for the cast- off garments of society women Is amazing. "Of course, they write for all sorts of things." she declared. '"Some would like their babies sent to the country. Others have babies to be adopted. Old women would like to get Into homes In which the rich lady Is Interested. Some, Indeed, write and ask that food be supplied them; some for clothes. But perhaps the most curious letters are from women asking for the cast-off garments of the lady. And the number Of these requests Is surprising. "Now this Is really pathetic. Imagine the poor washwoman dressed In the elaborate ball gown of th rich woman! Or the spinster school teacher In the splendid princess dressl The people who write for these dreBses would doubtless And them singularly in appropriate." Then who gets the dresses?- "One society woman whom I know," declared a dressmaker on terms of Intimacy with many promi nent women, "gives many of her cast-off garments to a school teacher who was a chum of hers years ago at school. The teacher lives In a large city, and moves In refined and good society where she can well wear the charming dresses of her patron. She Is a handsome woman and cuts quite a figure. Hut with her salary she could not very well clothe herself that way. "Another woman makes a specialty of giving dresses to her maids, her masseuse and other women who do services for her. Now. she goes to a very swell massage establishment, where big tips are given, home of her finest evening dresses are given to the girl who massages her face. Oh. she finds this quite profitable. THOSE FEARFUL WRINKLES "Listen! There Is nothing so dreaded by your so ciety woman as the wrinkle, the first suggestion of age. The appearance of the line or a suggestion sf fiabblness atrlkea terror to their hearts. Pleas them. outh Is something tney'd give most of their money to preserve! "Then, do you think they'd hesitate at a ball dres. although as good as new? Never! Why. I know quite a number of young girl maeseusea who dreaa In the height of faahion In the dreaaea cf patrona "Of course, poor relaUvea come In for their shara. There are few rich woman who don't hare poor rela tivesthat t. comparatively poor onea There are often widow in the family ;th growing daughters. The widow may spend all aha can 8tT-rd to aend the gir.a to school. And tha trunka cf drsse that come perlodifall are eagerly welcomed. Ioubtleaa, some can be made over for the young women Many are. And mother may wear aome herself. Indeed. In maay families the dreaaea are bleasinge. "Many society woman send dreaaea to poarer rala ttrea living in country, towna. I recall spending a aimmer It a amail town In Pennsylvania One of the leading famillea ef the place were relajlres of a woman whose dreaaea I build. There I learned they cut e. fecial awati that -waa wonderful. Tha woman Th (ram more than anythlnr else If whit drawt and holds a woman like Mrs. Totter Palmer, who, against the serried forces of Chicago's newly caat Iron society, waged a campaign that lives In Ameri can social lilntory with the diplomacies and triumphal of a Henry of Navarre In France. She conquered hut carried the scar of an old wound Inflicted by tha Princess Kulfille, during the world's fair for nlni years before she'pnld off hor debt of vengeance. Mrs. Palmer had achieved the domination of Chi cago when Eulalle was quartered at tha Palinei House In Chicago. The princess was later her guest of honor In tha palatial Lake Shore homo of the Palmers. But wher. Eulalle learned that the Potter Palmer whose wlfa was her hostess was no other than the Palmer who ran the hotel there was a scene. "1 decline to associate us an equal with tha wlfa n of my landlord." announced the haughty rrincess, asl she hastily quitted Mrs. Palmers roor. Mrs. Palmer has lived much abroad since then, and always that bitter wound rankled until she hap pened to be staying at one of the finest hotels of Lucerne, in Switzerland. Her cavalier was Don Carlos. the pretender to the throne of ispaln. wno. also nap pening to be in Lucerne, devoted himself to the wealthy American. fsine alKo the Identical Princess Eulalle vcho had so wantonlv wounded her. and, of all things, she chosol . i. - ... i , . J ., .... -1 , a ni'lraag 1 A u rn A il fill . , , . . . : - . u . 1 .,r.r-tt VA.II ,nrs. i aimer k pi eKenct-. i nw inun iunnfti "Send that American woman away!" was Eulalle'sl imperious behest. I But the manager was already the obedient slavel . ... . ' J II I I.V. V. n I,. I or trie weauny American. tie necuiirn win; uioimo.i Exit Priin -.-tif, Knlalle. while Mrs. Palmer smiled as! her old scar ceased throbbing, ami Don Carlos hasten-l ed to wait upon her. to show his most distinguished! consideration. I It is the game and they find It worth playing. Paris Gowi simply appalled the reople by the splendor of thelrl dresses. The town folk did not know they were thai cast-off garments of the wife of the city cousin. "Doubtless, you have met young women of th" stage? You have wondered how the little chorus flrlj who earns 15 or.$:o a week, can dress In a 100 or a $200 gown. Well, she can't. That Is, she doesn'i pay that for the gowns. A number of chorus rlrls have patrons among rbh women and get the dfeaeea for nothing. Or they buy them from second-hand! dealers. "Oh. yea. there are some aoclety women who selli their clothes. Thev get a amall percentage of the original com Thev know nothing about tha bualneaaj no iae econri-nana aea.ers get me oeav 01 mi pari gain. Many give the ciothing to aervants. who dn- poae 01 u so :t cornea into poaaesaion or ina cnorus laaiea. m. in .New 1 ork there are regular second hand shops which make a aircialfy cf these aarmenta for the theatrical tra1e. And miiady going tonhe the ater looking down on the t wink ling-toed ladles sees the dresa In w hich ana ridtttait last season. "Why do aocletr women aell their dreeeeeT Li a ban J wruie 1 wnisper. lou a be aurpriaea at ine n u m Dr o; rich women or, rarher, the wires or ricn men wna moat rake ana scrape to get epenaing money. "Oh. some of those old men are aa neeaa aa they can be-. They almost make their wtvee account for tha dollara thev niggardly dole oat They like to aa their wires well dreaaed. en. reev and the eatabllaa- ment run In first-clause order. Bat It Just goe swgalnst their grala to giro out coll money. o
