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Show PRESS AGENTS IN 400. Fashionable New York Women Said to Pay Well for Notoriety. More than a dozen New York women of assured position in the -100, and more than a score of women who are on the fringe of it and who are working their hax-dest to break into the charmed circle, cir-cle, have press agenla regularly employed em-ployed whom they pay from $50 a month' upward to keep their names before be-fore tho public. One of these society press agents with the names of a dozen well-known women wo-men on his books lias a handsome ofllce uptown and an Income equal to that of a bank president or a successful Jockey. He describes the work he carries on ns "rangllng." In other words, ho pulls the string that makes the puppets dance In the social world. If the names of tho women who employ em-ploy press agents were published the public would be astounded. Some of these women want to get into thc papers pa-pers simply In thc sonse of being society perexmuges; somo warit to be kept out unless their names appear in connection connec-tion with certain "sets"; some want to bo known solely in relation to a particular particu-lar society or fad that Interests them, and others desire to become famous aa powers behind thrones, as forces working for the good of humanity. Tho press agent as 'a rule does his work so skillfully that it is seldom known he i at work. He has to veil his moves or his success is endangered. It Bhould not be supposed that tho society women havo gono personally to the press agents and engaged their services. Few, If any, of them arc so indelicate as to be guilty of such Indiscretion. In-discretion. Thc most prominent of the socloty press agents says that many of his clients he has novcr seen. He was engaged in nearly every case by an intermediary. in-termediary. Thc money transactions are always conducted through an agent. It would never do to have It known that a man who makes a business of "promoting publicity"' was getting monthly checks from, for example, the wife of a railroad rail-road president who Is securely perched on the topmost rung of the social ladder or from the wife of a multl-mllllonalre who shares the seat with the other woman. wo-man. One of tho most prominent of this press agent's clients Is as secure in her social position as Mrs. Astor. Her hus-; hus-; band is the head of one of the greatest " " ., transportation systems of the country. Hi r name la printed so often in the society columns of the newspapers that ono has cause to wonder at her wanting to yc it more frequently. But this does not satisfy her. Such fame is not the thing. Thc particular vanity that leads her to pay 550 a month for its gratification, In addition to her costly entertainments, Is a desire to be considered as occupying in New York the same position as Mrs. Ronalds does in London that of the great patrons pa-trons of musical artists. She likes to have It said that sho "Introduced" these artists to society, made them known and popular in her "set." One of the daughters of a prominent banker in this city made an attempt at I getting additional social prominence last fall in rather an unusual way. Through an Intermediary she offered to write the society news of the horse show every day for a sensational newspaper, if, In return, the paper would "star" her as the most prominent woman In the show, but the newspaper couldn't quite seo the advantage of the scheme. Another woman who has an active press agent is well known at all the horse shows ns an exhibitor of prizo winners, Persons who know the woman well wonder how long she can keep up the pace she has set, for her fortune Is not a large one, hut meanwhile her press agent keeps getting her name in the papers. The wife of one of the best-known men-about-town pays a press agent a good monthly fee through the regular society season to do two things: To keep her name out of the papers In connection connec-tion with certain social sets that she does not wish to appear to be a member of, and to get her name associated with circles in which she is anxious to shine as a leading member. Another woman, who is really prominent promi-nent In one of the big women's patriotic patrio-tic societies, who is noted for her regal manner of dressing and for her dramatic dra-matic entries when presiding at meetings, meet-ings, pays a pre3s agent to foster tho impression that sho Is the bright particular par-ticular IT of her pet society. Just why sho should pay to have this reputation made known Is not at all clear, for she is so thoroughly identified with this society that none of Its internal disturbances dis-turbances ever shake her from her throne. Wives and daughters of Western millionaires are particularly good patrons pa-trons of the society press agents, for New York society is the mccca of their Eastern pilgrimage. New York Press. |