19 MARCH 1932, Page 12

tions, the London club. Admittedly its great days have gone.

The week-end habit, the growth of restaurants and the emancipation of women have hit it hard. The

-segregation of men in their own citadels is- out of tune with the modern temper. The consequence is that few clubs are prosperous. Once the right sort of club, or clubs, was a warrant for a man's respectability. To-day he may belong to none and yet be highly respectable. Waiting lists are short, and where a candidate used to have to exercise patience for years, he may now be elected after a few months. The fact that clubs haVe lost most of their social distinction and are now less " exclusive " is perhaps not to be grumbled at. Only the Turf retains the old club character ; most of the others are simply conveniences, not social hall-marks. Fastidiousness in choice is now confined to those dining fraternities like Grillons and The Club, which have no local habitation.

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