Among the fifty or more social organizations in Buenos Aires, the Jockey Club is the Argentine circle par excellence. Its wealth, derived from an initiation fee of $4000 and annual dues of $1500 for each member, and a 'rake-off' of ten per cent of the amounts wagered at its race-track, together with gate receipts, accumulate so rapidly that it is a source of genuine embarassment for the governing board. A short time ago the club voted to devote its surplus to the purchase of a dozen blocks in the heart of the city, the idea being to transform the tract into a beautiful boulevard. It would have cost nearly $14,000,000 in our money. The project was abandoned, not because of the cost, but on the ground of impracticability. During the racing season, held under the auspices of the Club at Palermo Park, the Porteno is seen at this best. Paris gowns and picture hats are displayed in profusion in the grandstand, lawns and luxurious victorias and automobiles that line the course, and with the correct dress and animation of the men, the prodigality everywhere in evidence, the scene takes on an aspect truly Parisian.
