File:The meccas of the world; the play of modern life in New York, Paris, Vienna, Madrid and London (1913) (14597056090).jpg

Identifier: meccasofworldpla01cran (find matches)
Title: The meccas of the world; the play of modern life in New York, Paris, Vienna, Madrid and London
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Cranston, Ruth
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, John Lane company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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ntry. Even thewomen look at things through the masculine vision,and to an extent share the masculine prerogatives.As long as a womans husband accepts what she does,everyone accepts her; which explains how in the coun-try where women are clamouring most frantically forequal privileges, a great number of women enjoyprivileges unheard of by their free sisters of otherlands. It is a question of position, not of sex; and harksback—moral privilege, I mean—to that core of allEnglish institutions: breeding. There are no boundsto the latitude allowed the great, though it does notseem to occur to the non-great that such license in it-self brings into question the rights of many who holdold names and ancient titles. Succession,that all-im-portant factor of the whole social system, is hedgedabout with many an interrogation point; which societyis pleased to ignore, nevertheless, on the ground ofnoblesse oblige! Above a certain stratum, the Eng-lish calmly dispense with logic, and bestow divine
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IN REVIEW 853 rights on all men alike; obviously it is the only thingto do, and besides it confers divine obligations at thesame time. One must say for all Englishmen that rarely ifever, in their personal liberty, do they lose sightof their obligations. In the midst of after-dinner hilarity, one will see a club-room empty as ifby magic, and the members hurry away in taxis ortheir own limousines. One knows that a division isto be called for, and that it wants perhaps ten minutesof the hour. The same thing happens at balls or al-most any social function: the men never fail to attendwhen they can, for they are distinctly social creatures;but they keep a quiet eye on the clock, and slip outwhen duty calls them eleswhere. This serves twoexcellent purposes: of preventing brain-fag amongthe big men of the hour, and leading the zest oftheir interests and often great undertakings to so-ciety—which in many countries never sees them. In England politics and society are far moreclosely allied t

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