The Oregon daily journal., December 06, 1908, Page 29, Image 29

THE . OREGON ' SUNDAY , JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 6, 1903
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The Social Inheritance
That Has Fallen to Mrs.
John Jacob Astor
AMERICAN society awaits anxiously,
i though decorously, the crowning, of
its new queen. Several weeks ago
Mrs. William Astor died. There was, in
deed, a social rule in republican America as
powerful, in its way, as that of any crowned
monarch. Mrs. William Astor was dead
end society faced the problem of a new reign.
Who would succeed to the throne?
For a quarter of a century Mrs. William
Astor had held the reins of social government
and she had governed wisely and vfcll.
None, was more willing to extend her hand to
the worthy aspirant; none more frigid to the
aspiring newly rich. Conservatives and lib
erals alike she Ted, and while her own enter
tainments were lacking in the spectacular,
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she Held the allegiance of the set which fa
vored ''monkey dinners" and ostentatious the
atricals as firmly as she held that of the old
guard of social exclusiveness.
It is now generally acceptci that Mrs.
Astor's successor is to be her brilliant and
handsome daughter-in-law, Mrs. John Jacob
Astor, who is regarded as being thoroughly
qualified to wield the social scepter with all
the graciousness and at the same time all the
determination that marked the powerful
regime just closed.
"The queen is dead! Long live the
queen!"
VARIOUS factions In society some months ago
were by no means agreed as to Mrs. William
Astor's successor. There was a faction led by
'Mrs. St uy vegan t Fish a faction whjch favored
less formal and stately functions than those (riven by
the conservative leader. Another faction favored Mrs.
Cornelius Vanderbilt as the new leader; still another,
Mrs. Ogden Mills. The names of Mrs. Edmund Baylies,
Mrs. Charles B. Alexander and Mrs. Ogden Goelet were
also mentioned.
To lead a society such as that of New York and
Newport one must possess unusual qualifications. One
must have a grasp of affairs, a knowledge of people,
wisdom surpassing that of most women, diplomacy equal
to that of a statesman.
One must be a leader by nature, must be able to
rectify feuds, prevent unpleasantnesses and untangle the
knots which are bound to occur In such a tangle as
society.
Mrs. William Astor had been successful. She was a
queenly woman, possessing the dignity of the grand
dames of olden days. She was gracious, and greatlv
loved. She disapproved the rise of the vulgar rioh In
society, yet, when she deemed It expedient, she lowered
the bars.
Her last social decree and one of great importance
was characteristic of her During the summer of 1904
many members of the elite were talking of the advisa
bility of cutting the number of the really elect down to
150. They finally decided upon the plan, and many
hostesses began to "cut out" the unfavored ones.
FROWNED ON SNOBBISHNESS
Mrs. Astor heard of this, and frowned." It would
never do, she said. Thereupon she sent out Invitations
for a grand ball. It was a splendid affair. When the
guests arrived they found that nearly everybody in
Newport was there. The bars had been let down.
Mrs. Astor's entertainments were always enjoyable.
They were stately, though never stiff' or formal to a
chilly degree. She frowned upon the introduction of
ragtime stunts, minstrels, "monkey shows" and other
features which bid for notoriety.
When society began discussing the question of a
successor the decision- resolved itself upon the selection
of one who, as did Mrs. Astor, could rule over all fac
tions, wisely and well, without antagonising any coterie.
Mrs. John Jacob Astor-had never made known any
aspiration for the throne of ' her mother-in-law. in
fact, for several seasons she bad spent mest of her time
In London, where, by reason of her wit and bauty. she
became a leader, the lioness of the smart set and cap
tivated the king. ' ? -
Mr. Astor was one of thrvwiost popular American
"women Jn tendon a favorite otHhe king sod queen, she "
was invited Jto the most exclusive functions, and num
bered among her closest friends Mrs- Paget, Mrs. Adair. .
Mrs. Leslie, the Countess of Essex', the Duchess of
Portland,! the Dowager Duches of Manchester and th
Duchea bf Marlborough. Few American women had
ever o. captivated foreign society. W hy, then, should
ene not ruleat home? ; me oecision nas peen ma. ana
rwL i wmi m warn. y rmsk
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mourning Is over, will assume the crown ot leadership
and l reign in the samo ihroncroom made brilliant by
her mother-in-law for a quarter of a century.
American society rejoices in a new queen.
Mrs. Aelor. It Is said, was declared by King Edward
to bte the most interesting and fascinating American
R'
ECOliDS of the medical profession are
showing remarkable additions to the
ranks of those who are waging wars for
i numanuy on tne Dattieneias oi science.
The modern Amazon has enlisted in the perpetual
campaign, and her aid is proving more valuable
against the invisible foes of the present than it
was against the serried soldiery of the past.
That the laboratory is a battlefield in the
truest sense is at last realized by all who bear the
burden of responsibility for the safety of the na
tions, from the prosaic health officers who are so
anxiously seeking to proscribe the dangerous ba
cilli of tuberculosis to the greaf army surgeons
who go in dread of the germs of typhoid.
It has taken all the immeasurable years back
to man's first human step from apedom to learn
the truth that his most dreadful .antagonists are
ncitheif the beasts of wood and fielJ nor the more
powerful foes h fears among his own kin.
So the wars, the great wars, of this era are
being fought amid the profoundest peace, in the
calm stillness of the laboratory, and among' the
most skilful of the fighters are to be found scores
whose nature is woman's.
o
LD-TIME wars demanded brute strength 4 and
comparatively smafl capacity for detail; cam
paigns against bacteria as they are waged at
present ais they must be waged throughout
the whole future are more than microscopic In their
attention .to minutiae. t
Where man's strength lay mainly in his coarse
ness, woman's has boen In her delicacy; she Is born
to be the sclrniter in contrast with the broadsword. ,
Aurt it is ttje scrlitiiter of science that is needed now.
That Is the reason why so many . young women ;
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woman he had ever met - He also called her the best
advertisement Worth ever had. He said she wan original.
He avowed his admiration for her ease, poiae. self
possession, her wit and gift of quick: repartee.
Young Mrs. Astor she Is 35 Is charming of manner
and Immensely rich. She. possesses every qualification
for social leadership,
A Philadelphian by birth, she was Miss Alva I-owla
Willing, a daughter of Kdward S. Willing, and a de
scendant of the WTilllngs and Bantons, who had been
prominent in early American history.- - She is a typically
American woman. She was married to John Jacob Aslor
on February 17. 1S91.
Before she is society leader, Mrs. Astor Is first of all
a mother. Few women without demands upon their
time, it Is said, spend so much time with their children.
Young William Vincent Astor, who is at boarding school.
Is 16. Little Alice, the Idol of Mrs. Astor's heart, is 6.
Mrs. Astor is tall, regal, willowy. Her movements
are marked by unusual grace. Her manner is gentle,
and irresistibly charming, een at a ball. In one of
the wonderful Paris creations which she Is said never to
wear twice, she Is a figure never to be forgotten.
Her hair Is luxuriant, and the soft brown is sprinkled
wil silver a curious contrast to the fresh, rosy, oval
face, a fare glowing with youth, with lips as red as
roses, a face purely patrician in outline. Few women
have been so favored by nature as Mrs. Astor. Few
possess such eyes. They are large, brown, ingenuous,
dellclously wide open and frank.
She can tell a story that will cause he- hearers to
laugh uproariously while she preserves an immobile
calm. She can send forth shafts of sarcasm and wit
gnDn
CoJtfe or
wlro graduate In mcdlclno apparently fall to add pro
portionately to the physicians' signs one notices along
a city's streets. The battlefields of science are send
ing forth such a tingling trumpet call to their re
sponsive souls that they disregard the rich rewards
of their profession's practice and choose a conflict
often as inglorious as it is usually unprofitable.
Several years ago an endeavor was made to trace
the careers of graduates of the oldest medical school
for women in tho world, the Woman's Medical College
of Pennsylvania, whose dean, Dr. Clara Marshall, has
seen the whole hard, cruel fight women have had to
win for themselves a standing in the one profession
for which, at least, nature would seem to Jia,vo Quali
fied them. '
Of 189 graduates who made reply out of 244 ques-.
tloned, 23 then stated they were not engaged in active
practice because of: Domestic duties, 8; philanthropic
work, 1; 111 health. 6; retired, 3; no reason assigned, 5.
But there were 166 in active practice, and of that
number 76 made mention of the money returns from
their work. Four of them earned from $15,000 to 120,
000 a year; 10 earned less than 11000 a year. Th
average annual Income wa $2907.80.
No male physician earning the average Income of
Ms protesslon will see. in a fair chance for $2900 a
year, any incentive for the abandonment of practtoa
in favor of laboratory work. Yet every year brings
to the research laboratories, especially those operated
in connection with municipal health departments, an
increasing number of women graduates in medicine.
Every year, too, brings with it some instance of high
honors bestowed upon some woman lor distinguished
service on tha scientific battlefield. t . ,
Thus, tha Vnlverslty oi ..Chicago has at woTK. In
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with an expression of innocence and wonder. She is so
arlless, so gentle and yet so cl ir that many Knglish
folk openly declare that she surpasses Mrs. (Jeorge
Keppel. lonsldcred the most biUhaut woman of the
"kinir's set."
Mis. Astor confiies herself to two styles of gowns.
By day she wears tallormade gowns and In the evening
picture creations that float and How about her in a
cloudiike way. Her hair Is worn In softly fulllnir waves.
Her Jewels always match her dross, it was who,
some years ago, started wearing the Hlartliiigly low
V-shaped Whdiivs In London. Thev became the vogue.
AVithnl, Mrs. Astor is not ultra "smart" In her social
views. Neither Is she ultra conservative. licfore going
abroad last snrlnp she gave a l ire dirtnor at her hom
In New York. There were W guets present. After
ertrv ; - .'.'.sit sTSj
ts department of biology, a
.sister of the Order of
. jn Noven. her. the utii
..f i.. tor 'f philosophy
St. Vincent de Paul. oi. w.iot
versity conferred the device
for original res. 'an h in Mol
ship at the university anil Is
Ing faculty of St. lvi.iilifta's
. .c held a fe
1 1 o W-
er of Ue teach -
uliege. tn New Jersey,
to which she returns t ) i i s year.
In New Yo'k city the assistant director of the
Board, of Health H i'"e diatinKui&lied bacteriologist,
lr. Anna V. V;1Iiit, who has made a study of hy
drophobia whicii attracted attention throughout the
scientific world. It was she who, with lr. William
H. Park, the ohi. f I acterlologiftt. inaugurated .the In
vestlifation lnti. M.. epidemic of cei t-ln o-spinal men
IngiUs. which hreuirht about, u ! t unat t ly. ttie discov
ery of the antitoxin by 1 r. Simon FicMier and bis
associates of the Kckcfelkr Institute.
The research lal eiatory of New York city holds no
fewer than nine women experts, while seventeen
of
the twenty-rive lahuiatory experts
are women, and
twenty-five wot
staff of medical In-
specters.
Science today is m'erly awaiting the final verdict
upon the Ulsco"erv i f the hacillus of wlio.oping cough,
which has him t: e outcome of. th Ixsvcieviological
Investigation conducted hy Dr. Martha Wollstein,
pathologist for a number of New York hospita
n-
Cludinsr the liahies' Hospital: wliile, in
Phi'adeluhia,
Dr. Mary K. i'viiuingto
rector of the chemical
until soma years ago di-
lalioratory of the Woman's
Medical Collesre.
her own laboratory and Is In
charge of the UntteU States government work of analy
sis of all meats and food products, as the government
guard of the protection of nearly 2,000.000 people.
' It is not American women only who are enlisted
In this modern war oil the germs of disease. Any day
will afford the visitor to the oman s Medical, Col
lege of Pennsylvania sight of Miss Misao AUawa, the
daughter of a Japanese Congregational clergyman,
and HIM Moto Nakagawa. tin- daughter of a Japanese
planter, who are preparing for the lifework bf the
bhrslcian in their native land. China, South America.
Russia. Kng-lind, the yellow, black and white races--,
all contrftute their Amaions now to tha battlefields
of science. ..- . j , k
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AS- c7bAs7 J&coh Aso, ifrfcjfaf
dining, the guests were led into the Astor ballroom. It
waa ittted up an a lueaui. iiie aisles were nnuu Willi
bays anu puiiiis. The walls were hung with price
less paintings. With tenia and. blooming Japumcaa the
pioscemum arch was outlined.
A well-known theatrical company gave two one-act
plays. A week thereafter a charming cotillon for tha
younger set was given, at whicti wonderful favora were,
bestowed. New York society knew that Mrs. Astor might
be depended upon for royal entertainments.
hc;r functions. She occupied Sir Archibald Edmond
stone's beautiful mansion In May fair. There, tn the
spring of lSu-3, the king dined with her. This marked the
i.egiuiiii,K oi iier great social success,
The Countess of Essgx took her under her wing, and'
it was not Ionic before the leaders of London society
tried to outdo one another in entertaining the fair'
American. Among them were Mrs. Moreton Frewan,
Mrs. George Cavendtsh-Bentinck and the Countess of,
Klltnore. Mrs. Astor's popularity was such that noe
function was deemed altogether successful If she wa
not present. Three or four invitations for an evening
wtre not uncommon.
I-ast season, when the great state ball was given at
Buckingham palace In honor of the present king and
oueen of Denmark, Mrs. Astor and Mrs. Potter Palmee
were especially honored by being placed on the list
embracing "the diplomatic corps and other foreigners ot
distinction." On the general list were placed the name
of the Waldorf Astors, Mrs. J. W. Mackay. Mr. andj
Mrs. Walter Burns and other well-known people. ,
FAVORED BY BRITISH QUEEN ''!
Mrs. Astor has often been a guest at Goedwood and
Ascot, aad at the royal Inclosure has been singled out
One night she appeared at the. opera aa a guest of
l ady Arthur Paget. Clothed In a gown of pearl gray
lln. with the gray tulle corsage covered with bow
knots of diamonds and pendants of colored Jewels, she
created such a furore that she felt compelled to Withj.
Haw. Even the king was unable to refrain from casting
giances upon the damiing figure. On another night aha
was summoned to the rovul Ii.it ami iii on Vi,.n K,.&t
u ith the qiteen.
Tluis from her conquests abroad Mrs. Astor returns
to thfc country to the throne prepared for her. But in
i lie meantime, during the period of family mourning,
h. remains unrrowne.l Tti. .rani K.iinkm u,..tw
tends across therear of the houses occupied by the late
i'" v.uiuiiri j una gacou asiot, remains closed,
i he throne Is unoccupied. -
New York society prophesies great things of the new
men. Its minor leaders talk of Mr Astor's undoubted
qualifications her charm of manner, her dignity and '
gr.u lousness. her rare sense of diplomacy characterise
tn-s which brought proud and haughty London to her
fe. t. And they do not doubt that the woman who
entranced King Edward will easily dominate social'
America. Mrs. Astor has wealth in abundance. She
will entertain In the splendid ballroom made famous by ,
h. r husband's mother. She has a villa at Newport and
n splendid home at Ferncliffe, neifr Rhineheck-on-thfl-lludson.
, ,. .. .
At PoinelifTe thre Is a $200ifjo0 gymnasium. It boasts
of the finest tennis court In the world. Both Mrs, Astor
and her husband are tennis .enthusiasts. There, It Is
r-JI'i cirii. the new leader will entertain. There will be. :
doi.htless.- tournaments of all sorts.
The guest chambers are gems of artistic decoration.
There are all the comforts of a luxurious clubhouse.
The building is of marble, the wood is heavily whit ,
.!:amled. or Is oak and mahogany; all the metal work
of the heaviest French gilt, the doorknobs and bath
re. 1 m fixtures are of cut glass; all the plumbing la silver- '
plated. : '
Mrs. Astor notf only has made it a rule 'to retire at
11 o'clock at night whenever possible, but she also In- .
dulges in exercise whenever she finds the opportunity.
This explains her wonderful preservation of youth.
Colonel Astor, her husband, is an automobile' enthusiast
and owns JtaO.uoO worth of machines more tnaa any
other Individual in America. -
But with all her social duties Mrs. Astor has never
reelected her children. Both William Vincent and Mttlo
Alice have been encouraged to live outdjor lives. When
h. is riot at school. William spends his time at pe-i
cliff. He rides and plays game with hie tathi-r. Jt;(
playground consists of 2uu0 acrea.
When the family Is in New York little Alice '
more time on Fifth avenue and in the park than 1 i
the splendid family mansion. Mrs. Astor, who Is f
tldlous about her oti gowns, dresses Uttle. Alice f .i t
lossly. She Is alwaVg dressed In white Kimt.l but n
qulsite garments, made front French mudtln a
her friends are Muriel, the young dauhtKr if Mr i. s
Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt, Jr.; the rtilMren of Mr t 7 . ....
Jlarry Payne Whitney. Mrand Mrs. Jmn A, I
Jr., Mr. and Mr.vJohn Hammond and Mr. ai i j.
William, J. Srhieffelin.
Colonel and Mrs. Astor, of eoitr, will ttt t--r
; society until the peri.xl of mmirntrn ho i u-. l
then Mrs. Astor, America", one tck nowledi'- i'. '"., v :
await her- formal coronation.