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The Wits and Beaux of Society - Volume 1 by Philip Wharton;Grace Wharton
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When Grace and Philip Wharton found that they had pleased the world with
their "Queens of Society," they very sensibly resolved to follow up
their success with a companion work. Their first book had been all about
women; the second book should be all about men. Accordingly they set to
work selecting certain types that pleased them; they wrote a fresh
collection of pleasant essays and presented the reading public with
"Wits and Beaux of Society". The one book is as good as the other; there
is not a pin to choose between them. There is the same bright easy,
gossiping style, the same pleasing rapidity. There is nothing tedious,
nothing dull anywhere. They do not profess to have anything to do with
the graver processes of history--these entertaining volumes; they seek
rather to amuse than to instruct, and they fulfil their purpose
excellently. There is instruction in them, but it comes in by the way;
one is conscious of being entertained, and it is only after the
entertainment is over that one finds that a fair amount of information
has been thrown in to boot. The Whartons have but old tales to tell, but
they tell them very well, and that is the first part of their business.

Looking over these articles is like looking over the list of a good
club. Men are companionable creatures; they love to get together and
gossip. It is maintained, and with reason, that they are fonder of their
own society than women are. Men delight to breakfast together, to take
luncheon together, to dine together, to sup together. They rejoice in
clubs devoted exclusively to their service, as much taboo to women as a
trappist monastery. Women are not quite so clannish. There are not very
many women's clubs in the world; it is not certain that those which do
exist are very brilliant or very entertaining. Women seldom give supper
parties, "all by themselves they" after the fashion of that "grande dame
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