KEEPING IN WITH THE FOUR HUNDRED.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 3 July 1936, Page 8

KEEPING IN WITH THE FOUR HUNDRED.

The increasing- intermingling in t i jpper-class English society is con;rasted with the cast-iron exclusiveness )f sections of American society by the Marquis of Donegall in an article in the "Daily Despatch." In England, he says, the intermingling of sets —noble, commercial, international, and artistic—has been going on for so long that no one .can say where society begins or ends—indeeu, iL" it really exists at all. There are few houses left in England where the lu.stess cares what your birth or origin was. She is out to get interestingpeople. Besides, you can't make money by being exclusive. There is a "Royalist Party" in America but it is not the "Social Register"ites" who belong to it, for they consider themselves the nearest approach to rcyaity that America needs. They are certainly more careful not to meec The wrong people than any royalty. No American Royalists would fav our Mr W. R. Hearst or Mr Roosevelt, both of whom would probably make excellent kings. Mr Hearst rules his domains of San Simeon, in California, with all its roaming wild beasts round it, and his St. Donat's in Wales,, with its priceless art treasures and unique gold plate collection, in the dignified manner of the best monarchy of history. The Super-Social Registerites might not invite Mr Hearst to their parties even if he were king. On the other hand, wild horses would not get him to go to them, king or not. The racket of getting social climbers (at a price) into circles where they are not wanted is far more developed than in England. With the English charity is practically the only Jacob's ladder.

Various impoverished aristocrats in London have tried palming the parentfinanced debts of climbing on to their friends. It only works if the deb. is an intelligent young woman whom people genuinely like.

But there are several women in America who, once they have hooked a rich debutante, become her general business manager. It is a business; they get commission on everything, from lingeries to photographers, and the only surprising thing about it all is that the racket is tolerated by American ••aristocracy." It seems that the original muchpublicised 400 whom Mrs Astor used to consider suitable to have at her •parties has grown to about 40,000, and that the two easiest ways of being thrown out of the Social Register are to become an actress or marry a prizefighter. Americans often say that "Burke's Peerage" is the greatest masterpiece of fiction in the English language. However, whether fictitious or not —do one ever seems to bother to find out — they regard European titles with an earnestness surprising to us. After Newport comes Long Island with a very mixed but highly amusing set. "Jock" Whitney is at home there because riding is popular and the chief atmosphere of it is sporting. Newport society overflows into it, but is careful, when it gets there, not to associate with the large financial colony (partly Jewish). There is also a "celebrity" set resembling amusing parties in London or Paris, in which you might meet anyone from Max Bacr (and only just not Joe Louis) to the Queen of Rumania, if she happened to be in America.

The "international set" is a little different. It eentres round the Waldorf, the Pierre and the St. Regis Hotel. Its Embassy Club is a thing called the "Mayfair," which takes place in the Pierre on Saturday evenings.

You sit there for an hour and( if you are interested and not an ignoramus) will know everyone's matrimonial or other affairs inside out.

On Sunday morning you pick up the papers and find that the various columnists know just as much who is divorcing, "blessed eventing," "mid-dle-aisling," horizontal and some other person's "insomnia," as they do themselves.

The "international set" is unaffected by scandal or publicity. It cares only if people are amusing.