 | Saratoga in 1901 |  |
PICTURES
Congress Hall, Aug. 5.
et me paint you some pictures
to-day.
I see them all around me.
The fickle Goddess of Fashion
reigns, but she cannot change the
goodness of the human heart. In the
mazes of the dance, I see brave men with
hearts to love and pray, Christian mothers
all aglow with the smiles of Heaven, children
with beautiful, angel faces, and babes in
arms, sweet roses born from the bosom of
Divinity.
A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN.
One of the sweetest, prettiest incidents of
our watering-place life is enacted daily at
the Clarendon. While the thoughtless
watering-place throng sways in and out of
the great dining-room, and the endless clatter
of tongues and cutlery seems to drown
every holy thought, a venerable silver-haired
old gentleman walks slowly in at the head
of his Christian family, and takes his seat at
the head of the table. Instantly the laughing
faces of a table full of diners assume a
reverential look. The knives and forks rest
with clasped hands, modestly murmurs a prayer of thanks—a
sweet benediction to God! The scene lasts but a moment, but
all day long that hallowed prayer of the Christ-child seems to
float in the air, guiding, protecting, and consecrating the thoughtless
army of wayward souls.
I could not find out who this brave old Christian was: but last
night his name came all at once. A lovely woman, with her beautiful
children, arose early from her seat at the Congress Hall hop,
to return to the Clarendon.
“Why do you go so early, Mrs. Clark?” asked a fashionable
lady friend.
“Oh, you will
laugh at me if I
tell you—now really,
my dear, won't you?”
“No, unless you make me,”
replied her friend. And then
she leaned forward and whispered:
“Well, my dear, you know I stop
at the Clarendon. My room is next
to that dear, good old man's, and he
does pray so beautifully every night that
I kneel down by his door with the children
to hear him, and then I go to bed
so happy, for I know nothing can happen
to us when we are so near him!”
Wiping a tear from her eye, the friend
said, “Let me go with you!” and right
in the middle of the lancers, these warm-souled
women, with their children, walked
to the Clarendon to sit in the next
room and hear the evening family
prayer of good old Richard Suydam,
of West Twenty-ninth street.
I have since learned that Mr. Suydam
has educated three ministers, and started
a great many poor but worthy young
men in business. He is very wealthy,
but spends only one-third of his income,
devoting the rest to charity.
FULL-DRESS BALL AT CONGRESS HALL.
The first large full-dress ball is now going on at Congress Hall.
The bridge is beautifully ornamented with colored lights, and
Bernstein is not piping the times of peace, but piping the pieces
a good many times.
Among the representative matrons present are Mrs. James
Brooks, Mrs. Gen. Greene, Mrs. Larz Anderson of Cincinnati;
Mrs. Shoenberger of Pittsburg, Mrs. A. T. Stewart, Mrs. Wm.
Wall of Fifth Avenue, Mrs. Course of Syracuse, Mrs. Dr. Ball of
Boston, and Mrs. De Witt who built the memorial church in
Albany.
MARRIED LADIES WITH BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN.
In this list—and what is more beautiful than a beautiful mother?—come
Mrs. S. W. Coe, of East Forty-second street, with
three little heavenly smiles; Mrs. Yates of Newark, with rosy-cheeked
daughters; Mrs. Colonel Bridgeland, with her daughter,
a liquid-eyed brunette; Mrs. Eby, with two daughters and a baby
as pretty as Raphael's angel—up stairs. I also see those two
beautiful blonde mothers, Mrs. C. H. Buckley of Park Avenue,
the mother of that sweet little cherub, Gracie E.; and Mrs.
Davis of the Everett House, the mother of that little angel,
Flora, whom all the ladies say is “just too sweet for anything!”
Present also are, Mrs. Tenny, with pretty Miss Florence Bissell,
of Fifth Avenue, and the handsome Pelham; Mrs. Baker, Mrs.
McPhail, Mrs. Quintard, Mrs. R. H. Arkenburg, of East Twenty-second
street, with Miss Bowers of Wilmington and Miss Belle
Hendrickson of Albany; Mrs. Joseph Harker and Mrs. George
Opdyke; also Miss Lewis, now Mrs. Frank Moran; Mrs. Charles
Wall of Park Avenue, with the bright little boys, the general pets
of everybody; Mrs. Allen of Milwaukee, with her accomplished
adopted daughter; Mrs. N. H. Decker of Fifth avenue, who
loves other people's children; Mrs. De Forest, Mrs. W. H. Hulburt
of Cincinnati, with her daughter, one of the golden-haired
graces; Mrs. Colonel Rush Hawkins; Mrs. Harvey Kennedy,
wife of the Wall street banker; Mrs. Hariot of West Twenty-third
street, with her daughter, Miss Norma; Mrs. Sheriff
O'Brien, Mrs. Bates of Riverdale, with three rosy-cheeked daughters
and a beautiful little angel of a boy, up stairs; Mrs. Thomas
of Rhittenhouse Square, Pa., with daughters, Miss Lillie and Miss
Virginia; Mrs. John G. Saxe, with Miss Sallie Saxe; the gifted
Mrs. Samuel G. Courtney, Mrs. Williams of the Fifth Avenue
Hotel, and Mrs. J. S. T. Stranahan, who ranked with Mrs. Hoffman,
Emma Willard, and Madame Mears, as a teacher of women.
Among beautiful babies are little Julia Watson Southgate,
Gracey Buckley, Madge Heyward Breslin, Baby Eby and Baby
Bates.
Among married ladies are: Mrs. Commodore Vanderbilt, Mrs.
R. H. Southgate, Mrs. Joseph C. Mills, and Mrs. B. F. Beekman,
of East Forty-fourth street, with Miss Emma L. Croxson.
Among the most accomplished widow ladies are Mrs. Mary
Whitney of Irving Place, sister of Mrs. Gulager, the charming
singer; and Mrs. T. L. Henry and Mrs. Brinkerhoff, so well
known and beloved at the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
Among charming young ladies are Miss Julia Groesbeck,
daughter of Hon. W. S. Groesbeck, of Cincinnati; Miss Julia
Gould of Buffalo, Miss Celia Wall of Fifth avenue, Miss Brown
of Providence, Miss Freelinghuysen of New Jersey, the Misses
Hilton, daughters of Judge Hilton; Miss Morgan, daughter of
Homer Morgan; Miss Ada Burr, Miss Marvin, daughter of the
Hon. James M. Marvin; Miss May Tewkesberry of New York,
and Miss Fannie Hicks of Troy.
That beautiful quartette of girls, beautiful with girlish naivety
and beginning womanhood, are: Miss Florence Bissell, Miss
Carrie Baker, Miss Laura Williams, and Miss Irene Stewart.
Among the beaux this year are Mr. James Brady, Mr. Edward
S. Sanford, Mr. John Henry Keene, Mr. Oliver Arkenburg, Mr.
Cunningham, son of Paymaster Cunningham of the navy; Mr.
Fred Zeriga, Mr. Eugene Sanger, Charles Smith, Mr. Millan
Palmer, Mr. Durant, Mr. Baker Mr. Andrews, Mr. Bailey, Mr.
Vernon, Mr. Hatch (leader of the German), Mr. Baylis, Mr.
Rockenbaugh, Mr. Bates of Riverdale, Mr. Parks, Mr. Thorn,
Mr. Fanning, Mr. John Sniffin, Mr. Gimbernat, Mr. Burras, Dr.
Verona, Mr. James Prendergast of Jamestown, Mr. Frank Moran
the great American traveller; Mr. Frank Lord, with his dashing
tandem team; Mr. J. A. Hinckley, and Mr. Alfred Claggett.
Eli Perkins né Lan—.
| Saratoga in 1901 | |